Taiwanese are in their eighth-day sit-in demanding the resignation of the island's leader Chen Shui-bian, with a million at a protest parade enclosing his office and residence on the previous night.

According to Taiwan media, more than a million protesters, clad in red T-shirts and holding red fluorescent sticks, marched around Chen's office and residence places on Friday night and chanted for him to step down.

Shih Ming-tech, the former chairman of Chen's party, the Democratic Progressive Party, and leader of the mass protest, said on Saturday that the sit-in starting from Sept. 9 had turned the Taiwan authorities into a brain-dead "vegetative" state.

"No matter where Chen goes, he will always face people in demonstrations against him. He should take it seriously whether to leave or stay," Shih said.

The command of the mass protest held a news conference on Saturday afternoon, revealing that an autocade will be organized soon to travel around the whole island to show the public's persistence in the protest, which is said to last until Chen resigns.

The sit-in against Chen's alleged corruption will also be expanded to Kaohsiung by the end of September, according to sources from the news conference.

The mass protest started from last Saturday and more than 300,000 people took to the streets in Taipei on the first day to voice their contempt over Chen and his family members, who are accused of taking bribes and influencing peddling.

Source: Xinhua