After local governments across the nation spent big money on fireworks displays for New Year’s Eve celebrations to generate a “little happiness” for the public, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) surprised media outlets with a big New Year’s Day present on Jan. 1. The Taipei City Police Department issued regulations for how officers should deal with the media and assemblies and parades. In the future, police are to designate a “press zone” and a “petition zone,” which in effect is a “protest zone,” for all demonstrations, which are to be divided into two stages: a “peaceful stage” and a “dispersal…

By Lee I-chia  /  Taipei Times Staff reporter 10 June 2014  Taipei Times The National Nuclear Abolition Action Platform yesterday said that several of its members had been told to report to their local police for questioning over their actions during an anti-nuclear protest on Taipei’s Zhongxiao W Road in April. On April 27, tens of thousands people took to the streets of Taipei in an anti-nuclear parade, and occupied a section of Zhongxiao W Road later that evening. Thousands of protesters were forcefully evicted by police, aided by water cannons, the next morning. The anti-nuclear platform said four members…

Condemn State Violence. Urge government to properly respond to people’s request for Anti-nuclear power plants Taiwan Association for Human Rights translators: Pan Yi, Pinnhuei Lee   On the sixth day of Mr. Lin’s fasting, the government still didn’t give a clear response to whether or not to stop the construction of the nuclear power plant. National Nuclear Abolition Action Platform (NNAAP) called for a demonstration on April 27th and occupied Zhong-Xiao West Road by peaceful sit-in as a way to show civil disobedience and request the government to give people a deserving answer.      On the late night of 27th…

Taiwan Association for Human Rights has issued a statement regarding the Grand Justices’ Interpretation No. 718 regarding the constitutionality of Taiwan’s Assembly and Parade Act. According to their statement, the Grand Justices failed in preserving the right to assemble, and excessive power still lies in the hands of authorities. __________ Taiwan Association for Human Rights’ statement regarding Constitutional Interpretation No. 718  During the visit of Chinese envoy Mr. Chen Yun-lin at the end of 2008, the excessive and reckless force against protesters, under the pretext of national security, caused a series of demonstrations held by civil society organizations (CSOs) in Taiwan,…