TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A ceremonial mix-up disrupted Taiwan's National Day celebrations Friday (Oct. 10) when event convener Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) mistakenly began reading President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) speech. The incident occurred during the Double Tenth National Day Celebration following Lai's 30-minute address titled "A New Taiwan Rises in a Time of Change" (變局中 奮起的新台灣).
Legislative Speaker Han returned to the podium after Lai concluded his remarks to continue hosting the ceremony but mistakenly began reading from the president's speech text. Realizing the error, he quickly interrupted the proceedings, stating, "Sorry, we need to make a correction." Han then verified the agenda before announcing, "Let's continue with the performance by the Ministry of National Defense Honor Guard."
The organizing committee acknowledged the oversight, attributing it to staff negligence for not retrieving the speech in a timely manner. Officials assured the public of a thorough review and improvements to prevent similar occurrences in future ceremonies. The incident highlighted logistical challenges in managing Taiwan's most significant annual patriotic celebration. ◼