Workshops to recruit volunteers for national field research into risks posed by the proposed service trade agreement with China were held by a consortium of civic activists yesterday, as the campaign to block passage in the Legislative Yuan continues.
The Economic Democracy Union, Youth Against Oppression in Taiwan (臺左維新), Democracy Tautin and several other groups associated with the 2014 Sunflower movement held workshops on the dangers of economic liberalization, the importance of supervisory articles for trade agreements and other topics at a park at the intersection of Civic Boulevard and Beiping E Road near Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters, with activists emphasizing the importance of continuing the struggle, despite the ouster in January’s elections of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration, which negotiated the agreement.
“We hope to use our organizations to reach out to society and talk with those who would be effected by the agreements to know what they really think,” Democracy Tautin general coordinator Tseng Wen-hsueh (曾玟學) said.
Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said the consortium would attempt to recruit a core of volunteers to help organize potential victims of the agreement in key legislative districts, with training planned for next month and field research to begin in August.
The trade in services agreement still awaits Legislative Yuan approval, with activists saying that the agreement should be renegotiated following the passage of new supervisory articles before being put to a vote.
Supervisory articles for trade agreements with China proposed by the DPP caucus have drawn criticism from civic groups for what they say are their lack of rigorous provisions guaranteeing civic participation and requiring substantive review of agreements’ potential effects.
About 60 people participated in yesterday’s workshops, with 10 registering as volunteers.
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