A group of Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) members yesterday criticized the meeting on the cross-strait trade in goods agreement being held at the Evergreen Resort Hotel in Yilan County’s Jiaosi Township (礁溪), saying it was being conducted under the table and was detrimental to Taiwanese interests, adding that it should await the Legislative Yuan’s passage of legislation on a cross-strait agreement oversight mechanism.
While President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration had sought to keep the location of the meeting top secret, the protesters learned of the location from anonymous sources and protested at the site yesterday morning.
The group mobilized nearly 100 people who stood outside the hotel waving banners and shouting slogans. The police blockaded the hotel entrance and sent out hundreds of police officers.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
TSU member Chang Chao-lin (張兆林) and some others had originally sought to enter the hotel and hand the members attending the meeting a copy of the protest in person, but they were blocked by the police.
The protest lasted half an hour, but prior to leaving, Chang said his party would continue to monitor the progress of the talks as they directly affect the interests of Taiwanese.
“The Ma administration has evidently not learned its lesson from the cross-strait service trade agreement, which prompted student protesters to occupy the Legislative Yuan chamber, and is continuing to use these secret meetings,” Chang said, adding that Taiwanese would never accept the results of such meetings.
The protesters called on the Ma administration to “see the light” and abandon the secret meetings.
The protesters added that the cross-strait trade in goods agreement should not be implemented until the government has thorough measures in place to mitigate its risks, such as how businesses that are harmed will be compensated.
Any move to push the agreement through without proper consideration would severely harm Taiwan, the protesters said.
According to Bureau of Foreign Trade Director-General Jenni Yang (楊珍妮), who leads the Taiwanese negotiating team in the latest talks with China, the two sides yesterday exchanged views on provisions concerning technical barriers to trade and sanitary and phytosanitary measures, as well as those regarding market opening and product-specific rules.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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