｜ IV. Military Parade Behind Barbed Wires Aside from promises made by the pro-localization faction of the KMT and their concrete show of good faith at the Legislative Yuan’s Judicial Committee on October 7, there was another reason why Lee Chenyuan, Lin Shan-tien, and Chen Shih-meng considered stepping on the brakes. The alliance had gotten word that Hau Pei-tsun had given the order to “eliminate the anti-military parade movement, through means of bloody suppression if necessary” at a meeting of senior KMT party members, officials, and the military on October 1. Though decision-makers of the alliance believed they were justified to remain steadfast in their protest against the military parade, they did not want to see participants brutalized in violent suppression and bloodshed, which would further damage Taiwan’s pro-democracy movement. Lee Chen-yuan, who witnessed the February 28 incident and White Terror, stated that he had lived longer than the average life expectancy in Taiwan, and that since he had made a stand, he would dedicate his life to this land. However, he could not bear to see the anti-military parade movement become an excuse for the KMT to carry out armed suppression. He was not willing to see protesters be demonized or even hurt in tragic bloodshed. October 9, 1991: The military police used water cannons to disperse a sit-in protest. Photographer: Huang Yi-shu 108 A Dilemma for the Anti-Military Parade Movement, Lee Chen-yuan Fearing a Reprise of the White Terror Historically, whenever the state launched violent suppression, the ones to suffer the most were ordinary people passionate about the cause, because the police pulled no punches when attacking the masses. However, younger members in the alliance like Chien Hsi-chieh, Chung Chia-pin, Luo Wen-chia, and Chen Cheng-jan believed that the KMT might be trying to stall them and should not be trusted easily. The decision passed in the Legislative Yuan’s Judicial Committee meeting on the 7th was not conclusive. There were still variables. On October 8, the High Prosecutors Office announced publicly that masterminds of the anti-military parade movement should be detained as active criminals. The heavy-handed threat made the younger members of the coalition even more doubtful of the KMT’s sincerity. Office Assistant Chung Chia-pin of the new National Assembly and Chen Shui-bian’s Legislative Assistant Luo Wen-chia both believed that although KMT legislators were absent, the move only meant they did not openly oppose the proposal, not that they agreed with it, so it didn’t even count as a preliminary political commitment. They also believed that canceling the anti-military parade movement without concrete commitments would damage the momentum they had painstakingly built over the past 20 days and impact future mobilization. The coalition was in a dilemma. After some discussion, the younger members decided that, at the very least, the movement should not end in haste. Therefore, they told Lee Chen-yuan and others that even if they were to cancel the protest, they should at least finish the non-violent drill they had planned for the morning of the 9th before announcing to members why they were canceling the protest. Chapter 3 ｜ Protest: The Crucial 20 Days However, even the best-laid plans can go astray. The drill at the early morning of October 9 was originally supposed to take place in front of the NTU Basic Medical Science Building. A small group of protesters were heading there when they passed the audience stand for the military parade in front of the Presidential Office Building. On a whim, they decided to do a drill right there since they were there already. The other teams heard about it and went to join them. Within an hour, there were over 70 alliance members sitting at the square in front of the Presidential Office Building rehearsing non-violent demonstrations. Lin Tsung-cheng, Chien Hsi-chieh, Luo Wen-chia, and Chung Chia-pin were all there directing the crowd. An Accidental Anti-Military Parade Protest The military police officer in charge was horrified and nervous to find the square “overtaken” by protesters. A rapid reaction force was deployed and water cannons were used in an attempt to disperse the crowd. To the police’s surprise, the protesters did not panic. Instead, they listened to directions and turned their backs to the water cannon with their heads bowed and arms intertwined, allowing the water to hit and soak their bodies. Seeing that the alliance members were refusing to leave, the military police began grabbing and trying to forcefully drag away protesters upon receiving orders. In the ensuing scuffle, a 71-year old female protester fainted. A business person was beaten until he had a split eyelid and was bleeding from the corner of his eye. Two other students were beaten until they were bleeding from the head. In total, four alliance members were injured and hospitalized. This accidental protest and suppression exacerbated the situation. The decision-making team of the 100 Action Alliance, who had planned to call off the protest, decided then and there to organize a sit-in and protest against the military parade to the end. 109