[Press release 1204] In response to GIO's response to Freedom House's ealier statement

Dumb (GIO) Government Information Office, deaf Ma

GIO officer Shi responded lightly to the suggestion of investigating the riot incident during Chen's visit from Freedom House, an American human right organization, on December 2. He only agreed to strengthen the police training. The wild strawberries question this response. It is obvious that the response admitted the fault of the police, but why GIO only said about strengthening the training and avoided an apology? And what exactly is the training project? What to strengthen? The skill of evacuating people and the media by shooting water? The wild strawberry strongly reprimands the play of the word by the Ma government.

It is obvious to see that Ma's government still would not confront the issue of police abused rights honestly, avoiding their responsibilities in serving the public, and have shifted the blame squarely on to the violoent protests which broke out on the last evening of Chen's visit. They argued that the fact some DPP members would like to offer reward for those who would egg wash Chen together with previous envoy Chang's incident meant Police have the rights to abuse their power. We despises a government which only looks after interest of the police and corporates whilst refusing to look after it's people.

Wild Strawberries movement has never swayed from the initial three demands. President Ma and Premier Liu must apologise for the violent clashes erupted between protesters and the police, resignation from Director General of the National Police Agency and National Security Bureau, and lastly remove the need to apply for protest. We insist our government to uphold the responsibility of police abusing their rights, suppressing basic human rights during Chen's visit. Taiwanese citizens' freedoms are by right, stated in our constitution, should not be violated by government in anyway, including saving a "honored guests's reputation".
Officer Shi stated the citizens that were removed from the scene and those that have their flags taken had forced themselves into a restricted zone, it wasn't about whether they have carried a flag, they were not removed because police were refraining the Chinese envoy Chen from seeing the protesters. However from the witness accounts, those that did not carry a flag were able to freely move between all the zones. Moreover, the police at the scene were not able to state a single law to justify their behavior and often chose to keep quiet. This blatant expansion of police power would probably put those executing it in shame.

[Amnesty International] Human Rights in TAIWAN

News and publications

Read it on, you will learn how Death Penalty and Miscarriage of Justice in TAIWAN are concerned internationally for so many years.

[Support] from Formosan Association for Human Rights

The attached poster is from FAHR which has the theme -- When old yams (FAHR) heard the song of Wild Strawberry (students)

[Support] 41 Taiwanese American and Canadian Organizations support Wild Strawberries

Taiwanese American Organizations
Support “Wild Strawberry” Movement in Taiwan

We, the undersigned Taiwanese American and overseas organizations, earnestly call all freedom and democracy loving fellow Taiwanese to come out and support the Wild Strawberry Student Peaceful Demonstration and Protest on December 7 at Liberty Square in Taipei. This action is to demand:

1. An apology from the nation’s President and Premier regarding the police brutality against demonstrators and the gross violations of human rights during the visit of China's envoy Chen Yunlin.
2. Resignation of National Police Agency Director and National Security Bureau Director for police brutality against protesters.
3. To call for the reform of the Assembly and the Parade Law in order to assure Taiwanese people a true democracy and the respect of fundamental human rights for free assembly and associations.

We want these students to know that they are not alone and have our wholehearted supports.

2008-12-4






Ron Shieh, President
American Association of America (TAA-USA)



Ben Liu, President
North American Taiwanese Professors Association (NATPA)



Co-signed by (in the order of received):



Susan Chang, President
World Federation of Taiwanese Associations (WFTA)



Bob Yang, President

Formosa Association for Public Affairs (FAPA)



Chung-Kuo Kuo, President

Word Taiwanese Congress (WTC)



Sue Lee, President

North America Taiwanese Women Association (NATWA)



Jack Chen, President

Austin Institute of Taiwan Studies (AITS)



Josephine Pan, President

Taiwan Elite Alliance



Jack Lin, Ph.D., President

Taiwanese Association of America – South Florida



Grace Hsu, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Northern New Jersey



Mark Kao, President

FAPA-New Jersey



Tony, President

Taiwanese Association of America - San Francisco, California



Cheng S. Chang, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Manhattan, Kansas



Terri Giles

Formosa Foundation



Kuochih Hong, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Detroit, Michigan



Shiou-Yi Chen, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Cincinnati, Ohio



Fong Y. Yang, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Portland, Oregon



Dexter Lai, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Seattle, Washington



Jin-Shou Hseu, Preisdent

Taiwanese Association of America – Kansas City, Kansas



Kwei-Yang Ben Chang, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Greater Washington D.C.



Steven Shen, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Baltimore, Maryland



J. T. Lo, President

Taiwanese Association of America – New Orleans, Louisiana



Linda Wu, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Houston, Texas



Pam Tsai, President

Taiwanese American Federation – Northern California



Hsin-Chu Chen, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Baton Rouge, Louisiana



Kiosy Lin, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Atlanta, Georgia



Charles Chang, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Nashville, Tennessee



Shu-Chuan Chou, President

Taiwanese Association of America – North Carolina



Patsy Fang Chen, President

Taiwanese Association of America – New York



Shuling Su, President

Taiwanese Association of America - Boston


David Lai, President
Taiwan Hakka Association for Public Affairs in North America


Ken Huang, President
FAPA-San Diego Chapter

Anthony Lee, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Columbus, Ohio



Alice Yu Tzy Yang, President

Yang Foundation – Delaware



George Chen, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Hawaii



David Wu. President

Taiwanese American Association – Charlotte, North Carolina



Charles Chen, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Delaware



Alice Yang, President

FAPA – Delaware



Po Lee, President

Taiwanese Canadian Association (TCA)



Tzu-Hui Chen

Taiwanese Collegian (TC)



C.K. Hsu, President

Taiwanese Association of America – Clear Lake, Texas

[Sign the petition] Campus is not the battle field

Please sign up the petition to refuse military personnels in the campus.
This is initiated by The Humanistic Education Foundation.
Excuses that the petition letter and rationales are both in Mandarin.

Contact: The secretary division, the Humanistic Education Foundation.
Ms. Lin: 02-23670151* 117

Fax：02-23625015　E-mail: slin@hef.org.tw 　

NB This does NOT stand for WS. WS' requests never change. Please view this article as a support and advertisement for the value that Taiwan needs to be free and democracy. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Register for the march on December 7th

Please entitle: [Parade] Your Title
Send to marchdec07@gmail.com

Citizens are welcome!!

For individual: Name, phone no., E-mail
For NGOs: Title of your organization, Name, phone no., E-mail, and amount of participates
For students: Name, phone no., E-mail, University and department

NB: 1. No slogan or any sign relevant to any party
2. Please dress in black and follow the conductor

[Invitation] Press Conference on December 5th

Dear Sir/Madam,

On behalf of Wild Strawberries Student Movement, we would like to invite you to our press conference at Liberty Square, Taipei at 3:00 pm in the afternoon tomorrow. We will explain our parade at Dec 7th, 2008, this Sunday and also give our comments on the latest proposal from the Executive Yuan today. The English conference will be hold after the Chinese one at 3pm. We will be very appreciated if you can send anyone to come to our press conference tomorrow. Should you need any further questions, please contact us by email; 1106action@gmail.com or phone: 0938-302-649.

Time: Dec 5th, 2008 (Friday), 3 pm
Place: Liberty Square (自由廣場), Taipei
Contact: 0938-302-649 Ms. Shih

Thank you.

Best regards,
Media Team, Wild Strawberries Movement

[Public Statement] from Amnesty International regarding Taiwan Wild Strawberries Student Movement

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC STATEMENT
AI Index No: ASA 38/001/2008

3 December 2008

Taiwan: Police should avoid using excessive force at upcoming protests

Amnesty International has urged Taiwan's police force to comply with international guidelines on the use of force and crowd control at the planned student protests on Sunday 7 December.

The organization also joins calls for the Control Yuan, the body mandated by the Taiwan Constitution with supervisory power over the Executive branch, to conduct an independent inquiry into alleged excessive police force during November's protests.

The Wild Strawberry Student Movement has staged sit-ins since 6 November to protest against what they consider the use of excessive force during the Taiwan visit of Chen Yunlin, chairman of the China-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait. Civil society groups in Taiwan are investigating multiple claims that individuals suffered head injuries and broken fingers at the hands of police during the protests.

According to police reports on 8 November, approximately 10,000 police officers had been deployed during Chen's visit; 149 police officers and 200-300 individuals were injured; 18 were arrested.

Taiwanese civil society groups claim that police have applied the Assembly and Parade Law arbitrarily to silence dissent. According to the students' spokesperson, they will not seek police approval, as required by the law, but will only "report" their plans to law enforcement authorities, in line with amendments advocated by the Movement.

The Movement is organizing the protest on Sunday 7 December to criticize the government's failure to amend the Assembly and Parade Law.

Amnesty International said Taiwan's Control Yuan should address the serious concerns raised by civil society in Taiwan and the government should cease the practice of using the Assembly and Parade Law to deny freedom of assembly and allow individuals to protest peacefully. Amnesty International also called on Taiwanese police and judicial authorities to ensure that they investigate any protesters accused of engaging in violence in a fair, transparent, and timely manner in compliance with international standards.

Background

On 3-7 November 2008, Chen Yunlin, chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, led a 60-member delegation from the People's Republic of China to visit Taiwan and meet with President Ma Ying-jeou.

The police barred protesters displaying Taiwanese and Tibetan flags and anti-China slogans along the routes taken by the envoy and confiscated or damaged some of these items. The police also closed a shop near the hotel where Chen Yunlin had dinner with Kuomintang honorary chairman Lien Chan when the shop loudly broadcast music from an album titled 'Songs of Taiwan'.

There were additional reports of arbitrary detention and police brutality, some of which, according to the police, were in response to the violence of protesters.

Following the visit, hundreds of students have staged sit-ins across Taiwan protesting the police's handling of the protests and demanding amendments to the Assembly and Parade Law, which has been misused to prevent protests.

On 6 November the students started their sit-ins outside the offices of the Executive Yuan or (Executive branch), where they were eventually removed by police on the grounds of illegal assembly. They continued the sit-ins at the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall and organized a daily demonstration calling for immediate amendments to the Assembly and Parade Law, apologies from the president and head of government and the resignations of the heads of the police and national security.

On 18 November Taipei police announced a list of 66 "troublemakers", who had allegedly thrown gas bombs and stones at the police and spat at the Taichung mayor. There were also reports that the police had pressured journalists and their supervisors to hand over video tapes to identify suspects who allegedly took part in the violence.

Amnesty International Home Page "Action for Human Rights. Hope for Humanity."

Manual on a non-violence action

"On Sunday, no violence expected" is what
Wild Strawberries Movement expects,
but we should be prepared for someone outside coming

in and starting a fight. In that case, people should be

prepared. If someone starts violence, we should think
in advance as to what our response should be. The best

response is for everyone to immediately sit down. DO
NOT FIGHT BACK.

The problem is, if the march is open to outsiders,

we have no way of knowing if the "enemy" is introducing
someone into the march whose purpose is to stir up
trouble for the TV cameras."

Nonviolence.

A nonviolent direct action practice could take three possible directions (or both). One is where some of participates are planning to do an action where we will probably get arrested. The other is where we think that maybe the "enemy" side just possibly would introduce an agent into our midst, and, pretending to be one of us, start a fight, start attacking the police, or whatever. A third is where the "enemy" sends their people at us with fists flying. In all three situations, the object is to deal with the situation without resort to use of violence. Not only do we not want any violence from our side, but we want our nonviolence to be very obvious to any of the media that might be around. Remember, most of the media is hostile to you, and they would like nothing better than to portray you as the "violent elements 暴力份子" -- as happened in the Meilidao incident of 1979.

One of the elements is cultivating an atmosphere of calmness and determination, with no place for expression of anger. The problem with not having any shows of anger, however, is that the media likes colorful scenes of conflict. If it bleeds it leads. No blood? Well then, says the media, at least let us see some fists flying. That is what they are thinking. And if we don't give the media a display of anger, we just may not get on TV.

What we should be most afraid of is an uncontrolled situation. An agent provocateur comes in, with the purpose of stirring people up and getting into a fight. The agent could either start a fight with the marchers, or start throwing things at the police. In either case, we have to be able to react quickly.

With or without a training, here is what I think we should do. First, we must have everyone in the march register beforehand. We must then join a squad. (In actions that We should be in, these are often called "affinity groups," where each group determines its own course of action.) Let's say a squad has 12 people. Each squad must walk together, and there are no allowing people from outside to join that squad. One person in the squad is the Peacekeeper. He or she has an armband and a whistle. At the first sign of trouble, she or he blows the whistle, and everyone immediately sits down. The violent one is thereupon immediately identified. At the sound of the whistle, the peacekeepers from nearby squads come over and, as calmly as possible, persuade the violent party to calm down, and, if necessary, to leave. If it looks like force is necessary, then call in the police.

The march will be open to outsiders. If along the way someone wants to join, they must still register, then be assigned to a squad.

With or without the training, before the march begins the organizers must tell everyone in the march what the rules are, and how nonviolence must absolutely prevail. Tell people what they must do. Sit down, don't react to provocations.


nonviolence training
nonviolent direct action (this usually means illegal actions which are nonviolent)
Gandhian techniques

For both theory and practice, this page is excellent.

Wild Strawberries Major Events (11/3 - 12/1)

Nov. 3-5, 2008

ARATS Chairman Chen Yun-lin visits Taiwan for high level talks with the government concerning Taiwan's future, and is given massive police protection. However, numerous instances of police officers illegally violating the rights to freedom of speech, and freedom of movement occur, with citizens expressing certain opinions specifically targeted. Tension between the police and citizens continues to grow, culminating in violence.

Nov. 5

University students and faculty concerned about human rights and the regression of democracy in Taiwan, and angry with the abuse of power by government and law enforcement agencies, link up over the Internet, deciding to stage a peaceful sit-in in front of the Executive Yuan in protest.

Nov. 6

Starting at 11AM, some 500 university students and faculty wearing black clothing and face masks stage a sit-in at the gates of the Executive Yuan, demanding apologies from President Ma and Premier Liu, the resignation of the directors of the National Police Agency and National Security Bureau, and the revision of the Parade and Assembly Law; police issued four warnings declaring the protest illegal. The Executive Yuan sent out two sets of low ranking officials to placate the students and faculty, who rejected their overtures after voting on the issue. Protesters erected a cordon around the sit-in for protection, but welcomed all citizens not carrying any partisan slogans or signs to join in the sit-in.

On the same day, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) launched a massive demonstration to protest the Ma-Chen meetings. After police issued the fourth warning to the students, DPP personnel expressed their concern and suggested that the students move to a location near the Legislative Yuan where the DPP had a permit for lawful assembly, but was rejected unanimously by all of the students and faculty. The same evening, a violent confrontation between participants in the DPP-led march and police occurred at the Grand Hotel, and was forcibly suppressed by police before midnight. Students and faculty at the Executive Yuan sit-in prepare themselves psychologically to be dispersed as well.

Nov. 7

At 10:50AM, Cabinet Secretary-General Hsueh Hsiang-chuan emerged to meet with the protesting students and faculty, engaging in a fruitless one hour exchange before leaving. A question asked to Hsueh by a student concerning human rights is quoted out of context by the media, who distort the student's words and claim that he insulted Hsueh by saying he "is not human".

Starting from 4PM, police officers finish assembling and begin dispersing the sitting students, carrying them onto a police bus, and driving most of them to National Taiwan University (others were dropped off at Neihu). Faculty members continued the sit-in until 7PM before being dispersed by police. Starting around 6PM, the students began to reassemble at Liberty Square, with some 800+ students participating. The faculty members held a press conference before the gates of Liberty Square around 8PM to explain the motivations behind the protest. At this time, the leadership of the movement had been completely passed to the students present, who resolved to continue the sit-in without applying for an assembly permit, characterizing it as a student-led movement of civil disobedience.

Nov. 8

Students at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan begin a sit-in in solidarity at the campus gates.

Heavy rain, tents are erected at Liberty Square and sleeping bags are provided.

President Ma visits police officers injured in operations during Chen Yun-lin's visit.

Nov. 9

Students in Central Taiwan begin a sit-in at Civic Plaza in Taichung to show solidarity with the students protesting in Taipei and Tainan.

After a joint meeting between students in Northern, Central, and Southern Taiwan, the protests are officially named the "Wild Strawberry Student Movement".

Nov. 10

Emphasis is placed on demanding the revision of the Parade and Assembly Law, with the slogan "Parade and Assembly Law is unconstitutional, human rights are disappearing".

484 university professors and Academia Sinica researchers sign a joint statement supporting the Wild Strawberries.

During an interview with ETTV, Premier Liu claims that demands for apologies "were not consistent with mainstream opinion", but would hold a public hearing on potentially revising the Parade and Assembly Law. However, concerning the protests, he also casually remarked that "this sort of thing will blow over in two days".

Students in Hsinchu begin a sit-in in front of the food court at National Tsing Hua University in solidarity with the Wild Strawberries.

Students in Kaohsiung bgin a sit-in at the Urban Spotlight in solidarity with the Wild Strawberries.

Education Minister Cheng Jei-cheng visits the students at dusk. Some media outlets laugh at the students for not recognizing the minister.

Documentary films begin to be shown every evening at Liberty Square, and seminars are held, in order to convey the concepts of democracy, human rights, and caring for the underprivileged.

Nov. 11

At noon, 80 year old Liu Po-yan sets himself on fire at Liberty Square to protest government actions during Chen Yun-lin's visit. He is rushed to the hospital and remains there recovering after emergency treatment. The Wild Strawberries express their sympathy and begin a donation drive for Mr. Liu. The KMT refuses to visit Mr. Liu in the hospital, claiming at he let his KMT party membership lapse, and normally watched political talk shows associated with the pan-green (opposition) bloc.

Starting at 6PM, 16 social activist groups begin a nightly one hour silent procession at the sit-in site to show solidarity with the Wild Strawberries.

President Ma claims that "The problem isn't voluntary reporting [of planned assemblies], the problem is violence".

Nov. 12

The Wild Strawberries present video evidence of police overreaction during Chen Yun-lin's visit, as well as statements from victims.

Students in Chiayi begin a sit-in at 228 Park in solidarity with the Wild Srawberries.

Nov. 13

The Legislative Yuan KMT caucus holds a public hearing concerning revision of the Parade and Assembly Law. However, the Wild Strawberries were neither notified, nor invited.

Some 200 artists present the "Reject Silence, Defend Freedom of Expression" petition, and appear at Liberty Square to show solidarity with the Wild Strawberries.

In the evening, a meeting is held at Liberty Square to decide upon a future course of action, eventually resolving to continue the protest past Saturday. It is also decided to hold a large rally on Saturday, to be organized by the students participating.

Nov. 14

Representatives from the Sunrise Record Store, and Professor Chang Hsueh-Kung of the NTU Civil Engineering Department meet with the students at Liberty Square. They describe what actually happened the day the store was forcibly shuttered by police after playing Taiwanese songs within earshot of Chen Yun-lin, and call again on the government to admit its mistake.

Some 20 students in Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University stage a sit-in and video link up with the students at Liberty Square, expressing their solidarity with the Wild Strawberries.

Tibetan representatives in Taiwan visit the students at Liberty Square to show their support, and present the students with khatas.

At noon, the graduate student union at National Political University holds an on-campus seminar explaining the goals of the Wild Strawberry Movement.

Nov. 15

Wild Strawberries, academics, and NGOs hold a rally at Liberty Square, with a mass sit-in, seminars, and skits. Three students volunteer to be locked in cages for 24 hours as a symbol of protest. A public forum is also held. Over 500 students participate.

In the evening, two masked females hold up posters accusing students participating in the sit-in of using raised funds for personal gain, and refuse to speak, leading to tension with bystanders. They are finally escorted away under the protection of Wild Strawberry members.

Another group calling themselves the "Small Blueberries" arrive around 8PM, with the intention of heckling students at the sit-in, but are too afraid to approach the site. They quickly withdraw to the Jing-fu Gate to pose for the media before dispersing.

During a TV interview in Taichung, President Ma states that "Taiwanese students are very competitive before high school, but are weaker in college".

Nov. 16

The three students in the cages emerge and call on President Ma to engage in dialog with the students, in order to debate the merits of their respective positions.

It is decided to establish a "Wild Strawberry Land" free from state sponsored violence, construction plans begin.

Three Wild Strawberry students in Kaohsiung attempt to present their grievances before President Ma during his visit to that city, but are stopped, chased, and threatened by police.

Students at Liberty Square proceed to Taipei Main Station to hand out leaflets, while passing by the edges of the Bo-ai Special District, they are warned and disrupted by police.

Nov. 17

Internal KMT caucus meeting at the Legislative Yuan agrees to revise the Parade and Assembly Law to a registration system.

During a hastily conviened meeting at Liberty Square that evening, a heated debate occurs over future plans and organization.

Nov. 18

The National Police Administration completes its self-assessment of performance during Chen Yun-lin's visit, concluding that they had "successfully completed the objectives of protecting the delegates' safety and ensuring the smooth completion of the meeting", and that while a few officers should be trained in precise enforcement techniques, there was no abuse during enforcement.

Police demand the media provide them with photographs and videos showing suspected agitators during the violent confrontations. The Association of Taiwan Journalists state that they refuse to be instruments of the police, and proceed to the National Police Administration to present their grievances, but do not receive a response.

Nov. 19

The Legislative Yuan Internal Administration Committee reviews the proposed amended Parade and Assembly Law. The version presented by executive agencies still requires three days notification, and retains provisions for restricted areas, government power to declare assemblies illegal, and power to disperse. The Wild Strawberries and the NGOs express their strong opposition, and propose adopting a system of "voluntary notification".

Professor Yen Liur-fen of the music department at the Taipei National University of the Arts leads several musicians to Liberty Square, where they hold a small concert in support of the students.

The "Funeral for Human Rights" is completed. Starting on Thursday, the ceremony is open to the public to mourn the death of human rights.

A seminar is held in the evening at the NTU social sciences department to explain the objectives of the movement.

Nov. 20

The Judicial Reform Foundation holds a press conference at Liberty Square, establishing a group of lawyers to fight police brutality, and initiating a second wave of lawsuits against police abuses. They call on President Ma to stop feigning ignorance of the situation.

The Wild Strawberry "Taiwan Human Rights Mourning Committee" sends obituaries to the Presidential Office, the Executive Yuan, the National Security Bureau, the National Police Agency, and the KMT and DPP, inviting them to a "funeral service for our human rights".

Beitou Precinct Chief Lee Han-ching, responsible for shuttering the Sunrise Record Store, is questioned by the Taipei City Council, and denies all allegations of overzealous enforcement.

Nov. 21

Legislative Yuan Internal Administration Committee convener Wu Yu-sheng visits Liberty Square, handing students an invitation to the public hearing scheduled for 11/27. At the evening meeting, the students decide to send representatives.

The Ministry of Justice presents new regulations requiring schools and other similar public organizations select "ethics officers", raising allegations that the Martial Law era informant system (人二室) was being resurrected.

Nov. 22

Famed scholar Ronald Dworkin visits Liberty Square to better understand the situation.

In the evening, students hold a candlelight vigil to mourn human rights in Taiwan.

A demonstration is held in Kaohsiung with skits mocking President Ma, demanding that he turn his thinking around.

Nov. 23

The human rights funeral service is held in the morning, with several NGOs also participating. The scene is solemn and sad. The planned funeral procession is replaced with a stationary casket, due to lack of funeral home help.

DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ying-wen arrives at Liberty Square to participate in the activities, and publicly aplogizes for the failure of the DPP to amend the Parade and Assembly Law during its time as the ruling party.

As part of the long term protest, the Wild Strawberries formally establish the Wild Strawberry band, erect a tower and four prefabricated buildings (the newsroom, kitchen, exhibit room, and video room), and and perform several protest skits. Professor Yen Liur-fen of the Taipei National University of the Arts holds a "Musicians supporting the Wild Strawberries" concert, with several musicians and composers participating.

Nov. 24

American human rights activist Lynn Miles visits to express her concern, and agrees to help mobilize international support.

Representatives from academia and various NGOs march to the Control Yuan to file complaints against the directors of the National Police Agency and National Security Bureau. Their petitions are received by Control Yuan member Huang Huang-hsiung. The participating professors and NGO members return to Liberty Square to update the students on progress with social mobilization.

The website of the Wild Strawberries in Tainan is suddenly shut down without warning, but returns two days later, after complaints are filed.

Administrators at National Taiwan University issue orders for a "neutral, apolitical campus where the Wild Strawberries may not enter", and refuse to allow students to borrow equipment to film a documentary.

Nov. 25

The seminar originally planned to be held at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology is canceled, after campus administrators refuse to loan campus space, following concerns from various faculty members.

All police precinct chiefs involved in the operations during Chen Yun-lin's visit are promoted by the National Police Administration.

Nov. 26

Wild Strawberries from Kaohsiung visit Taipei to update the students at Liberty Square on recent developments, and convey the support and good wishes of Wild Strawberries outside Taipei. The atmosphere is enthusiastic as the students learn to sing the "Wild Strawberry Fight Song".

Students at the sit-in form groups of 5 to 7, to increase unity and the general level of organization.

The Wild Strawberries return to the Executive Yuan, with groups of two alternately sitting in protest for one hour each.

Nov. 27

Wild Strawberries send representatives to attend the public hearing by the Legislative Yuan Internal Administration Committee concerning revisions to the Parade and Assembly Law. While the Legeslative Yuan states that the law may be amended during this legislative session, the positions of the students and the legislators still cannot be reconciled, with the students insisting on a voluntary notification system.

In the afternoon, Losheng Sanitarium support groups proceed to the Executive Yuan to protest demolition of the sanitarium by the government, which reneged on its earlier promises. Students from the Wild Strawberry Movement also attend to show support.

Wild Strawberry seminar at Chang Gung University.

Nov. 28

At noon, Wild Strawberry students hold a march on the National Taiwan University Campus, calling on all students to stand up and defend human rights.

Wild Strawberries in Central Taiwan decide to end the sit-in the next day, and move instead to mobilizing support on campus, and deepening the roots of democracy and human rights.

Nov. 29

Veteran social activist Chien Hsi-chieh holds a lecture on nonviolent resistance at Liberty Square, in preparation for the large rally on 12/7.

Documentary film on Lo-sheng(樂生) Sanitarium preservation efforts is shown, to gain support for groups protesting its imminent demolition.

Nov. 30

The "Wild Strawberry Musical Memorial" is held beginning at 10AM, with several independent bands and musicians participating to show their support for the students, and their concern for society.

Wild Strawberries in Kaohsiung hold a protest march criticizing the return of authoritarianism, and the suppression of human rights.

Dec. 1

At 8AM, two Wild Strawberry students lie on the driveway in front of the Executive Yuan with protest signs, protesting the government ignoring the students' demands. The two are detained by police under the Social Order Preservation Law, and interrogated at the police station.

Taiwan police disperse student protesters against Lo-Sheng Sanatorium relocation

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The controversial Lo-Sheng Sanatorium relocation began Wednesday as police started dispersing hundreds of students staging a protest on site.

Students had staged a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Health on Monday, asking Minister Yeh Chin-chuan (葉金川) to protect the cultural heritage of Lo-Sheng by applying to related organizations to designate the Sanatorium a historic monument.(more)

[Taipei Times] New media is a potent instrument for change

In the past, if mainstream media did not cover certain incidents, nobody would have known about it. Today, the Wild Strawberry Student Movement has made use of the Internet to link up protesters across the country and created a new force. Nevertheless, the students would be well advised to consider how they could improve their movement.

Traditional media outlets have argued that the Wild Strawberry Student Movement would be difficult to maintain because President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) have adopted a strategy of waiting until the demonstrators give up. This is why the student movement has encountered so many setbacks. Distorted and slanderous media coverage of the movement has given rise to biased public opinion toward the group.(more)

[Taipei Times] EDITORIAL: Will Ma crush the Strawberries?

Wednesday, Dec 03, 2008, Page 8

The Wild Strawberry Student Movement, it seems, has had enough of the government beating around the bush. On Sunday, it will attempt to bring the debate over the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法) to a head by rallying about 1,000 people to demonstrate without a police permit.

As the marchers head down Ketagalan Boulevard to the Presidential Office, the government and police will be forced to come down against a sensible exercise in civil disobedience or send the message that demonstrating without a permit will be tolerated. The organizers have advertised well in advance that they intend to break the law, which is nothing more than a relic of the Martial Law era and a blemish on Taiwan’s democracy that should have been amended long ago.(more)

[Taipei Times] [LETTER] KMT's old habits die hard

Wednesday, Dec 03, 2008, Page 8
......
Likewise, to distract people from the deals inked between the two sides during Chen’s visit, Ma fabricated political quarrels over revisions to the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法).

Ma would like Beijing to see the merits of allowing the KMT to rule Taiwan in perpetuity while resisting the urge to forcefully annex Taiwan, an act that would assuredly provoke a regional conflict.

The morphing of Taiwan into a police state is also a way for Ma to identify with Beijing in terms of values — a forerunner to China and Taiwan teaming up against the West. (Full Text)

[i-Report] Taiwan Wild Strawberries Movement

We are a group of students comprising students from universities all over Taiwan; we do not belong to any parties or political organizations before we joined wild strawberry.

Our generation in Taiwan is called the "strawberry" generation, meaning we are spoiled to be able to afford stress. However, today we stand out for a better future!

Today is our 25th day peaceful sit-in protest at the Liberty Square in Taipei (Former Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall).

Your supports are very crucial for us, we hope this document will help you understand our "democracy in danger" in Taiwan, an country next to Hong Kong, Japan, China and Philippine in East Asia. Please come to join our parade on 7th December 2008.

(i-Report Page)

San Diego's Taiwanese support WSM!

Many among Taiwanese in the U.S. are well educated but we are not arrogant. More often than not, we not only learn from each other but also from others outside of our group. For example, many of us have been learning from the WSM student protesters. Although young and inexperienced, they have proven to be quick learners, very determined and innovative. It is clear that they have won wide-spread support, in and out of Taiwan, of their movement.

In response to their call for support of their planned parade on Sunday, December 7, members of San Diego Taiwanese American community are planning to sponsor an event at San Diego Taiwan Center on December 7. We think these young people deserve our support and encouragement. Some other communities are doing the same.

Increasing number of us think that the baton has to be shared with and even passed on to the younger generation. The future of Taiwan are mostly in the hands of the freedom-loving young people of Taiwan.

To what you are doing in fighting for freedom and democracy, "BRAVO!" we shout.

--Ching-chih Chen, a retired college professor

"Shame on Government - Walk out Back Door"--Two protest stuents were captured by more than 20 police officiers

On December, 1st, 2008, Zhen Zhe-Xiou(鄭哲修) and Su Hung-Rung(蘇紘融), two of students in Wild Strawberries Movement (WSM), took peaceful and grave actions to accuse of the Taiwan government which had not ever responded directly to the three WSM appeals. Zhen(鄭哲修) studied in the Department of Mathematics at the National Taiwan University and Su (蘇紘融) studied in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling at the National Taiwan Normal University. These two students considered that the people, who refused to take political responsibility for limiting the freedom of speech and harming human rights during the Chen Yun-Lin's (陳 雲林) visit, were unworthy of crossing through the main entrance. Therefore, at 8:30 A.M on December, 1st, these two students silently laid at the main entrance of the Executive Yuan for protesting. Because they considered that the Executive Yuan rejected to hear Taiwanese people's voice and could not provide sound and suitable explanation to what Executive Yuan violated and overruled during the Chen's visit, they only could "silently laid" to express their anger.

WSM always held peace, rationality, and non-violence from the beginning. Zhen(鄭哲修) and Su(蘇紘融) only could actively take actions to let the Taiwan government perceive when the government was blind to the occurrence of human rights violations in Taiwan. Indeed, these two students' action was the best practice of the non-violent resistance.

However, in the beginning five minutes of Zhen(鄭哲修) and Su(蘇紘融)'s action, policemen/policewomen immediately warned their silent-lay. After two warns, these two students advocated, "Shame on government! Walk out back door!" and "No government apology for its illegal actions. Human rights lay and die in Executive Yuan." Under the circumstance of twenty policemen/policewomen surrounding, they were lifted into the police car and were taken for further investigation in the police department of the Zhongzheng First Police District, Taipei City . At last, this silent-lay protest only continued for ten minutes.

When knowing Zhen(鄭哲修) and Su(蘇紘融) were taken for further investigation in the police station, the WSM students instantly informed of and sought assistance for the Lawyer Lin (林峰正) of Judicial Reform Foundation. During the investigation, the police indicated that Zhen(鄭哲修) and Su(蘇紘融) violated The Social Order Maintenance Law Aritcle 68. item 2(第68條第2款). These two students kept silent, were unwilling to cooperate with the police's inquest, and refused to sign up the deposition record by policemen/policewomen. Ultimately, Zhen(鄭哲修) and Su(蘇紘融) left the police station accompanied with the Lawyer Lin (林峰正).

WSM completely supports Zhen(鄭哲修) and Su(蘇紘融)'s silent-lay action. WSM believes that they held the resolution for nonviolent resistance to confront potential national violence and their action was full of courage. In addition, WSM respects that the police administered the law. However, these two students have already taken legal responsibility which they probably have to face. The police administered its power based on The Social Order Maintenance Law Article 68. item 2(第68條第2款): the person who creates troubles for inhabitants, factories, companies, public places, and locations for public pass. WSM wants to ask. The entrance of the Executive Yuan is not only one. Zhen(鄭哲修) and Su(蘇紘融) did not obstacle entire traffic lanes and block any cars' passing. As a result, what kinds of troubles which these two student created break the harmony at the main entrance of the Executive Yuan?
In the past, there are some stories regarding the common people stating and pleading by stopping the officers sitting in sedan chair. Why do the common people, even two students, have no opportunity to express and protest at the main entrance of the Executive Yuan, particularly in this democratic Taiwan society? For tackling these two students of WSM, it is incredible that the Executive Yuan arranged twenty to thirty policemen/policewomen to surround two students and forcefully lift them away. Does this action represent the scholar leadership of Liou (Former president of NCTU)？ If the government views the common people as the condemnable folks, one day, finally the people will spurn this government.

Going “Wild” on December 7th – Country without Violence, Strawberries March Foward

The Wild Strawberries Movement at Liberty Square held a meeting with representatives from all over Taiwan in preparation for the “Going ‘Wild’ on December 7th” rally. Wild Strawberries across the country will once again meet at Liberty Square for its strongest showing yet to counter the government’s arrogance and apathy thus far.

“Going ‘Wild’ on December 7th” is the theme of this rally. The month-long Wild Strawberries Movement would like to demonstrate its “wildness” to its supporters and the arrogant Administration; the Wild Strawberries have not given up and the movement has continued to grow. Since its inception, the Wild Strawberries have upheld the same pleas and ideals - “Apology [for rights violations], Resignation [of responsible officials], and Amendment [of Parade & Assembly Law]”. This rally will serve as an opportunity for Taiwanese citizens to experience the Wild Strawberries’ explosive strength and for the government to hear the consolidated angry voices of the Wild Strawberries. More importantly, the Wild Strawberries maintains its appeal that the government directly responds to the public and the Wild Strawberries, and stop state sanctioned power abuse.

The Wild Strawberries will only “voluntarily report” plans to hold the December 7th rally to law enforcement authorities instead of waiting for the ineffective Legislative Yuan to amend the Parade and Assembly Law’s approval requirement. The rally route will be provided to the Zhongzheng First District of the Taipei City Police Department in order for the police to direct traffic accordingly. We sincerely hope that law enforcement authorities will safeguard rather than trample on our freedom to assemble with violent tactics. The Wild Strawberries will also send out a team of individuals to maintain order.

The December 7th rally participants will consist of students for the most part, but also cordially invite all private citizens who support our endeavors. In addition to the students, academics and NGOs have signed up for the rally, with over a thousand expected rally participants. Students from the Wild Strawberries Movement will be responsible for maintaining order of the movement. We will hold a pre-rally press conference to explain the itinerary and to promote the principle of non-violent civil disobedience; our goal is to hold the rally under the principles of peace, rationality, and non-violence.

The route for the December 7th rally will begin with Liberty Square, and continue on to the National Police Agency, the Executive Yuan, the Legislative Yuan, and the Presidential Office. The Wild Strawberries will have different activities at each location. The “Country without Violence, Wild Strawberries March Forward” march will commence at 1 p.m. from Liberty Square and we look forward to your participation.

Scholars Find Taiwan's Minster of Justice's Response Inadequate

Saturday November 29, by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

The previous posting of Taiwan's Minister of Justice's response to the JOINT STATEMENT of the scholars and writers (posted November 15) did not address the real issues of the erosion of justice in Taiwan. Ignoring numerous other protests also listed below, the Minister's response appears to hide behind the technicalities of the Constitution. Taiwan's current Constitution has many inadequacies; among them is that it was created for continental China but ill fits the island nation of Taiwan. By the Minister's implication it is so broad that it allows numerous abuses that may be technically within the letter of the law but far from the spirit and purpose of the law. For this reason it can allow the selective application to one's political opposition and still fall under the umbrella of the Constitution. For that reason, the scholars/writers of the first statement on the erosion of justice in Taiwan felt obligated to respond in specifics to the Minister's letter. That response can be found below.

November 28th 2008

The Honorable Wang Ching-feng

Minister of Justice

Taipei, Taiwan

Dear Minister Wang,

In an open letter to the Taipei Times, published on November 25th 2008, you responded to our joint statement regarding the erosion of justice in Taiwan. We appreciate your acknowledgment of the sincerity of our concerns, and are grateful to receive a prompt and serious reply. Based on the information available to us, however, we remain concerned about choices made by prosecutors in applying existing legal authority and strongly believe in the need for reform. Please allow us to highlight a number of specific points:

1. The procedure of "preventive detention." This procedure is obviously intended for serious criminal cases in which the suspect is likely to flee the country. In his November 13th article in the South China Morning Post, Professor Jerome Cohen states that "it ought to be invoked rarely."

Yet, during the past weeks, it has been used across the board, and it has been used only against present and former members of the DPP government. This casts severe doubts on the impartiality of the judicial system. We also wish to point out that the people involved were detained under deplorable circumstances, and that they were not even allowed to see relatives.
2. The open letter contains the argument that when they were detained, the present and former DPP government officials "were all informed of the charges that had been brought against them." This is simply not correct: when they were detained, they were subject to lengthy interrogations in some cases for up to 20 hours which bore the character of a "fishing expedition," and is not a formal indictment in any legal sense. In most cases the prosecutors had had months of time to collect information: if they did have sufficient evidence of wrong-doing, they should formally have charged the persons and let them have their day in a scrupulously impartial court of law. That would be the desirable procedure under the rule of law in a democratic society.
3. The open letter also states that the persons involved had "the right and ability to communicate with their attorneys to seek legal assistance." It neglects to mention that in all cases where people were detained, the discussions with the lawyers were recorded and videotaped, while a guard took notes. This information was then immediately transmitted to the respective prosecutors. We don't need to point out that this is a grave infringement on international norms regarding the lawyer-client privilege, and makes mounting an adequate defense problematic at best.
4. On the issue of leaks to the press, the letter states that under the Code of Criminal Procedure information on ongoing investigations can only be disclosed by spokespersons of the prosecutor's offices and that unauthorized disclosure is subject to criminal prosecution. The fact of the matter is that during the past weeks, the media has been filled with information on the ongoing investigations which could only have come from the prosecutors. We may point out one example, but there are ample others:

Only a few hours after former Foreign Minister Mark Chen was questioned on November 3rd, the Apple Daily (a local tabloid) ran an article that "the prosecutors are thinking of charging Dr. Chen in relation to the case."

The issue of violation of the principle of secret investigation was also raised by Shih Lin District Court Judge Hung Ing-hua, who strongly criticized the present situation and procedures followed by your Ministry in an article in the "Liberty Times" on November 17th 2008.

We may also mention that we find it highly peculiar that no steps whatsoever have been taken against the various prosecutors who leaked information, while we just learned that your ministry is now taking steps against Mr. Cheng Wen-long, the lawyer for former President Chen Shui-bian, who presumably "leaked" information to the press. Your Ministry sent a formal request to the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office asking the office to investigate and prosecute, and also sent a formal request to Taiwan Lawyer's Association and asked the association to review the case and see whether Cheng should have his license revoked.

It is our understanding that the statements Mr. Cheng made were in relation to former President Chen's views on Taiwan's situation and its future, and an expression of love for his wife, but did not have any bearing on the case against him. We hope your Excellency realizes that if you proceed along these lines, this will be perceived as a direct confirmation of the strong political bias of the judicial system.

5. The letter states that it is untrue that Taiwan's judicial system is susceptible to political manipulation. If this is the case, how can it be explained that in the past weeks, only DPP officials have been detained and given inhumane treatment such as handcuffing and lengthy questioning, while obvious cases of corruption by members of the KMT - including in the Legislative Yuan - are left untouched by the prosecutors or at best stalled in the judicial process?

We may also refer to expressions of concern by Prof. Jerome Cohen and by lawyer Nigel Li, who expressed his deep concerns about the preventive detentions in an editorial in the "China Times" on November 9, 2008. In his editorial, Mr. Li praised the remarks made by prosecutor Chen Rui-ren, who was part of the legal team prosecuting the special fund cases, that the prosecutors' offices should "avoid the appearance of targeting only one particular political group."

The fact that the Special Investigation Task Force was set up under the DPP Administration or that the prosecutor general was nominated by President Chen is not at issue here. The problem is that the present system is being used in a very partial fashion.

We may add that the fact that you yourself have publicly discussed the content of the cases does create a serious imbalance in the playing field, and undermines the basic dictum that a person should be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Under the present circumstances it is hard to see how the persons involved including former President Chen Shui-bian can have a fair trial in Taiwan.

6. Lastly, you take the statement by the US State Department as an "endorsement" of Taiwan's legal system and the procedures followed. You might want to note that in international diplomatic language, the term we have every expectation means we are concerned and we will watch the situation closely.

For the past two decades, Taiwan has faced a difficult situation internationally. What has given Taiwan important credibility in Western democratic countries around the world has been its democratization. We fear that the current judicial procedures being used in Taiwan endanger this democratization, and endanger the goodwill that Taiwan has developed internationally.

In conclusion: we do remain deeply disturbed by the erosion of justice in Taiwan, and express the sincere hope and expectation that your government will maintain fair and impartial judicial practices and quickly correct the present injustices. As an editorial in the November 20th issue of the London-based Economist indicated, Taiwan is hungry for justice, and we also hope that your government will be willing to initiate judicial reform which would move Taiwan towards a fully fair and impartial judicial system which earns the respect and admiration from other democratic countries around the world.

Respectfully yours,

Signatories of the November 4th Joint Statement

1. Nat Bellocchi, former Chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan
2. Julian Baum, former Taiwan Bureau Chief, Far Eastern Economic Review
3. Coen Blaauw, Formosan Association for Public Affairs, Washington DC
4. Stéphane Corcuff, Associate Professor of Political Science, China and Taiwan Studies, University of Lyon, France *
5. Gordon G. Chang, author, "The Coming Collapse of China."
6. David Curtis Wright, Associate Professor of History, University of Calgary
7. June Teufel Dreyer, Professor of Political Science, University of Miami, Florida
8. Edward Friedman, Professor of Political Science and East Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison
9. Mark Harrison, Senior Lecturer, Head of Chinese School of Asian Languages and Studies, University of Tasmania, Australia*
10. Bruce Jacobs, Professor of Asian Languages and Studies, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
11. Richard C. Kagan, Professor Emeritus of History, Hamline University, St. Paul Minnesota
12. Jerome F. Keating, Associate Professor, National Taipei University (Ret.). Author, "Island in the Stream, a Quick Case Study of Taiwan's Complex History" and other works on Taiwan
13. Daniel Lynch, Associate Professor, School of International Relations, University of Southern California
14. Victor H. Mair, Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Pennsylvania
15. Donald Rodgers, Associate Professor of Political Science, Austin College, Texas
16. Terence Russell, Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Manitoba
17. Scott Simon, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Ottawa
18. Peter Tague, Professor of Law, Georgetown University
19. John J. Tkacik Jr., Senior Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation, Washington DC
20. Vincent Wei-cheng Wang, Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond, Virginia
21. Arthur Waldron, Lauder Professor of International Relations, University of Pennsylvania
22. Gerrit van der Wees, Editor Taiwan Communiqué, Washington DC
23. Stephen Yates, President of DC Asia Advisory and former Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs
(Original Page)

[Taipei Times] Wild Strawberries plan rally without police permit

“Three weeks have passed [since we began demonstrating]. Our government has not shown any remorse but endorsed the use of excessive force by police,” Wild Strawberries spokesman Lo Shih-hsiang (羅士翔) said. “We are going to take this to the streets, to the Executive Yuan, the Legislative Yuan and the Presidential Office. We will step up together and show the government we will never stop defending human rights.”

Highlights of the rally on Ketagalan Boulevard will include a mock funeral procession to mourn the demise of human rights, Hsu said.

Students from Kaohsiung will carry a 2m bamboo puppet of Ma dressed in a military uniform to symbolize his “returning Taiwan to authoritarian rule,” said Yao Liang-yi (姚量議), a student from Kaohsiung.

Hsu said the public was welcome to join the rally, but that the movement would not tolerate violence or interference by any political parties.

“The tone of the movement has been non-violent and peaceful,” Hsu said, adding that students will ask that people remove any political symbols before joining the rally. (Full Text)

[Seeking supports] Human Rights Movement for Taiwan at Dec 7th 2008

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are Wild Strawberries Student Movement from Taiwan. We are a non-partisan group of students from universities all over Taiwan to fight for human rights. Recently Taiwanese government used excessive police force to threaten our people's freedom of speech and assembly, beat protestors and insists that they do not damage any human rights (please check attachments for detail news report). We students organized to protest and also got dismissed by police force violently against our will. Therefore we gather together at Liberty Square in central Taipei at Nov 6th, 2008 to continue an peaceful sit-in. Today is our 24th day, and our government still maintains their attitude and even gave promotion to these violent police administers.

We are writing to you to invite you to support our act for human rights at Dec 7th, 2008. At Dec 10th, 2008, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from United Nation will celebrate its 60th anniversaries. Therefore, at Dec 7th, we will mobilize people in Taiwan to use non-violent demonstration in central Taipei. This morning we've hold press conference and got very positive reactions. So far, we've got spontaneous responses from many local NGOs in Taiwan, Paris and North America. However, we would like to connect via your organization to the world. We will be very appreciated if you, on behalf of your organization, could hold any kind of peaceful action (ex. a parade, a sit-in, arts, music activities..) in your region at Dec. 7th , in order to support Wild-Strawberries Student Movement fight against the state violence and defend human rights in Taiwan . Your contribution to defend the democracy in Taiwan is very precious for us.

Taiwan has been ranked as "100% free country" by Freedom House all the time until 2008. But now we, as students and the younger generation, are highly disturbed by the increasing control of our new government led by President Ma, especially regarding the freedom of speech. Many students in our movement got threatened by secret police officers, national security staff, and even school officials. The popular term in Taiwan for our generation (the cohort born after 1980s) is the "strawberry" generation, which means that we are spoiled to be able to afford stress. However, today we stand out for a better future. Today is our 24rd day peaceful sit-in protest at the Liberty Square in Taipei (also know as the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial).

Recently, the Freedom House, FIDH and Harvard's Professor Jerome Cohen (who was a thesis advisor to President Ma) have joined us in condemning unlawful police violence in Taiwan. We─members of Taiwan's Wild Strawberries Student Movement (http://action1106.blogspot.com)─have continued our peaceful sit-in at Taipei's Liberty Square to petition President Ma and our government and Taiwan's legislature to amend the Assembly and Parade Laws , which unconstitutionally inhibit citizens' freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, and gives the police unchecked powers to restrict such freedom─an inalienable human right─from the citizen.

Enclosed please find two statements, one is our petition and selected news reports in English, the other is updated information after two weeks. Should you have any willingness to support our activities defending human rights in your region, please contact us :

Sincerely yours,
International Action Team
Wild Strawberries' Movement
website (Chinese): http://action1106.blogspot.com/
(English): http://taiwanstudentmovement2008.blogspot.com/
Official Email Address: 1106action@gmail.com

Formosa Betrayed

Formosa Betrayed is a feature film detailing the murder investigation of a Taiwanese-American professor at a Midwestern college in the early 1980s. The detective assigned to the case is a young FBI agent looking forward to an exciting career serving the United States government. However, he must solve the case before he can move on.

In his search for the murderers and their accomplices, the agent learns that there is a student spy network which focuses on the political and social activities of Chinese and Taiwanese-American students on the campus. He discovers that these “student spies” are ubiquitous on college campuses in the United States where there are Chinese and Taiwanese students.(more)

Transitional Justice in Taiwan: An Austrian Perspective

Christian Schafferer

eastasia.at
Vol. 6, No. 1, June 2007
ISSN 1684-629X

Sixty years ago, the Nationalist Chinese Army brutally killed several thousand civilians in Taiwan. After the massacre, the Chinese Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo continued to rule Taiwan until 1988. During the Chiang era, tens of thousands of civilians were persecuted, tortured and killed.(more)

Live broadcast is going to switch to another platform

Dear all,

Due to the cease of Yahoo Live on Dec. 3, the live broadcast of Taipei spot is going to switch to http://zh-tw.justin.tv/action1106

Today (Nov. 30), both the old and the new platforms are available. It is expected to move to the new one on Monday (Dec. 1.)

[Rationale] The Transformation of the Taichung Wild Strawberries

The Wild Strawberries Movement was inaugurated in Taipei on November 6, 2008. This movement’s main appeal is to protest against the abuse of law enforcement and the violations of democracy and human rights. Our appeal has gained recognition and support from the students’ groups, which gradually expanded to other cities all over Taiwan within a week. On November 9, the Wild Strawberries movement officially launched in Taichung.

The Taichung Wild Strawberries has established its unique culture with local characteristics. Compared with the solemn atmosphere in the other locations, we created a space based on the norm of affection, peace and mutual active listening between the groups of the citizens and the sit-in students to induce rational and open-ended public discussions as the module for our poignant movement. Through the medium of literature, music, public forum and etc., we explored the issue of human rights as the start and expanded our analysis and examination to the issues such as environmental protection and farmers’ rights. The practice of Taichung Wild Strawberries proved the possibility that an open, rational and peaceful discussion can still exist in Taiwan.

It has been almost 500 hours on November 9 since the Taichung Wild Strawberries started the sit-in; nevertheless, the government authority had not shown any gesture to face the issue actively nor given any positive responses. Furthermore, the treacherous milieu of politicking also raised questions on the long term strategy of the future development of our movement. We have come to face a new historic crossroad of whether we continue the sit-in to exhaust our energy or we stand up to create new territory.

We with the Taichung Wild Strawberries think that the sit-in action needs to transform so we are able to march to a new stage. We believe that it is more effective to go into the campus and reach out to more people rather than staying in the Citizens Square and talking to the same people to mutually strengthening our belief. We will create a broader dialogue space through networking, assembly and discussions to generate resonant echoes.

With the precious memory of the warmth and peace at the Citizens Square, we have also come to realize the questions and challenges ahead when we resolved to this action of outreach to the campuses and communities. Still, we are not afraid or even withdrawn because we are ready. Only by taking this action can we review, improve, break through and revitalize the movement. We want to emphasize that the switch from the sit-in at the Citizens Square to the outreach action does not mean the end of the Taichung Wild Strawberries movement. We seek for the transformation of campaign to carry on our mission. In the future, we will continue our campaign and activities on various campuses and staging soap-box interactive campaign to continue our dialogue and exchanges with the citizens in Taichung at the Citizens Square from time to time.

──「Wild Strawberries Movement 2008」All sit-in students in Taichung, November 28th 2008

Wild Strawberry ROCK on December 7th

10:30~22:00 Student bands and many local bands

Come to join in us and rock the whole day.
Rock for the democracy and freedom!

At Liberty Square/ Freedom Plaza. See you then!

Not forbid? Disagree? As the top academic university, NTU should reveal the attidtue towards student movement

Today (Nov. 28th) Wild Strawberries in Taipei has gathered on campus of National Taiwan University (NTU) and has successfully raised awareness and attentions to its agenda as Wild Strawberries held demonstration around the university campus. Prof , who is on hunger strike for the amendment to the referendum law, also joined students parade, delivered a succinct statement encourage the students to persist to fight for Taiwan’s democracy and liberality.
Today’s demonstration has been a success; however obtaining the demonstration clearance from the university was far less a smooth ride, as the student who was responsible for the application revealed, the university authorities had been highly alerted by the application and numerous phone calls were made, inquiring the number of demonstrators and attempts were made to interfered with the preparation for the demonstration. The abnormal and excessive inquires were stressful and the students of the Wild Strawberries movement felt pressured by the university. The university officials initially attempted to demoralize the students by spreading unofficial words around the campus, alleging the number of attending NTU students to the demonstration to be less than a handful. Combating the rumors, numerous NTU students on Friday gathered around the symbolic site, the Fu Bell that represents enlightenment at the university and proclaims “we are here today to send a strong message to the Academic Affairs Officer, that the numbers of NTU students that are supportive of the Wild Strawberries Movements are far more than what the University has anticipated.”The university authority was initially reluctant to approve the demonstration, stating “even though we would not comment on the demonstration, it does not mean we approve it” the final approval came the day before the demonstration.
NTU in the past has been the lead advocate on social movements, but the university officials’ bureaucratic mindsets seems to contradict with the university cultural where the fundamental social values such as human rights, democracy and promotion of the wellbeing of civil society are being treasured and hold in the highest regard. Students are disappointed with NTU's leadership in the cause of preserving basic human rights. The conservative, ambivalent attitudes displayed by NTU officials exposed the hypocrisy within the organization, for example, the recent denouncement by the NTU President over the alleged graft trial of the former President Chen Shui Bien, while completely overlooked the unacceptable behavior and the arrogance of President Ma and Premier Liou. This, lead us to question: why the double standards?

The students also questioned, whether the university authority has felt political pressures from above, as the KMT legislator Tsai, Zheng-yuan (蔡正元) once publicly urged the University to crack down those participated in The Movement, the university has displayed an abnormal interest on the Wild Strawberries movement as compared to other campus events. The Wild Strawberries, hereby, challenge legislator Tsai to come and face the students to engage in scholarly debates over the alleged allegations, rather than hiding in the Legislative Yuan where the proclamations made are neither verified nor true. The students also openly urging the university to step out with the students, and to resist political pressure it has been subjected to in the last few days.

Honour Chiang Kai – shek, the worlds number 4

In the list of the biggest mass murders in human history:

1.) Joseph Stalin, Communist, Soviet Union, 1929-1953, 42,672,000
2.) Mao Tse-tung, Communist, China, 1923-1976, 37,828,000
3.) Adolf Hitler, Fascist, Germany, 1933-1945, 20,946,000
4.) Chiang Kai-shek, Militarist/Fascist, China, 1921-1948, 10,214,000

The few thousand or ten thousand he killed in Taiwan could not really help him to get a better rank. Hitler was just one number to big for him. But at least Chiang –Kai – shek could die peacefully and wealthy, knowing his son would do a good job.

He receives congratulations in every local Memorial Hall (but he dislikes Democracy Memorial Halls).

[Taipei Times] Yahoo-Kimo panned for blog closure

A former Yahoo blog user nicknamed “Black Jack” has accused Internet portal Yahoo-Kimo of violating his freedom of speech after his personal blog was shut down by the company on Nov. 21. Black Jack, a 36-year-old man working in education, created a blog titled “Mango Daily” using the service provided by Yahoo-Kimo about two years ago.

Modeled on the format of the Chinese-language newspaper the Apple Daily, Black Jack’s Mango Daily published articles that promoted pro-Taiwan ideas and often made fun of pan-blue politicians. It soon gained popularity, with 2,000 to 3,000 visitors a day on average, Black Jack said. (more)

KMT rights rollback cannot be whitewashed

A flood of international criticism by global human rights organizations, democratic governments and prominent legal scholars and academics in the China and Taiwan fields has evidently touched a sore nerve in the restored rightist Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) government of President Ma Ying-jeou. (more)

Chinese Democracy

Forbidden in China. Forbidden in Taiwan soon?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtVE2bO7Zxk

[Taipei Times] Legislature holds public Assembly & Parade law hearing

While those attending a public hearing yesterday on the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法) agreed that reforms were necessary, government officials, legal activists, academics and lawmakers still held different views on whether clauses on restricted areas, the police’s power to disband demonstrations and the penalties on people who violate the law should be removed.

“It’s necessary to mark some areas as off limits for demonstrations to maintain the security of government offices,” National Chengchi University law professor Su Yung-chin (蘇永欽) told the public hearing held by the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee.(more)

"Named must your fear be before banish it you can."--Democracy in Danger: No Military on campus.

“Named must your fear be before banish it you can.”
As Master Yoda said:
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/28/2003429730 (correct link)

While people finally demonstrate against the parade and assembly law (years to late), they should recognize military instructors in schools and universities as a much bigger danger for democracy.

I visited a number of Schools and universities in my life. None of them needed any military instructors to guarantee safety on campus. I did not even know that safety in a school or University is something to worry about.

Actually in the countries I went to school and University a military instructor would be considered to be a mayor security risk and a danger for freedom and democracy.

Why a military instructor has any qualifications in counselling seems to be a hidden secrete. Usually people would hire a PhD in Psychology for such a difficult job.

So why are this guys needed? What purpose do they full fill and who controls them? Who controls the army in general?

There can only one constitution and one law in a country and its army must be under this system and not beside or above.

The first principle in a modern army in a democratic country must be to safe and honour this democracy.

Drill and discipline is necessary to make an army able to operate, but someone should not understand it as a training just to blindly follow commands (that would be fascism), but as a training to make responsible decisions under pressure, responsible in the light of ethics and constitution.

Military instructors are the opposite of what is needed. They make the society a part of the army.
In a democracy the army must be part of the society. So civil instructors would be needed in the army to teach soldiers and especially young officers the fundaments of a democratic society and the ethics they need to make decisions in a responsible way. These instructors should be independent of political influence, for example a priest or a monk or a professor of law or history or politics, …

To abolish military instructors immediately is a conditio sine qua non for a country that is even thinking about to use the word democracy to describe its political system.

As there are rumours that military instructors work as spies for the government to collect information’s about students active in the protests, it might be the time for a counter strike and photograph and identify the military instructors, as they are one of the main enemies of democracy.

They must be named to be banished.

[China Post] The Wild Strawberries have already reached thousands

‘We, the people.’ These are the first words of the constitution of the United States of America. We the people in the 21st century have given us a democratic communication structure called the Web 2.0.

The Web is representing the opinions of millions of bloggers and is used by hundreds of millions of visitors. The Web is forming a community stronger than every national government. The Web is writing the history of the future.(more)

[Taipei Times] Put an end to meddling in freedom of assembly

It has Become traditional for the annual year-end conference of the signatories to the UN Climate Change Convention and the Kyoto Protocol to be accompanied by parades, concerts and other activities worldwide to raise public awareness.

This year, the activities in Taiwan are scheduled for Dec. 6 and organizers include the Green Party Taiwan and the Taiwan Environmental Action Network (台灣環境行動網), among many others.

Unfortunately, when we applied for a permit to demonstrate, the Taipei City Government complicated the matter, while police intervened in an event promoting the activities. (more)

[Taipei Times] EDITORIAL: A slippery slope for all involved

It may not have been overly dramatic of the Wild Strawberries Student Movement to stage a mock memorial service for human rights this week at the clumsily named National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall. Pan-green politicians are being held for days on end without charge; serious allegations of excessive use of force have been leveled at police; and the true purpose of the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法) came into sharp focus this month. (more)

European parliamentarian says handcuffing Chen was unnecessary

Former President Chen Shui-bian should not have been put in handcuffs when he was being taken to the court two weeks ago for a detention hearing, a visiting leader of the European parliament said in Taipei Tuesday.

Graham Watson, leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Parliament, told members of the Taiwan press that although the principle of rule of law should be revered, "there should also be a rule of civility." (more)