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Taiwan to invite Nobel winners to strike
peace bell
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff Reporter
Council of Cultural Affairs Minister Emile
Sheng, left, Premier Wu Den-yih, second left, President Ma Ying-jeou, center,
and others yesterday attend the opening of an -exhibition organized by the
Central Broadcasting System to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the
Republic of China (ROC).
Photo: CNA
Taiwan will invite several winners of the Nobel Peace Prize
to attend a ceremony on Aug. 23 next year in Kinmen to commemorate the “823
Artillery Bombardment,” Council of Culture Affairs Minister Emile Sheng (盛治仁)
said yesterday.
According to Sheng, one Nobel Peace Prize winner has already accepted the
invitation from Taiwan to attend the ceremony to ring a “peace bell” made of
artillery shells used in the 1958 battle, in which China fired up to 500,000
shells at Kinmen over a period of 44 days. However, he declined to reveal the
award winner’s name, saying only that “the peace bell will be engraved with
‘peace’ in 100 languages, while ringing the bell on the day will show our
determination to pursue peace.”
The event is touted as part of a series of activities celebrating the Republic
of China’s (ROC) 100th anniversary next year.
Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), who doubles as chairman of the organizing
committee, said the series of celebrations will begin on the last day of this
year, with a New Year’s Eve party scheduled to be held in Taipei.
Siew said the organizing committee also planned to hold three international
events to enhance Taiwan’s international visibility, while maintaining the
operation of the popular Taipei International Flora Expo pavilions for the whole
year. These include a designers’ exhibition, the annual meeting of the World
Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles and the annual meeting of the
International Press Institute.
While addressing the -organizing committee on preparation for the ROC’s
centennial celebrations, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said: “Taiwan and the ROC
are associated closely with each other, having been through difficulties,
creating not only an economic miracle, but also a political miracle, termed the
quiet revolution. The world also admires its achievements in social security and
social welfare.”
He expressed the hope that the ROC will play an international role as an
inventor of peace, a provider of humanitarian assistance, an advocator of
cultural exchanges and a creator of new technology and business opportunities.
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