Protesters clash with police over controversial legislation

Taipei, Dec. 20 (CNA) Over 7,000 people were gathered outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on Friday to protest three controversial amendments being voted on, at one point clashing with police as they tried to force their way inside the lawmaking body.

The rally, organized by the Taiwan Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and Taiwan Citizen Front, was held to oppose the legal revisions proposed by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), which together hold a majority in the Legislature.

At around 11 a.m., some protesters attempted to storm the legislative building from the Jinan Road entrance, pushing down barricades and clashing with police. No arrests were reported.

After their attempt failed, they continued to shout slogans such as "Stop the meeting! Withdraw the harmful laws!" and "Police retreat!"

By around 2:30 p.m., the organizers said the rally had drawn more than 7,000 participants.

The three amendments proposed by the opposition target the Public Officials Election And Recall Act, the Constitutional Court Procedure Act, and the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures.

The KMT has argued that the amendments would benefit society by preventing the abuse of provisions allowing the recall of officials and ensuring a broader consensus for rulings by Taiwan's Constitutional Court.

The EDU claimed, however, that the amendments would "take away the people's right to recall" and "paralyze" the Constitutional Court.

If the amendments pass Friday's vote, they will be forwarded to the president for promulgation and become law.

Friday's rally was part of a three-day series of events titled "Winter Bluebird in Taipei" organized by the two civic groups.