The rally began at the Presidential Office plaza at 9:00 a.m. with hundreds of elementary school, high school and college students performing rock-n-roll, traditional Hakka folk dances and dances telling Taiwanese folk tales.

The dances were followed by a performance staged by tri-service marching bands on the ground, with a breathtaking flyby performed by the air force showcasing aircraft purchased in the years since the last display of this type in 1991, including the AH-1W attack helicopter, the OH-58D combat search helicopter, the S-70C chopper, and fixed-wing aircraft such as the U.S.-made F-16 and France-made Mirage 2000 jet fighters, and home-grown IDF fighters. They flew in formation to kick off the military parade.

The most eye-catching weapons were the supersonic Hsiung Feng-3 ship-to-ship missile, which is believed capable of attacking fuel tanks and ammunition depots on a vessel; and the anti-tactical ballistic missile Tien Kung-3, which is believed to be able to track and knock down aircraft and cruise missiles.The Ministry of Defense also for the first time allowed a glimpse of a locally developed unmanned surveillance plane that could be used to gather battlefield data.

Also showcased in the military display was other advanced hardware, including eight-wheel-drive CM-32 Clouded Leopard vehicles, an Avenger air defense missile system armed with Stinger missiles and a 50-caliber machine gun, as well as armored Humvees equipped with TOW armor-piercing missiles.

An Assault Amphibian Vehicle AAVP7 purchased from the United States in 2001, mobile army and marine radar, fire-fighting vehicles of the chemical corps, and a pontoon bridge of the engineering corps were also showcased.

But the island's first cruise missile, the Hsiung-Feng 2E, whose range can reach the Chinese mainland, was not on display, due to reported pressure from Washington.

The missile's specifications are not available, but observers said it has a range of at least 600 kilometers and could be launched on land or at sea. That could bring airports and missile bases in southern China, as well as cities such as Shanghai and Hong Kong within striking distance.

A highly anticipated skydiving display by an elite squad of paratroopers was canceled due to poor weather conditions. They originally planned to land on the square using paragliders.

With the exception of some protesters who were physically ejected from the audience for shouting anti-Chen remarks, the rally took place peacefully and successfully.

The Taipei City Police Department yesterday deployed around 5,000 policemen to maintain the order and safety around the Presidential Office, fortunately encountering no major special conditions.

On another front, the National Security Bureau under the Presidential Office geared up for high alert around the PoAi Special Zone surrounding the Presidential Office, installing many posts in the zone and deploying sharpshooters on the right and left sides of the Presidential Office Building to counter any unexpected undesirable attacks against top government officials.

Also, people wishing to enter the restricted area were banned from carrying umbrellas, and their personal bags cannot size over 20cm x 20cm. People were also required to have a trial drink of their personal beverage products in front of the military policemen, before they were allowed to enter the area with private beverage products.

In addition, journalists were originally not allowed to take their personal computers into the Presidential Office to cover the National Day celebration ceremony officiated by President Chen Shui-bian, based on regulations set by the National Security Bureau.

Nevertheless, reporters were smoothly allowed to cover the ceremony with their PCs as a result of coordination by the Presidential Office security unit with the National Security Bureau.