March for UN bid

According to the Taipei Times, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party will organize a march for UN bid on September 15, 2007. The main goal will be to demonstrate to the international community Taiwan people’s desire to join the UN.

DPP Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung said that the DPP has set a target of attracting at least one million people onto the streets, simultaneously at home and abroad. On Wednesday (July 4), he also called on the leaders of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party to join the march, which aims at helping the country enter the UN under the name "Taiwan."

Recently, a DPP-initiated proposal for a referendum on Taiwan's bid to join the UN was rejected by a screening panel at the Executive Yuan. Nevertheless, the ruling party DPP has filed an administrative petition with the review committee, hoping that the decision will be overturned.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Executive Yuan will designate July 15 as a memorial day—“liberation day”— marking the end of the KMT's 50-year martial law rule and White Terror era in Taiwan in 1987. As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the lifting of martial law, the DPP is planning to organize a series of activities to observe the transformation of Taiwan democracy during the past 20 years.

President Chen Shui-bian, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung as well as DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh will also be invited to participate in the forthcoming activities.