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Police failing to
protect Dapu protesters, activists say
SELECTIVE: Activists say the police have done
little about attacks and threats against them, while putting a singer on a watch
list for performing during a rally
By Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter
From left to right, coffee shop
owner Lin Yi-fang, singer Lala Lin and Youth Alliance for Miaoli members Chen
Wei-ting and Fu Wei-che hold a press conference in Taipei yesterday, calling on
police to investigate attacks on Lin’s cafe, which has been used by
anti-demolition protesters in Dapu Borough in Miaoli County’s Jhunan Township.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
Miaoli activists and lawmakers yesterday
panned the police for being slow to investigate attacks on anti-demolition
protesters in Dapu Borough (大埔) in the county’s Jhunan Township (竹南), while
acting promptly to charge protesters with any violations.
“Soon after the rally [against the demolitions] on Aug. 16, many members from
the Youth Alliance for Miaoli — including myself and Chen Wei-ting [陳為廷] —
received threats that local gangsters may be out to hurt us, while a coffee shop
run by another protester, Lin Yi-fang [林一方], where the alliance often gathers
was attacked twice,” alliance member Fu Wei-che (傅偉哲) told a news conference at
the Legislative Yuan yesterday.
“The police have yet to find out who is behind the attacks and threats, but they
have already sent us notices requesting that we submit to questioning over
suspected violations of the Assembly and Parade Act [集會遊行法] and other laws,” Fu
said.
Chen also questioned what the police are doing to investigate the attacks.
“The police is putting a lot of effort toward protecting the county
commissioner, political leaders and government offices, but should not they
protect the protesters as well?” Chen asked.
Lala Lin (林羿含), the lead singer of the band Eye of Violence, said that she was
put on a “watch list” by the police after performing at the Aug. 16 rally.
“A police officer showed up at my house in Greater Tainan when I wasn’t home,
checked my father’s ID and told him: ‘Your daughter is on our list now,’ saying
that it was an order ‘from above,’” Lin said. “Why am I on ‘the list’? Just
because I took part in a rally? Does this make me a criminal who threatens pubic
security?”
While National Police Agency Deputy Director-General Lin Kuo-tung (林國棟) denied
that Lin was on a police watch list and said the incident could have been a
“misunderstanding,” Miaoli County Police Department Chief Secretary Kao
Chih-liang (高誌良) said he would look into the incident and would have an answer
ready within a week.
Kao also promised to probe the threats that the protesters received.
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