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Chen chides Ma over sit-in approval

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday insinuated that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has misinterpreted the law and used a double standard for the approval of the planned sit-in organized to drive Chen from office.

"The government fully respects and protects legal assembly and marches," Chen said. "However, we do not want to see double standards applied to the execution of public power, nor should we allow any `vacation' of the law simply because of somebody's special status."

Everybody should be treated equally before the law, Chen said, including the president, and all local governments should not misinterpret the law with the attempt to create legal loopholes and trample on the government's credibility.

Chen made the remarks yesterday morning at the Sungshan Air Base before leaving for a three-day state visit to the South Pacific.

Chen's remarks referred to a decision recently made by Ma regarding the application for a round-the-clock sit-in organized by former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德).

While anti-Chen protests in front of the presidential office begin on Saturday, Shih's campaign office is planning to stage nonstop protests from Sept. 11 to Sept. 15.

The Taipei City Police Department originally granted the protesters permission to stage a nonstop demonstration on Ketagalan Boulevard between Aug. 23 and Sept. 7.

Shih's camp, however, later changed the date of the protest and filed another application to request a round-the-clock sit in from Sept. 11 to Sept. 15.

The city police had previously rejected the application, saying that all protests must end by 10pm. But Ma, who doubles as Taipei mayor, announced on Saturday that he was giving his conditional approval for the round-the-clock sit-in, overriding the police department's decision.

Ma's announcement contradicted his earlier position, in which he repeatedly said that granting permits for rallies falls under the police department's jurisdiction.

Responding to the planned protest, Chen yesterday said that "the public and he have clearly heard the voices of protesters" and said he sincerely hoped that the public had confidence in Taiwan's democratic and judicial systems.

While different political opinions can be ironed out via constitutional means, Chen said that any suspected illegal acts must be investigated and judged in a court of law.

"I hope the matter will end peacefully, so the public, especially Taipei residents, can return to their normal lives as soon as possible," he said. "The public wants stability, they want peace and most importantly, they want a prosperous and contented life."

In response, Ma denied yesterday that he had used a double standard when approving the sit-in.

Ma argued that in the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法), no number of days or length of time are specified in terms of regulations for public rallies or sits-in. He added that it is the police's right to rule on matters regarding public assembly.

He said that Shih's sit-in in front of the Presidential Office was not the first case of its kind, and added that similar protests had been allowed two years ago.

But Ma failed to explain why the city government had granted "round-the-clock" permission after the Zhongzheng First Police Department approved the sit-in applications earlier last week, but ruled that the sit-in must end by 10pm every day.
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