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DPP vows to protest talks with China

Police join security services yesterday at the Grand Hotel in Taipei for a joint exercise covering security scenarios in preparation for next week’s visit by Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin, who will stay at the hotel. PHOTO: CNA

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors vowed yesterday to protest against Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) at the Grand Hotel after they obtained a road permit — but not a rally permit — for an area near the hotel between next Thursday and Saturday.

Chen is scheduled to arrive in Taipei on Monday for a second round of cross-strait talks and will stay at the Grand Hotel during his five-day visit.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has obtained a road permit and rally permit for Ketagalan Boulevard and Sec. 4 of Zhongshan N Road leading to the Grand Hotel during Chen’s stay to prevent the pan-green camp from securing permits to protest in these spots.

In spite of the KMT’s efforts to block the DPP from holding protests, the DPP managed to obtain a permit for the downhill path leading from the hotel.

DPP Taipei City Councilor Huang Hsiang-chun (黃向群) condemned the city government for failing to issue a rally permit to the party, however, and said the caucus would still hang protest banners around the hotel during Chen’s stay and find other ways to make themselves heard.

“The KMT’s attempts to silence opposition voices are doomed to failure.”

— Huang Hsiang-chun, Taipei City councilor

“The KMT’s attempts to silence opposition voices are doomed to failure. We will do whatever we can to express our resentment against Chen and China,” Huang said at Taipei City Hall.

Rally permits fall under the authority of the Police Department. To prevent clashes between the two camps, the department is expected not to issue a rally permit for the DPP to protest near the hotel, he said.

DPP Taipei City Councilor Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said that he would lead more than 100 supporters to protest against Chen by hiking to the rear of the hotel.

Meanwhile, DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) told a press conference yesterday that the party would hold a series of demonstrations during Chen’s stay in Taipei.

The demonstrations will include a vigil, a hand-in-hand protest somewhere in Taipei and simultaneous rallies around the country, he said.

“The party also plans to have protestors use drums, horns, bells, whistles and other things to make a lot of noise outside the locations of meetings between Chen and Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and between Chen and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九),” he said.

The party is also planning on holding an evening rally in Kaohsiung after Chen leaves Taiwan, Cheng said.

He said the DPP would promote only peaceful demonstrations to express opposition to the meetings.

However, the government has not publicized a schedule of events for Chen’s visit, Cheng said, adding that the visit should not be treated as a secret, but be transparent.

“How can the public know what kinds of things the government does with Chen under the table if the government keeps the [details of the] visit secret?” Cheng said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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