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Taiwan's Chen Leads Huge Human Chain Against China
Sat Feb 28, 2004 05:15 AM ET
By Alice Hung TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan President Chen
Shui-bian and up to 2 million of his supporters formed a
human chain down the length of the island Saturday in
its biggest ever protest against China.
The day-long demonstration to oppose China's deployment
of nearly 500 missiles aimed at Taiwan is seen as Chen's
best chance of rallying support for his re-election in a
March 20 vote.
After saying prayers and releasing a flock of white
doves in the morning, the protesters raised joined hands
and shouted "Yes Taiwan," "Oppose Missiles" and "Love
Peace" down the 500-km (310 mile) west coast of Taiwan.
"We formed a great wall of democracy and a great wall of
peace," Chen told thousands of cheering supporters
waving flags and blowing horns in the northern county of
Miaoli.
"We showed the world our determination to recognize
Taiwan and protect Taiwan," Chen said, flanked by former
president Lee Teng-hui, who backs his re-election.
The rally ended peacefully.
Chen's campaign is centered on a controversial
referendum to be held during the election that will ask
voters to back greater missile defenses against China.
Beijing, which says Taiwan is a renegade province that
must be reunited, by force if necessary, views the
referendum as a dry run for a vote on independence that
it says could lead to war.
The "Hand in Hand Taiwan" rally was inspired by a human
chain in the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and
Lithuania in 1989, when more than two million people
called for independence from the Soviet Union.
Organizers estimated close to two million people took
part in the event, which also marked the anniversary of
a massacre of thousands of people killed when the
Nationalist troops crushed islandwide rioting which
broke out on February 28, 1947.
Wednesday, Li Weiyi, spokesman for China's policymaking
Taiwan Affairs Office, said it would be wrong to use the
1947 uprising to stir up confrontation between native
Taiwanese and mainland immigrants or create tension
across the Taiwan Strait. Continued ...
IDEA OF INDEPENDENCE "The DPP wants to reinforce the
idea of Taiwan as an independent country against China,"
said Chao Chien-min, a political science professor at
the National Chengchi University, referring to Chen's
Democratic Progressive Party.
"The DPP aims to consolidate its core pro-independence
supporters, who have been hit by the economic downturn
and are less certain about voting for Chen this time,"
he said.
Taiwan split from China after a civil war ended in 1949,
when Chiang Kai-shek's defeated Nationalist government
retreated to the island. The Nationalists ruled Taiwan
for more than five decades, until they were ousted by
Chen in 2000.
Opinion polls show Chen and Nationalist candidate Lien
Chan locked in a close race. A survey of 1,161 voters by
the mass circulation United Daily News found 40 percent
would vote for Lien against 37 percent for Chen.
"We fought hard for our democracy. If we don't stand up
and let our voice be heard, China will not take us
seriously. Our democracy will amount to nothing," said
businessman Chang Ping-chen, who joined the chain in
Taipei with 20 family members, including his 65-year-old
father and two-year-old daughter.
Lien and tens of thousands of his supporters held a
blood drive to commemorate the day, also known as
Taiwan's Peace Memorial Day. They hugged each other at
2:28 p.m, to mark the anniversary of the "2-28
incident."
c Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
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