President’s spokesman accuses DPP chief
Written by changthai11 on Sunday, November 9th, 2008
President’s spokesman accuses DPP chief
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Democratic Progressive Party chief Tsai Ing-wen is trying to avoid taking responsibility for the bloody protests initiated by her party last week, a spokesman for President Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday.
“Tsai is trying to dodge the issue in this case.” Wang Yu-chi said in a response to Tsai’s claims earlier that day that the protests were a victory for the people.
The protests at the center of the arguement were organized by the DPP during avisit to Taiwan by China’s top cross-strait negotiator, Chen Yunlin, between Nov. 3 and 7.
A total of 149 police officers were injured by protesters while trying to ensure the safety of Chen and his entourage.
Citing the example set by Minister of the Interior Liao Liou-yi who visited and apologized many times to a TV reporter who was mistakenly struck by a police officer during one of the protests, Wang said Tsai never apologized to the public for the disturbance caused by the protests or to the police officers who were injured in clashes with the protesters.
“Is this what is expected of an opposition party that has had the experience of ruling the country?” Wang asked.
Under the law, Wang said, the organizers of a protest are supposed to ask the demonstrators to disperse when the protest ends. However, Tsai and other DPP leaders left the site of the protest on Nov. 5 and allowed the demonstrators to march to the hotel where China’s chief negotiator with Taiwan was staying, he noted.
Bloody riots erupted when the protesters were confronted by police outside the hotel.
“We really do not agree with Tsai’s claims that the riots were stirred up by gangsters. And she never bothered to say sorry for the disturbances,” Wang said.
The spokesman dismissed as groundless Tsai’s claims that Ma’s administrationis secretly negotiating with Beijing through a communication channel between the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Wang said the KMT-CPC channel is one of many civil cross-strait contacts, but only agreements reached though negotiations with Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation, with the authorization of the Mainland Affairs Council, would be binding.
“The opposition can monitor and supervise the cross-strait negotiations by supervising work of the Mainland Affairs Council,” Wang said.
Sunday, November 9, 2008 9:53 am TWN, CNA
