TAIWAN CELEBRATED THE 16TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY ON OCT 25 TO COMMEMORATE THE RESTORATION, 16 YEARS AGO TO INDEPENDENCE OF THE ISLAND AFTER 50 YEARS OF JAPANESE OCCUPATION.

INNUMERABLE PROGRAMMES WERE ARRANGED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY OF 11 MILLION PEOPLE.

LATER A PROCESSION IN TAIPEI A MASS RALLY WAS HELD AT THE CITY HALL AT WHICH THE MAYOR OF THE CITY PRESIDED.

LATER A PROCESSION OF 10,000 PEOPLE PASSED THROUGH THE MAIN STREETS OF TAIPEI, NEARLY 100,000 PEOPLE WATCHED THE CELEBRATIONS IN WHICH MORE THAN 100 CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS CULTURAL GROUPS, ARTISTES, STILT DANCERS AND LION DANCERS PARTICIPATED.

THERE WERE ALSO 10 CELEBRATION CENTRES IN TAIPEI WHERE FREE FILM SHOWS WERE HELD. ALL THE 12 RADIO STATIONS IN TAIPEI PUT ON SPECIAL PROGRAMMES.