FORUM:The New School for Democracy brought together activists from the region to examine the outcome of the nation’s record-breaking ballot

By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff reporter

Saturday’s nine-in-one election results were a rejection of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) China policy, while encouraging pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong and Macau, as residents in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau all suffer similar fates under the influence of China, a forum in Taipei was told yesterday.

Since Ma came into office, the only area in which his administration has produced results has been cross-strait relations, but the election results show that mainstream public opinion has turned against Ma’s China policy, said Wang Dan (王丹), an exiled Chinese democracy activist who teaches at National Tsing Hua University.