One police officer was taken to hospital and six men were arrested last night after the officer fell from a truck as he tried to stop protesters from shooting fireworks at the hotel where Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) was staying.
The incident marked the most serious injury and the first arrests during this week’s cross-strait talks.
The Taichung City Police Bureau said the officer, Chen Chu-hsiang (陳諸想), was pushed from the vehicle by members of the pro-independence “908 Taiwan Republic Campaign.”
Doctors said Chen sustained an eye injury and would undergo a brain scan to check for head injuries, the bureau said.
Taichung City Police Deputy Chief Yu Hui-mao (余輝茂) said Chen climbed onto the vehicle to ask the protesters to stop setting off the rockets because they could injure people around them on the main road in front of the hotels where the Taiwanese and Chinese delegations were staying.
Chen reportedly fell from the truck at 7:02pm, about 30 minutes after a banquet hosted by Taichung City Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) for the delegations began at the Windsor Hotel.
The six men were arrested on charges of public endangerment, obstruction of justice and causing injury.
At 10:30pm police released video footage at a press conference apparently showing the officer being pushed.
The protesters had said that they had footage proving Chen fell and was not pushed.
One of the protesters, surnamed Shen, said she saw the officer slip and fall, adding that she felt intimidated by police during the protest.
Approximately 300 armed officers had been dispatched to maintain security and order around the hotels. Yu said he would not increase the number.
Yesterday morning, two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taichung City councilors gained access to the heavily policed restricted zone around the hotels and held up posters attacking the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with Beijing.
The two women were immediately prevented by police from reaching the Windsor.
Later, also near the hotels, a group of DPP councilors released a few dozen pigeons, calling them “peace doves” and urging Beijing to remove more than 1,000 missiles pointed at Taiwan.
A group brought by DPP Taipei City Councilor Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) threw blue and white flip-flops at portraits of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chen Yunlin.
Both delegations had left their hotels to tour central Taiwan before the protests began.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS