Taipei - Taiwan's opposition party DPP plans to invite
Chinese tourists to watch its up-coming anti-government protest to
give them a feel of Taiwan's democracy, a newspaper said Saturday.
The China Times quoted Tsai Ying-wen, chairwoman of Taiwan's
biggest opposition party the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as
saying that the DPP plans to designate some areas along the route of
its march on May 17 for Chinese tourists.
'We want to mark out special areas for Chinese tourists so that
they can watch and know Taiwan's democracy. We will maintain order
and guarantee Chinese tourists' safety,' she said.
The DPP plans to mobilize 100,000 people to march through Taipei
on May 17 and hold a vigil that night in front of the Presidential
Office Building in central Taipei.
The purpose of the march is to protest what DPP calls President Ma
Ying-jeou's moving too close to China and his failure to improve
Taiwan's economy.
Ma won the March 2008 presidential election on a platform of
seeking peace with China and reviving Taiwan's economy.
Since his inauguration in May 2008, Ma has opened air, sea, postal
and tourism links with China.
The moves have eased cross-strait tension and benefited Taiwan's
economy, but the DPP warned that these exchanges are dangerous
because Taiwan is falling under China's control.
The DPP has threatened to topple Ma if - in the DPP's words - the
president sells out Taiwan's interests to China.
It is not clear how large the turnout will be on May 17 and
whether Taiwan travel agencies will let Chinese tourists watch the
parade.
If Chinese tourists are allowed to see the protest, it will be an
interesting programme on what are typically hectic sightseeing and
shopping itineraries. Anti-government protests are not allowed in
China.
An average of 3,000 Chinese tourists fly into Taiwan on a daily
basis. Many of them visit Taiwan out of curiosity about Taiwan's
democratic, free-market system.
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