Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁).
It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended.
Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble in this morning at the Legislative Yuan.
Last night’s gathering had the theme of “Go to battle against Fu Kun-chi,” as the KMT caucus whip today plans to pass the third reading of amendments to the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), the Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法) and the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法), they said.
EDU convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said the protesters demanded that Fu resign and that lawmakers send the controversial bills back for committee review.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
They also asked President William Lai (賴清德) to mediate the legislative impasse to negotiate a settlement, he said.
Lai Chung-chiang at Wednesday’s protest accused Fu of paralyzing the government and the Constitutional Court, hollowing out the nation’s coffers, revoking citizens’ right to recall unfit politicians and undermining the democratic framework of Taiwan’s legislature.
Human rights activist Lee Ming-che (李明哲) told the audience that KMT legislators also plan to freeze the budget for indigenous submarines and to cut funding for civilian defense, saying that it has caused the international community to question Taiwan’s resolve to defend itself.
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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