Taiwan opposition invites Chinese tourists to watch anti-Ma protest

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.