They are sitting on the roof. They stormed inside. They are holding the police back.
[quote]Taipei, March 18 (CNA) Over 100 protesters stormed into the Legislative Yuan Tuesday during an evening rally outside the building to protest over a service trade agreement with China.
Members of civic organizations opposed to the trade pact they describe as an “under-the-table” deal broke a glass door while scuffling with police guarding the facility before storming into the Legislature and occupying the podium.
Chen Wei-ting, a student leader, said they would continue to occupy the podium until March 21, when a floor meeting will be held.
They were demanding a proper review of the trade pact, and that the ruling Kuomintang apologize for its unilateral move a day earlier to deliver the trade accord to the legislative floor without giving it an item-by-item review the party had previously promised, Chen said.
[/quote]
Since this happened:
But all is well, you see:
[quote]Amid optimism toward the local financial sector’s bottom line, Bank of America Merrill Lynch has issued a “buy” on shares of CTBC Financial Holding Co., Mega Financial Holding Co., Fubon Financial Holding Co., Yuanta Financial Holding Co., SinoPac Financial Holdings Co. and China Life Insurance Co.
[/quote]
sigh
Reminds me of an Erma Bombeck book, where they worship a chicken with a golden sun in its chest so they can get more market stamps to trade for stuff.
[quote=“rowland”]This raises the question: why does the opposition party lack the numbers?
Is it time for people to start pontificating about lawful behavior and respect for elected governments and all that?[/quote]
because local elections are more susceptible to vote-buying, agricultural association/fishing association bullying and other types of tactics, and even when both sides are willing to get dirty in that game, KMT will always have the legislative majority due to the enormous illegal assets they have.
Was just watching the live pics on TV and surprised at how few people are blockading / protesting outside. I was down there covering the protest for awhile yesterday and there were almost more media than protesters. Unless they can swell those numbers dramatically and attract a lot more people to join them, then I think the whole thing may be easily dismissed. While taking over is big news, at present there’s not enough people there to even require road closures, and the LY courtyard is not very big.
These are the protesters demands as per the press release they just put out.
[quote]On the evening of March 17th, citizens protested nonviolently to save the democracy procedure and dignity trampled by President Ma Ying-jeou and KMT legislator Chang Ching-chung. However, Ma and Prime Minster Jiang Yi-huah have violated legislative independence and deployed riot police onto the grounds of the parliament to abuse students and citizens, and violated the constitution.
We demand that the Ma administration:
Police to withdraw from the parliament immediately, President Ma issue official apology, and Prime Minster Jiang be removed;
Chang Ching-chung’s illegal committee meeting to be deemed nullified and the services agreement repealed;
Legislate as soon as possible laws to regulate agreements between China and Taiwan, and to freeze all contact and negotiations between the two sides.
***[/quote]
I was thinking: what do the students have to lose? Nothing. At school, they have to kowtow to instructors’ whims and recalcitrant academia. A few get tired of kissing *** for a useless piece of paper. What are they going to do, take away their jobs? There are no jobs! All the effort to get to Taida and they are told not to expect more than 20K? How about the 99% of the rest of the students who did not go to Taida, then?
The rest of the people are afraid for their jobs. Livelihood is more expensive every day. People do not have time nor knowledge to stand up. And if they do, they lose what little they have.
Every revolution starts out small, but not everything that starts out small becomes a revolution.
So, if there are so few of them, how did they manage to, uh, take over?[/quote]
When I was down there yesterday there were only about 20-30 police.
I’m not sure how many there were later when they took over but reports say 100 protesters stormed the LY so I’m guessing the police numbers weren’t a whole lot greater. I can easily see 100 angry people getting through that.
[quote=“cfimages”]
I’m not sure how many there were later when they took over but reports say 100 protesters stormed the LY so I’m guessing the police numbers weren’t a whole lot greater. I can easily see 100 angry people getting through that.[/quote]
Alive?
So, what kind of guns do the police carry? Water pistols?
[quote=“rowland”][quote=“cfimages”]
I’m not sure how many there were later when they took over but reports say 100 protesters stormed the LY so I’m guessing the police numbers weren’t a whole lot greater. I can easily see 100 angry people getting through that.[/quote]
Alive?
So, what kind of guns do the police carry? Water pistols?[/quote]
You don’t recall the roadblocks and guard postings outside TAS and AIT after 9/11?
Also, at that time, the guys at the airport were swinging counterfeit Uzis.
Unless that was a rhetorical question and I didn’t get it.
Chinese capitals will be able to directly own Taiwan’s TV, Radio and telecomm. While Taiwan can’t do the same with Chinese TV, Radio and telecomm. Not that Taiwanese companies would have that kind of capital anyway, but still, that is a one way deal.
Internet market place will be flooded by Chinese companies. So long Yahoo, PCHome, and the rest… Taobao is here to draw you with mass quantity of cheap stuff directly from China.
Welcome Chinese construction… as if Taiwanese ones aren’t already bad enough
These protestors lack any democratic legitimation.
What kind of behaviour is this? You dislike the way the majority caucus acts so you break into parliament and disrupt the session? Under what mandate anyways? These students were not elected by the Taiwanese people, they merely act on their own behalf. They do however obstruct democratically elected representatives from exercising the people’s sovereignty.
Well, the KMT’s move to squash the hearings on the pact were inherently undemocratic to begin with. I doubt this would’ve happened had they not attempted that move.
