Pact supporters to confront students

By Rich Chang  /  Staff reporter

Former Bamboo Union member “White Wolf” Chang An-le, right, and Taiwan Labor Welfare Alliance convener Wang Yu-wen shake hands during a press conference in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times

Groups opposed to the student-led occupation of the Legislative Yuan yesterday said they would lead a rally to the legislature in Taipei to talk to the students today, with former Bamboo Union leader Chang An-le (張安樂) pledging full support for the action.

The groups include the Taiwan Labor Welfare Alliance, Taipei City General Union and representatives from various industries and unions.

Chang, known as the “White Wolf,” fled to China in 1996 and was on Taiwan’s most-wanted list for alleged violations of the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪防制條例). He was arrested when he returned to Taiwan on June 30 last year, but was promptly released on bail.

Chang, who is also the head of the China Unification Promotion Party, said the students and some members of the public had been “misled” into thinking that the cross-strait service trade agreement would harm the interests of Taiwan.

Several media reports said Chang would lead 2,000 people in confronting the students today, but Chang said while he fully supports the groups’ move, he would not join the action.

“We will ask police to allow us to enter the legislature and go to the assembly hall. The assembly hall belongs to all people, not only students, does it not?” Taiwan Labor Welfare Alliance convener Wang Yu-wen (王裕文) said.

“We want to discuss the cross-strait service trade pact with students,” he said.

Shih Yen-ting (施彥廷), a spokesperson for the student activists, said the students are not worried.

“We hope that he [Chang] and his followers will come in peace and not create conflict,” Shih said. “If they try to force themselves in, we have built up a system to defend the legislative chamber. We have also notified the police.”

Shih added that if Chang and his followers support the students’ appeals, “we would invite them to sit down with us, but based on what we have heard so far, they seem to hold an opposite view on the issue.”

Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) said that any civic group activity should be peaceful and rational, and any person found breaking the law would be held responsible by authorities.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) condemned Chang’s planned action and called on Taipei police to take precautionary measures to prevent an escalation of tensions.

The DPP has received intelligence that gangster organizations are directly involved in the planned action today and Taipei police should take the necessary measures to ensure students’ safety, DPP spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said.

TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) raised his concern over the gangsters’ close connections with Beijing, which he said is now openly interfering with Taiwanese public policies and affairs.

He urged fellow citizens to protect the students.

Huang also accused President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of resorting to gangsters to oppress people who oppose him.

Taipei police said that officers would be deployed around the legislature today during the protest.

Meanwhile, netizens called on the public to go to the legislature to protect the students.

“Students are not like gangsters who have weapons. They are our future and they need to be protected,” a netizen named FaBie said.

“I will go to the legislature and serve as a body shield for the students. I do not carry a weapon, I don’t provoke others, but I want you to know that I am behind the students,” he wrote.

Fear motivates students: educators

‘VOLCANIC ERUPTION’:：Insecurities about the future in terms of obtaining jobs and a devaluation of college degrees are fueling the students’ protests, educators said

By Rachel Lin, Kan Chih-chi and Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

Sun, Mar 30, 2014 - Page 3

Several educators yesterday said the ongoing student movement against the cross-strait service trade agreement was galvanized by the younger generation’s fear that the pact could in effect flush their college diplomas down the toilet and add to the uncertainty of their future.

They made the remarks at a press conference on the nation’s widening education-jobs gap yesterday as the students’ unprecedented occupation of the legislature entered its 12th day.

Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls High School teacher Tuan Hsin-yi (段心儀), who is also a member of the Forum on Checking Educational Reform, said youngsters nowadays were devastated by the lack of hope for their future as the country continued to be plagued by problems of overworking, rocketing property prices and plummeting salaries.

“The student movement is just the first wave of a series of ‘volcanic eruptions,’” Tuan said.

National Taiwan University (NTU) College of Social Sciences Dean Lin Hui-lin (林惠玲) said just one-third of the 10.7 million students entering the employment market in 2011 had obtained jobs that required a college degree.

“In addition, about 600,000 of the 4 million students who graduated from college were forced to settle for jobs that junior or senior-high school graduates would qualify for,” Lin said.

NTU Institute of Applied Mechanics professor Wang Li-sheng (王立昇) attributed the growing education-jobs gap to the government’s policy to establish many senior-high schools and universities across the country.

“Thirty years ago, the country produced only about 28,000 college graduates each year, but that number has climbed dramatically to 230,000 at present. If the number of students graduating from postgraduate schools every year is also counted, the figure could stand at more than 300,000,” Wang said.

Yet because the industry’s demand for college graduates has not increased much over the past two decades, the imbalance has led to a severe depreciation of college degrees, Wang said.

“Take the manufacturing industry as an example. Most college graduates aim for jobs as a technician or an engineer, but these positions account for less than 30 percent of the 2 million jobs offered by the industry,” Wang said, adding that the lack of suitable positions often forced college graduates to accept low-level jobs in labor-intensive sectors.

Meanwhile, about 73 percent of the respondents to a survey released by the online job board yes123 yesterday expressed concern about their job opportunities being hindered by the cross-strait treaty, with 26.4 percent not concerned.

About 65.7 percent of respondents worried that their salaries could be affected, while 34.3 percent said they were not worried.

The poll also found that most first-time job seekers looked for jobs through job-matching Web sites (48.4 percent) and began their application process before they graduated or had completed their compulsory military service (78.2 percent).

About 38.4 percent of those polled found job-hunting more difficult than a year ago, while 37.3 percent had a lower salary expectation this year compared with a year ago.

Despite an uncertain future, about 30 percent of respondents were willing to spend up to three years pursuing their dreams, including studying abroad, cultivating a second speciality and starting a business venture.

The poll was conducted between March 20 and Wednesday and collected 692 valid samples.

It had a margin of error of 3.73 percentage points.

Protesters willing to meet with Ma

FOR ALL TO WITNESS:Student protest leaders said a meeting with the president to address the trade pact siege should be held in a public setting

By Alison Hsiao  /  Staff reporter

Lawyer Lai Chung-chiang, Academia Sinica researcher Huang Kuo-chang and student leaders Chen Wei-ting and Lin Fei-fan, left to right, call for legislation institutionalizing oversight of cross-strait agreements in the occupied chamber of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times

The leaders of student protesters occupying the legislative chamber and civic group representatives yesterday agreed to meet with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) without preconditions, as they called for lawmakers’ support for the passage of an act on the oversight of cross-strait agreements.

The protesters made the statement in response to remarks by Presidential Office spokesperson Lee Chia-fei (李佳霏), who said that Ma is willing to meet with representatives of protesting students “without any preconditions” to help end the standoff over the cross-strait trade agreement and allow the legislature to get back on track.

Lee said Ma is willing to invite representatives of the protesters to the Presidential Office in Taipei to discuss the pact and listen to their views if it will help end the student-led occupation of the legislature that began on Tuesday last week.

Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆), a National Taiwan University graduate student and one of the student leaders, said the protesters agreed to have a conversation with Ma without preconditions and proposed two questions that have attracted wide attention for the potential discussion between the two sides.

“The first question is whether there is a need for the institutionalization of the supervision of cross-strait agreements, and the second is whether such a supervision mechanism needs to be in place before reviewing the cross-strait service trade agreement,” Lin said.

Lin added that the students are willing to converse with Ma “in a public setting” and to discuss “in concrete terms” the questions mentioned.

“By the time we get there to have the conversation, we will not want to take extra time to give him a lecture,” Lin said.

Another student leader, Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷), a graduate student at National Tsing Hua University, said that the conversation should not be a private one that can be heard only by the representatives, but one that is open to public witness.

The protest leaders and civil group representatives said that the minutes of the latest legislative meeting on March 17, made public yesterday, showed that the review of the trade pact, which according to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers has been completed, was not documented.

It means that the issue has been returned to the legislature’s Internal Administrative Committee pending further discussion, the group said.

“We ask the government not to hold any negotiations with the Chinese government until the institutionalization of the supervision of cross-strait agreements. The trade pact must be returned to the Executive Yuan until such institutionalization is completed,” Chen said.

The group called on legislators to promise to respond to their three requests.

“Our first request is that the legalization of a ‘cross-strait agreement oversight act’ be initiated during this legislative plenary session. The second is that any reviews of cross-strait agreements be held off until legislation is finalized. And finally, that the bill be placed on the legislature’s Procedure Committee agenda,” Chen said.

Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), a research fellow at Academia Sinica, said that the call is “aimed at each legislator rather than only at the party caucus.”

While some, mainly the media, have been asking what the protesters’ “exit strategy” is, Lin said: “It is president Ma who needs to have an ‘exit strategy.’”

 University groups call for strike

BOYCOTT:More than 45 groups have backed the call, with some professors speaking out in support, though the education minister called for students to return to classes

By Chen Yi-ching, Tan Chia-ling and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

Students yesterday hold placards and banners on the National Taiwan University campus in Taipei urging fellow students to boycott classes and join the ongoing protest against the cross-strait service trade agreement.

Photo: CNA

Decrying the strong-arm tactics used by police against protesters early yesterday morning in Taipei, the National Taiwan University (NTU) students’ association backed a call by protest leaders Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷) and Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) for a nationwide “strike.”

As of press time yesterday, more than 45 student groups, totaling 3,000 students from 18 universities — including National Tsing Hua University, National Chengchi University, National Chiao Tung University and National Cheng Kung University — had joined the strike call.

“The government not only failed to respond to the public’s demands, but also took inappropriate measures to attack students, violently suppress them, hurt the country’s backbone and trample on basic human rights,” the NTU group said about the crackdown on the protesters who tried to occupy the Executive Yuan on Sunday night.

The statement called for a “strike” on four fronts: putting classes on hold so that students can join protests; holding classes on-site at the protests; teacher support for students’ decision to protest and leniency for those students participating in the demonstrations.

Ko Chih-che (柯志哲), the head of NTU’s sociology department, also issued a statement of support.

The focus of the department’s education and research is on civic participation, procedural justice and social equality, Ko said, adding that: “The department is supportive of all student-organized strikes as long as personal safety is taken into consideration, and it encourages any methods to understand or participate in the development of relevant proceedings.”

NTU Secretary-General Lin Ta-te (林達德) said the university is primarily concerned with the rights of education and the school’s normal operations and procedures.

While strikes are not the best solution to resolving the conflict, if all of the proceedings are in accordance with students’ rights of education and other Ministry of Education regulations, the university would respect any decision to reschedule or relocate classes, Lin said.

Meanwhile, Wang Hung-jen (王宏仁), a sociology professor at National Sun Yat-en University in Greater Kaohsiung, criticized President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for remaining behind barricades and being unwilling to emerge to communicate with the public.

“The department’s teachers are willing to stand by our students in this most precious ‘democracy class,’” Wang said.

Wang said the department decided to suspend all courses until the siege has wound down, at which time it would offer make-up classes.

Students in the department have voted to join the strike.

Taipei Medical University’s administration said that students skipping classes to take part in the protests would not be counted as absent.

Other schools are being more cautious in their support.

Lan Yang Institute of Technology dean Lin Chiang-lung (林江龍) said the school would neither support its students’ participation in the protests, but would not try to block them. Those students who want to participate would have to talk with their teachers to call in an absence, he said.

Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧) appealed to students to remain calm and for teachers at the site of protests to persuade student demonstrators to return to classes.

The ministry does not support student strikes, Chiang said, adding that the rights to education should be maintained for everyone.

Students undaunted after violent eviction

‘DEMISE OF DEMOCRACY’:At least 110 people were injured in the crackdown against the protesters and 61 arrested, which critics say will only fuel the unrest

By Shih Hsiu-chuan  /  Staff reporter

Police fire a water cannon at a demonstrator yesterday during a protest against the cross-strait service trade pact near the Executive Yuan in Taipei.

Photo: Reuters

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At 5:45am yesterday, thousands of students protesting the cross-strait service trade agreement sat near the Executive Yuan complex on Zhongxiao E Road in Taipei “paying silent tribute to [the demise of our] democracy” and praying for the approximately 60 protesters injured when police forcibly ended their occupation of the Executive Yuan’s main building hours earlier.

The students said they “have no fear” of the possible repercussions their actions may have before leaving to returning to join the protesters occupying the Legislative Yuan and continue the seventh day of the protest against the trade pact.

At 11pm on Sunday night, Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) ordered the National Police Agency to evict the activists occupying the Executive Yuan before dawn. Jiang gave the order after speaking to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) by telephone.

After trying to pull, lift or drag protesters from the site, police then employed two water cannon trucks, shields, batons and sticks to eventually remove all protesters from the Executive Yuan complex at 5:10am.

About 1,000 protesters remained outside on Zhongxiao E Road, while others gathered at the main entrance of the complex at the intersection of Zhongxiao E Road and Zhongshan S Road after 6am, prompting officers to turn the water cannons on them again. Not until after 7:15am were police able to reopen the roads to traffic.

The Executive Yuan said that at least 110 people were injured in the melee, including 52 police officers, while 61 people were arrested. No serious injuries have been reported.

At about 5:15am, several SWAT team officers approached Dennis Wei (魏揚) — a National Tsing Hua University graduate student and convener of the Black Island National Youth Front that masterminded the legislative siege — and handcuffed him because police believe he had instigated the storming of the Executive Yuan compound.

Wei had earlier said that confrontations with police at the Executive Yuan were to be expected, but “we [the protesters] are not deterred by that.”

“If we fear being forced out, we won’t be able to defend our democracy. We want to show the Ma administration the people’s determination,” he said.

The movement was sparked by the Ma administration’s perceived attempt to ram the pact through the legislature and follows months of calls by several sectors of society and public officials to renegotiate the deal or scrap it altogether.

Critics say the trade deal was negotiated illicitly without consulting the public, is skewed in China’s favor and puts Taiwan’s national security at risk, reasons cited by the protesters in their demands that the government suspend the pact and draft legislation to monitor future cross-strait negotiations.

Less than an hour after hundreds of students forced their way into the Executive Yuan complex by throwing quilts over the razor wire around it, more than 2,000 activists gathered at the site, outnumbering the approximately 200-strong police force.

While more police were called in, the students set up audio equipment, moved in supplies from the legislature, hung up a giant banner, burst into some offices on the second floor of the main building, and gathered at three main entrances and two other areas in the complex.

An hours-long standoff with police in all five places ensued, during which the students sat down arm-in-arm and shouted slogans as officers cleared people from Beiping E Road and assembled more riot police and SWAT officers there with two water-cannon trucks.

The police force eventually numbered more than 3,000.

The protesters shouted at police to protect the people as the police drove a water cannon truck into the back door of the complex on Beiping E Road and forced some reporters from the scene.

At about 1:30am, the protesters lay down arm-in-arm to make their removal more difficult. Some with bleeding faces appeared to have been beaten up by police.

“I am really sad. My father is a police officer. Why are people in this country forced to attack each other? The police will kick you and beat you with batons,” said one man in tears who declined to be named.

A professor surnamed Fang (方) said police had kicked him in the chin, but that he “will go back, because my students are still there.”

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials led by DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) urged police not to use force.

More people forced out of the complex were injured, including Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Chou Ni-an (周倪安) and a man suspected of suffering from epileptic seizures. They both lay on Beiping E Road for more than 10 minutes without medical personnel to take care of them.

At about 4:20am, the police began to spray water at protesters gathering in the front square of the complex and at the entrance of the main building, as well as removing them forcibly.

Scores of protesters lay down in front of the water cannon truck to try to stop it, but they were sprayed several times.

A man surnamed Chu (朱) said the police slapped him in the face when they pulled him out of the building.

“I didn’t resist the eviction. You wanted to lift me up from the ground, that’s fine, but why did you slap me?” Chu asked.

That night, ambulance sirens were heard often around the complex while medical personnel who volunteered to assist the protesters were seen running around to heed cries of: “We need a doctor.”

“President Ma should take the biggest responsibility for the situation today because he never listens to what people have to say. I didn’t think the Ma government should resolve any issue with the public by resorting to the use of police force. It will only create more resentment,” a man surnamed Kao said.

Meanwhile, saying that no violence should be used against students expressing their views on key national issues, the heads of the Greater Kaohsiung and Greater Tainan special municipalities — both governed by the DPP — yesterday said they are unwilling to offer further police backup to Taipei.

One-hundred-and-twenty officers who were sent from the two special municipalities to Taipei were recalled the previous week.

Additional reporting by CNA

Taiwan Police Evict Protesters from Cabinet Building

Taiwan Police Evict Protesters

 from Cabinet Building

President Ma Ying-jeou Again Rejects Demands

TAIPEI—Taiwanese police evicted dozens of protesters from the cabinet building early Monday morning, as tensions continued spiraling between the government and students occupying two major government buildings over a controversial trade pact with China.

Shortly after midnight, police made several attempts to remove protesters who stormed the Executive Yuan—the governing cabinet's office—on Sunday evening, hours after President Ma Ying-jeou rejected protesters' demand to retract a services trade agreement signed with China in Shanghai last year.

Antiriot police, wearing helmets and clutching shields, rammed through a human wall of protesters linked arm-in-arm to block the entrance of the Executive Yuan. In the midst of the brawl, some protesters held their hands up to show they meant no harm and were yanked away by police.

Police arrested 58 people for trespassing, and a dozen were injured in the scuffle, government-run Central News Agency reported. Police officials weren't immediately available for comment.

The Executive Yuan is a block away from the legislative building, which has been seized by thousands of students and protesters since Tuesday. Police haven't made any attempt to remove protesters there.

During a news conference in Taipei early Sunday, Mr. Ma—also the head of the ruling Chinese Nationalist Party, or the Kuomintang—said retracting the trade agreement would undermine Taiwan's credibility as a trade partner, and he dismissed concerns the deal would hurt small businesses.

"The pact must be passed for the sake of Taiwan's economic future," Mr. Ma said. He noted that Taiwan now has only seven free-trade partners, while its main export competitor, South Korea, already enjoys tariff-free treatment in more than 40 countries. "Signing free-trade agreements is an inevitable trend on which Taiwan can't afford to miss out," he said.

In a statement issued late Sunday, Mr. Ma condemned the violence and asked police to exercise all legal means to expel the protesters. He had said in his previous statements the government wouldn't evict protesters by force.

One of the student leaders, Lin Fei-fan, urged Mr. Ma to halt all eviction orders and asked protesters to fight by peaceful means.

"Don't let our hard work in the past week go down the drain," Mr. Lin told protesters. He added that the crowd that stormed the Executive Yuan did so on their own accord, and that their actions don't represent the student-led movement.

Earlier Sunday, one of the leaders, vowed to continue occupying the legislature's assembly hall until the students' demands are met. "The president has completely missed the point. Our demand is to retract the pact and establish a mechanism to monitor all cross-Strait deals in the future," said Chen Wei-ting.

Student protesters shout slogans in as they surround the legislature in Taipei, Taiwan, on Saturday.Associated Press

The protests have been among the island's most divisive since Mr. Ma came to power six years ago, promising to build closer economic ties between China and Taiwan, former antagonists in the decades-old Chinese civil war. According to Mr. Ma's government, the pact, which focuses on services, is an essential step to further liberalize cross-Strait trade and will provide select businesses with wider access to China's market.

Protesters, though, have demanded that the agreement be nullified and seized the meeting chamber of the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday. They argue that the deal will hurt small businesses and job prospects for people in Taiwan, especially the young. They say that the negotiations lacked transparency and that the deal may enable China to exert more influence over Taiwan's economy and politics.

Some opponents also fear that growing Chinese clout in self-ruled Taiwan may undermine the island's democratic system. Despite warming ties, Beijing hasn't retracted its vow to take back Taiwan, by force if necessary.

Dubbed the "Sunflower Movement," the students' seizure of the legislative chamber followed the KMT's unilateral passage of the pact during a first reading without bipartisan deliberation on March 17. Protesters interpret the KMT's move as backing away from its earlier commitment to the opposition Democratic Progressive Party to review the pact one clause at a time.

Three days into the occupation, the KMT softened its stance by agreeing to review the agreement line by line during the second legislative reading of the deal.

The protest, once numbering more than 10,000 people, is the biggest student-led protest in Taiwan's history. It is also the first time that the legislature has been taken over by protesters. Many professors have publicly stated their support for the students, agreeing to cancel classes for the duration of the protest.

Thousands of antiriot police are on the scene, but so far there have been no major altercations. The government said it won't forcefully evict the protesters but hopes the students end the occupation to allow the legislature to resume operation immediately.

(Note: This Wall Street Journal Article supports the pact and parts not related to the student protest have been deleted)

—Aries Poon contributed to this article

Protesters, rivals clash over actions

By Loa Iok-sin  /  Staff reporter

Clashes broke out yesterday afternoon between student activists occupying the legislative floor and another group of protesters who are convinced that more extreme actions are needed, as the latter tried to force their way into the legislative chamber.

“Go away, police officers, let us get in,” a group of protesters shouted as they tried to force their way into the chamber through a side gate guarded by both the police and peace-keeping volunteers from the protest organizers.

“Back down. Back down. Back down, please. Everybody please stay calm and sit down,” the volunteers responded, pushing them back, asking them to calm down and urging other participants to sit down and stay where they were.

“You say you’re here to protest, but it looks like a carnival outside,” said a man leading the group, who did not identify himself.

“Police officers are not bad people, but they are definitely our enemies, the government under President Ma Ying-jeou [馬英九] and the Legislative Yuan are like a castle, and the police is the wall,” the man said. “Should we not take down the wall if we want to take over the castle?”

However, student leaders Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) and Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷) stopped them from going in and calmed the crowd.

“I am one of the core people who planned this action [to occupy the legislative floor] and I will take full responsibility for it. If you have any better idea, you can propose it and we can discuss it,” Chen said. “Of course, we all want to do something, but we should always carefully plan it, otherwise it is just a foolish action.”

Lin echoed Chen, saying that he and Chen are each involved in four lawsuits from past demonstrations, “and we both have not yet graduated from school.”

“I know how you feel now, especially after Jiang and Ma’s rejection of our demands, but we need to plan things out before acting,” he said. “If you want to do something on your own, if you want to take over the Presidential Office, I would admire you if you succeed, and I would join you.”

My Opinion: According To Their Lights- The Student Activists Are Forced Into Action

Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jyou held a news conference this morning. As expected, he said that an open-door policy towards China was good for Taiwan; he would make sure the trade pact was put through despite the demonstrations against it, and that was that. The demonstrators are having none of it.  It is 10:00pm here and the students have taken over the administrative building. The Kuomintang is sending out water canon. The students have to be very careful. There is no return to complacency. 

     Ma used McDonald's in an analogy to touch the hearts of his young detractors; if it weren't for the open door policy, McDonald's wouldn't be in Taiwan. He was only referring to the taste buds of hamburger consumers and not the Fast Food Nation's underpaid, uninsured part-timers who drudge through tedious hours at future-less jobs. He could have used the many American and Japanese franchises that fill every corner of  Taiwan as examples. Should Chinese businesses be allowed to exploit Taiwanese workers like American corporations do? Two wrongs don't make it right.

     The TV station I was watching switched to split-screen the last ten minutes of Ma Ying-Jyou's press conference. On the right side of the screen, the viewer could see, but not hear, the President behind his podium. On the left side of the screen, the viewer could see and hear the muffled sound of a student leader talking into a microphone on the legislative hall floor. Behind him, banners, many in English, were being moved about and re-positioned. A rift had developed among the protest leaders; some wanted to stay and demand the trade pact be scrapped, others considered leaving the hall to make their stand outside with tens of thousands of protesters. 

     As the student leader spoke, the camera shifted to a corner of the legislature hall to view a private conversation between Chen Wei-ting, the sneaker-throwing hero, and another activist. Both were putting on good faces but neither bothered to cover their mouths; a lip-reader could have read what they were saying to each other but one didn't have to understand Taiwanese lips to figure it out: "What the heck do we do now?" There is only one thing to do.

     In his news conference, Ma Ying-Jyou had called the occupation of the legislative hall illegal and undemocratic. To this day, the people have not seen the secret party-to-party agreement between the Kuomintang and Communist Party of China. Undemocratic, yes, but the people of Taiwan weren't allowed to see the WTO agreement Taiwan signed, either. The price of food in Taiwan continues to rise as the quality declines. Only Taiwanese farmers who sold their land to developers made out well. 

     The U.S. military-industrial sweatshop didn't export unionism to Taiwan; it exported exploitation when it said it was here to protect "Free China" from the Communists in 1947. The U.S.A. was in Taiwan to stifle workers rights as it would do with Eugene McCarthy in the U.S.A. using the Communist menace as an excuse. Through thirty-eight years of Marshall Law and thirty years of neo-liberalism, the oppressive white horror and propaganda has done its job; most Taiwanese think they have democracy. They are only now coming out to say that they realize they never did. An under-the-table deal with China will only make matters worse; there is no free speech or independent unionism in China. The Taiwanese have free speech; unionism will only come when speech is free. 

One oppressor at a time.

     Taiwanese workers must have freedom of speech and the right to join independent unions. Without both, Taiwan will either be exploited by Chinese or continued exploitation from  U.S. corporations.  The U.S. recognizes China's claim that Taiwan is their territory but they hate to let Taiwan go. The clandestine manipulation of Taiwan through the Democratic Progressive Party. Both outcomes are unacceptable. The union is a Taiwan worker's only true friend. 

     The youth of a nation will have to decide, through the destabilization from both super powers, how to thread a needle for their future happiness and fulfillment. They must act according to their lights.

One oppressor at a time. The Kuomintang is meeting People Power face to face but they have the weapons. The protesters are peaceful but fed up about the prospective of being second class citizens to China or Chinese Kuomintang. The light is on their side. 

For One Big Union

Solidarity,

x347367

Taipei mayor rules out use of force with students

LEGISLATIVE SIEGE: Taipei mayor rules out use of force with students

By Shih Hsiu-chuan  /  Staff reporter

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday said that the city government respects people’s right to assembly and would not forcibly remove demonstrators occupying the legislative chamber.

The protest over the service trade pact that began on Tuesday evening was organized without gaining permission from police, as required by the Parade and Assembly Act (集會遊行法).

However, the legal requirement requiring organizers of a rally due to a sudden event to first obtain a permit was on Friday ruled unconstitutional by the Council of Grand Justices.

The rule that a permit is required has been criticized as a restriction on citizens’ right to assembly.

Although there was no application filed for the rally in the legislature, people have the right to assemble as stated by Thursday’s constitutional interpretation, Hau said yesterday.

“With that, the Taipei City government respects their rights,” he said.

The city government would not resort to the use of police force to end the protest, he added.

Hau said that he has spoken to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) by telephone, expressing his hope that the government would not forcibly remove the protestors from the building.

Ma and Jiang have promised that they will not to evict the protestors by force, Hau said.

Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) also pledged that the government would never order the forcible removal of the demonstrators.

江揆探視立院外靜坐學生 強調服貿會逐條審查並盼整起事件理性落幕

江揆探視立院外靜坐學生 強調服貿會逐條審查並盼整起事件理性落幕 

行政院長江宜樺今(22)日親赴立法院外探視靜坐學生，並與學生代表對話。江院長表示，行政院希望服貿協議在立法院進行逐條討論及審查，絕不會以包裹立法方式通過服貿，同時，江院長也深切期盼所有關心臺灣未來的朋友，都能以冷靜、理性的態度讓這起事件儘早落幕。

江院長表示，他非常肯定青年學子關心國家未來，也希望與關心國事的青年朋友進行對話，但立法院被抗議服貿民眾佔領五天以來，許多攸關國計民生的重要法案及預算案解凍都因而停擺，他擔憂國家施政受到牽累，所以在與馬總統交換意見後，決定與立法院外青年朋友見面，表達政府對學生關心，也希望有機會消除大家對服貿的誤解及憂慮。

基於對國會議場的尊重，江院長也指出，對於青年宣稱佔領國會議場與破壞公物等失序行為，他感到非常遺憾。因國會殿堂是最莊嚴神聖的地方，是全民用選票選出民意代表，共同代表國家最高民意行使對行政機關的監督權力的場所，因此，任何人都不應佔領國會議場，並提出若干條件要求政府或國會答應，江院長對此行為表示遺憾與無法認同。

江院長進一步指出，政府期盼以理性、和平、民主方式討論問題，這幾天看到學生靜坐聽演講，並輪流上臺表達意見，都未出現任何脫序行為，而今天前往立法院外的路途中，雖然擁擠，但學生們也沒有不理性的舉動，可看出臺灣經過多年來民主文化的陶冶，已成為值得驕傲的民主國家。但針對學生代表要求必須答應兩個要求才能對話的前提，江院長表示，政府非常願意就各種利弊得失交換意見，與學生開誠布公進行對話， 但所有對話都不應預設前提。

關於外界對服貿協議的不實誤導，江院長強調，服貿協議並非喪權辱國、出賣臺灣的條款，反而是對臺灣有利的協議。其中，大陸對我國開放讓步的項目有80項，優於WTO會員國的待遇，而我國對大陸開放項目是64項，且沒有超過WTO的待遇，政府非常希望儘快讓這項協議生效，唯有如此，才能追上其他國家在大陸市場競逐的潮流。

江院長也針對服貿協議將開放大陸民眾來臺工作，使我國500萬名勞工失去工作機會的不實傳聞進行說明。江院長表示，服貿協議通過後，將可為國內創造1萬2千名工作機會，所有基層勞工的工作，包括計程車、工廠勞工及醫院護理人員的工作，並不受影響，政府也從未改變對大陸移民管制的政策，絕對沒有開放投資移民。

針對學生要求承諾「退回服貿協議」，以及建議訂定「兩岸協議監督條例」的訴求。江院長表示，執政黨一貫主張服貿協議可逐條討論、審查及表決的立場，他希望服貿協議能在立法院進行充分溝通，但遺憾的是反對黨利用議事杯葛方式，使得逐條討論一直無法進行，因此執政黨的輪值召委，才在很短的時間內做出送出委員會的決定。

江院長強調，服貿協議即使已送出委員會，行政院仍希望立法院針對服貿協議內容進行逐條討論及審查，絕不會以包裹立法方式通過服貿。

至於制定「兩岸協議監督條例」方面，江院長也指出，政府為制定此機制，已在兩岸人民關係條例進行修改，執政黨也已對此議題做出決定，採四階段讓國會和社會大眾共同監督政府，包括在蘊釀時期、簽約前、簽約後及生效後等階段，也歡迎國會指派代表監督每階段的進度，同時政府也會主動向朝野黨團報告即將簽約的主要內容。例如最近簽署生效的地震監測合作及氣象合作等協議，即是透過此精神監督，未來協議也是一樣。

Protesters besiege KMT offices nationwide

RANK AND FILE:Protesters in Kaohsiung, Taichung and Kinmen and Miaoli counties came out in a show of force to besiege local KMT offices in support of the students

By Rich Chang  /  Staff reporter, with CNA

Protesters gather outside the office of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) branch in Greater Kaohsiung yesterday.

Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times

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Student protesters have taken their campaign against the cross-strait service trade agreement nationwide.

Demonstrators launched sit-in protests outside Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) local offices nationwide yesterday, after students in Taipei called for their siege of the party to spread beyond the legislature after their demands were not met on Friday.

Dozens of students began their sit-ins in Greater Kaohsiung on Friday night, with more people heading to the KMT’s Greater Kaohsiung chapter office throughout yesterday to support the Taipei students, who have been occupying the Legislative chamber since Tuesday night.

“Anti-service trade pact; save Taiwan,” “[Premier] Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) is chicken, [President] Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) come out and face the people,” the protesters chanted.

In Greater Taichung, about 100 people had gathered as of noon yesterday in front of the KMT’s office, carrying sunflowers as the symbol of the student movement against the cross-strait service trade agreement.

The students have accused the party of non-transparency and of trying to push the pact through the legislature without a thorough review in the committees.

They also fear the pact could hurt small and medium-sized businesses and Taiwanese livelihoods, and make the nation more vulnerable to reunification pressures from Beijing.

The Ma government has insisted the agreement will benefit the economy, create jobs and give the nation crucial access to China’s vast market.

In Miaoli County, fruit farmers protested outside the KMT office, saying they believe the government failed to be transparent in handling the accord.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)’s Organization Department has issued a notice to its local chapters asking members, elected officials and election hopefuls not to bring or wear to the sites anything bearing the party branding, such as flags, or their personal campaign slogans.

The students have demanded that an attempt by KMT Legislator Chang Ching-chung (張慶忠) to rush the service trade agreement through a committee review on Tuesday must be nullified.

They are further asking Ma to engage in dialogue with the public in withdrawing the accord, and to promise that no more agreements will be passed before a law governing supervision of agreements across the Taiwan Strait is passed.