Taiwan Protestors Occupy Legislative Yuan Over Service Trade Agreement With China

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• published: 21 Mar 2014
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Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/cnforbiddennews Like us on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/chinaforbiddennews An unprecedented protest has taken place in Taiwan, with students occupying the country's congress. Students protested Taiwan's Kuomintang forcibly passing the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement in it's Legislature. On March 20, students continued to occupy the Legislative Yuan to protest the 'black box operation' of the agreement. They demanded a dialogue with President Ma Ying-jeou, to ask for supervision over any treaty between China and Taiwan. At 9pm on March 18, more than 200 students broke through police cordons. They rushed into the side door of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The students declared a sit-in protest of 63 hours in the assembly hall. A banner stating, "75% Taiwan citizens demand review of the agreement line by line" was posed on the Legislative podium. Police failed to remove the protestors on the morning of March 19. At 8am, students held a press conference, demanding an apology from President Ma Ying-jeou. They also called for Premier Jiang Yi-huah to step down immediately, and withdraw the agreement from the plenary for review. Students explained that although the government claimed that Taiwan will only open 64 services to China, this will entail thousands of industries. Taiwan's SME's will face competition from well-funded Chinese enterprises. Everyone in Taiwan, from white collar workers to farmers, contractors, and businessmen, will face a threat to jobs. It is not only the individual earning that is threatened. Freedom of speech in Taiwan will also be subjected to serious threat. This is because of the opening of internet portal operations, web hosting, printing and publishing to China. David Wang, Taiwan citizen: "Whatever the mainland engages in is mostly a united front. This cross-Strait agreement is detrimental to Taiwan. It definitely harbors some strategy to infiltrate Taiwan, and threaten the country's overall security. It is like resisting the evil, and the students are actually acting in their own way to restrain the CCP. The CCP will do everything (to fight against the good)." It is understood that in June last year, the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement was signed in Shanghai. The agreement was signed when both the Kuomintang (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party were unaware of details, and industries were not consulted. It was named a 'black box operation'. The Legislature consulted both the ruling and opposition parties. It was decided that the agreement must be subject to review, clause-by-clause, by the Legislative Yuan, before taking effect. However, during a meeting on March 17, in the Legislative Yuan, Chairman, and KMT legislator Chang Ching-Chung treated the trade agreement as an executive order. Chang then forced it directly to the plenary session for its second reading, overturning the previously discussed review process. Chen Yongmiao, Chinese constitutional scholar: "Many people suspected that the students occupying the Legislative Yuan as illegal. I think it is legitimate, as long as the means are non-violent and peaceful. This is a new topic in constitution, just like Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Parliament. These acts belong to a new field of constitution. I think it is appropriate." The students argued against the KMT passing an influential decision affecting younger generations and the entire population. Subsequently, the KMT may follow the same route to decide on other even more influential areas in Taiwan's economy and independence. "Taiwan's future cannot be jeopardized in such a ruthless way." Chen Yongmiao, Chinese constitutional scholar: "I support the students occupying the Legislative Yuan. I am also opposed to KMT's passing the Cross-Strait trading in an unconstitutional way. It appears as if the Cross-Strait agreement poses no harm. But in fact, all CCP's policies are hidden with means to control Taiwan, with political components. What Hong Kong does not understand is that through economic infiltration, the CCP has gained its political control of Hong Kong." However, the demands of the students received no response from President Ma Ying-jeou. President Ma requested the KMT legislators to go all out to ensure the pass of the Cross-Strait trading pack before the end of this parliament. Liu Yiming, Wuhan's China Magazine journalist: "I think the students have overreacted. But they mean well, because they worry about getting assimilated by the mainland. This possibility does exist. I do feel that Ma Ying-jeou, as President of Taiwan, has disappointed many people. His attitude towards the CCP is weak, unlike what he used to be before he took the office. He used to talk with some bottom line, and he used to be tough." 《神韵》2014世界巡演新亮点 http://www.ShenYunPerformingArts.org/