NUCLEAR POWER DEBATE: Lin I-hsiung ‘in a stable condition’ in hospital: supporters

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) remained hospitalized at National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital yesterday as the nation awaited his next move after he went on a seven-day hunger strike from Tuesday last week until Monday.

“Lin is in stable condition, physically and mentally, and he called for all participants in the [antinuclear] protests to adhere to the principle of nonviolence,” Lin’s support group posted on his Web site last night.

NUCLEAR POWER DEBATE: ‘Give a speedy interpretation’: Hsieh

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and a group of lawmakers yesterday demanded a speedy constitutional interpretation of the nuclear dispute, amid lingering controversy over the the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).

Four months have passed since Hsieh and 40 DPP lawmakers demanded an interpretation from the Justices of the Constitutional Court on Dec. 29 last year, Hsieh told a press conference.

NUCLEAR POWER DEBATE: Majority wants no plebiscite threshold

POLL PRESSURE:：The Taiwan Thinktank said judging by the results of a recent poll, the mainstream public opinion on amending the Referendum Act has been made clear
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Wed, Apr 30, 2014 - Page 3

The majority of respondents in a public opinion poll released yesterday supported eliminating the threshold stipulated in the Referendum Act (公民投票法), as well as a simple format for referendum questions to avoid hidden political agendas.

The Taiwan Thinktank found that 64.8 percent of the respondents agreed that the current high threshold — which requires the participation of 50 percent of eligible voters and with at least half of them casting a “yes” vote for the referendum to pass — should be eliminated, with only 22.4 percent not agreeing and 12.8 percent declining to answer, the think tank’s deputy executive director, Lai I-chung (賴怡忠), told a news conference.

EDITORIAL: Restore constitutional order

Tue, Apr 29, 2014 - Page 8

For the second time in as many months, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration used water cannons to evict protesters and “restore social order,” as police removed thousands of anti-nuclear demonstrators from Zhongxiao W Road in Taipei yesterday morning.

The protesters were calling not only for the halt of construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) — supported by more than 70 percent of the public according to most opinion polls — but for nuclear energy to be phased out completely.

NUCLEAR POWER DEBATE: Polls say majority favor suspending or aborting plant

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Tue, Apr 29, 2014 - Page 3

The majority of respondents in two public opinion surveys released yesterday support suspending or terminating the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) and do not believe that the government is capable of handling a nuclear disaster.

In a poll conducted by Commonwealth magazine, 58.7 percent of respondents said they back scrapping the power plant entirely, while 27.2 percent were in favor of suspending the project and 14.1 percent did not provide an answer.

Lin I-hsiung hospitalized on seventh day of strike

‘LIVE ON’:：Lin was taken to hospital after visiting his family’s cemetery. It was not clear whether he would continue after vows to suspend the plant’s construction
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Tue, Apr 29, 2014 - Page 1

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) yesterday was hospitalized on the seventh day of his hunger strike against the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and whether he could continue his protest remained unknown.

Lin was taken to National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital emergency center at about 3:40pm for an examination after briefly leaving the site of his hunger strike in Taipei and paying tribute to his deceased family members in a cemetery in his hometown in Yilan County earlier in the day.

KMT antinuclear olive branch is ‘stalling,’ DPP says

By Alison Hsiao and Chris Wang  /  Staff reporters

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday agreed not to continue the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant’s No. 1 reactor and have the construction of the No. 2 reactor “suspended.”

KMT Culture and Communication Committee head Fan Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) briefed reporters late yesterday afternoon about the decision, reached during a meeting convened by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who also serves as party chairman.

“Construction of the plant’s No. 1 reactor will not continue (不施工), but still go through safety checks, after which it will be sealed up (封存), while construction of the No. 2 reactor will be suspended (停工),” he said.

DPP proposes 25 percent threshold to scrap plant

‘EQUAL OPPORTUNITY’:：Su said a threshold based on vote share would be fairer, while Lin I-hsiung threatened suicide if medical treatment is forced on him against his wishes
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Apr 28, 2014 - Page 1

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday conceded its previous insistence on a simple majority threshold in the referendum for the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant to appeal to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to end the hunger strike of anti-nuclear advocate Lin I-hsiung (林義雄).

The party proposed a threshold based on vote share, rather than turnout, requiring one-quarter of eligible votes to pass a anti-nuclear decision via the referendum.

Academia Sinica wades into debate on nuclear power

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

More than two dozen researchers at the Academia Sinica released a joint statement yesterday, calling for political parties to establish a workable and reasonable mechanism for a national referendum on construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant before the facility becomes operational.

“There is still time for rational discussions before the power plant at New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) becomes operational,” said the joint statement of 25 researchers, released on the same day as an anti-nuclear rally in Taipei yesterday.

LI worried about trade talks: DPP

‘DEEP CONCERN’:International political party alliance Liberal International also expressed concern over the ‘excessive use of force’ by police against protesters
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

An international alliance of political parties has expressed concerns about a lack of transparency and due procedure in the trade talks between Taiwan and China, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.

“The Liberal International [LI] expresses its deep concern at the excessive use of force by Taiwanese police against the on-going student and civil protests in Taiwan, as well as a lack of transparency and violation of due process in the government’s negotiation of the trade pact with China,” the DPP quoted the group’s press release as saying.

Antinuclear protest to continue: groups

PROTECTING THE FUTURE:：Mothers, concerned about nuclear power and nuclear waste, said they joined the rally with their children to stand up for future generations
By Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Apr 28, 2014 - Page 1

Tens of thousands took to the streets of Taipei yesterday afternoon in an antinuclear protest that also occupied a section of Zhongxiao W Road in front of Taipei Railway Station.

At 3pm, Ketagalan Boulevard was packed with protesters wearing yellow ribbons that read: “Stop the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant. Give Power Back to the People,” as they listened to speeches and prepared to march.

President overriding his authority: Lin

NO RIGHT:Ma Ying-jeou cannot make promises on behalf of the government before the Cabinet and the legislature work out a final solution, Lin Yi-xiong said
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin Yi-xiong (林義雄) yesterday said that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) pledge to determine the fate of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) through a national referendum is unconstitutional and interferes in the power of other branches of government.

Lin’s hunger strike to halt construction of the plant entered its third day yesterday at the Gikong Presbyterian Church in Tapei.

Report ‘distorted’ views on Lin: Lee

DISASTER FOR DEMOCRACY:After an endorsement from Ma’s office for ‘asking the right questions’ on Lin Yi-xiong’s hunger strike, Lee Teng-hui then appeared to criticize Ma
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday said his views on nuclear energy and on former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin Yi-xiong’s (林義雄) hunger strike have been “distorted and taken out of context” by a media report.

Lee was quoted in a Chinese-language United Daily News report yesterday as questioning how many people would agree with Lin, a staunch anti-nuclear advocate, and where Taiwan’s electricity would come from if it phased out nuclear power.

‘Human chain’ supports Lin’s hunger strike

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Thousands of people stood in line to make a “human chain” last night along Taipei’s Xinyi Road and turned on the flashlight applications on their smartphones at 8:14pm to show support for former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin Yi-xiong (林義雄), who was in the third day of a hunger strike against the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant.

As the participants turned on the flashlights and pointed their mobile phones toward the sky, they started chanting: “Terminate the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in 2014.”

Dentist injured in EY eviction claims retaliation effort

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

A dentist injured by police during the eviction of protesters from the Executive Yuan last month yesterday said he suspected that the government is trying to revoke his license in “retaliation” for his participation in the Sunflower movement.

Wang Hsin-kai (王心愷) was hit on the head by a police officer and suffered seizures as he lay on the ground awaiting medical help at the Executive Yuan compound.

DPP’s Tsai calls for fuel rod moratorium at Gongliao plant

NO RODS, THEN VOTE:The former DPP chair told lawmakers to first pass a resolution barring fuel rods at the plant and then facilitate a referendum
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday proposed implementing a moratorium on the installation of fuel rods at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and accelerating the holding of a national referendum to the decided the fate of the unfinished power station as soon as possible.

Tsai, who is widely tipped to win the party’s chairmanship election next month, criticized President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for insisting on using an unreliable nuclear safety inspection system and flawed referendum mechanism to determine whether the construction of the plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao (貢寮) District should continue.

President visits Presbyterian church

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Thu, Apr 24, 2014 - Page 1

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday visited the Gikong Presbyterian Church, where former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin Yi-xiong (林義雄) is staging an anti-nuclear hunger strike, as more support from politicians poured in for Lin risking his life as an admonition to the government.

Ma was unable to meet Lin — who is declining to see anyone during the hunger strike that began on Tuesday against the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) — during his three-minute visit and only signed his name on a notebook prepared by the church and left a card for Lin.

Taitung legislator expects direct DPP nomination

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Chao-hao (劉櫂豪) is expected to be directly recruited by the DPP as its candidate in the Taitung County commissioner election in the Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting today.

Liu announced that he would accept the party’s direct nomination as candidate in a press conference held in Taitung City yesterday.

Lin starts anti-nuclear hunger strike

HUNGRY FOR CHANGE:：Lin Yi-xiong began his fast at a church in Taipei, where he was visited by the DPP’s Su Tseng-chang, who cried as he lamented failing to avert the strike
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Wed, Apr 23, 2014 - Page 1

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin Yi-xiong (林義雄) yesterday began a hunger strike at Taipei’s Gikong Presbyterian Church to demand that the government halt the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮), saying that the President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration’s pledge that the plant would be safe was “a trick to fool the public.”

“So-called nuclear safety is questionable because even if the plant was completed and became operational, unassailable damage could still take place in the event of a natural disaster or human error,” Lin said.

Jiang rejects DPP nuclear statute

PRECEDENT:：The premier said stopping the Gongliao plant’s construction via executive order is unfeasible, as it was ruled unconstitutional when the ex-DPP government did it
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Tue, Apr 22, 2014 - Page 1

Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday turned down a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) proposal for a special statute that would pave the way for a national referendum on the completion of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant after discussing the matter with DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).

It is not possible for the Cabinet to issue an executive order halting the construction of the plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮), Jiang told a joint press conference he held with Su following their 90-minute meeting at the Executive Yuan complex in Taipei.

Former DPP chairman points finger at government before hunger strike

SACRIFICE:Lin Yi-xiong said he believed in cherishing his body, but leaders who did not listen left him with no choice, and they were the ones ‘savaging’ his body
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin Yi-xiong (林義雄) reiterated in an open letter yesterday that he is starting a hunger strike today because of the government’s insistence on ignoring mainstream public opinion and continuing with the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).

“I believe that everyone should cherish their bodies. If it wasn’t for the nation’s leaders ignoring public opinion and their insistence on constructing the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, I would not go on a hunger strike,” the 72-year-old wrote.

EDITORIAL: What lies behind soapbox speeches?

Tue, Apr 22, 2014 - Page 8

By now everyone has realized young people in Taiwan desperately want to be heard. It appears that the three-week-long Sunflower movement, during which students and protesters talked about their vision for the country inside the legislative chamber and on the streets outside, was not enough.

Since the students’ withdrawal from the legislature on April 10, various open-air forums have been organized nationwide for participants to vent their anger against President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration, frustration about their prospects for the future and anything else they want to say.

Experts call for a return to family farming model

BAVARIA EXAMPLE:：Experts said that the government should encourage small-scale farming like the German state did, which also saw a lift in the number of tourists
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Apr 21, 2014 - Page 3

Agricultural experts yesterday called for more governmental engagement in revitalization of the family farming model to save the nation’s agricultural sector from the threat of the free-trade system and the failure of past policies.

With the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) designating this year the International Year of Family Farming, experts told a forum organized by the New Century Foundation that although Taiwan is not a UN member, it should take note of the organization’s ideas and make changes.

Su, Hau talk over nuclear power plant

CONCILIATION:：DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang met with Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin yesterday, in the first sign of a blue-green willingness to discuss the nation’s nuclear issues
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Apr 21, 2014 - Page 1

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) met with Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday to discuss the DPP-proposed national referendum on the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, with both describing the meeting as “the first step toward conciliation” between the pan-green and pan-blue camp.

Su visited Hau, a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), at Taipei City Hall to seek the mayor’s support for the DPP’s plebiscite on the plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮), which was submitted last week as the DPP’s solution to end the 30-year-old controversy over the plant.

Annette Lu calls on Su to enter Taipei mayoral race

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday left for a two-week trip to the US, but not before urging Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to seek the party’s nomination for the Taipei mayoral election later this year.

The press release issued by Lu’s office was unusual because she has been one of the four hopefuls vying for the DPP’s nomination and her comment hints that she might withdraw from the party’s primary. The other three are DPP lawmaker Pasuya Yao (姚文智), former Tainan mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財) and lawyer Wellington Koo (顧立雄).

SIEGE AFTERMATH: Ker worked with speaker to end student occupation

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) yesterday confirmed that he had worked with Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) behind the scenes to help bring about the students’ withdrawal from the legislative chamber, ending the Sunflower movement’s three-week-long occupation of the Legislative Yuan.

Accompanied by Ker and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池), Wang entered the legislative chamber on the morning of April 6 and met with the students 20 days after they began their occupation of the Legislative Yuan compound on March 18 in protest against the government’s handling of the cross-strait service trade agreement.

DPP plans new law to resolve nuclear dispute

SIMPLE MAJORITY:The party is proposing a statute that will make it easier to vote on whether the nation should continue building a new nuclear power plant
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it plans to propose a special statute that will pave the way for a national referendum to resolve the decades-long controversy over the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).

DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) announced the plan at a press conference after it was approved at the party’s weekly Central Standing Committee meeting, saying that stopping the construction of the plant has always been a party goal.

TAO rejects renegotiating pact

NO PRECEDENT:The Chinese official said agreements between countries should not be reconsidered, after a referendum was proposed for the cross-strait trade pact
By Peng Hsien-chun, Chris Wang and Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesperson Fan Liqing (范麗青) yesterday said that there is no precedent for reopening negotiations on signed agreements between countries and that the “authority” of treaties inked by authorized representatives from both sides of the Taiwan Strait must be defended.

Fan made the remarks at a routine press conference in China yesterday amid growing calls for the government to renegotiate the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement it signed with Beijing on June 21 last year.

Academics urge review of Constitution to fix Taiwan

THORNY ISSUE:：The academics said interpretations of the Constitution, which Annette Lu likened to outdated ‘grandmother’s pajamas,’ will help solve pressing national issues
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Wed, Apr 16, 2014 - Page 3

Following the conclusion of the Sunflower movement, interpretations of the Constitution are required if Taiwan is to resolve a wide range of thorny, imperative issues regarding its constitutional and political system, as well as the nature of cross-strait relations, academics said yesterday.

While the three-week student-led movement was ignited by protesters’ dissatisfaction with the nation’s representative democracy, several professors said the follow-up “rebuilding process” would be more of a constitutional than legislative reform drive, which was the topic of a forum organized by Citizen’s Congress Watch where they made their remarks.

Taiwan needs to woo India: Philip Ong

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan should adopt a “pivot to India” strategy to take advantage of the South Asian country’s market potential and decrease its economic dependence on China, former representative to India Philip Ong (翁文祺) said yesterday.

“I would say that for all the strategies about Malaysia, Vietnam and other countries being planned by government agencies, such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [MOFA], Taiwan would be better off adopting an ‘India strategy’ because it is be our best option,” Ong said on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony of an India-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group.

Su pledges support to DPP candidates until tenure is over

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) has vowed to work hard on campaigning for the seven-in-one elections in November, despite his decision to not seek re-election or to run in Taoyuan’s mayoral election, politicians who met with Su yesterday quoted him as saying.

Former DPP lawmakers Lee Chen-nan (李鎮楠), Kuo Jung-tsung (郭榮宗) and Liao Pen-yen (廖本煙) visited Su at the party’s headquarters a day after the DPP leader’s surprise announcement that he is dropping out of next month’s chairmanship election.

Ex-DPP chair Lin to start anti-nuclear hunger strike

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin Yi-xiong (林義雄) yesterday announced that he is to go on a hunger strike on Tuesday next week to urge the government to halt construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).

In a press release, Lin — who is well-known for his advocacy for the anti-nuclear movement, condemned the government for insisting on continuing building the plant — despite most public opinion polls showing that the majority of Taiwanese are against the plant being put into operation.

EDITORIAL: Implications of sunflowers for Beijing

Tue, Apr 15, 2014 - Page 8

As the Sunflower movement protest drew to at least a temporary end, its subsequent development will be closely watched not only by officials of the embattled President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration, but also those in Beijing’s Zhongnanhai.

It was not that Beijing was surprised at seeing such social unrest. Tens of thousands of protests take place in China annually, with civilian deaths resulting from brutal crackdowns reported regularly, despite the government’s efforts to hide such information.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: DPP heavyweights ponder future after exiting race

By Chris Wang

Surprise at the students charging onto the legislative floor on the night of March 18 without experiencing major resistance must be matched by wonder at the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) highly anticipated chairman election transforming from a three-way race into a likely coronation in just a single day.

With the exits of DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), victory is within arm’s reach for former chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

Su, Hsieh drop out of DPP chair race

PARTY UNITY FIRST:：Both said they made the moves to prevent divisions in the party being exacerbated by fierce competition for the position at a critical time
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Tue, Apr 15, 2014 - Page 1

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday made surprising announcements hours apart that they were dropping out of the party chair election next month, leaving former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) the favorite to win what had been expected to be a fierce three-way race.

Tsai and former Kaohsiung County deputy commissioner Kuo Tai-lin (郭泰麟) will likely be the remaining candidates in the election to determine who will lead the party from this year to 2016.

Top prosecutor’s resignation still on hold: DPP

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday questioned President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) motives in putting Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming’s (黃世銘) resignation on hold for 11 days.

Huang tendered his resignation on March 21, hours after the Taipei District Court found him guilty and sentenced him to 14 months in prison for leaking confidential information to Ma about a controversial probe into claims of undue influence on the judiciary involving Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) in September last year.

TRADE PACT SIEGE: Student leaders host talk on protest on Reddit site

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Student leaders of the Sunflower movement yesterday hosted a question-and-answer session on the US-based community platform Reddit to answer questions from around the world about their protest, in another effort to use their expertise in social networking technology to communicate with the outside world.

Four students, including Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷), one of the leaders, hosted the three-hour session, titled “We are the students who have taken over Taiwan’s legislature. Almost half a million people have joined us in support,” between 1am and 4am yesterday.

Survey finds young adults worried about unification

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

In an opinion poll published yesterday, young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 29 showed the most serious concerns about unification with China and the highest support rate for Taiwanese independence — if maintaining the “status quo” became unsustainable.

The survey, conducted by the pro-independence Taiwan Brain Trust on Saturday and Sunday, found that “young people’s concerns about the inevitable eventual unification are clear,” the think tank’s president, Wu Rong-i (吳榮義), told a news conference in Taipei.

Sunflower leaders reject Ma’s conference plan

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Sunflower movement students and other activists yesterday rejected a proposal by President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration to hold a national affairs conference on economics and trade instead of the citizens’ constitutional conference they had called for, saying it was a “typical Ma tactic of superficial promises and substantial lies.”

Student leaders and civic groups say a citizens’ constitutional conference is needed because the nation’s current constitutional crisis and malfunctioning government.

TRADE PACT SIEGE: DPP voices conditional support for service trade pact

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said that it has never opposed free trade and would support the cross-strait service trade agreement if it was negotiated according to due process and based on the principles of reciprocity and fairness.

The Chinese-language newspaper Apple Daily yesterday reported that Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) of the DPP said she “conditionally supported” the pact if the agreement “adhered to due process and contained a complete set of supplementary policies that would benefit Taiwan’s economy.”

TRADE PACT SIEGE: DPP to boycott legislative review of trade agreement

UNDEMOCRATIC:A student leader said that KMT Legislator Chang Ching-chung should not serve as convener since he has lost legitimacy
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it would boycott the review of the cross-strait service trade agreement by the Legislative Yuan’s joint committee today and tomorrow.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chang Ching-chung (張慶忠), convener of the meeting this week, has placed the service trade agreement on the agenda to review the deal clause-by-clause.

DPP concerned about gangster interference

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Wed, Apr 02, 2014 - Page 1

Reports showed that gangsters were involved in the pro-cross strait service trade pact counterprotest organized by former Bamboo Union leader Chang An-le (張安樂) against the Sunflower movement at the Legislative Yuan yesterday, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said.

It called for Chang’s bail to be revoked in light of his alleged contravention of the rules of his release.

Chang, who now leads the China Unification Promotion Party, was released on NT$1 million (US$33,000) bail within hours of his return to Taiwan on June 29 last year after 17 years on the run.

No quick end to student protest: DPP

PUBLIC FEARS:A DPP official said Ma has yet to realize that many people are worried that the service trade pact would have greater political than economic implications
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The political deadlock between students occupying the Legislative Yuan and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is unlikely to end soon, because Ma is not willing to concede and has been evading the students’ demands, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials said yesterday.

“When students demanded the organization of a citizens’ constitutional conference, Ma said he would convene a national trade conference instead. Knowing Ma, that was the kind of thing he always did — evading the core issue and shifting the focus to something else,” DPP Policy Research Committee executive director Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said.

TRADE PACT SIEGE: Another round of inter-party talks on crisis breaks down

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The fifth round of inter-party negotiations regarding a political deadlock related to the student-led occupation of the legislature broke down yesterday as party caucuses failed to reach consensus on how to resolve the ongoing crisis.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said it would participate in a review of the cross-strait service trade agreement clause-by-clause under two conditions, KMT caucus deputy secretary Alex Fai (費鴻泰) said after the talks, which were held at the home of Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平).

TRADE PACT SIEGE: AIT board member raises questions over DPP’s role

POISON PEN?：David Brown said in a letter to a US newsletter the party supports the student protesters because it ‘suits the DPP’s election mobilization goals’
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Tue, Apr 01, 2014 - Page 3

A letter by an American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) board member alleging that the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) motive in supporting the “illegal occupation” of the legislature by the so-called “Sunflower student movement” is for political gains in upcoming elections, and which challenges as undemocratic the party’s history of physically blocking legislative proceedings, has raised discussion in political circles and the media.

David Brown, a professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and former US foreign service officer, wrote the letter to the Nelson Report, a Washington daily newsletter, in response to a letter by DPP Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), which was also published in the newsletter.

Pact supporters to confront students

By Rich Chang  /  Staff reporter
Tue, Apr 01, 2014 - Page 1

Groups opposed to the student-led occupation of the Legislative Yuan yesterday said they would lead a rally to the legislature in Taipei to talk to the students today, with former Bamboo Union leader Chang An-le (張安樂) pledging full support for the action.

The groups include the Taiwan Labor Welfare Alliance, Taipei City General Union and representatives from various industries and unions.

EDITORIAL: Implications of the “Sunflowers”

Tue, Apr 01, 2014 - Page 8

A mass rally of about half a million people on Sunday punctuated the two-week-old “Sunflower student movement.” The students vowed to continue their occupation until President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) gives in to mainstream public opinion.

While the globally renowned movement is ongoing, now is a good time to reflect upon the largest Taiwanese student movement in the last 20 years. We might also consider the implications of an event that is destined to be a historic chapter in the nation’s development.