January 1-8, 2012
Headline News
Overseas Taiwanese Christians return en masse for upcoming elections
Reported by Sam Lee, Lin Yi-ying
Written by Lydia Ma
Overseas Taiwanese Christians have returned en masse in recent days either to vote in the upcoming elections or to lend moral support. Among those who have returned are members from Southern California Taiwanese Presbyterian Church (TPC) choir and members from Greater New York Taiwanese Pen Association. The two organizations co-hosted a series of concerts called Prayer for Taiwan Concert and invited PCT General Assembly Moderator Chiohh Lyiam Syian to deliver a short message and lead people in prayer.
A delegation of 38 TPC members landed on December 27, 2011 and visited PCT General Assembly Office shortly after their arrival. Following this visit, they travelled south to Taichung and Kaohsiung to hold Prayer for Taiwan Concert in these areas before heading back north to Taipei to do the same. TPC members paid for this trip out of their own pockets because they wanted to express their concern for Taiwan through church music.
According to TPC leader Hong Mao-tse, Taiwan has reached a critical point in time and overseas Taiwanese are deeply concerned about this legislative and presidential election. The organization’s hope is that this series of concerts would create opportunities for Taiwanese Americans to reach out to local churches and convey greetings and concern on behalf of Taiwanese Americans living in the USA.
The TPC choir also performed at a Fengshan Presbyterian Church near Kaohsiung on the night of December 29, 2011 as the PCT marked the 40th anniversary of the publication of Statement On Our National Fate.
Besides the return of many overseas Taiwanese in time for elections, a small delegation of Canadians, including church officials and former government officials, are also coming to Taiwan to observe the upcoming elections.
Invited to come as observers by the Independent Committee for a Fair Election in Taiwan, members of this delegation include former Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Hon. Bill Blaikie, Deputy General-Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches Dr. Peter Noteboom, and former Senator Rev. Dr. Lois Wilson among others.
