Protesters will converge on Taipei City today, the second anniversary of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) inauguration, for a three-day sit-in to increase pressure on the government to hold a referendum on its proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China.
The protest, which is expected to draw hundreds of people from dozens of pro-independence organizations, will begin at noon in front of the Legislative Yuan’s Jinan Road entrance and will conclude at 10pm on Saturday.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) officials have pledged to attend the sit-in. DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and TSU Chairperson Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) are expected to arrive at 2pm.
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
AWARENESS
Former Government Information Office (GIO) minister Pasuya Yao (姚文智), spokesperson for the protest organizers, said yesterday that the sit-in was designed to raise awareness of the controversial trade pact and express disapproval of Ma’s policies.
“We hope the public will join the event. We want to show a different voice to the international community, especially on the Ma administration’s second anniversary,” Yao said.
Chief among their demands is that the government first put the ECFA to a public vote before continuing negotiations with China.
They argue that the agreement could have a negative impact on traditional industries and the agricultural sector, as well as affecting middle class salaries because of an influx of cheaper goods from China.
Organizers, who include former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), the ECFA Referendum Action Committee and a number of pro-independence organizations, have also expressed worries that the government’s China policies are “selling out” Taiwan’s sovereignty and could be a stepping stone toward eventual unification.
SHIFTS
The three-day sit-in will be split into 20 periods of two hours each, with civic groups and non-profit organizations encouraged to “adopt” daytime time slots, while the protest organizers will continue the sit-in overnight between 10pm and 6am.
Former cabinet secretary-general and protest organizer Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) said public response to the protest had been strong and that they expected the slots to be filled before the event starts.
A separate area has also been set aside for individual participants, organizers said, adding that attendees are encouraged to wear green to symbolize Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Wireless Internet access will be provided to allow real-time updates of the protest.
Concerns have been raised in the past week by the Taipei City Government as well as school organizations that the noise from the sit-in could affect junior high school students taking the basic competence test for high school admissions.
As many as 2,000 students are expected to take the test, which will be held over the weekend in nearby Chenggong Municipal high school, 500m from the location of the sit-in.
Organizers pledged yesterday to take the issue seriously and said they would remind protesters to turn down the volume and ensure that loudspeakers face away from the high school.
They also said they had canceled a planned march around the legislature.
“We will make less noise … than [nearby] National Taiwan University students playing basketball,” Lee said, adding that they would invite Taipei City government officials to assess noise levels.
Activities at the sit-in will include speeches, information sessions and a mock awards ceremony poking fun at Ma and a number of his Cabinet officials, organizers said.
National Taiwan University economics professor and Taiwan Thinktank chairman Chen Po-chih (陳博志), who recently published a book on an ECFA, will deliver a lecture on the agreement’s impact on Taiwan at 7pm tonight.
FORETASTE
The protest is widely seen as a precursor to a larger rally being planned by the DPP that will likely start in the middle of next month.
The DPP rally, also against an ECFA, is expected to take the place of a number of other protests organized by pro-independence organizations, including one originally announced for June 6.
An ECFA referendum drive organized by the TSU, currently in the review stage, could if passed be staged along with the Nov. 27 special municipality elections.
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