Ex-presidents Tsai, Ma, Chen to attend National Day ceremony

Taipei, Oct. 9 (CNA) Former Presidents Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will be among the guests at the official National Day ceremony in Taipei on Thursday.

The three former heads of state, representing opposite ends of the political spectrum, are expected to attend the event marking the National Day of the Republic of China, Taiwan's official name, according to their offices and people familiar with the matter.

It is customary for former presidents, regardless of their party affiliations, to be invited to the annual ceremony held outside the Presidential Office in Taipei, but it will be the first time for Chen to attend the event since his release from prison in 2015 on medical parole.

However, it remains unclear whether the former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president has obtained permission in advance from the Ministry of Justice.

Chen, a staunch advocate for Taiwanese independence, served as president from 2000 to 2008 but was later convicted of bribery and money laundering during his time in office. In 2009 he was sentenced to life in prison, reduced to 20 years on appeal later; he was released on medical parole in 2015.

One of the conditions of his parole was to not participate in political events.

Ma -- Chen's successor from the Kuomintang (KMT) -- and Tsai, who stepped down as president in May after serving two four-year terms, have both confirmed their participation.

Ma, the former KMT president from 2008 to 2016, refused to take part in last year's ceremony, accusing the Tsai administration of using the event to promote Taiwanese independence.

Thursday's ceremony will see President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of the DPP deliver a 25-minute address and Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the KMT make a speech as head of the ceremony's organizing team.

The official National Day ceremony is usually organized by a team headed by the legislative speaker. This year's event will mark the first time in eight years the organizing team is led by an opposition party leader.