Pan-blue rallies yesterday again turned violent as protesters attempted to destroy the barricade seperating them from the Presi-dential Office.
Supporters of the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-People First Party (PFP) gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard for another demonstration, demanding a special task force be assembled to probe the election-eve assassination attempt on President Chen Shui-bian (
As the pan-blue's rally turned towards violence yesterday evening, KMT Secretary General (
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-Jeou (
While protestors had peacefully assembled in front of the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon, a confrontation between police and protestors broke out when protestors tore down the barricade blocking the protest at 6:07pm, and began knocking down scaffolding at 6:30pm.
Police began using water cannon against the crowds to put a halt to the violence at 7:05pm, and by 7:55pm, Ma ordered the police to step up their actions to deter illegal acts.
"The DPP has consistently worked to make improvements, and still, the pan-blue camp dares to make untrue accusations. If they do not take it back, the DPP will sue the KMT tomorrow," Lee saidin response to Lin's accusation.
While Lin and People First Party (PFP) Secretary General Tsai Chung-hsiung (
However, shortly after Lin and Tsai's departure, a second wave of violence commenced, with protestors picking up fallen stage scaffolding and attempting to charge at the police. Other demonstrators used wooden planks to set up a barricade against police lined up in front of the Presidential Office.
At 10:30pm, as the crowds grew more aggressive, police began fighting off protestors with shields and batons as the agitated protestors threw at least two Molotov cocktails at police and engaged in violent physical clashes.
The latest reports indicated that at least seven people had registered at National Taiwan University Hospital with protest-related injuries.
Yesterday's protest was the latest in the series of weekly demonstrations staged by the pan-blue camp since the alliance's presidential candidate, Lien and Soong lost to Chen during the March 20 election with a margin of less than 30,000 votes.
Although he has not been able to produce proof, Lien made claims about voting irregularities, calling the election unfair and refusing to concede defeat. Raising question about the attack on Chen on March 19 -- which the alliance claimed was an attempt to win sympathy votes -- Lien urged Chen to form an independent task force to investigate the shooting, in which bullets grazed Chen's stomach and Vice President Annette Lu's (呂秀蓮) knee.
At the protest yesterday, Lien stressed that his appeals were not self-serving, but were out of his heartfelt concern over the nation's democratization.
"We are not here to push this cause out of personal interest ... but to be the guardian angels of Taiwan's democracy," Lien told the crowd.
"The Republic of China does not need to cultivate a new dictator," Lien said.
Saying Chen was oblivious to the appeals of the people, Lien in his speech proposed holding a referendum to form an independent task force.
"Until the truth is known, Chen should not take part in the presidential inauguration on May 20," said Soong, who spoke after Lien. Soong called on the crowd to come back and gather at the square in front of the Presidential Office on May 19 if Chen insisted on holding the presidential inauguration -- as required by law -- before "the truth is revealed."
"No truth, no president!" Soong shouted, leading the crowd in chanting the slogan.
The alliance claimed the demonstration had drawn over 200,000 people, but wire agencies reported the police as saying 80,000 people attended the rally.
Also See Story:
Student protesters accuse president of lack of integrity
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
CONCESSION: A Shin Kong official said that the firm was ‘willing to contribute’ to the nation, as the move would enable Nvidia Crop to build its headquarters in Taiwan Shin Kong Life Insurance Co (新光人壽) yesterday said it would relinquish land-use rights, or known as surface rights, for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), paving the way for Nvidia Corp to expand its office footprint in Taiwan. The insurer said it made the decision “in the interest of the nation’s greater good” and would not seek compensation from taxpayers for potential future losses, calling the move a gesture to resolve a months-long impasse among the insurer, the Taipei City Government and the US chip giant. “The decision was made on the condition that the Taipei City Government reimburses the related
FRESH LOOK: A committee would gather expert and public input on the themes and visual motifs that would appear on the notes, the central bank governor said The central bank has launched a comprehensive redesign of New Taiwan dollar banknotes to enhance anti-counterfeiting measures, improve accessibility and align the bills with global sustainability standards, Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) told a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday. The overhaul would affect all five denominations — NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000 notes — but not coins, Yang said. It would be the first major update to the banknotes in 24 years, as the current series, introduced in 2001, has remained in circulation amid rapid advances in printing technology and security standards. “Updating the notes is essential to safeguard the integrity
RSS