September 15th marked the day that two large rallies were held in Taiwan in support of Taiwan’s UN bid. The DPP, who want to enter the UN under the name Taiwan, held their rally in Kaohsiung attracting almost 500 000 people, while the KMT, who want to re-enter the UN under the name Republic of China, saw 50 000 people at their rally in Taichung. I chose the KMT’s rally in Taichung as my destination for the day, mainly because Taichung is a lot closer to where I live. I met up with Michael Turton, Taiwan’s pre-eminent English language blogger. Feiren at Taiwan Matters has a report and photos from the DPP march in Kaohsiung.

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The KMT bused in supporters from around the country, handed out blue and white flip-flops, waved the national flag and pulled out the heavyweights – presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), his running mate Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) and KMT chairman Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄). A large contingent of media representatives was also on hand.

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Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄) and the media.

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The rally started at the 823 Memorial Park in the Beitun district of Taichung and after a few speeches to the initially smallish crowd, marched to the new Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium for an evening party.

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Marchers ranged in age from young children through to the elderly. The protest wasn’t just about the UN though. 10 floats, each with different themes highlighted civic problems ranging from credit card debt to suicide rates and the plight of farmers. The KMT youth corps donned graduation robes to call attention to the problems that students face.

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Of course, it wouldn’t be Taiwan if there weren’t young women in skimpy outfits.

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All the major media companies were there, with cameramen and photographers jostling for position.

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In general, the rally was a sea of red and blue, the colors of the KMT.

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If anyone has photos of the DPP rally in Kaohsiung, let me know and I’ll link you into this post.