Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) yesterday said he would not press charges against opponents of pension reform who allegedly broke two of his ribs, because of a belief in democratic politics.
Cheng said on Facebook that he never thought his injuries would attract so much attention.
“I was only there at the legislature on the day of the protest to try to secure a portion of the budget earmarked for the government’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program for my city. It is regrettable that the protesters were so agitated ... that they tried to push people around and attack them,” Cheng said.
Photo: Shih Hsiao-kuang, Taipei Times
Cheng said he did not seek medical attention until Monday, when an examination found that his injuries were more serious than he imagined, requiring two to six weeks to heal.
Nevertheless, the mayor said he still believes in the values of democratic politics and is confident that society is capable of resolving conflicts through rational discussion.
“Therefore, I do not intend to press charges. I hope the public can calm down and use dialogue instead of violence,” Cheng said.
Cheng on Wednesday last week was on his way to a legislative joint committee meeting when he and other local government leaders and legislators were allegedly assaulted by people protesting the government’s plan to reform pension schemes for public servants and public-school teachers.
Taoyuan Department of Public Information Director Xavier Chang (張惇涵) on Monday said that the mayor sustained fractures of the seventh and eighth ribs on his right side.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) took to Facebook to call on National Civil Servant Association president Harry Lee (李來希), a protest leader, to explain what happened to Cheng.
At a news conference in Taipei, Lee said that opponents of pension reform who resorted to violence during the demonstrations last week were provoked by the legislature’s cruel installation of barb-wired barricades.
“The anti-reform protesters would not have lost control if they had not been painted into a corner,” Lee said.
“The core of the pension conundrum we see today is private-sector workers getting too little in pension payments, while not-yet-retired public servants get too much. Though [pension reform opponents’] actions were inappropriate and regrettable, who do you think caused them?” Lee said.
The nation has seen many protests over separate issues since President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration took office in May last year, so why is it that only pension reform demonstrators have been subjected to legal proceedings, Lee said.
He also lauded Cheng’s decision not to press charges.
The nation will be a better place if the kind of magnanimity demonstrated by Cheng could rub off on other politicians, Lee said.
Reform opponents are to stage another protest on May 20, the first anniversary of Tsai’s inauguration, he added.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), a former Taipei mayor, who also attended the news conference, questioned the government’s description of protesters actions as “violent.”
“The unarmed civil servants, in an attempt to preserve their dignity and rights, only pulled on the clothing [of passing lawmakers and government officials] and threw water at them. Can this be called violence?” Hau said.
LIABILITIES MULLED: New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi said Taipei would find out if the firm was legally registered, the guide was licensed and the weather was assessed The assets of Tian Da Local Nature Co are to be frozen after at least four people died after falling into the Beishi River (北勢溪) on an outing the company had organized on Saturday, the Taipei City Government said yesterday. Six people — two adults and four children — were washed away by a flash flood on the river in New Taipei City’s Hubaotan (虎豹潭) area. They were participating in a Nature Joy Camp outdoor activity with a group of 16 adults and 15 children led by a guide surnamed Su (蘇). As of 4:30pm yesterday, four of the missing had been
Taiwanese worked more hours than people in all but three other countries in the world last year, Ministry of Labor data showed. Singapore placed first in average hours worked among the 40 economies surveyed, with an average of 2,288 hours per worker last year, the data showed. The city-state was followed by Colombia with 2,172 hours — based on 2019 data — and Mexico with 2,124 hours, it showed. Taiwan came in fourth, with 2,021 hours, it showed. South Korean workers clocked the third-most hours in Asia, with 1,908 hours, followed by Japan with 1,598 hours, it showed. However, compared with 2019, the survey found
The US 7th Fleet yesterday confirmed that a US Navy ship transited the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and Friday. “The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Dewey [DDG 105] conducted a Taiwan Strait transit in cooperation with Royal Canadian Navy [RCN] Halifax-class frigate, HMCS Winnipeg, October 14-15, 2021,” the US 7th Fleet said in a statement. “Dewey’s and Winnipeg’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Cooperation like this represents the centerpiece of our approach to a secure and prosperous region,” it added. The transit marked the
‘COUNTERPRODUCTIVE’: The German, French and Singaporean missions said that Taiwan’s COVID-19 restrictions are hindering local projects and business operations Several foreign missions in Taiwan have urged the government to ease its strict COVID-19 border controls, which they say are hurting in-person exchanges and business operations. The missions made the appeal in response to media inquiries on how the border controls have affected their respective countries’ exchanges with Taiwan, amid growing concerns voiced privately by Taiwan-based foreign offices and businesses regarding the restrictions. Taiwan has maintained strict entry requirements since March last year, generally prohibiting most arrivals except for citizens and foreign residents, while it has required those who enter the country to undergo a stringent 14-day quarantine. Although the rules have been
RSS