Tens of thousands march in duel over Taiwan's name

Some 75,000 people took part in two marches called by opposing political parties on Sunday to campaign on a fundamental and controversial issue, Taiwan's name, on the last weekend before legislative elections. The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), staunch pro-independence ally of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), gathered an estimated 15,000 people to urge the government to change the island's name to "Republic of Taiwan" and sever its ties to China - a move that could provoke Beijing to declare war.
Just a few streets away, the opposition Nationalist Party and People First Party mobilised some 60,000 supporters to march in support of Taiwan's official name, the Republic of China, as they fought to keep their majority in parliament.
"These people take their titles from the nation, draw their salaries from the nation," Nationalist Chairman Lien Chan told his supporters, pointing to the DPP government and former president Lee Teng-hui, spiritual leader of the TSU.
"Yet every time they open their mouth, they attack the Republic of China and talk about exterminating the Republic of China," said Lien, who was narrowly defeated in March by the independence-leaning Chen Shui-bian in presidential elections.
The Nationalists had ruled Taiwan for more than five decades after Chiang Kai-shek's Republic of China government retreated to the island from the mainland following their defeat by Mao Zedong's Communist forces.
Beijing considers self-governing Taiwan a breakaway province that must eventually be reunified, and has threatened to attack if Taiwan declares statehood. But Chen's election victories in 2000 and this year have emboldened pro-independence activists.
Voters will go to the polls again on Saturday to choose a new parliament and analysts had said before the march that the Nationalist-led opposition could lose its slim majority as there appeared to be more momentum behind the DPP campaign.
The march on Sunday was designed to rejuvenate the Nationalist campaign.
Reflecting a growing sense of Taiwan identity on the island, Lee's TSU is campaigning for a new constitution to replace the current one, which retains Chiang's claim to all of mainland China, as well as Mongolia, as national territory.