Demonstrators outside the Legislative Yuan yesterday finished a three-day protest against reform bill packages proposed by opposition parties. Event organizers said that more than 30,000 people joined the protest last night.
The three-day protests, which are part of the “Bluebird movement” — protest against legislative reform bills proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers, who say they are to enhance the power of the legislature — were organized by more than 50 civil society groups.
The event organizers said yesterday that their efforts would continue in the coming weeks.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
They said they would form six working groups to continue to monitor the legislative process and oppose enacting the bills.
“It is the consolidation of ‘six strong forces’ of civil society groups to scrutinize and track the legislative process,” said Hsu Kuan-tse (許冠澤), deputy secretary of the Economic Democracy Union, which was one of the organizers of the protests.
Hsu said that the working groups would focus on the specific scope of the bills, including the KMT’s attempt to restart the Special Investigation Division, construct three major transportation projects in eastern Taiwan, regain control of China Youth Corps assets, restore the operating license of CTi TV News, raise the threshold for recalls against elected representatives and water down the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法).
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
“This week’s ‘Bluebird’ gathering has shown the strength of Taiwan’s civil society ... each day has seen thousands of people participating at these outdoor lectures and speeches, who were not deterred by the scorching heat and thunder storms, and showed their courage and determination to protest outside the Legislative Yuan,” Taiwan Citizen Front executive Lo Yi (羅宜) said.
“We are here to condemn KMT and TPP lawmakers who obey the instruction of their party leaders, for which they stand contrary to the public will. They will certainly pay the price,” Lo said.
Other speakers said that a number of constituencies have started recall campaigns against KMT legislators.
The KMT yesterday mobilized its supporters to stage a counter-protest nearby the Bluebird protesters on the other side of the closed section of the road. No violent incidents were reported.
KMT officially named their counterprotest the “Blue Eagle Action.” Participants convened in their thousands and listened to speeches by KMT politicians on stage. They also spoke about initiating recall campaing against DPP legislators.
The two sites were separated by metal barriers, and a large number of police officers were on duty to ensure people kept to their own section and no scuffles broke out.
The “Blue Eagle Action” protesters arrived shortly after 8am, and they departed by midday.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
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