Taiwanese Protesters Denounce China's Planned Anti-Secession Law
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan -- More than 15,000 protesters marched in Taiwan on Sunday, denouncing China's planned anti-secession law and pledging to fight what they say is Beijing's attempt to force this self-ruled island to unify with the mainland.
The procession through the southern city of Kaohsiung, a major seaport, came a day after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao vowed never to permit formal independence for Taiwan as he opened a parliamentary session that is to enact an anti-secession law aimed at the island.
Tensions between Taiwan and China have risen over Beijing's plan to pass the legislation, which Taiwanese leaders say could set the stage for an attack on the island.
Taiwan and China split in 1949 during a civil war, but Beijing insists the island is part of its territory and repeatedly has threatened to attack if Taipei formalizes its de facto independence or delays unification talks.
Also Sunday, China's foreign minister, Li Zhaoxing, warned the United States and Japan not to include Taiwan within the scope of their military alliance, saying Beijing would not permit interference in what it considers an internal matter.
In Beijing on Monday, Chinese police dragged about 20 screaming petitioners from Tiananmen Square after they staged a sit-down protest outside the venue of the annual session of parliament, witnesses said. It was not immediately known what their grievances were or what happened to them.
The MIDDLE EAST
• JERUSALEM -- Israeli police arrested 22 employees of a Tel Aviv bank branch on suspicion they helped launder hundreds of millions of dollars in one of the largest such rings in the country's history, investigators said.
Police said the money-laundering ring involved more than 200 accounts, including some held by clients from Russia and France, at a Tel Aviv branch of Bank Hapoalim.
Before introducing legislation aimed at money laundering in 2000, Israel was considered a haven for money launderers and was on a U.S. State Department blacklist. Israel was removed from the department's list of noncooperative countries in 2002 and from its monitoring list in 2003.
Also Sunday, a senior Palestinian commander said Israel will hand over control of the West Bank town of Tulkarm to Palestinians this week, marking the resumption of confidence-building measures halted after a suicide bombing Feb. 25 killed five Israelis in Tel Aviv.
• ISTANBUL -- Riot police used truncheons and tear gas to break up a group of demonstrators who refused to disperse during an unauthorized demonstration marking the upcoming World Women's Day.
Police were seen in television footage chasing and beating demonstrators with clubs. One female demonstrator was knocked to the ground by police officers, then kicked in the face by another officer. Policemen in gas masks could also be seen spraying tear gas directly onto demonstrators' faces.
World Women's Day is on Tuesday.
