Week 1 - Sunflower student movement

In Taiwan, a new student movement has come into formation. As the occupation of the Legislature entered its third day, students from all around the island came to give their support. It is estimated that more than thirty thousand students are involved in the demonstration.

On this Friday morning (3/21), students started to deliver sunflowers, which are viewed as the emblem of the movement against the dark and invalid moves by the government.

Despite of the increasing police force mobilized, students insisted in non-violent ways in the protest. Cards written with blessings are seen on the barriers set to stop more protesters from joining. On Friday morning, a police, with a mask to protect the identity, stepped out to talk with the crowds, encouraging them to persist.

Earlier on this Tuesday (3/18), to oppose the forcing through the China trade pact by the KMT, the ruling party led by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), more than a hundred students burst into the Legislature and started the first occupation of the Assembly Hall. Many accused the government of disregarding the fact that more than 70% of the Taiwanese hopes to have the trade pact (The Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement) scrutinized with deliberation and thus consider such action a disrespect to the principles of democracy.

At six on Friday, three demands are issued by Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆), a National Taiwan University student and one of the main leaders of the protest. He insisted that President Ma Ying-jeou and legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) should come to have a face-to-face response with the protesters. He also urges the president to withdraw the pact back and start a cross-strait supervision law.

For now far no response is received from the president, Lin now declare there will be further action for the protest. He demands people to have a sit-in in front of the KMP’s headquarters and its branches.

Lead:

In Taiwan, a new student movement has come into formation. As the occupation of the Legislature entered its third day, students from all around the island came to give their support. It is estimated that more than thirty thousand students are involved in the demonstration.

Where: Taiwan

What: a new student movement has come into formation

When: March 21st

Who: more than a hundred students

Why: oppose the forcing through the China trade pact by the KMT

How: occupy the Legislature of Taiwan

KEYWORDS:

Legislature 立法院 (N.)

persist 堅持 (V.)

The Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement 兩岸服務貿易協議 (N.)

scrutinize 審議 (V.)

protesters 示威者 (N.)

Address: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1110479     (CNN)