http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1108718 "Murkiness before Dawn" Midnight, on Taiwan's most sizable, underground internet community, "ptt," tens of thousand of users were simmering over the brutal pass of the " trade pact", a bilateral trade cooperation contract with People's Republic of China. The pass, worried numerous local experts and academics, might be the very beginning of a total subordination to PRC, against which Taiwanese people have fought for generations with historical complexity. Democracy is at stake, and after unconditional business liberalization, economic autonomy and sovereignty seem to be on a shaky ground, too. Earlier that night, hundreds of student activists from top universities were mobilized. They confronted the law enforcement, rammed into the Congress building, and started a long night in their newly occupied pillbox, withstanding pressure and risks of being arrested by the police. As one of the major chunk of ptt netizens who took some actions, I'd been with the crowd for 6 hours. My night started with crowd at the side door of the Congress building, where some student activists had camped and sat-in since the pass of trade pact. People gave speeches and sang protest songs, showing their support to those who fought hard inside lest they should be muscled out by the police. At around 3:00 am, I moved to the front door with friends. We joined a crowd led by leaders pro-independence (a perennial political conundrum splitting the demographic on various issues.) I sat in and was soon motivated to ram the shield blockade with some elderly activists who poured their hearts out in every charge; contrarily, some stylish young activists merely stood far behind, taking pictures with fancy phones or cameras. I was in the front line on the first charge. Both my forearms rested on an intensified glass shield, through which I looked eye to eye with some police while feeling their deep breaths. I pushed against the shield wall with the crowd, and the first charged subdued and cornered the police guarding the front door. I heard people howl frenziedly, and found them took down and smashed the doorplate that says " Congress Building" to the ground behind me and the front line. *A few observations: 1. Some girl students filed and stood before armed policemen, wishing to get the best out of last traces of chivalry and sympathy of these men. 2. Quite a number of legislators from the major opposition parties, DPP, stood with students before they were muscled out ruthlessly. 3. On ptt, new posts for supporting gatherings spawned and spread; evidently, people were upset and willing to take serious action against legislative secretism and red-tape they used to silently bear with for years. To whom this iReport may concern, my country is faced with a constitutional crisis, which may very likely lead to a gradual sovereignty loss to a hostile neighboring country, PRC. While the pro-unification government and ruling party seem to have totally given in on protecting domestic, small-scaled businesses, with international exposure and pressure, we have a fighting chance, a deem hope to stop the worst scenario from happening. My people and I greatly appreciate help in any way. Thank you. --

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