Taiwanese vent anger at Ma policies
　

ONE VOICE: Very few incidents were reported at the rallies, but two protesters in their sixties remained in the ER last night after being run over by a police car
　

By Rich Chang, Loa Iok-sin and Shelley Huang
STAFF REPORTERS WITH AGENCIES, TAIPEI AND KAOHSIUNG
Monday, May 18, 2009, Page 1
　

“Now I’m almost 50 and I feel quite sad that I have to take to the streets again because our hard-earned democracy, freedoms and human rights seem to be under threat.”— a woman in Kaohsiung, surnamed Shih

Shouting slogans and holding up banners and placards, tens of thousands of protesters yesterday afternoon packed arterial streets in Taipei and Kaohsiung to vent their anger at President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) China-friendly policies, which they say have compromised Taiwan’s sovereignty.

“Say No to China! Say Yes to Taiwan!” “One China market, Go Away!” protesters young and old shouted as they marched and pumped their fists in the air.

Some wore yellow headbands reading “Don’t Lean Toward China, Safeguard Sovereignty!” and “We want a referendum on the ECFA [economic cooperation framework agreement].” Others wore T-shirts that accused Ma of “selling Taiwan” to China and carried props portraying Ma as a devil.

Since Ma’s inauguration on May 20 last year, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have held three rounds of talks and signed a series of agreements that led to regular direct flights across the Strait and an influx of Chinese tourists.
　

Ma said the flow of Chinese visitors to Taiwan — from a mere trickle to more than 3,000 a day — has helped Taiwan’s sagging economy.

While some have welcomed the economic gains and easing of cross-strait tensions, others worry that Taiwan is moving too close to China because Beijing’s ultimate goal is the unification of Taiwan with China.

“Taiwan and China are different countries and can’t be united,” said Wang Chia-ping, 32, who traveled six hours from the south to take part in the rally in Taipei.
　

Some demonstrators accused Ma of not being transparent about Taiwan’s relations with Beijing and others said he has mishandled the economy, with the unemployment rate now at a record-high of 5.8 percent, while exports have fallen sharply amid the global recession.

“I’m out of work. We don’t have jobs. We’re unemployed,” 55-year-old protester Chen Chung-hua said. “So what are we going to do?”

In Taipei, protesters began marching at 3pm from four different rallying points — Wanhua Train Station in Wanhua District (萬華), the main entrance at National Taiwan University, the Dinghao Square on Zhongxiao E Road and the Zhongshan Soccer Stadium — before converging on Ketagalan Boulevard.
　

As Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) led a group of protesters by the Ministry of Economic Affairs building, they released black balloons representing their opposition to the introduction of Chinese “black-hearted” products in Taiwan.
　

Another group, led by former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), beat a huge balloon horse — wearing the red Chinese flag — with plastic baseball bats as they walked by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) headquarters on Bade Road.

The third group, led by former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), threw paper planes as they walked by the Council of Labor Affairs building, a symbol of rising unemployment.

The fourth group, led by former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), dumped Chinese agricultural products from a trunk in front of the Council of Agriculture to express public anger over the impact of Chinese “black-hearted” products on Taiwan’s agricultural sector.

“We are here to say no to Ma Ying-jeou,” Tsai addressed the crowd from the stage set up in front of the Presidential Office after the groups assembled on Ketagalan Boulevard. “Ma gambles away Taiwan’s sovereignty in exchange for short-term economic interests from China … We will not allow Taiwan’s destiny and future to be decided by China.”

Tsai has warned that yesterday’s march was the start of a series of protests against Ma and said the DPP did not rule out seeking to impeach the president.

At nightfall, the event organizer projected a laser display of the Chinese characters for “incompetence” (無能) onto the Presidential Office building.

After the protest, demonstrators planned an overnight sit-in in front of the Presidential Office to protest against the government’s proposed amendments to the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), which the DPP says would expand the police’s ability to restrict people’s right of assembly and was a sign that the government was returning to the authoritarian period.

No major disturbances were reported during the rally in Taipei.

Around 2pm, however, a middle-aged man wearing a black vest and a mask that said “Beat down [former president] Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), fight the DPP,” clashed with demonstrators on Ketagalan Boulevard. The man held a wooden stick in his hand.

Demonstrators said the man was acting in a provocative manner.

After some pushing and shoving, members of the DPP’s “rally guards” pulled the man away from the demonstrators. The man was quickly escorted away by police.

At about 7:30pm, two protesters leaving Ketagalan Boulevard were struck by a police car and seriously injured. The accident sparked anger among nearby demonstrators, who surrounded the vehicle and shouted at the officers inside.

At press time the two men, one 67 years old and the other 68, were still being treated at hospital.

National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞) later said the officer behind the wheel had been driving fast and had failed to see the men because of poor nighttime visibility.

Wang said the Taipei Police Department had mobilized about 2,000 officers, with 1,800 in reserve.

In Kaohsiung, about 800 police were sent to maintain order, with 1,100 officers on standby.

The NPA had set up a central command center to monitor developments at both rallies.

National Security Bureau Director Tsai Der-sheng (蔡得勝) said police had been instructed to handle protestors “gently,” adding that this did not mean that they would tolerate violent behavior.

“Handling [protesters] gently does not mean taking no action,” he said at the command center.

The NPA said it had assumed control of security cameras around the Presidential Office, on Ketagalan Boulevard and at Jingfu Gate to monitor the situation.

In response to widespread criticism that the barricades and barbed wire erected by police around the 228 Peace Memorial Park and the Presidential Office were unethical and reminiscent of the Martial Law era, Wang said the razor blades on the wires had been blunted by pouring a thick layer of asphalt on them.

All barbed wires and barricades were surrounded by yellow police gauze to warn demonstrators to stay away from the dangerous objects, he said.

“Barbed wire would not be used as a first line of defense,” he said.

The DPP yesterday estimated that more than 600,000 people took part in the rally.

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), however, told a press conference yesterday afternoon that about 10,000 marchers had been in each parade route, for an estimated total of 40,000.

The Taipei City Police Department did not offer an explanation for the difference, saying the numbers were a rough calculation based on the average number of people per square meter.

In Kaohsiung, the protesters started at four departure points at 3pm and marched through different parts of the city before assembling at the Central Park.

A woman surnamed Shih (施) said she felt very sad to have to join the rally.

“I participated in many demonstrations about 20 years ago when I was in my 20s to demand democratic reforms,” Shih said. “Now I’m almost 50 and I feel quite sad that I have to take to the streets again because our hard-earned democracy, freedoms and human rights seem to be under threat.”

Huang Man-ting (黃曼婷), a university student who came from Taipei to join the demonstration in Kaohsiung, saw a smaller police presence in the southern city.

“I always felt that I was closely watched when I took part in demonstrations in Taipei, but I feel more at ease in Kaohsiung,” Huang said. “I think the difference shows that the officials in Taipei have the wrong idea about demonstrators — they view demonstrators as potential criminals.”

Although the rally in Kaohsiung went smoothly for the most part, minor incidents were reported.

A man surnamed Kuo (郭), who appeared to be drunk, walked up to one of the trucks that served as command centers, took the microphone and said he wanted to sing.

Although he was quickly taken away by demonstration staffers, some protesters who suspected he was there to disrupt the rally started pushing him around. The altercation was soon resolved and police officers took Kuo away.

Many of the demonstrators traveled to Taipei after the rally in Kaohsiung to join the sit-in protest on Ketagalan Bloulevard.

The organizer said that more than 200,000 people took part in the demonstration in Kaohsiung. However, Kaohsiung police put the number at 30,000.

Protesters find novel ways to voice discontent
　

‘VOX POPULI’: A variety of headgear and apparel were used as messageboards for slogans that ranged from serious to funny to profane
　

By Meggie Lu and Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTERS, TAIPEI and KAOHSIUNG
Monday, May 18, 2009, Page 3
　

Demonstrations against the Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration’s China policies in Taipei and Kaohsiung yesterday also provided an opportunity for participants to show their creativity as they took to the streets.

One man in Taipei was spotted wearing an upside-down bamboo basket, the kind used by farmers to carry produce, on his head as a hat with a banner reading “With the ECFA passed, farmers will eat shit.”

Another protester, surnamed Wang (王), wore a backpack that carried a banner reading, “Fuck, where is 6-3-3?” referring to Ma’s campaign pledge last year that Taiwan’s annual economic growth would be 6 percent, per capita GDP would be US$30,000 and the unemployment rate would be reduced to 3 percent if he were elected.

“I’m here today because the unemployment rate has risen to a historic high, affecting many families,” the 54-year-old Wang said.

Wang said he had voted for Ma in last year’s presidential election, but Ma had failed to deliver on most of his campaign promises.

　

“I pay about NT$400,000 in tax each year, but this money goes to supporting a rice-bug [Taiwanese slang for useless] government — as a taxpayer I feel that I am Ma’s boss and he has done a terrible job,” Wang said.

Another protester dressed his dog in a shirt that read: “I veto Ma,” while other dog owners had wrapped their pets with colorful protest banners.

Yen Jen-song (顏仁崧) manned a stall on Ketagelan Boulevard selling sun-blocking fishermen’s hats to the protesters. The banner on the 33-year-old’s stall read: “Anti-Ma sun-blocking hats, capable of blocking Chinese UV-rays.”
　

Yen, who used to be a real estate agent before the economic downturn, said he now works in the service sector because the real estate market had been hard hit by the downturn.

Another group of protesters wore bamboo leaf hats, used by farmers to shield themselves from the sun, that were decorated with yellow ribbons bearing a variety of slogans, including: “The government sucks.”

One man was seen wearing a plastic apron that had words comparing Ma with Wu Sangui (吳三桂), a Ming Dynasty militant who has historically been considered a traitor to his emperor because he opened the gates of the Great Wall at the Shanghai Pass to let Manchu soldiers into China.

Meanwhile, in Kaohsiung, many demonstrators also carried homemade placards and props.

One marcher held an umbrella plastered with colorful posters and slogans, while another was spotted wearing mask with a sign that said “Say no to Ma influenza.”

A couple drew a horse with its four legs pointing up with the words “corrupted Ma, step down.” The character for Ma’s surname also means “horse.”

Just as some protesters in Taipei attacked a large horse-shaped balloon with sticks, the couple invited marchers to hit their “horse” with canes, water bottles or whatever they had on hand.

Some placards had pictures of Ma with the caption “Recall the defective product.” When one such placard was dropped, people nearby rushed to trample it.

Government must not compromise on dignity
　

By Chen Lung-chu 陳隆志
Monday, May 18, 2009, Page 8

‘The government’s retreat and compromise can best be described as Taiwan gives an inch and Beijing takes a mile.’

The 62nd session of the World Health Assembly (WHA), the WHO’s highest decision-making body, is scheduled for today to Friday in Geneva, Switzerland. Taiwan has been blocked by China from joining the WHO over the past 12 years. This year, Beijing has agreed to let a representative of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) government attend the WHA. The question is what price Taiwan will have to pay. The government has not made this clear to the public.

Beijing has employed a “carrot and stick” policy to block Taiwan from participating in the WHO. It has spread false information in the international community, claiming that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the rights and health of Taiwanese and that it is willing to cooperate with Taipei to solve health issues through appropriate channels. At the same time, it has repeatedly claimed that Taiwan is part of China and thus unqualified to join the WHO as an independent and sovereign state or to attend the WHA under any name.

China claims that Taiwan participating in the WHO would be a violation not only of UN Resolution No. 2758 but also of a resolution at the 25th session of the WHA in 1972. By this distorted reasoning, regardless of whether Taiwan applies to the WHO secretary-general for WHO membership as a country or, with the help of allies, seeks an invitation to participate in the WHA as an observer using the name “Republic of China (Taiwan),” Taipei would be creating “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan.”

This would encroach on China’s sovereignty and interfere with its internal affairs, Beijing claims.

Since Ma took office, his administration has hoped that its diplomatic truce policy would elicit goodwill from China. Instead, the government’s retreat and compromise can best be described as Taiwan gives an inch and Beijing takes a mile.

By accepting the ridiculous title “Chinese Taipei,” the government has been granted observer status at the WHA through an act of charity by Beijing. This model — with China unilaterally deciding Taiwan’s participation in exchange for Taiwan’s self-denigration and sacrifice of its status as a sovereign state — has undermined our national interests. It is nothing short of a tacit confirmation to the international community that Taiwan is part of China.

If Taiwan wants to join the WHO, it should insist on admission as a full member under the name “Taiwan.” Securing membership under the name “Chinese Taipei” or any other title that belittles Taiwanese sovereignty is unacceptable.

To break through China’s diplomatic blockade, Taiwan should clearly state that it is an independent and sovereign country. The public should not tolerate the government kowtowing to Beijing or selling out national sovereignty in exchange for observer status at the WHA.

The public should protest government policies that harm Taiwan’s dignity and sovereignty.

Chen Lung-chu is the president of the Taiwan New Century Foundation.