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CROSS-STRAIT TALKS: Taxi drivers stage protests against Ma-Chen summit

Taxi drivers and Taiwanese independence join a “Safeguard Taiwan” campaign organized by the Taiwan Society in Taipei yesterday to protest against Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Chairman Chen Yunlin’s visit to Taiwan. PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES

Amid applauses and cheers, about 100 taxis, carrying flags with the slogan “Defend our sovereignty, defend Taiwan” set out to stage surprise protests at random locations after a rally outside the Legislative Yuan yesterday.

Before the official departure at 3pm, about 100 taxis had already lined up on Jinan Road outside the legislature.

The drivers then began decorating their cars with small flags with the slogan “Defend our sovereignty, defend Taiwan” and yellow headbands with “Taiwan is my country” written in English and Chinese.

Some brought their own placards to protest against President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) pro-China policies and the visit of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).

“Since Ma took over the presidency [in May], he has been repressing [the pro-Taiwan camp] through political and judicial means — and now he's even trying to compromise Taiwan's sovereignty,” Wu Shuh-min (吳樹民), chairman of the Taiwan Society, which organized the event, told the crowd.

“We must act now before it's too late,” he said, and was answered with loud applauses and cheers.

With supporters lined up on both sides of the road cheering, the taxis set out after blowing their horns five times.

“They will be out there like viruses making random protests at random locations,” said Zhang Ming-you (張銘祐), a Taiwan Society office director.

Earlier yesterday, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) also staged a demonstration in front of the legislature.

“The Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] did a 180-degree turn from their anti-communist stance in the past to their pro-communist stance,” TSU chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) told a crowd of supporters. “And this change really disgusts me.”

At the venue, the TSU displayed tainted or toxic products imported from China.

“As Chen Yunlin arrives this morning, I'd like to call on him to apologize to Taiwanese for the tainted milk products and propose real compensation,” the TSU chairman said.

After his brief remarks, Huang invited supporters to hit a dummy of Chen labeled “Executioners of China-based Taiwanese businesspeople,” “Smiling to hide his intention to annex Taiwan” and “President Ma's emperor.”

Huang said that as face-to-face confrontations were not allowed, the TSU would seek “flexible means” to voice its discontent.

Later last night, thousands of people — all wearing yellow headbands that read “Taiwan is my country” and some holding flags with an illustration of the map of Taiwan — rallied outside the legislature.

The rally, organized by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was held outside the legislature rather than near the Grand Hotel where Chen was staying because all of the party's applications for assembly and parade permits around the hotel had been turned down.

A rally will be held every evening until Thursday. Chen leaves on Friday morning.
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