TAIWAN:The self-ruled island state of Taiwan has enlisted no less a figure than rock legend Ozzy Osbourne to boost its latest bid to join the United Nations.
The veteran rocker will help a gothic rock band ChthoniC in their campaign to help Taiwan, a democracy set up by retreating nationalists after the Chinese civil war in 1949 (and which China considers a renegade state), gain UN recognition.
Taiwan has tried 14 times before, and politicians in the capital Taipei are hoping that perhaps rousing anthems can succeed where diplomacy has failed.
ChthoniC will travel to at least 80 cities in four countries by the end of the year, supported in part by the Taiwan government which is providing pro-UN literature and a slogan-painted truck, and visit Canada, Germany, Britain and the United States.
ChthoniC has recorded a song, UNlimited TAIWAN, urging the UN to let Taiwan join, even though its bid for membership keeps getting knocked back because of objections from Beijing - every time Taiwan tries to join the UN, China blocks it, saying Taiwan is part of China and not a separate entity.
Beijing has threatened to invade Taiwan if it declares independence.
Taiwan left the United Nations in 1971 under Chinese pressure.
"I'm not for any political party, but I'm for my poor country's joining the United Nations," said lyricist Freddy Lim as ChthoniC launched the tour.
Vocalist with the iconic Black Sabbath and famed in US arenas for biting the heads off bats, as well as being one of the early pioneers of reality TV with his dysfunctional family's show The Osbournes, Ozzy Osbourne has had an astoundingly varied career.
One of his other claims to fame has been organising the hugely successful Ozzfest stadium concerts. The Taiwanese combo will play at this festival, which means Ozzy is helping to set up 20 of the US gigs, paying some transport costs and letting the Taiwan band promote UN membership as it wishes, Lim said.
He said the band hooked up with Osbourne through personal connections.
The Taipei leadership is preparing yet another application for UN membership later this year and the Taiwanese government is providing more than €13 million to support the band, in the belief that they are the best way to support the country's bid.
ChthoniC takes its name from the Greek word for "of the underworld" and incorporates influences from traditional Taiwanese music. The band is banned in parts of China for its "radical" political views.