President Ma Ying-jeou is willing to hold talks with student protesters without any preconditions. That’s the word from Presidential Office spokeswoman Lee Chia-fei on Tuesday.
"President Ma Ying-jeou is willing to invite student representatives to the presidential office to talk about the cross-strait trade in services agreement without any preconditions. To end the current stalemate and to help the legislature return normalcy, the president will listen to their opinions," said Lee.
Thousands of college students have been occupying the legislature since last Tuesday to protest against the trade agreement that still pends legislative approval. They said the agreement could deal a heavy blow to the local economy, jeopardize national security and hurt Taiwan’s freedom and democracy.
Student representative Lin Fei-fan responded to the invitation. "We agree [to meet] without any preconditions, but we think there needs to be discussion about two issues of concern. First, is there a need to legally monitor cross-strait agreements? Second, should we implement this legal monitoring before a review of the trade in services agreement?" said Lin.
Another student Chen Wei-ting said that they are willing to talk with the president in a public place, such as in front of the presidential office. That way the public can witness the dialogue.
The presidential office said it will send a representative to discuss the details of a meeting between student representatives and the president.
The office also said it wants to listen to the students’ opinions and wants the legislature to begin meeting normally again as soon as possible.