With the March 20 presidential election around the corner, pressure groups are expected to further raise their voices on March 1, when activists launch a 240-hour relay hunger strike to urge the Legislative Yuan to halve the number of seats in the legislature.
Members of the Nuke-4 Referendum Initiative Association said yesterday the sit-down demonstration will be launched in front of the Legislative Yuan on March 1.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"Our relay hunger strike will be carried out quietly, despite the hubbub and clamor surrounding the election getting louder," association convenor Kao Cheng-yan (
Activists will demonstrate non-violently by fasting in rotating groups. Kao, who also acts as convener of the Green Party, said that the organizers welcome everybody to join the fight for what they believe is right. The hunger strike will end on March 10.
Last month, activists carried out a 120-hour relay hunger strike in front of the headquarters of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to urge the party to support the idea of halving the number of legislators.
Association executive-general Iap Phok-bun (
According to Iap, none of KMT and PFP legislators had reacted to a petition endorsed jointly by Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) and former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) on Feb. 20. The petition demands the ruling and opposition parties act to halve the legislature's seats.
Activists urged all political parties to launch mechanisms forcing their lawmakers to pass the proposal by March 20.
If the relay hunger strike is not effective, stronger action might be taken between March 11 and March 20, activists said.
Meanwhile, more pressure groups have planned to review policies offered by both sides in the 2004 presidential election.
Last Thursday, activists visited supporters of both the DPP and KMT, asking for their views on not only nuclear issues but also energy policies.
They said yesterday that responses from both sides have been received and were being evaluated by experts.
On Sunday, the No Nuke Taiwan Union, formed jointly by activists from more than 70 civic and environmental groups, will release their analysis of the energy-related policies of both camps.
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