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Police say protest poorly managed

The National Police Agency (NPA) yesterday said it is investigating if aviation police properly handled the violent clashes at CKS International Airport between supporters and opponents of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰).

A spokesman said that NPA Director-General Shieh Ing-dan (謝銀黨) was not happy with the way aviation police handled the scuffles that erupted between the two camps.

Hsieh wants to know as soon as possible if any aviation police were negligent, the spokesman said.

Several legislators have expressed their discontent over the way aviation police handled the scuffles between the rival supporters, noting that some people carried banners, sticks and firecrackers into the airport terminal, which they said violated the law and was a smear on the nation's image.

The medical-aid station at the airport estimated that 15 people were injured during the melee, mostly suffering head injuries, while two more seriously injured people were taken to hospital for further observation.

Meanwhile, the Aviation Police Office expressed its sympathy to people who were injured in the incident, adding that it would track down those who triggered the disturbances by reviewing videotapes and photos taken during the fracas.

Aviation Police Office head Chen Juei-tien (陳瑞添) said that as the airport was an open area, it had not been cordoned off in consideration of passengers.

This was why some of the protesters were able to carry hazardous items into the departure area, he said.

Chen admitted there might have been negligence and lapses in judgment in the police's handling of the situation.

Stressing the police had communicated beforehand with the groups in question, Chen said the police had hoped that they would exercise self-restraint and that their supporters would be rational.

He said that because of the lapse in security, eggs, sticks, rocks, knives, swords and firecrackers were brought into the airport terminal.

Supporters mobilized by the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union, an ally of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and the pro-unification New Party and other supporters converged at the airport ahead of Lien's departure at 10:55am.

Aviation police originally hoped to have the pan-blue alliance stay outside the departure lobby, while the pan-green camp was to stay in a parking lot in the west wing of the airport compound.

But DPP Legislator Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) and his supporters were able to break through the police line and enter the departure lobby from the basement.
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