It has been three days since pan-blue protesters started their demonstration in front of the Presidential Office to demand an immediate recount of Saturday's vote.
Free food and drinks were being supplied to the protesters yesterday as more supporters poured in from other cities and towns, encouraged by members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-People First Party (PFP) alliance.
Ting Shou-chung (
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The mass protest showed no signs of coming to an end any time soon after getting permission from the Taipei City Government to continue yesterday.
Political observers said that timely gestures of goodwill from leaders of both the pan-green and pan-blue camps would be the best solution to resolve the apparent deadlock.
"If leaders from both sides are willing to take one step back in this situation, the protest can be easily resolved," political commentator Fang Li-da (
"Many of the protesters have been there for hours and they are tired, while [KMT Chairman] Lien Chan (
The crowd of protesters started gathering in front of the Presidential Office before dawn on Sunday morning under the lead of Lien, Soong and Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Lien lost the presidential race to President Chen Shui-bian (
Denouncing the election as unfair, he demanded an immediate recount.
Lien also raised questions about the apparent assassination attempt on Chen and Vice President Annette Lu (
"Politicians should not be so cold-blooded as to have only their political interests in mind, manipulating the people like pieces in their chess game," Fang said.
At a press conference on Monday night, Lien responded to a question about his plans for the protesters by saying the issue was out of his hands, as it had risen to a constitutional level to become a question of legality and legitimacy of the government.
"It is easy to lead people into the streets, but hard to get them to stop," said Hsieh Chin-ho (
Hsieh said politicians probably don't want the protest to come to and end soon, as it serves their own political interests.
The pan-green camp might want the protest to drag on, which would put Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), a senior KMT official, in a difficult position, as well as giving the pan-greens ammunition for an attack on the pan-blue camp in the year-end legislative elections, Hsieh said.
On the other hand, the pan-blue camp might also wish the protest to continue, as the massive crowd would serve their political interests by demonstrating their public support, analysts said.
Hsieh said that leaders of both camps displayed maturity and rationality when they canceled their mass campaign rallies following the attack on Chen and Lu, and "now it is again time for the leaders of both sides to demonstrate their maturity and rationality."
Referring to the pan-blue legislators who have taken turns addressing the protesters gathered at Ketagalan Boulevard from the back of a campaign truck, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator William Lai (賴清德) said: "If Lien were a responsible leader, he would not just lead the people here and then leave them there without any leadership except for a bunch of legislators thinking only of their own political interests."
"The demonstration has seemingly become a campaign stage for these legislators to gain public exposure," Lai said, referring to the year-end legislative elections.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and