Members of the Taiwan Anti-Forced Relocation Alliance knelt down to Tsai Ing-wen, who was forced to accept the petition. (Taiwan media photo)
China Taiwan News, October 16, Taichung’s new train station was opened today. Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen went to attend the launching ceremony in the morning. A large number of people from anti-forced demolition groups gathered at the scene, wanting to express their feelings to Tsai Ing-wen. Tsai Ing-wen ignored this at first. After several conflicts and shoving between the protesters and the order maintenance personnel at the scene, and after she threatened to rush into the venue, Tsai Ing-wen reluctantly came forward to take the love letter from the kneeling people.
According to Taiwan's "United Daily News", Central Taiwan's anti-forced eviction groups deployed a protest array on the "Great Wisdom" building next to the train station that is scheduled to be demolished today, and tried their best to disrupt the ceremony during the ceremony. Because the protesters were standing on the building, the police were helpless. The protesters used loudspeakers to shout "Lin Jialong steps down" and "Tsai Ing-wen please accept our submission", so that when the ceremony's master of ceremonies presided over the event, he had to shout, and his voice broke several times.
Although a large number of people were protesting, When Tsai Ing-wen arrived at the scene, she did not even look at the protest group. She just shook hands with the greeters and walked directly into the venue. Lin Jialong, mayor of Taichung City, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, insisted in an interview that the "Great Wisdom" building must be demolished to connect the new station to the old one and open up Dazhi Road.
The anti-forced eviction group kept asking Tsai Ing-wen to accept the petition. After several conflicts and shoving with the order maintenance personnel at the scene, they angrily expressed that Tsai Ing-wen had already arrived at the door of the demolished building, why did she not even accept the petition? Yao Renduo, deputy secretary-general of Tsai Ing-wen's office, then came forward to negotiate. The protesters said they had been deceived many times before to go to Tsai Ing-wen's official residence. If they did not accept the petition, they would storm into the venue.
Yao Renduo immediately entered the scene to tell Tsai Ing-wen about the situation, and finally Tsai Ing-wen came out. Members of the "Great Wisdom" Building Self-Rescue Association knelt down and handed over their love letters and shouted "Save us". Tsai Ing-wen said she would understand.
The protesters burst into tears and said that their building was going to be demolished and they could not wait any longer! Demand a concrete response from the Taiwan authorities within 15 days, otherwise fierce protests will be carried out! (China Taiwan Net Wang Siyu)
