Sunday, November 09, 2008

Student Protests in Tainan



Two images of the student protests in Tainan. Braving the rain, roughly 30-50 students come out to ask for Ma to apologize, senior police officials to step down, and most importantly, reform of the Assembly and Parade law, a relic of the martial law era that is often used to shut down protests. These student protests are separate from the DPP protests and senior DPP who have appeared at them have been asked to leave. Students at leading universities around the island have begun protesting in its major cities since the end of the protests again the Chen Yunlin visit to Taiwan.

UPDATE: Monday's Taipei Times article on the student protests

UPDATE 2: Janice says in the comment

The movement's main website:
http://action1106.blogspot.com/

Other related weblinks:
http://taichung.action1106.org/
http://tainan.action1106.org/
http://hsinchu.action1106.org/
http://wiki.action1106.org/
http://map.action1106.org/
http://taipak2008.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

莫法度啦
大大
尼綿外國人
不知道
馬政府是
"牛稠裡鬥牛母"
就是內鬥內行
外鬥外行
看前幾天
中國特使
那樣的卑躬屈膝

悲哀啦

Anonymous said...

Mike! Mike! thank you. I bow before thee thrice in gratitude for these revealing pics. The Formosan heart beats on a Japanese heartbeat tempo! That's all for now! Keep it up ! You are on the right track!!

Raj said...

Excellent. Non-party protests are important because it makes it harder for the KMT to accuse the people taking part of doing it for political point-scoring.

Prominent DPP members should not try to join these events unless:

a) they are asked by the organisers;
b) the events are open.

Even if b) applies they should not do so too readily and keep a low profile.

Paul Trebor said...

Hello,
thanks for the info on this one. Is there more reporting on the students elswhere? Are there methods of contacting them? a webpage maybe? Thanks.

skiingkow said...

.
.
.
These protests are using new internet broadcast technology which is really cool! Check it out...

In Taipei:
http://live.yahoo.com/wenli

In Tainan:
http://live.yahoo.com/tainandirect

I noticed the Taipei channel gets approximately 1800 viewers in the day time now. A lot of these viewers are watching across the world. These video broadcasts allow the students to completely bypass the corporate media.

Unfortunately, this brilliant Yahoo technology is being shut-down in early December. I truly hope that other similar online broadcast technology is / becomes available.

Long live the FREE net-neutral internet!
.
.
.

skiingkow said...

.
.
.
DIARY PIMP ALERT!

China Asks Obama to Sacrifice Taiwan Democracy / Sovereignty
.
.
.

Anonymous said...

The movement's main website:
http://action1106.blogspot.com/

Other related weblinks:
http://taichung.action1106.org/
http://tainan.action1106.org/
http://hsinchu.action1106.org/
http://wiki.action1106.org/
http://map.action1106.org/
http://taipak2008.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

Anonymous said...

Can someone out there please coin a memorable monniker for these student? "White Lilies" has been taken. Something equally snappy though, something lazy journalists can use in their by-lines that can be referenced and cited later.

Anonymous said...

These students were first rallied to the sit down protest by pro DPP professors. These professors were silent when people rally against corruptions in 2006. They have not guts to come out and state their political affiliation, but hide behind students who are easily used. These students probably don't even know what 集遊法 are currently on the book. Why didn't they lobby DPP to change anything when DPP was in power.

All your talk of loss of freedom in Taiwan and "martial law" blah..Blah in Taiwan under Ma is insulting people who are truly suffering in countries like N. Korea and Myanmar. Taiwan is still a free and democratic country, and it should enforce the rules of laws. Shame on you Michael, because you are advocating a DPP mob-rule country and allowing corruptions for DPP . You should go visits Myanmar or North Korea before you throw any more unfounded accusations against Taiwan's current administration.

channing said...

So Mr. Ma has denied any involvement in instructing the police to use the tactics that were used. I'm wondering if the police is insufficiently experienced or trained to handle flags and other protest regalia.

On the other hand, they were already receiving nice gifts from the protesters such as flammable articles and sharp objects.

Haitien said...

Why didn't they lobby DPP to change anything when DPP was in power.

Many of them supported the KMT, as amending the Assembly and Parade Law was one of Ma's campaign promises. Now that the KMT has an absolute majority in the LY, there is no reason for them not to do so.

Anonymous said...

anonymous, I have a post to address exactly your concerns. Stay tuned.

Lynn said...

I am Flybell, the English interpretor on our online broadcast at live.yahoo.com/wenli

I have been broadcasting since the beginning of the protest from Nov. 6 and hope that I can more accurately bring the on site situation to foreigners caring about Taiwan.

I've talked to Dave Reid (I think this was his name), another blogger about our online broadcast, and hope that those of you who have time to tune in, plz come and see us at the site.

I am now at the hospital for checkups and will not be there for a while, but there will be willing people at the live chat giving short English interpretations if any of you make a request at the live chat.

Thanks for caring!

Michael Turton said...

These professors were silent when people rally against corruptions in 2006

The "people" didn't rally. It was a pan-Blue fake protest against Chen Shui-bian. By making the 2006 protests partisan, the Red Ant Army destroyed the ability of Green profs to comment meaningfully and openly on the DPP corruption charges.

These students probably don't even know what 集遊法 are currently on the book. Why didn't they lobby DPP to change anything when DPP was in power.

Read the post above this one and SFTU. Like all Blue trolls, you are completely clueless.

And if you think we should wait until it becomes like North Korea, you're out of your mind.

Michael

Dixteel said...

My solute to the students. Taiwan needs more people and students who care.

Although I am not sure how effective their protests will be...I suspect KMT doesn't care and won't do any significant changes . (I don't even think they have much sympathy for the students) But hopefully their protests can stop KMT from making things even worse.

Tommy said...

"Blah in Taiwan under Ma is insulting people who are truly suffering in countries like N. Korea and Myanmar"

So because things are worse somewhere else, you should never try to keep things from getting worse at home? If my neighbour has no roof, I shouldn't try to patch the hole in mine? Or keep a current hole from getting worse? You have an odd mentality.

Anonymous said...

"So because things are worse somewhere else, you should never try to keep things from getting worse at home?"

It's Michael's use of words that is extremely insulting to Taiwanese. We still have a democractic society, but he kept describing it as if it's a country under martial law and people are losing their freedom left and right. I keep telling him to leave Taiwan if it's as bad as he is "faking" it on his blog, but he woudn't leave. So guess what, Taiwan is still as free as it was 6 months ago and it will still be as free in four years, so he is staying put. Shame on you.

Anonymous said...

Let's compare how Chen handled the Red Guard to how Ma handled the recent protests... hmmmm yup! I'd say things have changed.

Staying to fight for Taiwan is harder than running away maybe that's why.

Dixteel said...

tell me anon...what kind of free country doesn't allow it's own citizens to carry national flags?

Tommy said...

"We still have a democractic society, but he kept describing it as if it's a country under martial law and people are losing their freedom left and right."

Actually, I don't see anyone saying that Taiwanese have lost a lot of freedom in the last six months. However, I do see a lot of people, Taiwanese and foreigners alike, who are worried about the potential to lose freedom in the future. Anon, freedom is something that you must work constantly to maintain. It isn't something that, once you have, you have forever.

Moreover backsliding is often not black and white. This is why it is backsliding and not backstepping. Current trends do indicate backsliding. Many Taiwanese have noticed it too. Just because you don't agree doesn't mean others have to share your point of view.

Here's a shocking idea! Instead of ranting at the ideas expressed here, why don't you come up with concrete examples that show why you feel that there is no threat of loss of liberty? In short, you can try to contribute something to the discussion besides complaints.

Michael Turton said...

We still have a democractic society, but he kept describing it as if it's a country under martial law and people are losing their freedom left and right.

Specific examples, please.

Anonymous said...

底下是一個朋友轉寄給我的mail.
我自己也看到昨晚的電視新聞,在電視畫面上,清清楚楚的顯示有關的政府公函,實在是太令人失望了!
人民有請假的自由,就算是請假去抗議也是他們的自由啊!什麼時候人們已經開始連請假的自由都失去了?

Subject: Fw: 白色恐怖開始了

越來越離譜!實在是看不下去了!

台中縣政府要清查一萬八千名11月03日~11月07日,請假的公務員名單、請假去向
http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=OWGgBTL5EdQ