UPDATE 8: group occupying EY is Black Island Alliance, which previously supported LY group but has not split with them, according to friend on scene. Protesters at EY bracing for water cannon, apparently Ma and Jiang have authorized the use of force. LY group is also saying to prepare for special police.
UPDATE 7: Friend present says Premier Jiang's office broken into. National Police Administration has promised to remove protesters by force and 3000 military police moved in by Ministry of Defense, according to another person present.
UPDATE 6: Friend present says the people doing the window breaking have some nice gangster looking haircuts. Remember that forces opposed to this agreement have been trying to get violence started there for days.
UPDATE 5. Some people on second floor. Protesters blocking door to stop others from entering.
UPDATE 4: Live feed from EY. Some are inside the EY breaking windows to let others in. Shit.
UPDATE 3. Ketagalen Media says:
Around 200 students first climbed over the barrier placed in front of the Executive Yuan’s front gate. An estimated of 1,000 have arrived, and more to come. Police (around 100 policeman) has arrived on the scene, but has not been able to stop the crowd from pouring in.
Some have managed to go into the building from the back gate.
“Black Island Nation Youth Front” (黑色島國青年陣線), has also confirmed about it on their facebook page at 7:35 p.m, but reiterated that the action was mobilized by students from around the country, rather than the group.
Student leader, Lin-Fei-fan said in the press conference held at 8:30 p.m. that he respects the students, but encourages them to follow the non-violent principle.
UPDATE 2: Students are ONLY in courtyard, not in building itself. Good. Very scared. In LY Speaker Wang can protect them. Nothing protects them in EY.
UPDATE 1: Student leaders announce that they have entered part of the EY
FocusTaiwan confirms crowd is attempting to enter Executive Yuan
From Ian Rowen:
Inside Occupy Taiwan's Parliament, Hour 115. Chatting at the window with a gentle cop from Taichung, both cold and tired. He tells me of his recent family trip to much colder Canada, and looks forward to going home after a 24 hour shift. We trade LINE contact info. This kind of interaction would be unimaginable in the US or really almost anywhere else. Meanwhile, in nearby rooms, cops and students together watch as Taiwan's TV media gets it wrong as usual. Students inside the main hall continue discussing the issues of the day, or night rather, it now being 3am, or sleeping on smoothly distributed blanket and bags, or moving coffee and food in and out through well guarded doors and even with pulley systems. Hope the medical station's anti-histamine kicks in soon and I can attempt another nap in the warmer main Assembly Hall. 台灣，加油！
Students know what they are doing and are organized
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2014/03/23/2003586352
52 University heads call for government to listen to the students
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2014/03/23/2003586323
...amazing considering how hidebound authoritarian universities are in Taiwan.
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8 comments:
there is a live feed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTxGjgRu3Xs&feature=share
I hope there is no violence, I have many friends there.
Thank you for the ongoing coverage.
Apparently there's report of students gaining access to Premier
Jiang's computers.
If this is true, I got to wonder what kind of goodies they will find...
I just read that students at the executive yuan recognized one of the guys who was breaking windows there as one 曾立宇, son of a deep-blue politician down south. If true, it sounds like typical KMT dirty tricks to discredit the student movement.
{In Chinese}
http://disp.cc/b/163-7sTo
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Apparently, there are agent provocateurs at the EY. One person caught has KMT connections according to a source we're following.
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This brainless move of occupying EY completely ruined the tone and the theme of peaceful protect that the students in LY fight hard to maintain. It has helped the KMT achieved:
1. The protest is violent and irrational;
2. The protest movement is splitting from inside the leadership;
3. The students are bound together with TI extremists.
4. Further participations by innocent students will be deterred;
Guess who are among the leaders launched into the EY? Try those extremists in the TI camp.
With heavy police in the area, and with the announcement by the LY students that they will raise the bar, the protesters took only 15 min to take down the EY. No one wonders why ?
Those brainless TIers are so easy to manipulated. Sign.
Have to agree with Taiwan Echo. Occupying the EY was a stupid thing to do. These kids need to go back to high school, they're clearly not ready for university!
I could do without hearing sanctimonious comments from expats. Ill-advised or not, insurrections and revolutions evolve and convulse with all actors responsible for their choices and actions. I think history could be on the side of people in this case. Clearly, righteous anger toward government has boiled over as it has in other countries and the actions spell ut enough is enough. If only Canadians and Americans were as brave toward their lame governments as these Taiwanese!
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