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SCMP Reporter

Pro-Taiwan groups decided yesterday Taiwanese flags would not be raised during their Double-Tenth Festival celebration on Friday.

 Susie Chiang, Kwang Hwa Information and Culture Centre director, said the agreement was reached by Paul Yip Kwok-wah, special adviser to Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, and the de facto Taiwanese representative, Cheng An-kuo.

 'We are under the sovereignty of the People's Republic of China. That is the political reality and you have to face it,' she said.

 'The thing is, we can continue to celebrate the Double-Tenth Festival which is something important to us.'  Under the agreement, the title of the celebration also has to be changed from 'Celebration for the Republic of China National Day' to 'Celebration for the Double-Tenth and the 86th Anniversary of the 1911 Revolution'.

 Ms Chiang declined to reveal other details of the agreement, but described it as 'acceptable to both sides'.

 Mr Yip confirmed to her yesterday the Government would respect their traditional celebration under the one China policy, she said.

 But Ms Chiang urged the Government to be lenient towards the groups which wanted to maintain their traditions and fly Taiwanese flags in private celebrations.

 The Chinese Culture Association holds a lunch reception and banquet on October 10 every year.

 In previous years, the raising of Taiwanese flags and singing of Taiwan's national anthem have featured at the banquet attended by thousands of guests.

 But Chang Shih-chieh, the association's secretary-general, declined to say if they would sing the anthem this year.

 He said more than 2,000 guests had been invited to the banquet, including some provisional legislators.

 But neither government officials nor Taiwanese officials had been invited, Mr Chang said.



Pro-Taiwan groups agree not to fly flags