Concerns that a protest planned for Saturday could turn violent were expressed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday, citing a tip received from Taipei City police that a number of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) politicians could potentially disrupt the march.
“We have heard from police authorities that our rally could be interrupted by the KMT,” DPP spokesperson Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said. “We are asking they stay away from our event to prevent scuffles or clashes.”
The DPP expects more than 100,000 supporters to descend on Taipei City ahead of Saturday’s event — which includes a march and an evening rally in front of the Presidential Office — against the government’s plan to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China.
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Fears of a confrontation during the three-hour protest between protesters and KMT supporters have heightened ahead of the rally, with the government’s self-imposed deadline to sign the controversial economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) by the end of the month approaching.
Last month, police stopped half a dozen KMT Taipei City councilor candidates from potentially disrupting a sit-in organized by former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) in Taipei City.
Clashes also took place between DPP politicians and supporters of the trade pact during the last round of ECFA negotiations in Taiwan, held with hundreds of police officers in full riot gear in Taoyuan County in early April.
Meeting to discuss the matter, the DPP’s Central Standing Committee said it would try to ensure that Saturday’s protest remained peaceful and would dispatch additional security guards along the two 3.5km march routes and during the rally.
Tsai said the DPP would call on its supporters to exercise self-restraint and self-control, and called on the KMT to ask their candidates to do the same.
“If the KMT does not control its own members, it should take complete responsibility if clashes occur,” Tsai said.
However, concerns over potential clashes do not appear to have dampened the enthusiasm of the DPP for the protest, as party officials, including DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and a number of DPP lawmakers, held a joint press conference yesterday calling for more public support.
“We must protect Taiwan’s independence and its core values,” Tsai Ing-wen said. “An ECFA [will] hand the key for Taiwan’s economic prosperity over to China. Taiwan will lose the independence of its economy and financial system.”
Criticizing the agreement, Tsai Ing-wen said it would also widen Taiwan’s income gap, unfairly benefit larger corporations and damage traditional industries. The government says the agreement will benefit Taiwan’s export based economy and aid it in signing free trade agreements with other trading partners.
She also renewed calls to put an ECFA to a public referendum — a move the Referendum Review Committee has twice rejected, citing problems with the content of the questions submitted by the DPP and the Taiwan Solidarity Union.
Flanked by TSU officials, along with DPP Greater Tainan mayoral candidate William Lai (賴清德) and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), the DPP chairperson will lead the “Referendum on an ECFA” march, setting off from Wanhua Station at 4pm on Saturday.
The other procession, the “Anti-‘One China’ Market” march, will be led by the DPP Taipei City mayor candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and joined by DPP Greater Taichung mayor candidate Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) along with more than a dozen pro-independence groups.
Marchers from both routes will join up at 5pm on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office.
At a separate setting yesterday, KMT Spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) dismissed the DPP’s accusations and said the KMT did not plan to mess with the DPP’s rally on Saturday.
Su said the KMT had no knowledge of any party members planning to participate in the rally.
He urged the DPP not to make groundless accusations, adding that the party should instead focus on preventing any chaotic situation in the rally caused by its own members.
In related news, the DPP yesterday said it would play no part in two DPP lawmakers’ plans to bring vuvuzelas — the South African instrument heard in the World Cup series — to the rally.
DPP legislators Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) and Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) have reportedly ordered up to 200 of the instruments for use in front of the Presidential Office on Saturday — despite their being made in China.
The plastic vuvuzela has caused controversy at the World Cup after several players complained that they could not communicate above the noise.
“We were afraid of ordering more due to its high decibel. We didn’t want the DPP to get fined for [exceeding sound limits]”, Gao said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MO YAN-CHIH
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