Anti-China student protesters leave Taiwan parliament, vow to fight on against pact
taipei — Hundreds of student protesters filed out of Taiwan’s parliament on Thursday after occupying the legislature for more than three weeks and vowed to press on with their campaign against a trade pact with mainland China.
A crowd of thousands gathered outside the parliament to greet the demonstrators after they marched out in single file.
It was the largest anti-Beijing protest in years on the island, where Nationalists fled in 1949 after losing to the Communists in a civil war.
Shouting “defend democracy, repeal the trade pact!” the protesters pledged to continue their opposition to a services trade agreement which has been nearly approved by parliament.
“This movement is not over,” Miles Lin, the leader of the sit-in told fellow protesters. “After leaving here, we’re taking this movement out to broader Taiwan society.”
Demonstrators, who carried sunflowers as a symbol of hope, said the trade pact will benefit wealthy companies with Chinese links and expressed fears it could lead to Chinese encroachments on Taiwan’s democratic institutions.
The demonstrators broke into the building in late March after the trade pact passed a crucial legislative hurdle and stood a single step away from full approval. Hundreds of protesters took turns occupying the building, repelling police efforts to evict them.
The demonstrations briefly turned violent after a separate group attempted to storm the government headquarters, leading to scuffles with police in which several people were injured. Hundreds of thousands later marched on the president’s office.