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CROSS-STRAIT TALKS: Tsai broke pledge to keep protests peaceful, Ma says

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of breaking a promise to keep demonstrations peaceful and called on DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to act responsibly after supporters staged large protests.

“The DPP will return to power someday, but they cannot break the law because they are the opposition,” he said at a press conference at the Presidential Office half an hour before his meeting with Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).

Ma said Tsai called National Security Bureau Director Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明) on Wednesday morning, seeking permission for a protest on the east side of Zhongshan S Road.

Minister of the Interior Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) visited DPP headquarters later on Wednesday, reaching an agreement with DPP Secretary-General Wang Tuoh (王拓) that the DPP would keep protests peaceful and rational, Ma said.

Ma said he was disappointed by the turn of events at the Grand Formosa Regent Hotel on Wednesday evening, and that the DPP had broken its promise.

Ma said freedom of expression was part and parcel of democracy, but must be exercised in a legal and peaceful manner.

“If we cannot do that, we are not a free democracy,” he said, pounding on the podium.

In response to a DPP suggestion that the national flag be displayed during Ma’s meeting with Chen, Ma said, raising his voice: “My love for the national flag is much greater than that of any DPP member.”

His government had not asked anyone not to display national flags in front of Chinese visitors, nor would it ever do so, Ma said.

Ma said his government’s only order to police officers was to be gentle in responding to protests.

“It is the job of the police in a democracy to protect and not to intervene in legal activities and [the actions of] law-abiding individuals and to crack down on illegal and violent [acts],” he said.

In response to recent criticism, Ma said he would be happy to meet opposition leaders to discuss the domestic and global economies.

Although he did not say it during his meeting with Chen, Ma told the press conference that the Republic of China (ROC) was an independent country and that the 23 million people of Taiwan had the final say on the nation’s future.

“I have never yielded on the issues of Taiwan’s sovereignty and Taiwan-centered consciousness,” he said. “As the president of the ROC, I have never made any mistake concerning this.”

Ma said the fundamental principle of his cross-strait policy was to maintain the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait under the framework of the ROC Constitution. He also promised not to discuss unification with Beijing during his presidency, not to pursue or support de jure Taiwan independence and not to use military force to resolve the issue of Taiwan’s status.

In addition to pursuing peace with China, it is equally important to maintain defense capabilities, Ma said, adding that his administration would earmark “appropriate” defense funds and purchase defensive weapons.

In response to Ma’s criticism of the DPP’s protests, Tsai, speaking at a rally yesterday, told the crowd that Ma should take full responsibility for the incident because the government had used excessive force against its own people.

“I will shoulder the responsibility I need to shoulder and am honored to lead our people to the streets and stand for freedom of speech and human rights,” Tsai said. “I think Ma ought to shoulder a bigger responsibility for suppressing freedom of speech and forcing people to take to the streets.”

DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said the police were responsible for using force to remove protesters, while the protesters had only stood around the hotel peacefully.

In a statement released by Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄), however, Liu said the government’s handling of the incident was in accordance with regulations for responding to illegal gatherings.

The police had no choice but to disperse the protesters by force following hours of police efforts to persuade them to stop, Liu said.

Additional reporting by Rich Chang and Shih Hsiu-chuan
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