The government yesterday answered a long-standing call by activists to scrap police powers to grant or deny protest permits, but offered the police instead new powers to bar or alter demonstration plans in certain cases.
The proposal to amend the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法) approved at the weekly Cabinet meeting was described in a statement as “a big step forward in the nation’s development of democracy and the rule of law.”
Public criticism of the police response to protests against Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin’s (陳雲林) visit put the controversial law back in the spotlight last month.
The Cabinet’s proposal would scrap the requirement that rally and parade organizers obtain permission from police beforehand. Instead, organizers would only be required to register their activities in advance.
The revision would meet one of the demands of the Wild Strawberry Student Movement, which has staged sit-in protests against the law since Nov. 6.
However, it did not come without conditions. The government proposed three circumstances in which police could inform organizers within 36 hours of registration that their plans were not acceptable or must be altered.
Draft Article 11 would grant police that power when a protest would jeopardize national security, social order or the public interest; if it would endanger lives, freedom or property; or when an event taking place close to another could cause problems.
Vice Minister of the Interior Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎) denied the proposal was no more than the same police powers in a new guise.
“Less than 0.0035 percent of applications for protests are rejected under the current permit system. I promise you that the percentage would only go down. The opportunities for police to use such measures are rare,” he said by telephone.
Chien told a press conference after the meeting that the change would ensure trouble-free rallies.
“The registration system would not mean police could not intervene at protests,” Chien said.
Police would be empowered to remove people from areas deemed off-limits and demand that rally organizers end an event if it turns violent or blocks traffic.
In line with calls by activists, the government also proposed lifting the restriction on protests near the Presidential Office, buildings of the five branches of government, international airports, harbors, major military bases, consulates and the residences of representatives of foreign countries.
But the amendment would empower police to ensure protests were held at a “safe distance.”
It would also scrap the ban on expressing support for communism or the division of the nation’s territory. In addition, the potential jail sentence of up to two years for violators of the assembly law would be replaced with fines.
In response, Liu Hui-chun (劉惠純), a representative of the student protesters, said the group welcomed the Cabinet’s proposal, but that the students would not immediately end their sit-in.
Liu said the students had spent the past few days discussing the movement’s next step but would put off a decision until after a planned rally on Sunday.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
‘IRRESPONSIBLE’: Beijing’s constant disruption of the ‘status quo’ in the Taiwan Strait has damaged peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region, MOFA said The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China’s launch of another military drill around Taiwan, saying such actions are a “unilateral provocation” that destabilizes regional peace and stability. China should immediately stop the irresponsible and provocative actions, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said, after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) yesterday announced the start of a new round of joint exercises around Taiwan by the army, navy and air force, which it said were approaching “from different directions.” Code-named “Justice Mission 2025,” the exercises would be conducted in the Taiwan Strait and in areas north, southwest, southeast and east of Taiwan
UNDER WAY: The contract for advanced sensor systems would be fulfilled in Florida, and is expected to be completed by June 2031, the Pentagon said Lockheed Martin has been given a contract involving foreign military sales to Taiwan to meet what Washington calls “an urgent operational need” of Taiwan’s air force, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The contract has a ceiling value of US$328.5 million, with US$157.3 million in foreign military sales funds obligated at the time of award, the Pentagon said in a statement. “This contract provides for the procurement and delivery of 55 Infrared Search and Track Legion Enhanced Sensor Pods, processors, pod containers and processor containers required to meet the urgent operational need of the Taiwan air force,” it said. The contract’s work would be
RSS