“The government must return to the negotiating table for another round of talks with the US,” said Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, which mobilized a large number of DPP supporters to join the protest. She said the government of President Ma Ying-Jeou must step down if it reintroduced the imports.
Taiwan’s health ministry later appealed for calm, saying relevant authorities would implement a set of highly strict regulations for inspection of ground beef, offal, brains, eyes, skulls and spiral nerve roots from cattle younger than 30 months of age. But local consumer groups have planned to launch a referendum campaign to ask the public to vote on whether Taiwan should import those meat products. [Earth Times]