Opposition party to rally 100,000 against ECFA on June 26
Taiwan News 2010-06-14
Opposition party to rally 100,000 against ECFA on June 26
The opposition Democratic Progressive Party will invite former President Lee Teng-hui to join 100,000 protesters at a June 26 rally against the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with China, reports said yesterday.
Final planning for the protest will be finalized at a DPP Central Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday. The party’s deputy secretary-general, Kao Chien-chih, will visit the Taiwan Solidarity Union, the party formed by Lee’s supporters, and other Taiwanese organizations to invite them to join the protest, reports said. Lee made a strong call against ECFA during a speech Saturday.
Kao said he would pass on the invitation to Lee at an appropriate moment during his contacts today.
The protest, under the slogan "Oppose the One China Market, ECFA needs a referendum," will take place in Taipei. DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen reportedly wanted to mobilize 100,000 people to walk along two routes through the capital before culminating in a mass rally on Ketagalan Boulevard, the wide avenue leading up to the Presidential Office Building.
The DPP had the duty to voice the opinion of the public, officials said, since polls showed that 55 percent of Taiwanese wanted a referendum on ECFA before the government signed the agreement. President Ma Ying-jeou has repeatedly said Taiwan and China should sign the accord before the end of the month.
Opponents have already organized several protests against ECFA since last year, when the government first launched its plans for a wide-ranging accord with China. One of the most recent actions was a 72-hour sit-in protest outside the Legislative Yuan organized by former Premier Frank Hsieh on May 20-22, on the occasion of the second anniversary of Ma’s inauguration.
