Anti-China protests bring Taiwan capital to standstill

TAIWAN NEWS

Pro-Taiwan independence activists march on the streets to protest against Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou's meeting with Chinese negotiator Chen Yunlin in Taipei on November 6, 2008. Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou made history when he became the island's first leader to meet with a senior Chinese official since the end of the civil war in 1949. Photo courtesy AFP.

Chinese envoy cancels press conference amid protests
The most senior Chinese official to visit Taiwan cancelled a press conference on Thursday amid huge anti-China demonstrations that brought the island's capital to a standstill, officials said. Chen Yunlin, head of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), was expected to hold a press conference on Thursday evening at Taipei's Grand Hotel, where he has been staying since arriving on Monday. An ARATS official told AFP the event had been called off due to a "scheduling conflict," though an evening banquet would go ahead as planned.

In the centre of Taipei, tens of thousands of pro-independence supporters rallied to protest against Chen's meeting Thursday morning with the island's President Ma Ying-jeou. Local television said the press conference had been cancelled for security reasons, referring to the rallies that organisers said had attracted up to 100,000 people. Police had no immediate estimate of crowd numbers. The protesters, mostly supporters of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, rallied around the presidential office and other government buildings in Taipei, before marching towards the Grand Hotel to continue their rowdy protests.

Chen, the most senior Chinese official to visit the self-ruled island in 60 years, has attracted widespread and vocal protests by a broad range of people, including Tibetans, students, the unemployed and followers of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which is banned in China. Many here believe the Taiwan government's policy of moving closer to China has compromised its autonomy, despite assurances from Ma that bilateral deals signed earlier this week will bring enormous economic benefits to the island. The deals cover air travel and shipping, postal services and food security, and take effect 40 days from the signing on Tuesday. The Chinese delegation is due to return to Beijing on Friday. Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war but Beijing still regards the island as part of its territory, to be retaken by force if necessary.

by Staff Writers
Taipei (AFP) Nov 6, 2008
The streets of central Taipei came to a standstill Thursday as tens of thousands of protesters chanted slogans and blew air horns to protest closer ties with China being promoted by their leaders.

The demonstrators were determined to express their outrage at the presence of Chen Yunlin, Beijing's top negotiator on Taiwan affairs, who was heading a large delegation of Chinese officials and business people visiting the island.

The protesters, mostly supporters of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), flooded into the plaza in front of the presidential office and were cordoned off from government buildings by riot police.

"Taiwan, China. One country on each side (of the strait)," the demonstrators shouted, waving flags and placards reading, "Chen Yunlin, get out."

The cacophony could be heard for kilometres (miles) around the plaza as they moved off, on foot and in vans equipped with loudspeakers, towards the hotel on the other side of the city where the Chinese delegation was staying.

Protesters have been angered by deals that both governments insist will bring enormous economic benefit to both sides, fearful that money and jobs will flood out of Taiwan to take advantage of the labour and resources of China.

Demonstrators said they were also angry that a meeting between Taiwan's democratically-elected President Ma Ying-jeou and Chen had been moved forward by several hours, a move they suspected was to avoid any discomfort for the Chinese official with a show of widespread public anti-China sentiment.

Ma had been embarrassed by demonstrations late Wednesday that saw Chen trapped inside a building for several hours before police could secure him safe passage back to his hotel.

He told a press conference ahead of his meeting with Chen the episode had damaged Taiwan's image internationally and could hurt tourism.

Some demonstrators scuffled with police Thursday in their attempts to get past barbed wire barricades and at least two men were arrested for allegedly attacking police.

Others threw eggs at the barricades and bottled water at riot police.

Organisers put the number of demonstrators at 100,000. Taipei's police had no immediate crowd estimate but said more than 3,000 officers were deployed.

Local media said at least a dozen police, protesters and reporters were injured during the scuffles, but police could not confirm the reports.

DPP chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen told the crowd the demonstrations would continue.

"We are doing this for the future of Taiwanese people," she said. "We want to defend Taiwan's sovereignty and human rights."

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TAIWAN NEWS

China envoy in Taiwan trapped in hotel by protesters

Taipei (AFP) Nov 6, 2008
Taiwan pro-independence activists early Thursday scuffled with police outside a hotel in Taipei where visiting Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin was enjoying a banquet in his honour, trapping him inside.

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