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Activists barred from
trade pact hearing
CLOSED DOOR: Protesters questioned the
government practice of holding public hearings for the cross-strait service
trade pact, but not allowing the public to attend
By Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter
An activist scales a fence at the
Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday as demonstrators demanded they be allowed
to join a public hearing on the proposed cross-strait service trade agreement
yesterday.
Photo: CNA
Climbing over the fence of the Legislative
Yuan and blocking the traffic on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the
Presidential Office, demonstrators against a proposed service trade agreement
with China yesterday attempted to make their voices heard by the government.
“The government tells us that the impact of the service trade agreement on
Taiwanese workers will be minimal since only white-collar or management-level
employees from China will be allowed to come to Taiwan,” Fu Jen Catholic
University student Cheng Shih-hua (程士華) told the crowd sitting on the boulevard
under the rain in front of police barricades.
“How would it not impact Taiwanese workers if Chinese managers were to lower
working conditions?” Cheng asked.
National Taiwan Normal University student Lin Wei-jen (林韋任) expressed concern
that the trade agreement would accelerate the relocation of businesses to China.
“The trade agreement certainly has some benefits, since it would help businesses
relocate to China, but this will lead to higher unemployment in the country,”
Lin said. “The service trade agreement will therefore only benefit big
companies, not ordinary workers.”
As some of the students spoke, Zhongzheng First Precinct Police chief Fang Yang-ning
(方仰寧) declared that the assembly was illegal and asked the protesters to
disperse immediately.
The students said they were originally planning to voice their opinions at
public hearings in the Legislative Yuan, but they were stopped outside the
legislative complex and clashed with police when they tried to force their way
in.
“What kind of public hearing is it that is held behind closed doors and does not
allow the public to attend?” Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆), a graduate student of political
science at National Taiwan University, said as he and more than 30 others who
climbed over the fence were surrounded by police at the front entrance of the
legislature.
“The Legislative Yuan has no right to stop us from attending public hearings,”
Lin said.
Lin said they had submitted a list of 20 people, hoping that they would be
allowed to attend the public hearings, but the request was denied.
“The government is only acting as if it is involved in a democratic
decisionmaking process because the people have asked for it, but apparently, it
does not mean it,” Lin said. “It is especially ridiculous when the government is
holding eight public hearings — all behind closed doors at the Legislative Yuan
— in only three days.”
Unable to attend the public hearings, the students accused President Ma Ying-jeou
(馬英九) of disrespecting the democratic process and turned around and marched to
the Presidential Office Building.
Aside from an incident in which an unidentified woman walked up to the
demonstrators and grabbed a banner they were holding, which triggered some
pushing and shoving, the assembly in front of the Presidential Office Building
was peaceful.
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