Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) yesterday put his job on the line, promising to protect legal protesters during the high-level cross-strait meeting that is scheduled to take place in Taichung next month.
Hu said he would step down if he failed to protect people who take part in demonstrations that are conducted in a lawful, rational and non-violent manner.
“The most important thing is that there won’t be any negative impact on the city,” he said.
“Frankly speaking, I’m less concerned about the meeting itself,” the mayor said.
Hu made the remarks during a question-and-answer session at the city council meeting yesterday morning.
The meeting between Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and his Chinese counterpart, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), will be held in Taichung in the middle of or late next month.
The two sides have agreed to address four issues in the latest round of negotiations: fishing industry cooperation, quality checks for agricultural products, cross-strait cooperation in inspection and certification and the prevention of double taxation.
They will also “exchange opinions” on an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) the administration seeks to sign with Beijing. The administration has said it hopes to sign the pact next year.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) City Councilwoman Chen Shu-hua (陳淑華) said she was against the city’s plan to set up a special zone for protesters during the Chiang-Chen meeting.
Describing the designated area as similar to a “foreign settlement” during the late Qing Dynasty, Chen said it was very likely that protesters would break through any barriers.
“Who would stay there quietly and behave?” she asked.
“The mayor has kept saying that he will take advantage of this opportunity to promote the city, but it seems he never takes into account the rights of the general public,” Chen said.
Hu then promised to find a place that would satisfy the needs of all involved and at the same time ensure public safety.
Taichung City Police Bureau Director-General Hu Mu-yuan (胡木源) said that police would cordon off the venue during the cross-strait meeting, adding that intruders would be subject to punishment as stipulated in the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法).
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