Yunlin County commissioner’s health worsens
　

By Meggie Lu
STAFF REPORTER
Monday, Nov 10, 2008, Page 1

Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen’s (蘇治芬) hunger strike in protest against her indictment for corruption entered its fifth day yesterday. Her husband, retired National Taiwan University professor Huang Wu-hsiung (黃武雄), visited her at the hospital and urged her to take medication for stomach cramps.

Saying that his wife had shouldered the heavy cross of democracy and defended it with her life, Huang added he had told his wife to unload that cross and take care of her health. He said that Su only agreed to take the cramp medication after he brought out a photograph of their son.

Su, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), began her hunger strike on Tuesday, shortly after being detained over her alleged involvement in corruption connected to the construction of a county landfill project.

Prosecutors offered to release her on NT$6 million (US$183,000) bail on Wednesday, but she refused, saying that she did not have that kind of money.

“I told her to open her mouth — it was our son who was feeding her, and she obliged,” said Huang, who is suffering from two types of cancer. “I told her ‘be calm, be calm, don’t resist anymore.’”

Su would guard her reputation with her life and not eat anything until her innocence was proven, Huang said.

Huang said Su had told him in a weak voice that she was innocent.

The increasingly frail Su was rushed to the hospital from Yunlin County’s Prison Detention House on Friday after her refusal to eat caused her health to deteriorate.

After visiting Su in the hospital yesterday with a letter from former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄), Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) told Su’s supporters outside that the commissioner’s physical condition was not good.

To prevent the hospital from injecting glucose into her blood while she was asleep, Su had fought to stay awake, Chen said, adding that Su’s blood sugar level had plummeted to 58mg/dL, while the normal level on an empty stomach is 70mg/dL to 110mg/dL, and 120mg/dL after eating.

Chen said that as Su valued her reputation more than her life, and as a compatriot in her cause, she could not ask Su to eat.

Other DPP members, including former DPP chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德), also visited Su.

New student sit-ins pop up across nation
　

YOUTH: Reaffirming their political independence, students braved cold and rainy weather and continued to ask that the Parade and Assembly Law be amended
　

By Flora Wang
STAFF REPORTER
Monday, Nov 10, 2008, Page 3

“We hope similar campaigns will be launched at every university in Taiwan.”— Huang You-heng, spokesman for student demonstrators at National Cheng Kung University
　

Several university student groups in the central and southern parts of the country launched sit-ins yesterday in support of the student demonstrators at Liberty Square in front of National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall.

Holding up posters that read “human rights,” about 20 students launched their sit-in campaign in front of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan amid drizzling rain.

“We support the three statements of [the students] in Taipei. President Ma [Ying-jeou (馬英九)] and [Premier] Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) should apologize to the people while [National Police Agency (NPA)] Director-General Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞) and [National Security Bureau] Director-General Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明) should step down,” Huang You-heng (黃羑衡), the spokesman for the protesters at NCKU, told reporters.

“We hope similar campaigns will be launched at every university in Taiwan,” Huang said.

Meanwhile, a group of students began another sit-in at the Peoples’ Square in Taichung City yesterday afternoon in support of their counterparts in Taipei.
　

TAIPEI

About 400 students, led by National Taiwan University sociology professor Lee Ming-tsung (李明璁) began their silent sit-in on Thursday in front of the Executive Yuan in Taipei.

The protesters have argued that police used excessive force against demonstrators opposing the visit of China’s Association for the Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) between Monday and Friday last week.

The students urged the government to amend the Parade and Assembly Law (集會遊行法) by removing the article that obliges rally organizers to gain police approval before launching an event.

The students were evicted from the Executive Yuan by the police on Friday night because they had not filed an application for their sit-in in accordance with the Parade and Assembly Law.

They reassembled at Liberty Square later that night.

RAIN OR SHINE

The sit-in at the square has continued, despite poor weather.

“Many people think we are staging the protest against a specific political camp. Therefore, we would like to emphasize our call for an amendment to the Parade and Assembly Law,” said Chou Fu-yi (周馥儀), a representative of Taipei students.

Chou said no government officials — except director of Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall Tseng Kun-ti (曾坤地) — had checked on them since they reconvened at the hall.

Ho Tung-hung (何東洪), an associate professor of psychology at Fu Jen Catholic University and a participant in the Wild Lily Student Movement (野百合學運) in the 1990s, visited the students in Taipei to share his experiences yesterday, encouraging them to cherish their opportunity to participate in the sit-in.

Wu Eing-ming (吳英明), president of Kaohsiung Open University, also visited the students on behalf of Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊).

Wu lauded the students’ action, saying that their campaign showed the nation should spend next year “relearning the value of human rights.”

In related developments, heated exchanges between government officials and legislators were expected to take place in the legislature today as the Internal Administration Committee has convened a special report by Wang regarding the NPA’s behavior last week.

For his part, Minister of Health Yeh Chin-chuan (葉金川) is scheduled to report today on the food safety agreement signed by Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Ping-kun (江丙坤) and Chen Yunlin last week to the legislature’s Health, Environment and Labor Committee.

Rights must be protected

When the mostly pan-blue allied Red Shirts protested last year, they were given the right to express their opinions without police suppression. There was no violence because the police gave the Red Shirts a chance to vent their grievances. Compare that to the police’s suppression of the pan-green camp’s right to express its opinion of a quasi-official visitor who somehow is able to create a magic bubble around himself in Taiwan where the Republic of China (ROC) sovereignty and Constitution as well as the human rights guaranteed by the Constitution need not apply. By suppressing the right of protesters to express their opinions, suppressed anger turned into violence.

The double standard doesn’t end there. For the past couple of months, I always walked by a group of ROC flags placed near the headquarters of the Hsinchu Science Park. One day last month the flags were cut down by a vandal. They were immediately replaced the next day. The day Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yulin (陳雲林) visited the Science Park, the flags were uprooted, but replaced the following day.

Somehow it seems that the government applies selective defense of the sovereignty of the ROC and is willing to surrender this sovereignty when there are moneymaking opportunities.

And then it seems that not all corruption cases are equal before the law. Somehow people of a certain political color get away with their corruption, while people of another political color do not.

While I do not agree with the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) concept of Taiwanese identity and am certainly disgusted by corruption within the DPP, I am even more disgusted by the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) blatant double-standard and arrogance.

Even though the DPP has been uncomfortable with the concept of the ROC, it at least defended the sovereignty of the republic by observing Chapter I, Article 2 of the Constitution: “The sovereignty of the Republic of China shall reside in the whole body of citizens.”

The KMT has allowed this sovereignty to be violated by preventing the people from exercising their rights derived from this sovereignty despite the KMT’s empty cries of “Long Live the Republic of China.”

Allen Timothy Chang
Hsinchu

We haven’t seen so many excited greens out in the streets with this much energy since late 1999.

I was wondering when and how the Taiwanese were going to finally respond to President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) experiment in acquiescence. These past few days are a welcome sign that everyone is not still asleep or dead. Show those Commie bastards what democracy is all about! You’ve run one Chicom out of town early with his tail between his legs.

We’ve seen people being detained for displaying the national flag, police brown shirts violently attacking college-aged girls with their shields and city council members being treated in the hospital. Surge and counter surge of police lines and demonstrators.

These images are on the news constantly now, and this affects the entire society in myriad of ways, many troubling ways sometimes. A politically excited spittle-spraying fanatic of any ilk is an ugly sight.

So what now? It is time for the DPP to take the lead. Now that Chen has gone home with his horse paintings and crystal mementos, then the party needs to get off the streets and show us how a real opposition party works. All the KMT knew to do was have their spittle-spraying fanatics camp on the streets downtown for months. That’s as far as their ideas went. That’s about the only thing they could think of to do.

We expect much, much more from the DPP. DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), this energy must be put to good use in constructive ways. We need some creative ideas and a new way forward.

The US is also searching for a new path into the future. Their people have spoken. Now the hard part begins.

There is a long road ahead for Taiwan’s struggle to be free, and it is going to be anything but smooth. But the whole world’s watching now.

Daniel Chamberlin
Muzha

I like many other foreigners I know, fully support Taiwan and the right of its people to self-determination. I am saddened by a person who has no balls to call himself the president of Taiwan, then has the nerve to look his fellow countrymen in the eyes and ask to be called the president. A hypocrite to the word and liar to the letter.

Any other country where the police on the orders of the government harass people from showing the flag is not only disgraceful, shameful but surely would result in a revolution. No police state can suppress the spirit of the people unless they throw everyone in jail.

Let’s not forget the silent and tacit support of the KMT to its supporters, who took to the streets unlawfully and violently after losing several elections. Now the KMT are trying to preach the gospel when they don’t have a leg to stand on.

Almost 6 million people did not vote for the KMT. It is not the KMT’s country and no they don’t have a mandate to speak for all. People of Taiwan it is your right and responsibility to protect your freedom. Money should not be the only priority in your life. Do not take for granted the privileges you have.

Long live Taiwan! Long Live the people! Long live the spirit of all who choose to live and work here!

ROGERIO CRISTOVAO
　

Ma is handing Taiwan to China
　

By Li Thian-hok 李天福
Monday, Nov 10, 2008, Page 8

Taiwan’s crisis is that it may fall under Chinese Communist Party rule by 2012, the year both President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Hu Jintao’s (胡錦濤) terms of office end. Such a crisis can be discussed from three perspectives. These events are already happening and not necessarily in stages.

First, there is erosion of civil liberties and the return of White Terror as evidenced by the persecution of former and current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials and the police manhandling of people protesting the visit of Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).

The media is under pressure to refrain from criticism of the Ma government and to support its efforts to surrender Taiwan. Editors and reporters who resist are being laid off. Blatant suppression of the freedom of speech and assembly has already started.

The recent indictment of Tainan City Councilor Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) is another example of this trend. The judiciary has abandoned any pretense of independence and is now a willing political tool of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government. The KMT is progressively dictating policy to the government, especially on its rapid unification agenda. Most likely there will be no presidential election in 2012, unless the KMT can manipulate and dictate the outcome.

Second, Ma is moving toward unification by stealth. This is being done in many ways: through the dismantling of Taiwan’s national defense, the deliberate weakening of Taiwan’s economy via outflow to China of capital, the export of technology and trained manpower, expanding infusions of Chinese immigrants into Taiwan, degrading of Taiwan’s status into a region of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and intimidation of pro-Taiwan activists with threats of imprisonment, fines and bodily harm.

On the day Chen arrived in Taipei, the police forced demonstrators to discard Republic of China flags while protecting those waving the PRC five star flags. It is obvious Ma regards himself as the leader of the Taiwan region, not the president of the ROC or Taiwan.

The Mainland Affairs Council estimates that the population of Chinese living in Taiwan will reach 1,500,000 by 2013. The Ma government is already taking orders from Beijing and its goal is to turn Taiwan into a special administrative region of the PRC by 2012, either legally or de facto.

Finally, to make Taiwan legally a part of China a peace accord will need to be signed. Negotiation of such an accord may actually be secretly in progress. This is a capitulation agreement whereby the KMT government will accept the PRC claim that Taiwan is an integral part of the PRC’s territory, leaving the details of when the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will land in Taiwan and when Chinese officials will take over the land and properties of Taiwanese.

Ma has claimed that the Taiwanese may enjoy 20 to 30 years of peace under a peace accord. In reality the CCP can always violate the terms of the accord and decide to occupy the nation in short order.

Once the accord is executed, the US’ Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) will automatically be abrogated since Taiwan will formally become a part of the PRC and the US and the Taiwanese will not have a chance to object through a referendum since the current referendum law is designed to prevent a bona fide referendum. This is why professor Tsai Ting-kuei (蔡丁貴) is fasting in front of the Legislative Yuan to demand lowering the high thresholds in the Referendum Law (公投法).

Ma promised four years of peace in a recent speech. This may indicate that he has agreed with Beijing to sign a peace accord before 2012. The Taiwanese may revolt against Ma’s attempt to sign a peace accord. To suppress the rebellion, Ma could then ask the PLA to invade, thus recreating the massacre of 1947, although the scale will be much greater this time.

How can the Taiwanese resist the KMT selling out of Taiwan? Any resistance movement should be nonviolent. The DPP’s regaining of power in 2012 or 2016 is no longer feasible. The resistance may have to be conducted outside the ROC framework. The methods include massive street demonstrations, boycott of pro-unification media and KMT owned businesses and peaceful non-cooperation with the Ma government.

The Taiwanese American community needs to monitor the evolving situation in Taiwan and help pro-democracy activists in the frontline of the struggle. We should keep the US informed of the rapidly developing crisis in Taiwan and ask Washington to help preserve Taiwan’s freedom in accordance with the spirit of the TRA. At the very least, the US should take measures to prevent a holocaust from taking place on Taiwan.

Li Thian-hok is a freelance commentator based in Pennsylvania.

A return to martial law must be combated
　

By Chuang Po-lin 莊柏林
Monday, Nov 10, 2008, Page 8

A little after 7pm on Nov. 4, former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) hosted a banquet at the Ambassador Hotel in Taipei for Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) and his delegation. This resulted in President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration imposing virtual martial law on areas surrounding the hotel. Martial law was imposed without any legal basis and is but another form of “white terror.”

The Sunrise Record store on the corner of Minsheng East Road, north of the hotel, played the Songs of Taiwan. However, Lee Han-chin (李漢卿), chief of Beitou Police Department sent in officers who ordered the store to stop playing the music. The store was later ordered to close its doors for the day.

A similar incident happened involving former presidential advisor Ellen Huang (黃越綏) when she tried to enter the Ambassador Hotel to have a cup of coffee. She was refused entry and pushed to the ground by police officers.

Many people were also moved away from the Grand Formosa Regent Hotel, and some were violently assaulted by police officers. Our police have now become the equivalent of the Garrison Command in the White Terror period of the 1950s, free to take away the rights of our citizens whenever they want.

Sunrise Records was well within its rights to play Songs of Taiwan. It is a matter of freedom of speech, broadcast and publication, and the forced closure of the shop was also a blatant breach of the store staff’s right to work.

How can the government of “Area Chief ” Ma blatantly deprive people of their rights and ignore the constitution?

The incident where Huang was prevented from going to the hotel for a coffee was a breach of her freedom of movement, and the police acted against the Constitution in stopping her.

It was also a huge breach of the freedom of association for the police to break up and forcefully remove people from outside the Grand Formosa Regent Hotel.

Chen’s visit to Taiwan can be compared to an inspection tour like those conducted by official envoys of the emperor in ancient China. In imposing virtual martial law to control things during Chen’s visit, Ma has been bullying and suppressing his own people.

Since our government’s actions have not been subject to monitoring by the Control Yuan, people whose rights have been infringed by the Ma government over the last few days should lodge a request with the Control Yuan to impeach the president.

Chuang Po-lin is a lawyer.