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Taiwan pays respect to athletes, disaster relief workers
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Personnel often deployed in disaster relief efforts participate in a parade during Taiwan’s 105th anniversary in Taipei on Monday.
(JP/Irawaty Wardany)
T
he Republic of China, commonly referred to as Taiwan, honored the dedication of its Olympians and disaster relief personnel during its 105th anniversary ceremony on Monday.
The ceremony, locally known as Double Ten Day, was held in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei and showcased a parade of its medal-winning athletes from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August, including woman's weightlifter Hsu Tsu-ching, who won gold, and the bronze winners from its women’s team in archery and from woman’s weightlifting.
Deemed as the Pride of Taiwan, the Olympians received a warm welcome from the Taiwanese who packed the venue, which was covered in official 105th anniversary banners distributed by the organizers. Some foreign dignitaries and journalists also attended the ceremony, which was broadcast nationwide.
The government also paid respect to its disaster relief personnel as hundreds of them participated in the parade, riding an impressive display of the equipment and vehicles often deployed in natural disaster relief efforts.
Like other countries in the southeastern coastal region, Taiwan is prone to natural disasters with typhoons and earthquakes as the most commonly occurring ones. Last month, Taiwan experienced at least three typhoons: Meranti, Malakas and Megi. Dozens of people were injured when Megi hit Taiwan late in September.
After thanking the athletes and the personnel, President Tsai Ing-wen, the first female president, who officially took office in May, also expressed her purpose of reform and to give “young people a healthy and diverse democracy”. (evi)
