Taiwan Church News 3253 Edition June 30 - July 6, 2014 Headline News Students And Citizens Rally Before The Legislative Yuan, Protesting Against The Act of Free Economic Pilot Zones Reported by Chiu Kuo-rong From June 25th to 28th, among a historical visit in Taiwan by the Minister of China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), KMT Lawmaker Huang Chau-sun maneuvers to pass the Draft for Free Economic Pilot Zones(FEPZs) within the legislative agenda on June 26th. After learning KMt's plot to pass this contentious bill, which is afraid to degrade Taiwan's sovereignty, many student movement groups - Restoration of Taiwan Social Justice, Wing of Radical Politics, Unit of The 2nd Floor's FEPZs, Democracy Kuroshio - and the civil group of Plebiscite For Taiwan all rally before the congress to express their most serious protest. Among the eviction of the police to force out the citizens from the protesting site, two students are injured and sent to MacKay Memorial Hospital instead of the nearest Taiwan University Hospital(TUH) in order to inspect the wounds and receive the medic-care. This is because YUH as a government-affiliated institute is not trusted by the protesting public during March student movement, as witnessed by their unhelpful and unclear medical records saying nothing about the brutality imposed by the police; yet MacKay Memorial Hospital dared to declare what they found on the wounds of the evicted people. Except expressing her concern for the two injured student, PCT also reiterates her insistence to support Taiwan's sovereignty and firmly stand against the China-inclined policy of FEPZs and Cross Strait Service Trade Act(CSSTA). Hsu Yon, a representative of student movement group, points out that there are many controversial issues related to FEPZs, such as food security, education system, land subscription, loosening medic-care regulation and etc. There are lots of irreversible and unpredictable consequences for Taiwan once this bill is rudely passed. And it is why so many student movement groups and civil groups would stand up to rally against passing this contentious bill via the crude majority voting of the ruling party. There are 4 common proposals raised by the rallying groups: first, Against China Impact to interfere the domestic affairs within Taiwan; second, Against the Special Act to Separate Taiwan's land in the guise slogan of "One Nation, Two System"; third, Against the non-negotiable majority voting by the ruling party; forth, a mass people rally would be summoned once the above proposals could not be complied by the government. Translated by Peter Wolfe |