appearance at a public political event before his arrest on November 11. The DPP organizers announced that there were over 600,000 protesters. According to the pro-independence Taiwan East Society (), there were some pan-blue or Kuomintang supporters who signed up for the event. The chairman of the organization said that President Ma's pro-China policies had irritated many Taitung residents. Controversial officer When protesters asked a police officer whether her boss is President Ma or not, the officer, surnamed Chou, responded that she worked for the People's Republic of China (PRC). The response irritated pan-green supporters, and an apology was immediately demanded. Chou apologized and left the scene. The director of the National Police Agency Wang Cho-chiun later publicly apologized for the conduct of the officer, saying she has "damaged the police's public image." Wang also said that the officer will be punished for sure. Responses President Ma Ying-jeou said he would listen to the voice of the people and respond to their criticism, but maintained that the main direction of his government policies remained the correct one. See also 517 Protest References 2008 in Taiwan Protests in Taiwan