About 50 police officers yesterday morning raided a sit-in demonstration demanding reform of the Referendum Act (公民投票法) and the legislative election system that has been camped outside the Legislative Yuan since October, removing tents, banners and demonstrators by force.
The police arrived at around 9am yesterday at the demonstration site outside the entrance to the legislature’s Chun-hsien Building without prior notice and issued an order for the protesters to disband.
About 10 demonstartors were present at the time and they refused to follow the order, after which police began to remove them, their banners, tents, tables and other items by force.
Upset by this, some demonstrators shouted at the officers in protest, but were urged to stop by former Taiwan Association of University Professors chairman and demonstration organizer Tsay Ting-kuei (蔡丁貴).
Although he was trying to calm the other demonstrators, Tsay himself was also upset about the police action.
“I cannot accept a surprise raid like this,” Tsay said. “We will continue our fight until we accomplish our goal.”
The demonstrators started their sit-in on Oct. 25 after participating in an anti-government rally.
When the rally on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office finished that night, dozens of people, led by Tsay, decided to begin a sit-in, with reform of the Referendum Act and the legislative election system as their main demands.
To avoid blocking traffic, the group later moved to the legislature’s side entrance, and Tsay began a six-day hunger strike until he had to be hospitalized.
The demonstrators have been circling the legislature three times a day in silence, holding placards detailing their demands, and every evening they have invited people to give speeches or bands to play at the site of their demonstration.
However, the legislature didn’t seem to appreciate their activities.
“We kept getting complaints from the legislature that demonstrators have been blocking the entrance, so we had to do something,” a police officer said. “Especially when the new legislative session is set to start on Feb. 2, and the Chun-hsien Building is where the registration of legislators is to be held.”
Soon after they were dispersed, many of the demonstrators, including Tsay, returned to continue their protest.
“We’re not sure how to deal with them now that they’ve returned. We’ll have to see,” the officer said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College