The former James Bond, a stalwart supporter of Scottish independence, was expected to appear at a concert organised by President Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

"The odds of Connery joining (the protest) are very high," Peter Wang, a spokesman for the organizers of the rally, told AFP.

Chen plans to hold the island's first referendum alongside the March 20 presidential polls. Voters will be asked whether the island should arm itself with more missiles and hold peace talks with Beijing.

But Chen pledged earlier on Thursday not to declare independence from China if re-elected in a bid to ease international concerns over his leadership.

The organizers said they hoped to mobilize at least one million people for the rally, stretching for 486 kilometers (291.6 miles) from Keelung in the north to Pingtung in the south, in a show of unity against China's deployment of hundreds of ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan.

The concert in the Presidential Office square will kick off at 2:30 pm (0630 GMT) on February 28, two minutes after the formation of a human chain during an event called "Hand in Hand to Protect Taiwan".

The time 2:28 represents the date - February 28 - when thousands of native Taiwanese were killed by Chinese nationalist troops in a bloody riot in 1947.

Connery, 72, played British secret agent James Bond in a series of movies and has since become an outspoken backer of the Scottish nationalist cause.

The Scot lives in the Bahamas but recently made public the amount of tax he pays in his homeland after he attracted criticism for living abroad.

WAR.WIRE