Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) promised yesterday to enact a law monitoring Taiwan’s pacts with China before the legislature reviews the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement.
The move was welcomed by the student activists, but they have yet to decide whether to withdraw from the legislative compound.
Wang made the announcement during a high-profile visit to the student protesters on the occupied legislative chamber, but prior to entering the room, he held a press conference saying that he has never shunned the responsibility for mediating the conflicts between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) over the pact’s handling.
Photo: Pichi Chuang, Reuters
He expressed regret and concern that the attempts to solve the dispute by having the KMT secretary-general and DPP convener communicate face-to-face and by holding six cross-party negotiations have all failed to reach consensus.
“The legislature is the sanctuary of democracy, not because of its grandiose architecture, but because it can reflect the people’s voice. The appropriateness of the means the students have employed to reach their ends is open to discussion, but what they are doing is making people reflect upon democracy,” he said.
“I’m hesitant to criticize the students’ aspirations to widen civic participation, but I also hope to caution them that long-term occupation of the legislature has halted the review of bills that could have an impact on people’s livelihood,” he said.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
“I call on the students to go back to where you belong and enrich yourself and continue to display conviction, tenderness, rationality and peace to make the world respect our democracy,” Wang added.
Wang said he “would not convene [another] inter-party negotiation about the cross-strait service trade agreement until the draft of cross-strait agreements oversight mechanism has been legislated.”
He said “the country’s development and stability turns on the ruling party’s tolerance and forbearance, the opposition party’s wisdom and the people’s support” and that “we will learn lessons and better observe public opinion in future national policy promotion and implementation.”
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Wang concluded his talk by saying that he hopes the dispute can end peacefully and calling out “Taiwan, jia you [加油, an expression of encouragement]!” several times.
Wang then walked into the chamber and shook hands with several students while student leader Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) said Wang’s comment showed that the protest has achieved preliminary results.
Wang left the legislature without making a public speech.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), who accompanied Wang during his press conference and visit, said that Wang would not initiate the review of the service trade pact until the legislation of a cross-strait agreement oversight mechanism has been accomplished.
The students welcomed the comments, but said any withdrawal from the compound would require further discussion with Sunflower movement participants.
“We welcome the response that Wang has made to our demands during a brief stay at the Legislative Yuan at 11am this morning,” student leader Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷) told a crowd yesterday afternoon rallying outside the legislature. “The most important part of his remarks is that he promised that he would not call a cross-party negotiation on [reviewing] the cross-strait service trade agreement before passing a legislation to monitor cross-strait agreements.”
Chen said that as the KMT could not reach an agreement with opposition parities on reviewing the cross-strait trade pact, “when Wang said that he would not call a cross-party negotiation before adopting the monitoring bill means that, in fact, he is positively responding to our demand to pass the legislation before reviewing the trade pact.”
Chen then urged all lawmakers regardless of their party affiliation to work with Wang to independently advance the monitoring mechanism.
“This breakthrough is all because of the efforts that Taiwan’s civil society has made in the past three weeks. We would like to pay our highest respect to all those who have either actively participated, or expressed your support in different ways,” Chen said, bowing to the crowd with several student leaders, including Lin.
“We have gone through many things that made us feel powerless, we have been saddened by tears and bloodshed,” Lin said. “But today, we can proudly say that we are finally seeing the break of dawn in this nation.”
HONG KONG SECURITY: The president blasted regulations requiring Taiwanese agents or political organizations to provide information on their Hong Kong-related activities President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday warned of countermeasures should controversial Chinese national security legislation imposed on Hong Kong undermine or harm Taiwanese interests. Article 43 of the legislation empowers the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to serve written notices to Taiwanese political organizations or individual agents to furnish information on their Hong Kong-related activities, including their personal particulars, finances, assets, expenditure and capital in the territory. Failure to comply or providing false or incomplete information can result in a fine of HK$100,000 (US$12,903) or imprisonment of six months or two years respectively. Tsai said that Taiwan would keep a close watch on how
FORCED LABOR: Customs officials have seized a 11.8 tonne shipment of products made from human hair on suspicion they were produced by people facing human rights abuses Federal authorities in New York City on Wednesday seized a shipment of weaves and other beauty accessories suspected to be made out of human hair taken from people locked inside a Chinese internment camp. US Customs and Border Protection (CPB) officials said that 11.8 tonnes of hair products worth an estimated US$800,000 were in the shipment. “The production of these goods constitutes a very serious human rights violation, and the detention order is intended to send a clear and direct message to all entities seeking to do business with the United States that illicit and inhumane practices will not be tolerated in
JUST QUESTIONS: Expelled reporter Ai Kezhu said that every member of Southeast Television had complied with the law and had not appeared on any talk shows Two Chinese reporters yesterday left Taiwan after the government revoked their accreditation and ordered them to leave amid a probe into allegations that several Chinese media outlets have set up studios and produced political talk shows in Taiwan. The two reporters — Ai Kezhu (艾珂竹) and Lu Qiang (盧薔) — worked for Fujian Province-based Southeast Television and arrived in Taiwan in December last year. The Mainland Affairs Council has launched an investigation after local media reported that Chinese broadcasters — including China Central Television, Southeast Television and FJTV — had set up studios in Taipei and produced political talk shows. Council Deputy Minister
PROBE LAUNCHED: An officer who served as a supervisor in the drill died in an apparent suicide after the accident, which was caused by unexpected waves Two marines who were on Friday injured in a military exercise in the waters off Kaohsiung passed away yesterday, Navy Command said. The marines — surnamed Tsai (蔡), 26, and a sergeant surnamed Chen (陳), 36 — were in a seven-member Marine Corps team that encountered rough seas during a simulated response to enemy forces landing on Taiwan. Their rubber craft overturned in waters off Taoziyuan (桃子園) beach in Zuoying District (左營), injuring four of the marines. They were rushed to hospital, where three of them — Tsai, Chen and a 34-year-old sergeant — were taken to an intensive care unit
RSS