Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Taiwanese protest scrapping of China unification council

Tens of thousands is quite a turnout. For a dragon China sure works quietly.

-Am

Last Updated Sun, 12 Mar 2006 09:13:12 EST
CBC News
Tens of thousands of supporters of Taiwan's opposition parties rallied in Taipei on Sunday to protest against the government's policies toward China.


INDEPTH: Taiwan


Opposition supporters march to denounce Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian's termination of a panel responsible for unification with China. (AP photo)
The event was organized after Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian recently announced that he was scrapping a government council charged with working for eventual unification with China.

Protesters marched through the streets of the capital carrying banners, waving flags and chanting.

They accused Chen of deliberately stoking tensions with China to boost his standing among his party's hard-core pro-independence supporters, while neglecting important domestic issues.

Ma Ying Jeou – the chair of the main opposition party, the KMT – said the protesters were marching for "people's livelihood."

"We demand that the government and president stop playing with political issues and pay attention to people's lives."

Protesters carried posters criticizing a range of government policies, from an attempt to buy arms from the United States to the hardline policies toward China.

Demonstrators said they wanted the government to focus on domestic issues such as improving the economy, boosting the standard of living and tackling corruption.

They said they hoped the event would send a strong message that they have lost confidence in the government.


http://www.cbc.ca/storyview/MSN/world/national/2006/03/12/taiwan-protest060312.html