Taiwanese protestors continue demo outside Democracy Memorial Hall complex

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TAIPEI : Protestors continue to gather outside the Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall complex, which is being closed for three days for the central government to remove an entrance plaque paying tribute to former president Chiang Kai-shek.

Scuffles have broken out since Wednesday between supporters and critics of the move to play down Mr Chiang's legacy.

The controversy over the removal of a symbolic plaque eulogising former Taiwan president Chiang has claimed its first casualties.

Several members of the media covering the protests were hit by an angry truck driver and had to be hospitalised.

Meanwhile, protestors continue to mass outside the Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall complex to stop the central government from removing one of the last publicly visible tributes to Mr Chiang. He is remembered by many as a nationalist icon.

At the centre of the controversy is a plaque at the complex which reads 'da zhong zhi zheng' - meaning 'upright and fair'.

It does not actually mention Mr Chiang Kai-shek, but two of the characters - zhong and zheng - are also found in Mr Chiang's name.

Some 500 officers from the National Police Agency have been sent in by the central government, sparking concerns over a possible showdown between national and local law enforcement personnel who take orders from the opposition-led Taipei City government.

Hau Long Bin, Taipei City Mayor, said: "The central government sent police to our city. This is suppression. This is action by a dictatorship and equivalent to martial law."

The Ministry of Education, which supervises the memorial, is determined to change the sign's words to "Freedom Square".

Chuang Kuo Rong, Secretary General, Ministry of Education, said: "I will see Taipei Mayor Hau Long Bin in court to determine who has jurisdiction and I want you to go home crying for your mother's help."

In May, the name of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall was changed to Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall in a move by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to dilute the late president's legacy. The removal of the entrance plaque will complete the process.

Tu Jen Shen, Taiwan Minister of Education, said: "We need to remove the legacy of Chiang Kai Shek so that Taiwan will be a true democracy."

To avert any violence, opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou has urged party supporters not to physically stop the plaque's removal.

He said: "The central government is absurd. I will reinstate the plaque if and when I am elected president."

Visiting the site ahead of the imminent removal of his grandfather's legacy, KMT lawmaker John Chiang Hsiao-yen said the plaque's removal would destroy the historic site and create conflict among the Taiwanese people. - CNA/ch