The crowd that continued protesting in Ketagalan Boulevard after the end of Saturday's massive rally was finally dispersed by the Taipei Police Bureau at 5:25am yesterday morning.
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who ordered the police to act, said the exercise was successful as there had been no violence and nobody was injured in the process.
"I ordered the police to by no means use batons to beat the people who gathered in front of the presidential office building," Ma said.
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
He stressed that it was he who had ordered the police to disperse the crowd.
"I never balked from dealing with the protesters. I just waited for the most opportune moment to disperse them," Ma said.
Only a few people suffered slight abrasions in the process and many of them left the scene voluntarily, Ma said.
After President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on Saturday night demanded that Ma shoulder his responsibility as mayor of the capital and to disperse the crowd "without using double standards," the Taipei Police Bureau deployed about 800 riot police.
The first deployment began at around 3am yesterday morning. The police, including female officers, squatted or bent down in the rain in front of the crowd in an effort to persuade the people to go home of their own accord.
Many people yelling slogans and singing the national anthem refused to leave and a few skirmished with police.
A second unsuccessful effort was made at about 4am when around 300 people were still lingering in front of the Presidential Office. This was followed by the full contingent of near 800 riot-control police wearing helmets and shields mopping up the remnants of the crowd at 5:25am.
After Bureau Director of Police Wang Cho-chun (王卓鈞) issued the command, the police first tried to persuade the crowd to leave of their own accord. They then carried away, one by one, protesters who refused to leave.
While the police were carrying out orders, the call to remain calm and rational was repeated over a powerful loudspeaker.
At about 7am yesterday morning, Ketagalan Boulevard was completely cleared, with only about 200 people remaining at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to continue the protest.
"I can't go on anymore. I have to go home today. I am just too tired," said a woman only identified by her surname, Liao, sitting on the stairs of the National Concert Hall.
She said that she would not adhere to a call by lawmakers of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to keep up the protest for the next few weeks.
Also See Story:
Row erupts over crowd-clearing
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS