TAIPEI, Taiwan, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Protesters accusing Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou of not standing up to Beijing took to the streets of Taipei Saturday in the tens of thousands, observers said.
The marchers were organized by the Democratic Progressive Party, which led the previous Taiwan government and antagonized China with its pro-independence agenda, the BBC reported, saying former Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian joined the marchers and was cheered by the crowd.
The Taipei marchers shouted slogans such as "Opposing toxic products, defending sovereignty," a reference to the Chinese tainted milk powder scandal in which four babies died and tens of thousands more were sickened.
Under Ma, relations between Beijing and Taiwan have become closer. The protest march came nine days before a planned visit to Taipei from Chen Yunlin, the mainland's top negotiator on Taiwanese affairs, the BBC said.
