Over 100,000 join anti-China rally in Taipei

Chanting "Oppose missiles, Want peace", more than 100,000 supporters of Taiwan's pro-independence President Chen Shui-bian joined a rally yesterday to protest China's threat to use force against the self-ruled island.

The rally, organised by Chen's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), marked the first anniversary of China's passage of the Anti-Secession Law that authorises war if Taiwan declares statehood, thereby violating Beijing's "one China" policy.

China and Taiwan split at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.

With red ballons symbolising Chinese missiles, the DPP said the huge crowd showed the world the Taiwan people's determination to defend a democratic way of life.

Taipei says Beijing had accumulated nearly 800 missiles targeting the island and was adding to its arsenal at a rate of between 75-100 a year. Some security analysts say the Taiwan Strait is one of Asia's most dangerous hot spots.

Under sunny skies, the participants, many of who were bused in from all over the island, waved flags and held placards reading "Protect democracy, Oppose annexation", "Love peace, Love Taiwan". They chanted slogans and sang songs in the Taiwanese dialect.

President Chen did not join the march to the presidential office as expected after local media reported that about 6,000-7,000 police were mobilised to ensure his safety.

But Chen, in an emotive speech at the end of the rally, told the crowd that he stood firmly by his decision to scrap a dormant but symbolic Taiwanese body called the National Unification Council last month. The move triggered condemnation by China.

For Taiwan's people, the issue of reunification versus independence has always been tricky. Opinion polls consistently show more than 80 per cent of Taiwan people prefer the status quo.

Last week, tens of thousands of Opposition supporters, who favour closer ties with China, marched through Taipei to denounce Chen, accusing him of fanning tensions with China.

Underscoring a divided Taiwan, a group of Opposition supporters plan to gather in Taipei today to demand the government reopen an investigation into an election-eve shooting of Chen two years ago.

Opposition parties have accused Chen of staging the attack to win votes in the last presidential election, which Chen won by a razor-thin 0.2 per cent.