Chen arrived at his home town Tainan County for the Chinese New Year holidays and met with his supporters there.

He told a lunch gathering that the “defensive referendum,” which is slated alongside the Mar. 20 presidential elections, will help protect Taiwan amid China’s military threats.

He added that a referendum has a democratic value and historical importance and it is a basic human right to express public opinions.

Chen has been promoting a “defensive referendum” calling on Beijing to withdraw some 496 ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan amid strong opposition from China and growing concern in the international community.

But the president pointed out that some countries initiated referendums over a century ago and even several communist countries have held referendums.

He said the 2004 referendum, the first in the Chinese-speaking world, will become another milestone in Taiwan’s history. Its significance will be no less than the 1987 ending of the martial law period, the 1992 legislative reform, the 1996 direct presidential election, and the 2000 “rotation of political parties.”

Chen’s Democratic Progressive Party defeated the ruling Kuomintang in the 2000 presidential election, marking the first “rotation of political parties” in the country.

Taiwan hopes to seek peaceful solutions to the cross-strait issues, but it has to beef up its self defense via acquiring anti-missile systems if China does not relinquish military threats against Taiwan, he stated.

Chen also called on the two sides to start negotiations in order to build a peaceful framework and to avoid military confrontations across the Taiwan Strait for the welfare of the people and future generations.