As the divisions brought out by the protests to remove the president deepen, police yesterday came under criticism over their handling of sporadic incidences of violence over the weekend.
Numerous minor scuffles broke out on Saturday between supporters of President Chen Shui-bian (
National Police Agency Director-General Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) yesterday told the media that police would not tolerate any violence, and that police were attempting to identify all suspects involved in the scuffles on Saturday.
PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Hou said police had already identified individuals who allegedly harassed local TV anchors during Saturday's rally held in support of Chen.
Those suspects would be interviewed soon after they were located, Hou added.
However, some people criticized the police for not "applying same speedy action" when looking for anti-Chen protesters who harassed and attacked pro-Chen supporters as they walked past Taipei Railway Station on their way home.
On Saturday, an anchor and cameraman for CtiTV were trying to hold a live interview of DPP Legislator Wang Shih-cheng (
Their television station has set up a platform near Jing Fu Men (
The anchor was forced to stop the interview after demonstrators, who had been cheering in support of Wang, started booing the anchor after they realized which station he was from. Many pan-green supporters perceive CtiTV as having pro-China sympathies.
Eventually, one pro-Chen demonstrator partially obscured the camera lens with a rain jacket, while another jumped up on the platform and tried to speak, eventually unplugging a power cable. CtiTV cut off its coverage because of the "rioters," cutting back to their newsdesk.
No one was hurt in the incident.
Minutes later, an Eastern Television anchorwoman and cameraman were also forced to stop their live broadcast, after six or seven demonstrators jumped onto the platform and interrupted their broadcast. Again, no one was injured.
More serious tussles took place as pro-Chen supporters started showing up at Taipei Railway Station on their way home.
double standards?
Contemporary Monthly's editor-in-chief, Chin Heng-wei (
"By all means we condemn any use of violence," Ching said at an event held by the DPP's Taipei mayoral candidate, Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).
He then compared the response to Chinese Unity Promotion Party chairman Lin Cheng-chieh's (
"Those people at [Saturday's] rally did not in any way assault the anchors, yet many of the TV cable news stations labeled them as rioters. Meanwhile, Lin, who resorted to physical violence and attacked me, was being welcomed as a hero at the anti-Chen venue, and was busy signing autographs," Chin said.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS