Shih denies giving go-ahead for strike

As the around-the-clock sit-in campaign staged to oust President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) entered its fourth day yesterday, campaign leader Shih Ming-teh (施明德) denied that a consensus had been reached to launch a nationwide strike to increase the pressure on Chen.

Shih, a former Democratic Progressive (DPP) chairman, also condemned Chen for reportedly saying he would not continue to tolerate the sit-in protest if it persisted until Double Ten Day.

Chen's alleged comment appeared in a report published in the Chinese-language China Times.

"Taiwanese people have tolerated [Chen] for a very long time," Shih said.

On the possibility of a nation-wide strike, Shih said the issue was still under discussion and would not be decided until at least Friday, as his movement's members shared different opinions on the matter.

Minister of Economic Affairs Steve Chen (陳瑞隆) said yesterday that he had contacted union leaders of state-run businesses to see if their groups would respond to a possible nationwide strike call.

He said union leaders told him that they did not intend to take part in such a strike. He also said the ministry was strongly opposed the idea of a nationwide strike.

Perhaps as a result of the changeable weather, with sunshine in the morning giving way to rain in the afternoon, about 10,000 protesters participated in yesterday's protest, according to the Taipei City Police Department.

While protesters greeted Shih as he arrived at the protest site at about 9am, he and other campaign organizers have been criticized by some participants for staying away during the night.

Ho De-fen (賀德芬), a campaign spokesman, said that many organizers had in fact stayed at the site during the night.

"You just didn't see us," she told the reporters, adding that Shih rested at night to conserve energy.

Shih later participated in "anti-Chen exercises" and appeared on stage to sing protest songs.

Commenting on the protests, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday that the event had largely proceeded in a peaceful manner, and gave the police credit for handling the situation well.

"The protesters should not have any non-peaceful thoughts or intentions," he said.

In response to Shih's suggestion that political leaders, including Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰), People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and Ma should sit down and talk about the country's future in the "post-A-bian era," Ma said that the KMT was "willing to consider the possibility."

"A-bian" is the president's nickname.

The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus, however, said Shih's suggestion was "nonsense," adding that Lee would not "dance to [Shih's tune]."

"Shih is nothing but a rascal." TSU Legislator Huang Chung-yung (黃宗源) said. "Who is he to ask Lee and other political leaders to have a meeting?"

Meanwhile, Shih's camp plans to symbolically lay siege to the Presidential Office and the president's official Yushan Residence on Friday night.

The city police department has approved the routes for the "siege" and the five-day sit-in at Taipei Railway Station that is to follow it.

However, police refused the campaign's application to continue the "siege" on Saturday and Sunday because the application was filed too late.