Civic and human rights groups yesterday rallied outside the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office as several participants in the April 11 demonstration outside Zhongzheng First Police Precinct headquarters arrived for questioning.
Activists from the Judicial Reform Foundation, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, the Restoration of Taiwan Social Justice, Taiwan Forever and the Taiwan Association of University Professors held placards and flags, and chanted slogans accusing the government of acting unconstitutionally.
They also said the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) was unconstitutional.
Photo: Chien Lee-chung, Taipei Times
“I was not the ‘main culprit’ that night. The crowd had gathered on its own. I went there after seeing information on the Internet, and I actually helped to maintain order,” National Taiwan University student Hung Chung-yen (洪崇晏) said after he left the prosecutors’ office following questioning.
“I hope the prosecutors realize that peaceful assembly is a fundamental right of the people and refrain from prosecuting peaceful demonstrators,” he said.
Savungaz Valicinan, who said she was dragged into the precinct that night, said she had gotten upset when an officer lost his temper and slapped her.
“I was mad, and asked why he slapped me, and the next thing I knew I was being dragged into the building,” Savungaz said. “I asked the officers why they dragged me into the building, and a female officer told me: ‘You may leave now.’”
It did not make sense that nothing has happened to the police officer who slapped a peaceful demonstrator, she said.
“It is ironic that while I am preparing to sue the officer, I am now being sued by the police,” she said.
Judicial Reform Foundation deputy executive director Chen Yu-fan (陳雨凡) said that from the start of the Sunflower movement protests outside the Legislative Yuan to the demonstration outside precinct, there have been many instances of police officers abusing their power.
“So far, we have helped 200 demonstrators who are facing prosecution, and more than 70 people who have been questioned by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, which has assigned four prosecutors to handle the cases,” Chen said. “I would like to know if the judicial system is making the same amount of effort in its handling of the abusive [police] officers.”
The demonstration by about 1,500 people on the evening of April 11 occurred after precinct chief Fang Yang-ning (方仰寧) ordered the forcible eviction of demonstrators — most of them mobilized by the Alliance of Referendum for Taiwan — outside the Legislative Yuan, despite his promise the previous night that he would not remove peaceful demonstrators by force.
Fang also announced that he would void the assembly and parade permission given to the alliance, and never approve a request for assembly and parade from the group again.
The forcible eviction shocked the public.
Critics of Fang’s actions said the right to assembly is protected by the Constitution, while the Assembly and Parade Act does not give the government the power to permanently revoke a group’s or an individual’s right to assembly.
Participants in the April 11 protest called on Fang to apologize and resign.
The demonstration ended — and many of its participants returned to the Legislative Yuan — after Fang apologized later that night and promised to turn in his resignation.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS