David on Formosa

A 49 hour hunger strike for Tibet began at 3pm this afternoon at Freedom Square (自由廣場). Approximately 12 people will participate in the hunger strike which will finish at 4pm on Sunday afternoon.

Chou Mei-li (周美里) the President of Taiwan Friends of Tibet addressed the media at the start of the hunger strike. Following this the participants and supporters started chanting prayers in Tibetan.

This event is part of an ongoing action by the Tibetan community in Taipei and Taiwan Friends of Tibet. I have already reported on the candlelight vigil that was held on 17 March and the vigil that began on 20 March. My photos of the ongoing vigil can found in the Vigil for Tibet at Freedom Square set at flickr.

I then walked from Freedom Square to Jieshou Park (介壽公園) to have a look at the Memorial for the Victims of White Terror which was officially opened by President Chen Shui-bian yesterday. The memorial is just a short distance from the Presidential Office. It seems a little ironic that the memorial is situated in Jieshou Park which means “Long live Chiang Kai-shek” Park. While the name of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall has been changed to Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall, the name of this park remains unchanged.