Students threaten huge rally to pressure Ma Ying-jeou to drop trade pact with Beijing
Protesters who occupied legislature increase their focus on island's president
Students occupying the Taiwanese legislature to oppose a services trade pact with the mainland vowed yesterday to mobilise thousands of protesters to demonstrate in front of the office of the island's president, Ma Ying-jeou, on Sunday.
The announcement prompted Ma to soften his stance by agreeing to discuss with the students their demands, including stopping a review of the pact in parliament and passing a law to supervise all future agreements signed by Taipei and Beijing.
Protestors fear the trade agreement, which will give Taiwan and the mainland greater access to each other's service sectors, will cost jobs on the island. They also fear closer ties with Beijing pose a threat to Taiwan's democracy.
"I call upon all of our friends, regardless of whether they are students or how old they are, to join us in the protest to be held on March 30," said Lin Fei-fan, the main organiser of the occupation of parliament.
About 200 students seized the legislature on March 18 after the government went back on an agreement to review the trade pact line by line in parliament.
Lin called for a record turnout to fill the avenue leading from the Presidential Office to the legislature in order to put pressure on Ma to heed the demonstrators' demands.
