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Taiwanese all over the world
observed the country's Feb. 28 Peace Memorial Day with a variety of activities
on February 28.
In Washington, D.C., a ceremony
jointly sponsored by the Taiwan Presbyterian Church and the Taiwanese
Association in Washington, D.C., was held at the Twin Oak Garden, drawing a bout
300 Taiwanese attendees. The ceremony began with a prayer led by pastors Hsu
Min-chao and Chen Min-hsien from the Taiwan Presbyterian Church.
David Tawei Lee, Taiwan's
representative to the United States, also spoke and urged Taiwanese to draw a
lesson from the 228 incident to learn to accept ethnic variety with tolerance.
In Los Angeles, about 300 Taiwanese
gathered at the Taiwan Center to observe the 228 Peace Memorial Day. Braving
chilly wind, they gathered in front of the center to sing Taiwan folk songs then
lit white and green candles and observed silence in memory of the dead. A slogan
written on a big billboard on the front of the center read: "Chinese Missiles
not only target Taiwan but all of East Asia."
In Dallas, Texas, the observation was
organized jointly by the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) and the
local Taiwanese Association.
In Ottawa, Canada, more than 200
Taiwanese gathered at the city library to observe the 228 Peace Memorial Day.
Taiwan's representative to Canada, Thomas Chen, also gave a speech in which he
called on all Taiwanese to value the island's hard-earned democracy. The
participants issued a statement at the end of the ceremony, decrying the
mainland's attempts to take over Taiwan.
In London, Taiwanese marked the day
by gathering in the freezing square in front of Parliament to protest the
mainland's anti-secession law. They unfurled a banner reading "Taiwan is not a
part of China" and waved posters calling on Beijing to withdraw its missiles
deployed across the Taiwan Strait from Taiwan.
In
Tokyo, Taiwanese and pro-Taiwan Japanese marked the day by taking to the streets
on Monday to protest against the anti-secession law, which is intended to
prevent Taiwan from seeking independence. | 