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Students, police clash in front of
legislature
By Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter
Protesters push the fence outside
the legislature in Taipei yesterday as they try to break into a public hearing
on the cross-strait service trade agreement.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
Student protesters clashed with police
several times yesterday, pulling down a steel gate outside the Legislative Yuan
as they tried to force their way into a public hearing on the cross-strait
service trade pact after their request to attend the meeting was turned down.
Arriving before the start of the public hearing at the legislature¡¦s Internal
Administration Committee at 9am, more than 100 students representing over a
dozen universities across the nation rallied outside the legislature, asking
that they be let in when greeted by closed gates and rows of police officers
with shields.
The students tried to negotiate by presenting a list of representatives, hoping
that at least a few of them would be allowed into the meeting, but their request
was turned down by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang
(¦¿±Ò¦Ú), who presided over the meeting.
¡§We are students now, but in a few years, we will be graduating and will join
the work force; hence, the service trade agreement could have an impact on our
future employment. This is why we want to take part in the meeting, to listen
and to express our opinions,¡¨ National Taiwan University (NTU) student Huang
Shou-ta (¶À¦u¹F) told the crowd. ¡§In fact, this is something that could affect
everyone in this country. The public should be allowed to take part in the
public hearing, instead of having only a number of businesspeople who would
benefit from it and academics who support the agreement at the meeting.¡¨
¡§We are citizens of this country. Taking part in a public hearing and discussing
public policy is our right,¡¨ said Lin Fei-fan (ªL¸¦|), another NTU student.
However, as the legislature failed to respond positively to their request, the
protesters grew impatient.
At 9:08am, some of the students tried to climb over the gate, while the rest
chanted: ¡§Open the gate!¡¨
Police on the other side of the gate tried to push them back, but about 20
protesters, with the help of fellow students, managed to get in. However, they
were quickly tackled by officers and escorted out after police took down their
names.
The students did not give up, and an hour later, made a second attempt to get
in.
While the police were on full alert this time, some of the protesters managed to
pull down part of the gate and rushed toward the legislative building.
Another round of pushing and shoving ensued, with several protesters saying they
were injured and later sent to hospital. Those who got in were also soon dealt
with.
¡§These young student absolutely have the right to have a say about the
agreement, because they are the ones who will have to shoulder the consequences
in the next 50 years or so,¡¨ said Frida Tsai (½²°ö¼z), an assistant professor at
Shih Hsin University who came to support her students. ¡§Police in a democratic
country should help defend the democracy, not a government that sells out public
interests.¡¨
¡§Free trade benefits only capitalists and big corporations, never the people ¡X
just look at how our lives have not gotten better after Taiwan joined the WTO,¡¨
she added.
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