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TAIPEI (REUTERS) – Lawmakers from Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party threw guts and exchanged blows with other lawmakers in Parliament on Friday (November 27) while trying to prevent the prime minister from answering questions, in a bitter dispute over the America relaxation. pork imports.
President Tsai Ing-wen announced in August that the government, starting on January 1, would allow imports of American pork containing ractopamine, an additive that improves leanness but is banned in the European Union and China, as well such as US beef older than 30 months. .
While the move was well received in Washington and removed an obstacle to a U.S. free trade agreement for Taiwan, the KMT has strongly opposed the decision, capitalizing on public concern over food safety after several high-profile scandals. in recent years.
Since the last session of Parliament began in mid-September, the KMT has protested the pig’s decision by preventing Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang from delivering regular reports and answering questions by taking the podium where he speaks.
Fed up with the paralysis, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) decided it was going to ensure Su could speak on Friday, and formed a protective barrier around her as she entered, as KMT lawmakers blew whistles, held banners and blew horns from air.
When Mr. Su began to speak, the KMT legislators threw buckets of pig guts at him and some exchanged blows, with a brief but cruel encounter between a group of KMT legislators and Chen Po-wei of the small State Building Party of Taiwan
Mr. Su soon retired, but then got back up to try to answer questions, his words drowned out by KMT lawmakers.
The DPP condemned the protests, saying in a statement that throwing away the pork guts was a waste of food that “stunk” the floor of Parliament and was “disgusting”, calling for a return to rational debate.
The KMT says the decision on pork was rushed and is a threat to health, the DPP denies.
“To protect people’s health and protect food security, the opposition party cannot help but resist,” the KMT said of Friday’s protest.
Taiwan is a bustling democracy and fighting is common in Parliament.
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