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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Retirees, reporters hurt in pension protest
Supporters of the Retired Police Officers’ Association, the Taiwan Association of Retired Firefighters and the Retirement Association for Taiwanese Educators and Civil Servants protest yesterday outside the Taipei Police Department’s Zhongzheng First Precinct. Photo: CNA
By Sean Lin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA
The Taipei Police Department is launching an investigation into a violent altercation between protesters and police on Monday that left two former police officers and four journalists injured.
The Retired Police Officers’ Association, the Taiwan Association of Retired Firefighters and the Retirement Association for Taiwanese Educators and Civil Servants held a march protesting pension reforms that are to go into effect on July 1.
The officers and journalists were injured in a scuffle that broke out after a protester surnamed Lin （林） attempted to remove the national flag from the top of the gate to the Control Yuan, police said.
The primary suspects are a veteran surnamed Kang （康） and two retired policemen, surnamed Liao （廖） and Wu （伍）, department Deputy Director Huang Chi-tze （黃啟澤） said yesterday.
Kang has already visited a police station to give an affidavit, Huang said, adding that the station has sent notices to Wu and Liao asking them to also give affidavits.
If necessary, the department would file for a subpoena for the former officers, both of whom are registered members of the Hualien Retired Police Officers’ Association, Huang said.
One of the injured officers suffered an injury to a finger on his right hand, while the other sustained an injury to the bridge of his nose, Huang said.
The journalists have already brought charges against the suspects, who could be charged for contravening the Social Order Maintenance Act （社會秩序維護法）, Huang said.
The National Police Agency yesterday afternoon issued a statement urging the department to conclude investigations and bring action against the perpetrator or perpetrators as soon as possible.
Police can order marches to halt or disband if participating individuals have attempted to obfuscate their identity after the authorities have ordered them to reveal themselves, the agency said, citing provisions in the Assembly and Parade Act （集會遊行法）.
Due to the increasing number of protesters who cover their faces while engaging in violent acts, the agency said it would demand that police departments at all levels strictly adhere to the regulations.
Meanwhile, several bills scheduled for review at the Legislative Yuan yesterday were stymied by the Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） caucus, which filed a request to send the bills to cross-caucus negotiations before a dozen caucus members joined the retirees’ protest.
The legislature was scheduled to pass amendments to the Act for Industrial Innovation （產業創新條例）, a bill for the act on preventing the spread of viruses against which humans lack immunity and a bill on patients’ rights protections, but the KMT caucus used its legislative authority to send the bills to a round of negotiations.
The caucus reportedly wanted to use the bills as a bargaining tool to pressure the Democratic Progressive Party to make further concessions on the proposed pension reform plan for military retirees, which are to advance to committee review after public hearings on the issue are held.
The KMT caucus on Monday called for an additional 20 hearings on military pension reform to be held nationwide after repeatedly demanding that four hearings be held at the legislature.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
