On March 18, 2014, hundreds of students stormed into the legislature in Taipei and took over the main chamber. The event was sparked by a then ruling Kuomintang lawmaker’s move the previous day to send to the floor a controversial trade in services agreement with China. The lawmaker, Chang Ching-chung, passed the agreement in 30 seconds at a joint legislative committee meeting. He also claimed that the agreement cannot be amended, and must be passed as is.
Taiwan signed the agreement on trade in services with China about three years ago, but there has been criticism over a lack of transparency. While supporters of the agreement say that it will help Taiwan further liberalize its economy, critics fear it will give China too much influence over Taiwan.
Seeing what they believed was a violation of due process, students occupied the legislative chamber and prevented repeated attempts to expel them. The students demanded that the agreement be sent back to the Cabinet before a law that allows systematic oversight of cross-strait agreements is enacted. It was not until April 10 that the students ended their sit-in, after then Legislature President Wang Jin-pyng, a KMT member, promised to postpone cross-party negotiation on the trade pact until an oversight law is passed.
Student protestors however were charged by the previous KMT administration with acts of vandalism related to a break-in at the Cabinet building on March 23, 2014. On Monday, Premier Lin Chuan said the Sunflower Movement was a “political” incident, not a legal case; therefore, the DPP administration has decided to withdraw the charges. Lin also the said the case should be handled in a more harmonious and less confrontational manner.
While welcomed by many, the premier’s decision has also come under fire. Some critics said withdrawing the criminal charges will set a bad example for similar cases in the future and asked what other democracy would tolerate vandalism or the occupation of its parliament. Others said the decision was politically motivated and that it demonstrates disrespect for the rule of law.
The KMT, now in opposition and the minority party in the legislature, accused the DPP government of being irresponsible and using political solutions to resolve judicial cases.