A senior member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday warned it would organize another mass street demonstration on Ketagalan Boulevard for April 10, should President Chen Shui-bian (
"If President Chen Shui-bian continues to procrastinate and not substantially address the KMT-PFP alliance's appeals, we will not rule out the possibility of taking to the streets again on April 10," said Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), director of the KMT's Organization and Development Affairs Committee.
KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Challenging the electoral outcome, the alliance led days of demonstrations in front of the Presidential Office, starting at dawn on March 21.
They made three demands: An immediate recount of votes; the assembly of an independent task force to probe Chen's gun-shot wound and issues relating to activating a national security mechanism after Chen was shot.
The alliance claimed the security mechanism had prevented a large number of military personnel from casting their votes.
Ting yesterday said that although Chen had agreed to a judicial vote recount, what remained at issue was who would be responsible for the costs involved.
He said that the alliance's proposal to have the Legislative Yuan assemble an investigation committee was shot down by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who said that such a demand was against the Constitution.
"In view of the fact that Chen did not make a substantial response to our appeals, the alliance would not rule out waging a long-term protest," Ting said.
He said that the alliance had already booked the square in front of the Presidential Office for every Saturday until May 20, the day of the presidential inauguration.
"People are getting fed-up and we cannot guarantee that the demonstrators would be able to maintain rational behavior [should we take to the streets again,]" Ting said.
The DPP has planned to stage a big gathering of its supporters on April 10 in Taipei to celebrate Chen's re-election.
"The DPP would be responsible should any violence or clashes erupt between the two camps' supporters [on April 10,]" Ting said.
KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (
Lin said he called Chiou because he wanted to know Chen's response to issues that Chiou said he would convey to the president after a meeting between himself, Chiou and PFP Secretary-General Tsai Chung-hsiung (蔡鐘雄). The three men met on Monday to hammer out an agenda for a meeting between Chen, Lien and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).
"If the news from Chiou is good, we would reconsider whether to take to the streets again to demonstrate," Lin said.
Meanwhile, citing noise complaints as the reason, Minister of Education Huang Jong-tsun (黃榮村) yesterday said that the permit allowing pan-blue supporters to stage a sit-in protest at the CKS Memorial Hall would not be extended when it expires on Saturday.
Many residents, companies and schools in the vicinity have complained about the noise generated by the scores of pan-blue supporters who had been gathering at the venue since Sunday.
The Taipei City Government's Bureau of Environmental Protection has so far issued 12 notices to the event organizers for violating noise regulations.
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