] Hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese have marched on their
] capital to protest Beijing's new law sanctioning the use
] of force if Taipei moves toward formal independence.

] China's annual session of parliament passed the
] anti-secession law on March 14. Beijing has claimed
] Taiwan as its own since their split at the end of the
] Chinese civil war in 1949.
]
] Thousands of tour buses from all over the island arrived
] in Taipei filled with protesters, who assembled in 10
] different areas -- each route representing one of the
] articles of the anti-secession law.
]
] The marchers then converged on the wide boulevard in
] front of the president's office. Police estimated the
] crowd at about a million, The Associated Press reported.
] Taiwan's population is 23 million.

] Protest supporters also staged demonstrations in Hong
] Kong, Los Angeles and Brussels, Belgium.