In Taiwan, Mass Protest Against China Policies

By Matthew Robertson

Epoch Times Staff Oct 26, 2008

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Protesters were out in force, but remained staid throughout the day, with no reports of violent outbursts. (Wu Baihua/The Epoch Times)

TAIWAN—An estimated half a million supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took to the streets on Saturday October 25, voicing their opposition to the Kuomintang administration’s China policies. They complain that the current government has increased ties with Mainland China at the cost of Taiwan’s status as a sovereign nation.

The large scale demonstration comes before Chen Yunlin, the Chairman of Mainland China’s Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait, plans to visit next month. The government organization he heads up was created by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), currently ruling Mainland China, to deal with Taiwan.

The regime in Mainland China still regards Taiwan as its territory, and thus doesn’t recognize President Ma Ying-jeou as the President of a nation. At the same time, many Taiwanese feel the President fails to stand up to the Beijing regime.

Wong Rei-jun, a Computer Engineer at the protest shared his views: “He is called President Ma, yet even he doesn’t call himself President Ma, he calls himself Mr. Ma. When Chen Yunlin comes, what is he going to call himself? I think Mr. Ma himself has forgotten. Is he President Ma or Governor Ma or Mr. Ma?”

Many of the protestors here feel the government is sacrificing Taiwan’s sovereignty by developing relations with Mainland China. “I feel in Taiwan we need our own sovereignty and independence and our own way of thinking,” one woman commented to New Tang Dynasty Television.

Among other issues involved, contaminated products from Mainland China entering the Taiwanese market have also given the citizenry reason to take to the streets. Protesters resorted to presenting lewd depictions on their banners in an attempt to get the message across.

DPP leader Tsai Ing-wen was present at the rally, who had told President Ma that they were protesting against the “evil-mindedness” of the regime in China in selling melamine-tainted foods to Taiwan.

Ex-President Chen Shui-bian was also present, who received cheers from the crowd. Chen faces corruption charges, accused of laundering millions from public funds during his presidency. Notwithstanding, protesters say they would still prefer to support Chen over the current government, for his pro-independence views.

Tens of thousands of protesters from around Taiwan are later expected to converge on the capital, according to the China Post, in an attempt to derail the visit of the Chinese regime’s cross-strait envoy, Chen Yunlin.