Anti-trade pact occupation of Taiwan parliament was 'months in the making'
Students who led chamber's takeover were forced to devise a better plan after failed attempt to draw attention to trade pact fight in the autumn
The occupation of the Taiwanese legislature nearly came more than five months ago, when the same student activists tried to enter the building during a rally, but were thwarted by police.
The students had for weeks been seeking a way to catapult their nascent Black Island Nation Youth Front and its mission of derailing the island's free-trade pact with the mainland to the forefront of public attention.
Despite holding several rallies, the youth front could not gain much traction. All that changed when the island's president, Ma Ying-jeou, decided his ruling Kuomintang party would seek to pass the deal before the legislative session ends in July.
The KMT announced last week the pact would not be given a line-by-line review by lawmakers, and the party would instead seek to ratify the agreement in its entirety.
Late on Tuesday, about 200 students slipped past security and took control of the chamber, where they have vowed to remain until their demands are met.
Chen Wei-ting, a student at National Tsing Hua University, and one of the group's leaders, said the occupation was the result of months of strategising.