The Alliance for Workers of Closed-Off Factories staged a protest outside the presidential residence on Tuesday night, calling on the government to withdraw lawsuits against them and clashing with security personnel.
More than a dozen protesters showed up unexpectedly with a Christmas tree in front of the presidential residence and began singing, to the tune of Silent Night: “Silent night, we have nothing to cook, there are bad bosses everywhere, they make so much money, they eat our flesh and blood.”
The police officers standing guard outside the gate called for backup forces as the number of protesters was high.
Photo: Loa Iok-sin, Taipei Times
The officers then lined up behind the protesters and began pushing. After that, the first wave of physical clashes began.
“What are you doing? We’re just singing a Christmas carol. We’re not doing anything violent,” a protester shouted.
The police soon declared the assembly illegal and asked the protesters to disband immediately, but the protesters responded by singing even louder.
“Stop pushing us. We are holding a religious activity here, which is not regulated by the Assembly and Parade Act [集會遊行法],” said Wuo Young-ie (吳永毅), a researcher for the Taiwan International Workers’ Association (TIWA).
During the clashes, a military police officer was dragged out of the line, while another had his baton taken by a protester.
The workers say they are owed retirement payouts from when their employers closed factories about 16 years ago.
The Council of Labor Affairs intervened at the time, giving payouts to the workers in the form of loans and promising that it would ask their employers to repay them.
However, when the deadline arrived, the council — unable to have the employers repay the loans — demanded that the workers repay them.
The council sued the people who failed to repay the loans, leading to a series of protests over the past two years.
After singing for nearly 10 minutes, the protesters called an end to the rally. However, they were angered when the police declared their action illegal for a second time as they were walking away, provoking a second wave of physical and verbal clashes.
“We will be back again on Dec. 31, be prepared,” TIWA executive director Wu Ching-ju (吳靜如) told the police as the protesters were leaving. “In fact, we will be here on every holiday until the government withdraws the lawsuits against the workers.”
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could