From all walks of life, supporters of the “Sunflower student movement” took to the street in Taipei yesterday, marked by festivity, diversity and order.
An hour before the scheduled start of the event at 1pm, the “black-clad army” — dress code for the protest against the government’s handling of the controversial cross-strait service trade pact — emerged from nearby MRT stations and packed the designated protest site in front of the Presidential Office Building on Ketagalan Boulevard.
“I am here to support these students. I’m here out of guilt because people of my generation have done too little. We owe these kids a better Taiwan,” said Chiu Shih-lung (邱仕龍), who is in his 70s.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
Chiu, who came from Greater Kaohsiung, said he supported the students’ cause of safeguarding Taiwan’s democracy and demanding the withdrawal of the cross-strait service pact because “it endangers national security and sovereignty.”
“We must safeguard our island’s interests,” said Chin Mei Ching, a 29-year-old mother who was pushing her one-year-old daughter in a buggy. “We have to guard against China using the economy to control us.”
The majority of the protesters were students and young people.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
They brought sunflowers, a symbol of the protests, and wore yellow ribbons that read “Fight for democracy, retract the service trade pact.”
Some posed with self-made banners, on which were slogans such as “Condemn state violence” and “I don’t want the service trade pact,” or demanding President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) step down.
Alliance of Civil Action Against Ma Ying-jeou spokesperson Shen Chih-lin (沈志霖) stood in the crowd and gave out stickers that read: “Ma Ying-jeou step down” (馬英九下台).
Photo: Chang Wen-chuan, Taipei Times
Shen said he prepared 1,500 of the stickers and distributed them near the Jingfumen (景福門), which directly faces the Presidential Office Building, and 500 of them were taken by eager protesters in the space of one minute.
A man disappointed with Ma’s failed governance suggested Shen print a sticker that read: “Nine percent approval rating, Ma Ying-jeou step down,” adding: “How can Ma govern the nation or gain trust from the people with such a low approval rating?”
Separately, students from Taipei National University of the Arts brought 3,000 sunflower brooches they had made and gave them out to the protesters.
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
The students said that about 10 students worked on the brooches from 6pm on Saturday until early yesterday, with NT$30,000 of funds they had raised.
Half of the brooches were given out within 10 minutes, near NTU Hospital MRT Station’s exit No. 1, at 1pm. The students said they kept the rest for distribution at the legislature.
Like their peers at the week-long sit-ins around the legislature compound, besieged by students and other activists and protesters since March 18, university professors made the street their classrooms, holding discussions and having students express their views about the trade deal with China.
A student spoke through a loudspeaker to his classmates from Soochow University, saying that he believed young people “would see a different face of society when they are on the street” and that would be at least as meaningful — if not more meaningful — as studying in the library or doing laboratory research.
Designer Chiang Lin Chia-jen (姜林家真) held a handmade, helmet-shaped umbrella that read: “Don’t hit my head” to protest against the violence the government used against unarmed student protesters at the Executive Yuan on Monday morning.
In front of the Legislative Yuan, a university junior student surnamed Hu (胡) set up a tent with a sunflower painted on it, inviting protesters to help use their fingerprints to color the sunflowers — to symbolize that the student movement is a result of the gathered strength of the people.
Many people lent their fingerprints, and the painting was almost finished by noon.
Hu said she had taken pictures of everyone who left a handprint on it, and that she will upload the photographs and the final painting on a Facebook page, in memory of “the year we stood up for the student movement.”
Yesterday’s protest was aimed at more than just the trade agreement, which was unilaterally passed through its committee without deliberation by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers on March 17 and sparked the student-led movement, as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which worked with the students to organize the protest, also took the opportunity to promote their causes.
A total of 22 NGOs, which focused on a wide range of social issues, such as gender, education, culture and environment, set up booths on Zhongshan S Road.
The student movement has received strong support for a reason, Northern Coast Anti-Nuclear Action Alliance chief executive Kuo Ching-lin (郭慶霖) said.
“People support the movement because they understand that Taiwan has a long way to go as a democracy. For years, the government had always made unilateral decisions without consulting the people, such as the construction of nuclear power plants and nuclear waste storage sites,” Kuo said.
“Most people no longer trust the government,” he added.
Politicians have taken a back seat in the protests, with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) heavyweights choosing to participate in the protest quietly, without drawing too much attention.
Wearing a black shirt, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said he attended the event as a citizen, while former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) praised the students’ courage and discipline and urged Ma to ease people’s suspicions by making substantial promises.
The DPP Central Committee had instructed its members who plan to take part in year-end elections not to attend the demonstration wearing their campaign vests.
In addition, election flags and campaign vehicles were prohibited at the protest sites.
Additional reporting by Huang Hsin-po and agencies
ENDEAVOR MANTA: The ship is programmed to automatically return to its designated home port and would self-destruct if seized by another party The Endeavor Manta, Taiwan’s first military-specification uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) tailor-made to operate in the Taiwan Strait in a bid to bolster the nation’s asymmetric combat capabilities made its first appearance at Kaohsiung’s Singda Harbor yesterday. Taking inspiration from Ukraine’s navy, which is using USVs to force Russia’s Black Sea fleet to take shelter within its own ports, CSBC Taiwan (台灣國際造船) established a research and development unit on USVs last year, CSBC chairman Huang Cheng-hung (黃正弘) said. With the exception of the satellite guidance system and the outboard motors — which were purchased from foreign companies that were not affiliated with Chinese-funded
PERMIT REVOKED: The influencer at a news conference said the National Immigration Agency was infringing on human rights and persecuting Chinese spouses Chinese influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣) yesterday evening voluntarily left Taiwan, despite saying yesterday morning that she had “no intention” of leaving after her residence permit was revoked over her comments on Taiwan being “unified” with China by military force. The Ministry of the Interior yesterday had said that it could forcibly deport the influencer at midnight, but was considering taking a more flexible approach and beginning procedures this morning. The influencer, whose given name is Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), departed on a 8:45pm flight from Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) to Fuzhou, China. Liu held a news conference at the airport at 7pm,
KAOHSIUNG CEREMONY: The contract chipmaker is planning to build 5 fabs in the southern city to gradually expand its 2-nanometer chip capacity Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday confirmed that it plans to hold a ceremony on March 31 to unveil a capacity expansion plan for its most advanced 2-nanometer chips in Kaohsiung, demonstrating its commitment to further investment at home. The ceremony is to be hosted by TSMC cochief operating officer Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛). It did not disclose whether Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and high-ranking government officials would attend the ceremony. More details are to be released next week, it said. The chipmaker’s latest move came after its announcement earlier this month of an additional US$100 billion
Authorities yesterday elaborated on the rules governing Employment Gold Cards after a US cardholder was barred from entering Taiwan for six years after working without a permit during a 2023 visit. American YouTuber LeLe Farley was barred after already being approved for an Employment Gold Card, he said in a video published on his channel on Saturday. Farley, who has more than 420,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, was approved for his Gold Card last month, but was told at a check-in counter at the Los Angeles International Airport that he could not enter Taiwan. That was because he previously participated in two
RSS