Ma flooded with questions

Mainlanders may be getting increasingly familiar with media conversations with the central leadership but few of them have talked with the Taiwan leader.

So once they got the chance, the response was overwhelming: 8,412 questions for Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou in just a week. The questions kept pouring in after it was announced Ma would give an interview to the Taipei-based Radio Taiwan International (RTI), which would be broadcast live on the mainland.

The questions posted on the Hong Kong-based ifeng.com website, co-sponsor of the radio interview, were on subjects such as cross-Taiwan Straits policies and Ma's daily life, and their tones ranged from affectionate to solemn.