Independence seekers rally for Taiwan republic

The demonstrators were mobilized by the Campaign for an Independent Taiwan, a coalition of independence seekers loosely aligned with Chen’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and its Taiwan Solidarity Union ally.

Police put Friday’s crowd at 5,000, who are among the staunch supporters for Chen, whose supporting rate remained at of 18 percent based on the latest opinion poll by the Shih Hsin University.

An open-ended sit-in campaign led by former Chen ally and veteran human rights campaigner Shih Ming-teh in the expansive square adjacent to Taipei’s ornate, red-colored Presidential Office building was scheduled to begin this afternoon.

That campaign is aimed at forcing Chen to resign over a series of alleged corruption scandals involving his family and inner circle.

But the pro-Chen demonstrators took the stage one day earlier, waving flags and chanting slogans in favor of formalizing Taiwan’s de facto independence and drafting a new constitution, despite threats by rival China to invade if such a step is taken.

They also sang the ROT anthem and raised an ROT flag at the gathering.

The independence rally lent the much needed support of Chen, who has been on the defensive for more than six months over allegations that senior aides and family members as well as himself took advantage of their proximity to him for personal financial gain.

The Presidential Office already acknowledged that prosecutors questioned both Chen and his wife last month about the use of false invoices to account for part of a secret fund used for intelligence work and the first lady’s acquisition of gift vouchers of Pacific Sogo Department Store.

The office denied any wrongdoing in a statement, although Chen had admitted for the use of other people’s invoices to claim his expenses while his family received gift vouchers “indirectly” from a businessman.

When delivering his speech, DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun led the crowd to shout slogans backing the Taiwan republic.

He told the crowed that the ongoing anti-corruption campaign against Chen is a campaign led by a “Chinese political party” to bully the Taiwanese people and the establishment of the Taiwan republic.

Others called for the change of the name of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and the adoption of a new Constitution before electing the first president of the Taiwan republic in early 2008.

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