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Police called on to monitor clashes between groups
By Chen Yan-chun / Staff reporter
A Falun Gong supporter holds up posters in front of Taipei 101 on Saturday, criticizing the Chinese Communist Party for its cruel suppression of the group, while a member of pro-unification Patriot Association waves China’s five-star red flag in the background.
Photo: Chen Yen-chun, Taipei Times
A number of Taipei city councilors have called on Xinyi Precinct police to patrol areas near Taipei 101 after reported incidents of alleged assault involving members of the pro-unification Patriot Association.
Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) told people to mind their personal safety, citing statistics produced by the precinct, which showed that 12 scuffles have taken place at the plaza in front of the skyscraper between January and last month.
Some of the scuffles involved members of the association physically attacking Falun Gong supporters, she said.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Yeng Sheng-kuan (顏聖冠) said the Taipei City Government tolerated the association’s alleged acts of violence by turning a blind eye to the reports of attacks on Falun Gong supporters and continuing to allow the association to spread its propaganda.
The association’s members are known for their outspokenness over the unification of Taiwan and China, often being seen in public places waving the five-star red flag of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and shouting chants.
In contrast, supporters of the Falun Gong, which is banned in China as an “evil cult,” can be seen at sit-ins, protesting silently against what they say is the Chinese government’s persecution.
Sanjhangli Police Station Director-General Hsiao Chien-hung (蕭建宏) said that since the reports of sporadic violence in the Taipei 101 plaza, officers have patrolled the site and its surroundings on a daily basis and banned the use of loudspeakers.
Falun Gong supporter Tsai Shou-jen (蔡守仁) said he and his fellow members chose Taipei 101 as a venue to promote their appeal with the hope of telling people about the Chinese government’s oppressive ways with people’s freedom of speech and religious groups.
Members of the Patriot Association usually rally near the plaza from 5pm to 7pm, Monday to Friday, Tsai said.
source: Taipei Times
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