Claims that Taiwan police used excessive force in evicting protesters illegally occupying the Executive Yuan in the early hours of March 24 were dismissed by Cabinet spokesman Sun Lih-chyun March 26.
Following the eviction, a number of reports have been circulating that are contrary to the facts, Sun said. These accusations by individuals, media outlets and political parties are a serious distortion aimed at defaming the government, he added.
The spokesman made the remarks during a Cabinet news conference, where photographs and video footage were made available to set the record straight on what transpired during the event.
According to Sun, at no time were the police overzealous in removing protesters allegedly sitting peacefully during their occupation of the Executive Yuan. Photographs clearly showing protesters attacking the police prove that claims to the contrary are patently unfair.
To date, 36 individuals, including 14 college and high school students, as well as four dropouts, were referred to the public prosecutor’s office for further proceedings. None of them are in police custody, he added.
Concerning a request by the International Federation of Journalists for police to uphold news freedoms and ensure the rights of journalists to carry out their jobs, Sun said he had notified the media before the eviction, and directed the police give clear notice as part of a standard law-enforcement procedure.
Separately, a local civil rights group is said to be organizing a demonstration later this week in Taipei City urging peaceful resolution of the ongoing student protest against the Cross-Strait Agreement on Trade in Services.
Not everyone in Taiwan is against the pact, group spokeswoman Wang Lei-ya, a student at New Taipei City-based Fu-Jen Catholic University, told United Daily News.
Those student protesters do not represent the entire country. Their behavior has resulted in the shutdown of Legislature and a deadlock between the ruling and opposition parties, she added.
In voicing a different opinion, the group hopes its actions will pave the way toward rational public discussion of the pact and a return of the Legislature to normal operation. (SFC-JSM)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw