Dozens of students and activists last night took part in a silent procession around the Executive Yuan compound in Taipei, marking the one-year anniversary of the bloody police crackdown on the Executive Yuan protests on March 23 last year during the Sunflower movement.
Led by a coalition of youth activist groups, the participants paid respect to protesters who were injured in last year’s demonstrations, which ended violently after then-premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) ordered the police to clear the protesters by dawn on March 24.
Since April last year, about 50 injured protesters have filed lawsuits against Jiang, then-National Police Agency director Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞) and other police officials over charges related to police brutality — including charges of attempted murder.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Student activist Huang Yen-ju (黃燕如), a member of the Black Island National Youth Front, said that the exact number of protesters injured in the movement might remain unknown, as many protesters have been reluctant to file charges or apply for medical assistance out of fear of police prosecution.
Following the incident, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ office indicted 93 students on charges of unauthorized entry, citing Article 306 of the Criminal Code. The number was significantly higher than the 22 protesters indicted for the occupation of the Legislative Yuan’s main chamber.
The Executive Yuan protests occurred a week into the Sunflower movement protests last year, triggered by mounting dissatisfaction over a lack of an official response from the government toward demands for oversight of the proposed cross-strait service trade agreement.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
While student-led protesters occupied the Legislative Yuan’s main chamber for 23 days — from March 18 to April 10 — the siege to occupy the nearby Executive Yuan compound ended in failure, as the police armed with batons, shields and water cannons swiftly overwhelmed protesters during the night.
The crackdown, which utilized a show of force unseen in Taiwan in more than two decades, has often been described as a turning point for the Sunflower movement, as public sympathy swelled in support for the injured protesters.
The incident revealed hidden fault lines among participants of the Sunflower movement, as leading activists based in the Legislative Yuan’s main chamber later distanced themselves from the decision to storm the Executive Yuan.
Last night’s event was held as part of a two-day event commemorating the Sunflower movement’s anniversary titled “Walking Back to the Place Without God.”
In heavy rainfall, the solemn procession paused momentarily when it reached Beiping E Road on the northern side of the Executive Yuan compound, as participants stopped to offer their blessings to the protesters who were injured.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS