DPP gurus gather at Lungshan Temple to mark the 20th anniversary of martial law lifting

Yesterday, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) held a boisterous ceremony for the 20th anniversary of Taiwan's lifting of martial law, recreating scenes of dissidents campaigning for democratic reforms--and risking long jail terms.

President Chen Shui-bian, a former defense lawyer for dissidents, joined a gathering at the Lungshan Temple, where participants re-enacted a 1987 protest there.

Also present at the gathering were Vice President Annette Lu, DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung, DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kuen, and newly installed chairman Hong Chi-chang of the Straits Exchange Foundation. But another heavyweight, former Premier Su Tseng-chang, was absent from the event.

Wearing green protest headbands, all the participants, including Chen, sat on the temple grounds chanting "Lift martial law!"

They confronted a wall of uniform-clad men acting as police. Hundreds of onlookers waved flags and chanted slogans along with them.

When speaking to all the participants, President Chen elaborated on the lingering efforts made by Taiwanese dissidents to promote democratic reforms and demand the lifting of the martial law enacted by late President Chiang Kai-shek.

Chen stressed that the DPP would surely work hard to continue its pursuit of Taiwan as an independent sovereignty, adding that Frank Hsieh would certainly become the next president of Taiwan, and the DPP would surely win half of a total of 113 legislative seats.

Gen. Chiang Kai-shek imposed martial law on Taiwan shortly after his Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) retreated to the island in 1949, after losing a civil war to the communist forces on the Chinese mainland.

His son and successor, Chiang Ching-kuo, lifted martial law rule in 1987 under tremendous pressure from political opponents and the island's rising middle class.

The DPP ended the KMT's 50-year rule on the island when Chen was elected president in Taiwan's second popular presidential election in 2000.

To mark the anniversary, the DPP also held an exhibition in Taipei of books and periodicals once banned for allegedly intending to incite insurrection.

DPP supporters sang formerly banned pop songs at a concert in Taiwan's southern city of Kaohsiung.

On another front, the KMT, now the main opposition, accused the DPP of seeking to make political gains by playing up the KMT's past ills.

"It's a shameful, immoral scheme," said KMT Lawmaker Hung Hsiu-chu.

Other opposition lawmakers noted that the DPP was using the event to highlight the former KMT government's authoritarian rule, and to sway voters before the legislative and presidential elections set for early next year.