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The three young people in the talk were: Freddy Lin, the lead singer of the pop band Chthonic, Lee Yen-hui, a Taiwan Solidarity Union City Councilor, and Kuan Ta-wei, a senior research fellow at Taiwan Advocates, a think tank established by Lee Teng-hui.

In a question and answer session, the former president, in his 80s, spoke passionately about the need for young people to understand this moment of nation building.

Lin asked how it was that Lee Teng-hui had gone from Japanese colonization to the rule of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) dictatorship, to a fervent supporter of independence.

Lee Teng-hui said he has witnessed the grief all Taiwanese feel who have long been unable to be the boss of their own country.

"When I was still in the KMT, I always said Taiwanese people were unfortunate because Taiwan was ruled by an alien regime. Then KMT secretary-general Chiang Yang-shih asked why I said so. I said bluntly that it was indeed true because the KMT came from abroad," Lee Teng-hui said.

He said the result of Taiwanese people being ruled by alien regimes has been that their mouths have been sealed for fear of improper speeches.

The former president said it is important to understand history and to be firm and consistent in fighting against all odds.

In addition, he said he keeps a strong Christian belief, which has seen him through the darkest times as he pushed for the causes of the country and stood up to fierce opposition and partisan feuding.

"I don't mind that other people have spoken ill of me. I also don't care about the protests and attacks by members of the pro-unification Patriot Association," Lee Teng-hui said, referring to the association's protests at every public function he attends.

"Faith, ethics and justice are the most important characters an individual must bear in face of the fast-changing global society," he said.

Lee Yen-hui asked how young people should strike a balance between the pursuit of individual success and the attention for the state's prosperity.

Lee Teng-hui urged young people to reinforce their national identity, which, he said, should be a premise for personal success.

"Many young people in Taiwan thought they were born in a free and democratic society and have enjoyed much comfort of freedom. However, this is just material freedom. There are many areas showing Taiwan is not entirely free; that is, Taiwan is not completely a free state," he said.

The former president said, for example, that education in the country still lacks a focus on Taiwan's history and geography, as in the past five decades under the KMT, education disproportionately focused on China.

In addition, Lee said, Aboriginals' rights to autonomy should be respected.

"The Aboriginals are the earliest residents of this island, who came to Taiwan about 450 years ago. But they were driven to the mountainous areas and deprived of many of their inherent rights. What they need most is the skills and management abilities to help them out of poverty and relieve their grave unemployment problems. Their indigenous culture and art should be preserved," Lee Teng-hui said.

India urges China to cut back on Pakistan nuke aid

RELATIONS THAW: Forty years after a brutal border war the two countries are back on speaking terms and addressing mutual concerns about security

REUTERS , NEW DELHI

India has urged China to reconsider its support for Pakistan's nuclear and missile programs to reciprocate New Delhi's moves to back Beijing's position on Taiwan and Tibet.

Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha said India and China, which fought a brief but brutal border war in 1962, should pay closer attention to each other's sensitivities and aspirations in keeping with the spirit of their new friendship.

"We have taken a principled position on issues like Tibet and Taiwan and our position is appreciated by China," Sinha told naval officers in a speech late on Saturday.

"Some aspects of China's relations with Pakistan, including their nexus in nuclear and missile proliferation, however, continue to cause serious concern in India as they have a direct and negative bearing on our national security environment."

"We regard China as a friend and we expect friends to show greater sensitivity to our security concerns," Sinha said.

China is Pakistan's main supplier of military hardware and analysts also believe Beijing helped Islamabad with its nuclear weapons program.

India, also nuclear armed, and Pakistan have been locked in a decades-old dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir and last year the South Asian rivals went to the verge of their fourth war in half a century.

India and China, the world's two most populous nations, are building a new strategic alliance as ties between the Asian giants, frosty since the 1962 war, have warmed in recent years.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee visited China this year, the first such visit in a decade, and New Delhi, in a departure from its earlier position, recognized the Tibetan Autonomous Region as a part of the territory of China.

New Delhi, without explicitly naming Taiwan -- which Beijing regards as a renegade province -- also reiterated its support for a unified China.

India and China also agreed to seek a swift end to an old border dispute, boost trade and economic ties and hold joint military exercises, in what analysts say is a bid by Beijing to adopt a more even-handed approach in relations with South Asia.

Actor Andy feels the heat in VCD fracas

UNDER PRESSURE: The actor says fortunes have improved for Hoklo-speaking performers but that he is still under pressure not to reveal his political stripe

By Cody Yiu

STAFF REPORTER

Fame is something every actor pursues, but being infamous can be just as desirable.

Lin Fu-chin, often referred to as Andy, plays a significant role in the controversial VCD series Special Report. That role has led to his involvement in a slander lawsuit and to massive, controversial publicity.

Lin has been in the entertainment business for about 20 years, performing on many Hoklo-language (commonly referred to as Taiwanese) television programs. His sense of humor and quick wit have been well-received by Hoklo-speaking audiences. However, because Taiwan's mainstream TV culture has long been dominated by Mandarin-language programs, the professional opportunities of Lin and many other Taiwanese actors have been limited. In the past, it was almost impossible to become a TV star if one was a Hoklo-speaking actor.

Since the transfer of power in 2000, Hoklo-language programs have gained ground.

In 2000, Lin performed in the TV series A-bian and A-chen, which was based on the true love story of Chen Shui-bian and Wu Shu-chen. "I was labeled `pan-green' for taking part in that TV series," Lin said in a recent television interview.

Lin said he was criticized by a producer at a different TV network for his performance in A-bian and A-chen.

"The producer shouted out many vulgar Mandarin words at me just because I took part in the performance," Lin said.

Lin said being involved in a lawsuit was the last thing he expected when agreeing to do a performance.

"Before, Hoklo-speaking actors could not take part in prime time television drama series, as theses series were strictly Mandarin. Finally, things have changed. Unfortunately, we Hoklo-speaking actors still face much opposition to our acting." Lin said.

"One morning while I was asleep, I received a phone call from a stranger asking for my address as if he was doing some sort of questionnaire. I was so sleepy that I didn't think twice before uttering out my address. Later that day, I was followed and started getting threatening phone calls from strangers," Chen said.

She said that for three days, her family of three did not dare step onto the doorstep and had to eat instant noodles.

Lin said Chen Shui-bian has never publicly criticized performances that mocked him.

"I have seen many television shows where performers constantly mock the president by imitating him. However, the president has never criticized anyone who participates in these shows," Lin said.

"How come actors performing in pan-blue shows are not accused of anything? For instance, pro-People First Party (PFP) actors can show up in public and take pride in their performances. Why then, can't other actors do the same?" she said.

"Despite the fact that I am an entertainer, I am also a citizen of Taiwan. As a citizen, I have my own political ideology as well. Therefore, I don't understand why being a supporter of A-bian is wrong," she said.

Chen Huei-er explained how she and her husband became loyal supporters of Chen Shui-bian.

"In several of President Chen's previous mayoral election campaigns, my close friend, Lin Yan-ru, volunteered to sing at many of Chen's election rallies. Then, in 1998, her breast cancer relapsed and she was in critical condition. Yan-ru told me her last wish was to see A-bian," Chen Huei-er said.

At that time, although Chen Shui-bian had lost the Taipei mayoral election, he was busy preparing to run for the presidency.

"It was impossible to invite A-bian over to the hospital to visit Yan-ru as he was so busy with his presidential campaign," she said.

According to Chen Huei-er, President Chen found out about Lin Yan-ru's condition and last wish through acquaintances.

"One day, we received a phone call from A-bian's secretary, who asked us to arrange a confidential visit without the presence of any media personnel," Chen Huei-er said.

As Lin Yan-ru was gravely ill at the time, her body was emaciated, emitted an odor and she was unable to speak properly.

"A-bian stayed in the ward with Yan-ru for 40 minutes. He held her hand and sat very close to her. I was there in the room as well. I heard him telling Yan-ru to be strong and to get better, as he will wait for Yan-ru to be finally discharged from the hospital," Chen Huei-er said.

"It was unbelievable that such a successful man like A-bian could say such gentle words to a sick lady. If he can be such a soft-hearted man in real life, how can he not be a good president?" she said.

Lin said he and his wife have been loyal supporters of Chen Shui-bian since that day.

Lin Fu-chin said that despite the controversy over the VCDs, he did not want to claim outright that he is a supporter of Chen Shui-bian.

"A-bian said once before that to love me is not to hurt me. Honestly, what difference will I make by claiming to be a supporter?" Lin said.

Cheng Shih-lung, a former entertainment reporter, felt the VCD dispute should not do too much harm to Lin's career.

"His acting career will definitely be affected for a short while; however, Taiwanese audiences are forgetful and they might forget about the VCD controversy later," Cheng said.

Cheng added that the huge publicity Lin is getting might even advance his career.

"Maybe in the future, Lin will even be offered scripts that are tailored to him," Cheng said.

However, Cheng said that actors should avoid choosing scripts that are too political.

"Actors should know in advance that by being cast in a politically oriented performance, they might consequently be harassed and receive negative publicity," Cheng said.

Cheng added that actors are somewhat responsible for what they said in a performance.

"It is true that an actor reads off a script. But since he is a performer, he is still held accountable for acting out his role," Cheng said.

"Why can't I simply say in public that I admire A-bian, this individual, without any political attachment?" Lin asked.

CHANGES: The PFP chairman said he wanted to abolish two branches of the government because of power abuses by the DPP administration

The pan-blue camp's constitutional reform proposal would radically alter the government structure in operation for 92 years by abolishing two of the five branches of government, People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong announced yesterday.

Citing examples of what he called the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) abuses of the Control Yuan and the Examination Yuan, Soong declared the opposition's reform plan would eliminate these two branches.

Soong said the opposition's goal was to replace the nation's semi-presidential form of government with a presidential one.

Giving details of the three-step constitutional reform plan announced by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan on Nov. 15 for the first time, the opposition has reversed its stance from bombarding President Chen Shui-bian's campaign for a new constitution to offering a new constitution of its own.

Soong said that if the DPP continues using the constitutional issue as one of its campaign strategies, the blue camp would not hesitate to fire back.

"But I must clarify we would not make a new constitution. We are proposing amending the Constitution," he said, trying to make the blue camp's reform plan distinct from Chen's call for a new constitution.

Echoing Lien's insistence that the blue camp would never attempt to "make a new constitution," Soong warned the DPP that the blue camp would now start to create and steer campaign issues rather than laboring to counter the DPP's strategy.

Lien was on a campaign trip to Kuantien township, Tainan County, Chen's birthplace, yesterday. In the 2000 presidential election, more than 90 percent of the township's voters cast their ballots for Chen.

Soong noted the first of the 10 principles in Lien's three-step constitutional reform is "to ensure the sovereignty of the Republic of China."

Soong said Lien's first principle would address international concerns about the DPP government's suspected moves toward independence.

The blue camp's proposed reform plan would require the president to serve as chief executive of the government's personnel, policy-making and budget sectors.

Soong said the blue camp's plan would require the president to report to the legislature on a regular basis, as the premier and other officials do now.

Constitutional amendments would provide a mechanism to prevent the president from being trapped in the legislature by the often lengthy and inefficient question-and-answer sessions, Soong said.

He said although the blue camp is opposed to holding a referendum that would change Taiwan's "status quo," it would not block the legislature's passage of a referendum law.

The pan-blue camp has repeatedly criticized President Chen Shui-bian's meeting with a member of US President George W. Bush's family during his recent visit to the country. The blue camp even hinted that the two sides had improper monetary dealings.

Earlier, they had cast Taiwan-friendly remarks made by American Institute in Taiwan Chairwoman Therese Shaheen as conducive to Chen's re--election bid. People First Party legislators even wanted to list Shaheen as persona non grata.

Even earlier, the pan-blue camp had openly stated many times that it would not be a pawn of the US and sternly criticized the government's anti-terrorism policies for being sickeningly pro-US. All this seems to indicate that the pan-blue camp is preparing to adjust its policy toward the US, abandoning the DPP's green-out-of-blue pro-US diplomatic tradition, and walk its own path.

The problem is that one can hardly see, in the personal experience, family backgrounds and even political stances of KMT Chairman Lien Chan and his PFP counterpart James Soong, any possibility of the blue camp adjusting its US policy.

Lien and Soong graduated from famous American universities -- the University of Chicago and the University of California at Berkeley, respectively. These schools have also cultivated quite a lot of anti-US elite. However, in light of the two's past performance in public office and the remarks they made during past visits to the US, they look like the elite cultivated under the Cold War education laws.

The pan-blue camp includes quite a large number of people with such backgrounds. Besides, quite a few of the two's family members reside in the US on a long-term basis and are even naturalized US citizens.

We can also see this in other important political figures with pan-blue backgrounds.

Finally, in terms of their political stances, the pan-blue camp has relied on the US ever since World War II, and this is the underlying reason for the good Taiwan-US relations of the present time. In light of this, the pan-blue elite cannot possibly become the anti-US vanguard.

We can say that green evolved from blue - -- the green camp's good relations with the US can be traced back to the blue camp.

There are two possibilities behind the pan-blue camp's recent criticism of the US. One is based on public interest: the belief that the US is obstructing unification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The other is based on self-interest: the belief that the US' courteous treatment of Chen has affected the pan-blue camp's election chances.

However, the pan-blue camp has already stressed that its policy is neither unification nor independence, that they are a"moderate local faction, and that they have stable foreign policies and a stable policy toward China. Since the likelihood of the pan-blue camp quickly unifying with China is not high, naturally the pan-blue camp is not likely to believe that the US is obstructing cross-strait unification.

Shifting criticism of their opponent to the US, due to self-interest in an election campaign, does not seem like a stable diplomatic model befitting smart politicians.

From the arms purchases issue to the anti-terrorism issue to the direct naming of the Bush family and Shaheen, the pan-blue camp's attacks appear to be quite consistent. Under these circumstances, however, they are not adjusting their diplomatic policy toward the US. It's like heaping abuse on others while at the same time asking them to help you. It's truly inappropriate.

The US and Taiwan hold their presidential elections in the same year. There are four possible outcomes in the partisan pairings: DPP/Republican, DPP/Democratic, pan-blue/Republican and pan-blue/Democratic.

Only with the pan-blue/Democratic victory can they resolve the crisis mentioned above. Even if that happens, the pan-blue camp will have to coexist with the Bush administration for the time between the president's inauguration in Taiwan in May and that of the US president in January of the following year.

Politicians have to pay a price for what they say for the sake of their election chances. It is not a smart choice to fiercely criticize current reality while not planning a policy to change it. Faced with a ruling party that is currently rather pro-US, the pan-blues have two choices. One is to continue to be pro-US, and the other is to become a representative of the anti-US forces. In light of their family backgrounds, personal experience, academic training and political stances, the likelihood of Lien and Soong becoming an anti-US faction is extremely slim.

Speaking insolently about the US again and again while you are not sure about the future development of US politics does not make for a stable diplomatic policy.

Lee Tuo-tzu is a student at the Graduate Institute of National Development, National Taiwan University.

The election campaign -- which has not officially started -- rolls on. Ten days ago we saw the KMT decide that DPP policies they have fought for years were such vote-winners that they should adopt them too. And last week we saw Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan, who has always deplored the idea of referendums and has sought to limit their scope to issues of near total unimportance, suddenly become the arch advocate for a "no questions barred" version of the referendum law.

That goes some way to addressing our concerns about the blue camp's intentions but not quite far enough. The worries we share with many others about the blue camp, and the KMT in particular, have always revolved around that party's commitment to Taiwanese self-determination -- by which we mean letting the people of Taiwan decide their future for themselves.

The KMT has always opposed referendums because, it claims, a referendum on Taiwan's independence would pose a threat to national security by provoking China's armed aggression. But this is weasely thinking. Taiwanese know quite well the possible consequences of a vote for de jure independence and it is not reasonable to expect such a vote to succeed any time in the near future.

The Taiwanese do not want the referendum law to cover issues of national identity and sovereignty

because they can thereby gain independence, but so they can have a say in any unification plan put before them. Actually what is really desirable is that any change in the status quo concerning the nation's sovereignty or status be put to a referendum. This means that a vote for some kind of unification, perhaps on the lines of a confederation suggested by Lien himself, should also be put to the people. If the KMT would commit itself to this then much of our rancor toward that party would be dispelled.

That the people of Taiwan should have the right to determine their own future status surely needs no argument. So why is it that the KMT has always opposed this? Partly because elements within that party have always regarded the project of Chinese nationalism, raising modern China to the world power status it believes it should have, as being more important than the -- as they see it -- trivial interests of Taiwan.

It is hard to imagine that Taiwanese would ever vote for unification with China while the communist regime is in place, no matter how tenuous the linkage. So, these KMT elements argue, it best not to make this issue subject to a vote. Here Beijing concurs, for two reasons. First, it knows, for all its rhetoric about the glories of the motherland, that it is not a very desirable suitor. More importantly, it wants to avoid, at almost any cost, its own oppressed people seeing Taiwanese exercising democratic rights with Beijing's acquiescence. What is sauce for the Taiwanese goose, they might think is also sauce for the mainland gander. Beijing has always thought that reunification was a deal to be made behind closed doors by party leaders.

Such considerations point to another reason why the KMT must give assurances about referendums over change of status. Even the KMT understands that politics in a democracy is very different to that of a dictatorship. Unfortunately that is something that it has not, so far, managed to make its friends in Beijing understand. By embracing the referendum idea, the KMT can help Beijing understand that Taiwan has to be wooed, it cannot be raped; that the people of Taiwan have to choose to unify, and that means Beijing has to give them good reasons to make that choice. By committing itself to a referendum on any change in Taiwan's status, the KMT can help China to work out what those reasons might be.