In Kaohsiung, the protesters started at four departure points at 3pm and marched through different parts of the city before assembling at the Central Park.
A woman surnamed Shih (施) said she felt very sad to have to join the rally.
“I participated in many demonstrations about 20 years ago when I was in my 20s to demand democratic reforms,” Shih said. “Now I’m almost 50 and I feel quite sad that I have to take to the streets again because our hard-earned democracy, freedoms and human rights seem to be under threat.”
Huang Man-ting (黃曼婷), a university student who came from Taipei to join the demonstration in Kaohsiung, saw a smaller police presence in the southern city.
“I always felt that I was closely watched when I took part in demonstrations in Taipei, but I feel more at ease in Kaohsiung,” Huang said. “I think the difference shows that the officials in Taipei have the wrong idea about demonstrators — they view demonstrators as potential criminals.”
Although the rally in Kaohsiung went smoothly for the most part, minor incidents were reported.
A man surnamed Kuo (郭), who appeared to be drunk, walked up to one of the trucks that served as command centers, took the microphone and said he wanted to sing.
Although he was quickly taken away by demonstration staffers, some protesters who suspected he was there to disrupt the rally started pushing him around. The altercation was soon resolved and police officers took Kuo away.
Many of the demonstrators traveled to Taipei after the rally in Kaohsiung to join the sit-in protest on Ketagalan Bloulevard.
The organizer said that more than 200,000 people took part in the demonstration in Kaohsiung. However, Kaohsiung police put the number at 30,000.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MEGGIE LU
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