The campaign aimed at ousting President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) announced yesterday it would shrink the scale of its round-the-clock sit-in, starting today.
The announcement came amid criticism from opponents and supporters following the illegal protest in Taipei on Tuesday that became an overnight sit-in on Zhongxiao W Road.
While the central government condemned the disturbances brought about by the demonstration, some supporters questioned what they termed the "indecisive leadership" of the campaign, citing leaders' decision to retreat from the road on Tuesday night.
The camp yesterday said it had decided to do so to preserve its energy for the long-term movement.
The campaign said it will reduce its sit-in to four hours per day, and that it will not launch any large-scale protests until Prosecutor Eric Chen (
"Considering the hardships endured by the police and the press over the past month, our financial situation and the people's anxiety, we have decided to scale down the protest," campaign spokesman Jerry Fan (
In response to the Taipei City Police Department's decision to revoke the campaign's permit for a sit-in on Ketagalan Boulevard from today through Oct. 27, Fan said they respected the decision and would stay at the current site on the south plaza of Taipei Railway Station and continue protesting between 6pm and 10pm every night.
Dismissing allegations that the campaign was losing momentum, Chang Fu-chung (
In response to questions from the Democratic Progressive Party over the campaign's finances, Lu Tai-nien (呂台年), a deputy coordinator, said NT$41 million (US$1.2 million) of the NT$110 million received in donations had been spent.
Around NT$21 million was spent on newspaper advertisements, while other big items included deposits for the use of public places (NT$390,000) and salary payments to workers (NT$406,000), Lu said.
Both Lu and Fan dismissed accusations made by Fei-Fang Weekly magazine that they had profited from the campaign and urged the magazine to provide evidence.
The magazine accused Fan, a well-known advertising executive, of giving the campaign's ad projects to his own agency.
Fan said that he would release details of its finances in a few days.
Lee Hsin (李新), a deputy coordinator, said yesterday that the campaign would reapply for a permit to gather on Ketagalan Boulevard, while applying for another permit to hold rallies in front of the Taipei Railway Station from Oct. 19 to Nov. 1 as a backup plan.
The campaign has permission to stay at Taipei Railway Station until Oct. 18.
Ma said the police department revoked the campaign's permit because it had failed to follow the conditions required by the city government during its illegal protest, but the police might grant the campaign new permits if it starts obeying the rules.
Also see story:
Evidence alone will decide the outcome of probe: Eric Chen
The paramount chief of a volcanic island in Vanuatu yesterday said that he was “very impressed” by a UN court’s declaration that countries must tackle climate change. Vanuatu spearheaded the legal case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, which on Wednesday ruled that countries have a duty to protect against the threat of a warming planet. “I’m very impressed,” George Bumseng, the top chief of the Pacific archipelago’s island of Ambrym, told reporters in the capital, Port Vila. “We have been waiting for this decision for a long time because we have been victims of this climate change for
Rainfall is expected to become more widespread and persistent across central and southern Taiwan over the next few days, with the effects of the weather patterns becoming most prominent between last night and tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said that based on the latest forecast models of the combination of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, rainfall and flooding are expected to continue in central and southern Taiwan from today to Sunday. The CWA also warned of flash floods, thunder and lightning, and strong gusts in these areas, as well as landslides and fallen
MASSIVE LOSS: If the next recall votes also fail, it would signal that the administration of President William Lai would continue to face strong resistance within the legislature The results of recall votes yesterday dealt a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) efforts to overturn the opposition-controlled legislature, as all 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers survived the recall bids. Backed by President William Lai’s (賴清德) DPP, civic groups led the recall drive, seeking to remove 31 out of 39 KMT lawmakers from the 113-seat legislature, in which the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) together hold a majority with 62 seats, while the DPP holds 51 seats. The scale of the recall elections was unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug. 23. For a
All 24 lawmakers of the main opposition Chinese Nationalists Party (KMT) on Saturday survived historical nationwide recall elections, ensuring that the KMT along with Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers will maintain opposition control of the legislature. Recall votes against all 24 KMT lawmakers as well as Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) and KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) failed to pass, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) figures. In only six of the 24 recall votes did the ballots cast in favor of the recall even meet the threshold of 25 percent of eligible voters needed for the recall to pass,
RSS