Student leaders say that the occupation of Taiwan's legislature will continue. Their comments came on Sunday as the protests were set to enter day six. They were responding to remarks from President Ma Ying-jeou, who called for an end to the occupation of the legislature.
One of the student leaders, Lin Fei-fan, laid out the protestors' demands at a news conference in the main chamber of the legislature on Sunday. He said the protestors are calling for a cross-partisan national affairs conference to discuss the crisis. He said it should include representatives from all sectors of society.
Other demands were for the legislature to withdraw its ratification of the trade pact, and the passage of a new law that would allow for closer legislative monitoring of agreements with China. The protestors are also demanding legislative support for a bill drafted by civil groups that addresses the process for signing pacts with China. The government responded by saying that there is already process in place for signing such agreements.
Lin did not say how long the occupation of the legislature would last, but he said they are not ruling out using peaceful means to stage a larger protest that would enable more people to join in what he called the "revolutionary movement." This is the first time in history that protestors have occupied Taiwan's legislature.