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New student sit-ins pop up across nation

Students from central Taiwan launch a sit-in protest at the Art Museum Parkway in Taichung City yesterday in support of the student demonstrators at Liberty Square in Taipei. The banner reads ‘‘A whole new feeling about the past martial law.’’ PHOTO: CHAN CHAO-YANG, TAIPEI TIMES

Several university student groups in the central and southern parts of the country launched sit-ins yesterday in support of the student demonstrators at Liberty Square in front of National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall.

Holding up posters that read “human rights,” about 20 students launched their sit-in campaign in front of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan amid drizzling rain.

“We support the three statements of [the students] in Taipei. President Ma [Ying-jeou (馬英九)] and [Premier] Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) should apologize to the people while [National Police Agency (NPA)] Director-General Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞) and [National Security Bureau] Director-General Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明) should step down,” Huang You-heng (黃羑衡), the spokesman for the protesters at NCKU, told reporters.

“We hope similar campaigns will be launched at every university in Taiwan,” Huang said.

Meanwhile, a group of students began another sit-in at the Peoples’ Square in Taichung City yesterday afternoon in support of their counterparts in Taipei.

People engage in a heated discussion yesterday at Liberty Square in front of National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall in Taipei, where students were in the fourth day of a sit-in protest against what they called “heavy-handed” policing during the recent demonstrations against Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin. PHOTO: CNA

TAIPEI

About 400 students, led by National Taiwan University sociology professor Lee Ming-tsung (李明璁) began their silent sit-in on Thursday in front of the Executive Yuan in Taipei.

The protesters have argued that police used excessive force against demonstrators opposing the visit of China’s Association for the Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) between Monday and Friday last week.

“We hope similar campaigns will be launched at every university in Taiwan.” — Huang You-heng, spokesman for student demonstrators at National Cheng Kung University

The students urged the government to amend the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法) by removing the article that obliges rally organizers to gain police approval before launching an event.

The students were evicted from the Executive Yuan by the police on Friday night because they had not filed an application for their sit-in in accordance with the Assembly and Parade Law.

They reassembled at Liberty Square later that night.

RAIN OR SHINE

The sit-in at the square has continued, despite poor weather.

“Many people think we are staging the protest against a specific political camp. Therefore, we would like to emphasize our call for an amendment to the Assembly and Parade Law,” said Chou Fu-yi (周馥儀), a representative of Taipei students.

Chou said no government officials — except director of Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall Tseng Kun-ti (曾坤地) — had checked on them since they reconvened at the hall.

Ho Tung-hung (何東洪), an associate professor of psychology at Fu Jen Catholic University and a participant in the Wild Lily Student Movement (野百合學運) in the 1990s, visited the students in Taipei to share his experiences yesterday, encouraging them to cherish their opportunity to participate in the sit-in.

Wu Eing-ming (吳英明), president of Kaohsiung Open University, also visited the students on behalf of Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊).

Wu lauded the students’ action, saying that their campaign showed the nation should spend next year “relearning the value of human rights.”

In related developments, heated exchanges between government officials and legislators were expected to take place in the legislature today as the Internal Administration Committee has convened a special report by Wang regarding the NPA’s behavior last week.

For his part, Minister of Health Yeh Chin-chuan (葉金川) is scheduled to report today on the food safety agreement signed by Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Ping-kun (江丙坤) and Chen Yunlin last week to the legislature’s Health, Environment and Labor Committee.
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