The procedure Zhongzheng First Precinct police officers employed when arresting students who entered the Ministry of Education complex on Thursday last week was legal and the safety of journalists and bystanders on the scene was duly accounted for, the Taipei Police Department said yesterday.
Dozens of people, mostly high-school students, broke into the ministry compound at about 11:35pm on Thursday to protest changes to high-school curriculum guideline changes and, after a brief occupation of the courtyard, 33 individuals — including 24 students and three reporters — were arrested at about 1am on Friday.
“Precinct Chief Chang Chi-wen (張奇文) personally saw to it that a standard operating procedure was disseminated to all precinct officers and repeatedly exhorted his colleagues to maintain the safety of civilians and evict the protestors in a nonviolent manner,” the department said in a report released yesterday reviewing the operation.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The department said that about 200 officers were deployed to the scene.
Responding to public criticism suggesting that arresting reporters violated the freedom of the press, the report said that the officers took the reporters into custody because they had not been granted permission to enter the complex.
“The police confirmed that the three had not been granted access to the ministry complex,” the report said.
“The department hereby gives the following clarification: Given the clear violation of the law, there was no reason for police officers not to arrest [the reporters],” it said.
The department also rejected allegations that police officers confiscated mobile phones or cameras and that officers were armed during the arrests, adding that the arrests were made in compliance with the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法) after the ministry decided to take action against the students over their alleged violations of Articles 306 and 354 of the Criminal Code.
“Officers restrained protesters to prevent them from hurting themselves or others,” the report said.
“It was unclear whether officers had gained an advantage over the protesters to keep the situation under control, as such, the officers were not in violation of the principle of proportionality,” it said.
Regarding why there was no media liaison on the scene to facilitate communication with reporters covering the event, the agency said that police officers were handling a crime scene rather than a demonstration, so there was no need for a media contact.
“The ministry building was surrounded with barricades and barbed wire, and reporters should have been working outside the perimeter,” the report added.
The entire operation was carried out in a manner that ensured freedom of the press and guaranteed reporters’ personal safety, which demonstrated that the department had closely adhered to its guidelines promulgated at the beginning of this year on coordinating with media outlets at rallies and demonstrations, the department said.
The department added in the report that it would continue to protect people’s right to protest, and that it would continue enforcing the law in a manner that protects human rights, upholds the law and serves the public’s interests.
Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Council caucus whip Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) yesterday said she found the report “unreasonable and unacceptable,” as it failed to address a number of questions, such as whether plastic zip ties used to restrain protesters are considered legal policing equipment, and whether taking the protesters and reporters into custody was really necessary.
Wu said that she expected a municipal government-level investigation report to be released by the Taipei City Government next week to be more comprehensive in addressing the public’s questions.
Additional reporting by Tsai Ya-hua
The Thai government on Friday announced that Taiwanese would be allowed to stay in the country for up to 60 days per entry, under the Southeast Asian country’s visa-free program starting from today. Taiwan is among 93 countries included in the Thai visa-waiver program, which has been expanded from 57 countries, with the visa-exempt entry extended from 30 to 60 days. After taking office last year, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to grant more visa waivers to foreign travelers as part of efforts to stimulate tourism. The expanded visa-waiver program was on Friday signed by Thai Minister of the Interior Anutin
CHIPS AND DEFENSE: Trump said the US had lost its chip business and Taipei should pay it for defense, and added that ‘we’re no different than an insurance company’ Taiwan-US relations are solid, and both sides are in agreement that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region are everyone’s concern, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday following comments by former US president Donald Trump that Taiwan “should pay” for US defense. Taiwan is thankful to the US for supporting Taiwan’s bid to participate in international organizations, Cho told a news conference in Taipei. “I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100 percent of our chip business,” Trump told Bloomberg on June 25 in an interview that was published on Tuesday. “I think
SECURITY CONCERNS: An FBI agent said it was surprising that the shooter, whose motive remains unknown, was able to open fire before the Secret Service killed him On the heels of an apparent attempt to kill him, former US president Donald Trump yesterday called for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him injured, but “fine,” and the shooter and a rally-goer dead. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee said the upper part of his right ear was pierced in the shooting His aides said he was in “great spirits” and doing well. “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place,” he
SHOW OF SUPPORT: Taiwan has been one of the largest buyers of US defense equipment, supporting American businesses and jobs, US lawmakers said Taiwan has been paying for its own defense, a US Department of State official said on Wednesday, adding that purchases of military equipment are important to the US economy and for ensuring regional security. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller was asked at a news conference about comments by former US president Donald Trump, the Republican nominee in November’s US presidential election, who said during an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek that Taiwan should pay Washington for its defense needs. “The purchases that they [Taiwan] have made not only are important, we believe, to regional security, but are important to the United States economy,”