A protest scheduled for May 20 in Taipei supporting a nationwide referendum on an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) will include rallies and sit-ins and continue for three days, organizers said yesterday.
Announced by pro-independence organizations and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) late last month, the protest will be held to coincide with the second anniversary of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) inauguration.
Hsieh is expected to attend all three days of the protest, which will take place in front of the legislature’s entrance on Jinan Road.
Protest organizer and former Cabinet secretary-general Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) said non-profit groups would be encouraged to log onto the organization’s Web site and “adopt” two-hour time periods for the sit-in.
“The May 20 protest will be a popular movement and a departure from past tactics such as large street rallies,” Lee said.
Organizers said that to attract a larger audience, wireless Internet would also be provided at sit-in areas to allow real-time updates of the protest.
While the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has yet to endorse the event, Lee has reportedly invited both DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and DPP Secretary-General Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) to participate.
While the Ma administration has said it hopes to sign an ECFA with China next month, organizers of the protest called on the government to hold off on the negotiations until after a Taiwan Solidarity Union-initiated ECFA referendum clears all procedural steps and is held, saying the agreement should first be subject to public review.
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