CCTV reporters’ team had to run for cover inside a police car after being harassed by protesters’ mob outside Regent, reported by SETN-Sanlih.
Even Sanlih - one of the most pro-DPP media around - condemned the incident.
What I got so far:
Woman chased down by police for displaying ROC flag
Music store was forced by police to stop playing Taiwanese music
Protesters bashed up limos leaving the grand hotel because they didn’t know which one had Chen in it.
Police were taking away people’s flags and banners
Tuesday night the protesters were outnumbered by police. Last night… the protesters were ready and the cops got the worst part.
Sanli’s anchor had already expressed her outrage at the record store incident. Yesterday, the police chief insisted that: “the cops did not know what was playing, we did not take the record away, we only told the people to stand away from the closing iron gates…” Sir, learning taiwanese is hard, but many doctors and civil servants are doing it to communiicate better with the people they serve. how can cops know whether the song is in Thai, Swahili or Taiwanese, if they do not learn teh language? (I’m being ironic here).
I believe the people should protest the overruling of law, the interparty contracts, the delas on the side… thoise are teh dangerous things. The flag issue? It is more regarding teh bending too far to accomodate unpleasant guests… like teh ones taht can take away your land, your factories, your life, without hesitation.
All this talk about economic benefits… only benefits big laobans who will have lots of cheap labor. Wher ewill teh land costs go when all lands belong to teh State? Where will the stock market be when all enterprises are owned by party cadres? Banks are not that great, but when getting a loan depends on connections, it is a very lonely road. And we are at the starting gate.
Big party with lots of noise in Zhongshan right now.
Actually, a very calm crowd. I remember several times during the Red Tide, we had great difficulty in going out for lunch -and at least once all the doors had to be locked, leaving yours truly outside.
Traffic, on the other hand, is a nightmare. If anyone has to come to the area, plan accordingly.
OK. Not funny anymore. Noise increasing to unbearable levels. I can hear them with my earphones on. :help: :help:
Is it just me or are people just doing this for kicks?
There’s no reason for all this shit, it just seems to be the equivalent of football hooligans in Europe, they just smash up things for the hell of it.
I understand people are concerned, but is anyone outside (or even inside) Taiwan going to take these people seriously?
Demonstrations are one thing, random violence and assault and what not is something completely different.
Buxiban’s closed.
People sent home early.
Taita Hospital Station and Chiang Kai shek Station closed.
Eerie calm as column move stowards Presidential Building.
[quote=“TheLostSwede”]Is it just me or are people just doing this for kicks?
There’s no reason for all this shit, it just seems to be the equivalent of football hooligans in Europe, they just smash up things for the hell of it.
I understand people are concerned, but is anyone outside (or even inside) Taiwan going to take these people seriously?
Demonstrations are one thing, random violence and assault and what not is something completely different.[/quote]
Watching the news this afternoon, my wife and I were thinking along much the same line as you LostSwede.
One thing is clear, Taiwanese still have yet to embrace or understand the concept of peaceful protest.
I don’t like the DPP and their supporters. I don’t like the KMT either, but I like the idea of making deals that bring both sides together and create a less hostile atmosphere. What does the mob out there want? No talks with Mainland China at all?
I think the people should look closely at the agreements proposed and how both sides could benefit from them rather than refusing to talk at all.
On the other hand I like that people are demonstrating on Taiwan’s streets. Blue, red, green whatever. Making your voice heard is part of a good democracy. Also, it reminds both Ma and Chen Yunlin that any changes they want to make have to be made very carefully.
I just got back from the protest. I arrived around 1.30pm. The “violence” from what I saw was tiny, a few dozen people out of tens of thousands. So people, stopped falling for media propoganda. As soon as people starting getting rough wiht the police organizers jumped in immediately to try to stop them.
This was a peaceful protest and 99.99% of people simply marched and shouted as is their right.
I took tons of pics and will post some later.
One thing to consider though. This was gross overkill on the gov’s part. I decided to walk around the cordoned area around the presidential building and it took me 1.5 hours. About 2 square kilometres or more were blocked off with barbed wire, metal fences and rows of cops in riot gear.
Provoke your people like this, act as if you are scared of them, and shit is going to happen.
[quote=“Icon”]Buxiban’s closed.
People sent home early.
Taita Hospital Station and Chiang Kai shek Station closed.
Eerie calm as column move stowards Presidential Building.[/quote]
No, I took the MRT from CKS station about 6-6.30pm. There were only a few hundred, if that, people left on Zhongshan Rd and Ketagalan. A whole row of riot police where stretched across the road from the corner touching CKS to the kitty corner.
Maybe Forumosa will be selling “Taipei Tank” T-shirts for the Deaflympics next year!
As I speak minimal Mandarin & have virtually no local contacts, I have sadly missed the last two of these big events/marches/parades/protests, whatever you want to call them.
Where/how/when are they advertised?
Will there be more? …Ok stupid question - WHEN are the next ones scheduled and where?
Would like to attend just for the experience & to photograph/videotape some things. Is that ill-advised?
How do you guys find out about them?
Thanks~
[quote=“sjhuz01”]As I speak minimal Mandarin & have virtually no local contacts, I have sadly missed the last two of these big events/marches/parades/protests, whatever you want to call them.
Where/how/when are they advertised?
Will there be more? …Ok stupid question - WHEN are the next ones scheduled and where?
Would like to attend just for the experience & to photograph/videotape some things. Is that ill-advised?
How do you guys find out about them?
Thanks~[/quote]
The local papers usually announce them. I knew the protest was today and saw the time posted in the Taipei Times when I got up. Since I had a free day I rushed downtown to be part of the fun. 
No problem at all video taping and photographing. Everyone is doing it.
As for the “violence” well, after the metal fences were pulled down everyone just moved into the centre of the road and sat and stood on the dividers with the palm trees growing out of them. Even the baboo baboo vendors moved in.
[quote=“sjhuz01”]As I speak minimal Mandarin & have virtually no local contacts, I have sadly missed the last two of these big events/marches/parades/protests, whatever you want to call them.
Where/how/when are they advertised?
Will there be more? …Ok stupid question - WHEN are the next ones scheduled and where?
Would like to attend just for the experience & to photograph/videotape some things. Is that ill-advised?
How do you guys find out about them?
Thanks~[/quote]
Michael Turton usually mentions them on his site. michaelturton.blogspot.com/
Anyone been watching the evening news? Doesn’t look very “peaceful” to me, more like full on riots.
People throwing human excrement at the the police, attacking them with all sorts of crap including fire bombs and huge bamboo ramrods.
If it is normal, then I guess I grew up somewhere strange, as this would be consider criminal where I come from.
I guess these aren’t the same protests as earlier today, but what’s on the new now is insane and it will be on TV in other parts of the world and it will make Taiwan look very bad in the eyes of the world.
Thanks for nothing DPP & friends.
Yeah, it’s craziness. I wonder, though about official strategy. Ripping flags out the hands of isolated pedestrian coeds is ok, but when it comes to restraining violent protesters, they do nothing? :loco: And is the second problem a direct result of the first?
I’m watching right now and its not Mucha Man’s “middle aged” people and icecream sellers. Its gangsterish-looking thugs – lots of them – and it looks like full on rioting. I’m off to put on my copy of the Rezillos doing “Somebody’s Gonna Get their Head Kicked in Tonight!” Mood music.
What’s the deal with Taiwanese people not being able to fly the Taiwanese (ROC) flag.
Only a few weeks ago Taipei was adorned with Taiwan (ROC) flags for the 10/10 celebrations and all the KMT supporter waving the Nationalist’s flag when Mr Ma was voted in, but now the governement is banning their own citizens from displaying their own flag.
And banning a shop from playing the music from its own country.
Sounds like the martial law is on its way back in again. Like my ex-wife told me how they would get in trouble and whacked at school for speaking Taiwanese…
This is a weird and wonderful place… You still gotta laugh…
I was there all night and just now go home and until I left it was a peaceful protest with a lot of angry people. After 8 hours of it though I was exhausted and went home. However, I could feel the tension and to be honest I agree with everything the protesters felt and stated. I guess I missed the violence since I left at about 10:30, but all I can think is that if it was MY country involved I would have committed quite a few acts of ultra-violence myself.
I will be back tomorrow if they are still there… Fuck Ma, Fuck China. And for those of you who say violence is wrong, let you be faced with that many pigs protecting your enemy in your OWN country and see how you feel.