As Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou's made his departure from Hawai'i yesterday, three dozen peaceful protesters lined Kahala Avenue voicing their opposition to his governance.

They held signs in Chinese and English protesting a possible reunification with the People's Republic of China. They urged the release of former President Chen Shui-bian, who was imprisoned on alleged bribery and embezzlement charges.

The Taiwanese president and his wife arrived in Honolulu on Saturday for an overnight stopover on his way home from Central America. During his time here, he met with Gov. Linda Lingle over breakfast, visited Pearl Harbor, lunched at the East-West Center and placed a lei on the statue of Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen in downtown Honolulu. He also visited Hanauma Bay.

Prior to his departure last night, he attended a reception in his honor at the Kahala Hotel & Resort. Ma, elected in May, left the resort about 6:30 p.m. yesterday and headed for the Honolulu International Airport to return to Taiwan.

The 36 protesters had hoped to make an impact with their signs and voices as Ma's motorcade roared past along Kahala Avenue.

"Our message is pretty clear," said Yu-Chong Ling, a University of Hawai'i professor. "One China, one Taiwan. If Taiwan becomes part of China, it will be bad for the United States, bad for Korea and bad for Japan."

The protesters said there has been speculation that Ma was moving toward Beijing's goal of reunification, 60 years after Taiwan split from the mainland. Beijing has stated that the future of the island of Taiwan is to reunify with China, by force if necessary. Most Taiwan residents, Ling said, want to maintain the status quo with China, preferring to maintain their independence.

Celia Huang, a Wai'alae Nui resident, held a handmade cardboard sign with her daughters, son and husband in tow. They had protested on Saturday too, objecting to the imprisonment of Chen.

"Even though we live in the United States, it is important to us to fight for Taiwan independence," said Huang, a U.S. citizen. "We still have a lot of relatives in Taiwan. So we feel we must support them."

The protesters said their demonstration, a right of American citizens, was about supporting their friends and family in Taiwan who favor democracy.

"We cannot demonstrate in Taiwan, but we can in the United States," said Dr. Chao Chen, president of the Hawai'i chapter of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs, which organized the protest. "If we do something like this in Taiwan, we will be beaten with sticks by police."

The protesters did not get to meet with Ma, but maintained a vigil at each of his announced stops at the Chinese Cultural Plaza, East-West Center and Kahala Hotel, Chen said.

Ma is on his way back to Taiwan after a visit to Panama, where he attended the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected President Ricardo Martinelli. He also visited Honduras and Nicaragua.

Ruby Tsai, on vacation from Taiwan with her husband and two children, attended the Kahala protest after she heard the president was scheduling a stopover in Honolulu.

"In Taiwan we have no chance to explain or voice our thoughts," Tsai said. "We say no to Ma. We don't want him to be our president any more."