Taiwan Police, Farmers Clash; 100 Injured

Riot police backed by water cannons fought running battles Friday with farmers and other demonstrators who stormed Taiwan’s Parliament building to protest U.S. agricultural imports and low prices for their produce.

Authorities said more than 100 people were injured in what they called the most violent protest on Taiwan in years. Two prominent members of Taiwan’s only opposition party were among at least 20 people arrested by police.

The protest began as a peaceful march by 3,000 farmers from across the island who complained about low crop prices and U.S. agricultural imports, and demanded a social insurance plan for farm workers.

Their ranks were swollen by workers and members of the Democratic Progress Party, which forms the main opposition to the ruling Nationalist Party.

2 Party Leaders Held

Col. Wang Hua-tseng, Taipei’s deputy police chief, said the demonstration was led by Lin Kuo-hua, a member of the Central Standing Committee of the Democratic Progress Party and fellow party leader Hsiao Yu-cheng.

Police sources said both Lin and Hsiao were among those arrested and held without bail.

The clashes began when some of the demonstrators, who refused to use mobile toilets provided by police, were barred from entering the Parliament building to use the washroom. Three protesters were arrested and others hurled rocks, bricks and soft drink cans, breaking all of the windows facing the street.