For Tseng Po-yu (曾柏瑜), a sociology student at Taipei’s National Chengchi University, being able to rally hundreds of people to occupy the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on March 18 to protest the government’s handling of the cross-strait service trade pact was a feat beyond her wildest dreams.
“We were having a rally outside the Legislative Yuan complex that night, hoping to raise awareness about the cross-strait service trade agreement and how it was being handled,” Tseng said.
“The rally drew about 400 or 500 people, but we [the Black Island Nation Youth Front behind the Sunflower movement] only had 20 people on the scene,” she said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
“We had planned to ask some of those in attendance to join us in storming the legislature at 9pm, but we were not sure how many would agree to do so or how many would actually follow through,” the sociology student said.
“Little did we know that hundreds of protesters were willing to climb over the wall surrounding the Legislative Yuan when we issued the call. The extent to which people in this country care about public issues was beyond what we could have imagined,” Tseng said.
The seizure of the legislature’s main chamber evolved into the nationwide Sunflower movement, gathering huge crowds of supporters against the government’s handling of the trade deal with China.
Since the start of the occupation of the legislative chamber on March 18 until the end of the siege on April 10, Tseng was constantly appearing on television talk shows, where she defended the students’ actions and appeals.
She managed to stay composed in the face of difficult questions posed by politicians on the talk shows, calmly pointing out what the protesters see as the problems with the cross-strait agreement.
“Maybe I am good at arguing,” Tseng said, when asked why she was tasked with being one of the movement’s public faces.
Tseng said she had originally hoped that more people would realize the problems with the pact after watching her debate lawmakers or politicians on TV, but as the siege continued, she found herself constantly having to respond to allegations against the protesters made by the government and media, which she said was a pity.
Aside from the Sunflower movement, Tseng has also been an advocate in several other social campaigns, including against monopolies in the media, striving for a nuclear-free Taiwan and gay rights promotion.
Tseng said that she started studying the potential impact of the cross-strait service trade agreement in September last year, when the Black Island Nation Youth Front hosted a two-day workshop about the treaty.
She said that after learning about the criticisms of the pact, she decided to join the group’s efforts to alert the public to these issues.
“That Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] Legislator Chang Ching-chung (張慶忠) was able to announce the passage of the pact 30 seconds after the review meeting [of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee on March 17] began showed that Taiwan’s representative democracy is out of order,” she said.
Saying that she believes that “social movements are a powerful force propeling the push for reforms in a better direction,” Tseng said she would continue on the path of social activism to drive positive change.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the
RSS