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Taipei protest sparks
envy among Chinese netizens
By Jason Pan / Staff writer, with agencies
The mass protest led by civic groups on Taipei¡¦s Ketagalan Boulevard on Saturday
has struck a chord with Chinese netizens as they expressed envy and a yearning
for a democratic society.
One Chinese netizen wrote: ¡§Now I understand why Taiwanese refuse to re-unify
[with China], because at this moment, I wish I could be a citizen of Taiwan.¡¨
Another wrote: ¡§This is how a democratic country should be, the leading voices
are the people!¡¨
¡§I was moved to tears when reading about the protest. Regrettably, I don¡¦t know
when we can have this kind of citizen movement,¡¨ another wrote.
Saturday¡¦s rally was held to protest the death of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu
(¬x¥ò¥C), who died from heatstroke allegedly as a result of physical abuse by his
superiors.
Reflecting public anger and discontent with the government and army¡¦s handling
of the investigation into Hung¡¦s death, a crowd of about 250,000 joined the
demonstration, according to its organizers.
Billed as an historic event for Taiwan¡¦s civic movements, the protest was
organized by the activist group ¡§Citizen 1985¡¨ and endorsed by leading advocates
of cultural and social issues.
Taiwanese netizens promoted the event, quickly forming a wide network of groups
and individuals.
Citizen 1985, which says it is not associated with any political party, had
staged a rally on July 20 over Hung¡¦s case, when 30,000 people protested in
front of the Ministry of National Defense in Taipei.
Details of Hung¡¦s case and news of the protest on Saturday were posted on a
number of Chinese Web sites, with netizens across the Taiwan Strait expressing
empathy with the protesters while demonstrating their desire for similar freedom
to protest in China.
One netizen wrote: ¡§Now when we look at Taiwan, how can our Chinese imperial
rulers request the return of Taiwan to the motherland. Even I want to go and
live in Taiwan.¡¨
Another wrote: ¡§We can see how a civil society came into being, through struggle
and demanding protection of rights. It is not won by begging and kneeling down
in front of government officials.¡¨
A netizen with the handle ¡§Xia¡¨ (®L) wrote: ¡§Here in China, the only way we can
experience such mass gatherings is when Kobe Bryant comes to visit,¡¨ a reference
to the US basketball star¡¦s visits to China in recent years, where he drew large
crowds of fans.
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