Led by President Chen Shui-bian, tens of thousands of DPP supporters, many wearing T-shirts printed with the slogan “U.N. for Taiwan” took to the streets in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, shouting “Join the U.N., the referendum protects Taiwan.”

Another tens of thousands of KMT supporters, waving Taiwan’s blue-and-red national flags, marched down major thoroughfares of the central Taiwan city of Taichung.

“Fight to improve the general livelihood, return to the United Nations,” shouted the supporters, who were led by KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou and the party’s chairman, Wu Poh-hsiung.

The DPP rally was held to promote Chen’s U.N. bid and his plan to push for a referendum — to be held along with the presidential election next March — on joining the global body under its unofficial title of Taiwan, despite warnings from Washington and Beijing.

But political observers said the DPP’s move to promote a national referendum on Taiwan’s U.N. bid in defiance of strong warnings and opposition from the U.S. is mainly aimed at duplicating the experience of a similar move launched by the party during the presidential race in 2004, when Chen was seeking a second term.

Before the presidential election in 2005, Chen succeeded in incorporating a defensive referendum into the election despite repeated warnings from the U.S., finally winning support from over half of voters to re-elect Chen.

Observers said that judging from past experience, the opposition and warnings from the U.S. and China would translate into a boon for the DPP’s presidential candidate Frank Hsieh and the party’s legislative election.

They continued that the DPP would come up with a series of actions to keep the ball rolling through the elections.

But whether the actions would further undermine the Taiwan-U.S. relationships would become a big ordeal to Frank Hsieh, who has been deemed a pragmatic politician seeking to maintain good ties with the U.S.

On another front, the KMT also rallied to promote its proposal of holding a national referendum on returning to the United Nations under the name of the Republic of China, which retreated from the U.N. in 1971, so as not to lose ground to the DPP with regard to Taiwan’s sovereignty issue.

This is because Taiwan as a sovereign state has become a mainstream issue among nationals, regardless of whether the nation should be called the Republic of China or Taiwan. Accordingly, if the KMT fails to take any action to show its concern over the issue, then it is likely to lose to the DPP in winning grassroots voter support.

When taking to the streets in Taichung, KMT supporters wore blue and white slippers to demonstrate the party’s “down-to-earth,” hard-working spirit, according to KMT officials.

They said the KMT would come up with more activities to lure grassroots support in the coming months, including those highlighting Taiwan’s sovereignty.

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