Protesters defend Taiwan sovereignty at WHA meet
　

EJECTED: UN guards removed protesters voicing support for Taiwan from the assembly hall. Yeh Ching-chuan said he may sue two Taiwanese who heckled him on Sunday
　

By Jimmy Chuang, Flora Wang and Shelley Huang
STAFF REPORTERS, WITH CNA AND STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, Page 1
　

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan’s (陳馮富珍) opening address to the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday was marred by protesters complaining about the WHO’s designation of Taiwan, one day after Department of Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) was heckled by Taiwanese students who accused him of “selling out Taiwan.”

Shortly after Chan addressed the WHA, several people in the public gallery on the second floor of the assembly hall in the UN’s Geneva headquarters shouted “Taiwan is not part of China.”

The protesters were quickly removed by UN security guards.

During a break in the meeting following Chan’s speech, Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu (陳竺) intercepted Yeh as he was preparing to leave the assembly hall. The two men shook hands and chatted briefly.

Taiwan was invited to attend this year’s WHA meeting as an observer under the designation “Chinese Taipei” following 12 failed attempts to join the WHO because of Beijing’s interference. The Republic of China (ROC) left the UN in 1971.

US Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius welcomed Taiwan’s presence at the WHA session, saying its participation was worth celebrating.

During her speech to the assembly, Czech Health Minister Dana Juraskova also welcomed Taiwan’s participation on behalf of all EU member states.

Meanwhile, Yeh told Taipei-based reporters in a phone interview yesterday that he was doing the right thing for Taiwan by participating in the WHA meeting.

“We shared our experiences with fellow allies and we learned something from them at the same time. This is the most important thing,” Yeh said.

“We also received lots of attention from the international press. This is something we could not imagine before,” he said. “I am proud of my country. I am proud of Taiwan.”

When asked about his confrontation on Sunday night with two Taiwanese students and his threat to file lawsuits against them when he returns home, Yeh said he did not want to discuss the incident.

“Everybody has the right to speak out. I endorse the rights of the two students to speak out. But, when you do [protest], you need to make sure what you do is legal and show proper respect to others,” Yeh said.

Judicial Reform Foundation executive director Lin Feng-jeng (林峰正) said Yeh could file the lawsuits against the students even though the incident did not take place in Taiwan.

“If they have ROC nationality, they are under the jurisdiction of the courts in Taiwan,” he said, but if they were not Taiwanese, Yeh could not press charges.

Chief Prosecutor Huang Mo-hsin (黃謀信) of the Taipei District Court said that articles 5 to 7 of the Criminal Code state that, under certain conditions, the code would apply to any ROC citizen committing a criminal offense outside the territory of the ROC.

“Prosecutors still have to investigate the case to decide whether or not to indict, but [Yeh] has the right to file a lawsuit,” Huang said.

The student protesters issued a press release accusing Yeh of losing control when confronted by demonstrators on Sunday night.

“The minister lost control and became emotional. This showed that he has difficulty managing crises,” the release said.

“During the protest, the protest was reported to Swiss police. Taiwanese officials and diplomats watched a female Taiwanese being violently pinned down on the ground by Swiss police officers and even sneered at the student protesters,” the release said.

Video footage of the confrontation showed the students heckling Yeh after the Taiwanese delegation’s dinner for Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, not during the dinner as some local Chinese-language media reported.

The students urged Yeh to apologize for his “mishap.”

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday condemned the protesters and backed Yeh.

KMT spokesman Lee Chien-rong (李建榮) said Taiwan’s participation in the WHA was a big breakthrough and an achievement to be cherished but the protesters’ actions had damaged the nation’s international image.

Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池), a KMT caucus deputy secretary-general, urged the protesters not to let political wrangling overshadow participation in the WHA.

KMT legislators Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) and Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) said the students should have protested to China and the WHO for not allowing Taiwan to participate in the WHA under the name “Republic of China.”

“They protested [to Yeh] only because they were jealous [that Taiwan was able to attend the WHA]. If they wanted to heckle someone, they should heckle China,” Lee Ching-hua said.
　

DPP touts ‘success’ of protests
　

ACCIDENT: Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin said prosecutors had confirmed that an incident involving a police car hitting two demonstrators on Sunday was accidental
　

By Mo Yan-chih and Rich Chang
STAFF REPORTERS
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, Page 4
　

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday congratulated itself on what it called “successful” protests on Sunday and Monday.

DPP Spokesperson Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said the rally on Sunday against the government’s cross-strait policies and the overnight sit-in protest against the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) were successful, although a few hundred people refused to leave Ketagalan Boulevard after the sit-in finished at 10pm on Monday.

The DPP views the act as a remnant of the authoritarian era, but rejects a government-proposed amendment that it says would expand police power and restrict the right of assembly.

At about 4am, Taipei City’s Zhongzheng First Police District began dispersing protesters who continued the sit-in past its conclusion, including many supporters of detained former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). The road was cleared before 5am.

No major clashes were reported between the police and protesters.

Cheng said Taipei police had had not removed protesters during the 24-hour sit-in, indicating that the DPP had made progress against the assembly law.

The DPP held the sit-in without applying for a permit with city authorities.

Separately, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday praised the Taipei Police Department for handling the sit-in smoothly, but promised to punish two police officers for hitting two protesters at the rally on Sunday with their car.

Taipei Police Officer Lin Chien-chih (林建智), who was driving the police vehicle, has been released on NT$100,000 bail.

Hau said a prosecutor’s investigation confirmed the incident was an accident.

The two officers in the car and Zhongzheng First Police District Director Chen Ming-cheng (陳銘政) received demerits later yesterday afternoon.

Taipei City Police Commissioner Hung Sheng-kun was not disciplined, although Hau said Hung asked to shoulder responsibility. The mayor said this would have been unfair.

“The commissioner spared no effort in trying to maintain order during the rally and help end the rally peacefully. He will not be given any punishment,” Hau said.

Hau yesterday said he regretted the accident but that it would not overshadow the police’s hard work and delicate handling of the demonstrations.

“The accident did not outweigh the police’s achievements in helping bring the rally to a peaceful conclusion. There will be more large-scale rallies in Taipei City and we will adopt the same approach in handling all future rallies,” Hau told a press conference yesterday.

DPP Taipei City councilors yesterday said the punishments meted out to the police officers were lenient and urged Hau to take full responsibility for the accident.

DPP Taipei City Councilor Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said the government should not punish low-level police while ignoring the responsibility of high-level officials such as Hung.

“Hau’s previous apology is clearly insincere. His administration is just trying to pin the responsibility on low-level police,” Chuang said at Taipei City Council.

DPP Taipei City councilors Liu Yao-ren (劉耀仁) and Yen Sheng-kuan (顏聖冠) also criticized the city government.

“I demand the city government stop building protective walls for high-level officials. It should consider the feelings of those injured as well as public perception when meting out punishments,” Yen said.

In related news, DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) yesterday accused the government of intimidating people who took part in Sunday’s rally.

A student told a press conference arranged by Gao that his family had received a call from police asking about his participation in the rally.

“Basically, the police asked my mother whether I would attend the rally,” said the Tamkang University freshman, surnamed Chen.

Kao said he had confirmed the incident with the police, who told him they had made the call based on a directive from the National Security Bureau.

Chen to formally dismiss defense lawyers in court
　

PUBLIC DEFENDER: If the former president announces the dismissal of his three lawyers, Presiding Judge Tsai Shou-hsun will arrange for a court-appointed lawyer
　

By Shelley Huang
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, Page 4

Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will declare his dismissal of his lawyers in court tomorrow, his lawyer said yesterday.

Chen is scheduled to appear at the Taipei District Court tomorrow morning, where he will hear the former director of his office, Lin Teh-hsun (林德訓), answer questions regarding his use of the presidential “state affairs fund.”

Chen will inform Presiding Judge Tsai Shou-hsun (蔡守訓) of his dismissal of all three of his attorneys, said Shih Yi-ling (石宜琳), one of the lawyers.

Shih visited the former president at the Taipei Detention Center yesterday morning.

“We have achieved our goal of assisting the former president at the first trial,” he said. “If necessary, we will also assist the former president in future cases still under investigation by the Special Investigation Panel.”

After attending a detention hearing on May 7, Chen was returned to the Taipei Detention Center. He issued a statement through his office announcing the immediate dismissal of his defense team. He also said he would call no more witnesses and would not appeal if convicted.

But if Chen announces the dismissal in court, the judge will arrange for a court-appointed public defender to take up the case.

Until a few days ago, Chen was on a hunger strike to protest what he says is political persecution by the government, and to show support for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) demonstrations on Sunday and Monday.

Meanwhile, in court testimony yesterday, former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成) yesterday expressed sympathy for Chen Shui-bian’s bookkeeper, Chen Chen-hui (陳鎮慧).

Ma and Chen Chen-hui are both defendants in the trial involving the former first family, but Ma appeared at the Taipei District Court yesterday as a defense witness. Chen Chen-hui’s lawyer had asked to question him on his role in overseeing the fund.

Ma’s testimony was in stark contrast to previous court appearances where he denied any wrongdoing and sought to blame Chen Chen-hui, saying that as the fund’s accountant, she should shoulder responsibility for any mistakes or abuses.

Yesterday Ma told the court: “Chen Chen-hui and I are both victims in this case.”

Ma said reimbursement slips for the fund were given to him by Chen Chen-hui to be signed, but he did not think he had the authority to judge the president’s expenses.

He said Chen Chen-hui would make marks with a pencil indicating where he should sign and he followed her instructions because he trusted and respected her as a close assistant to the first family and because he did not want to make trouble for her by declining to sign.

Agencies all at sea on Taiwan

Wednesday, May 20, 2009, Page 8

Reporting by international wire agencies on Taiwan is often nuanced in a way that backs Beijing’s claims, even if inadvertently. This can mislead readers about everything from the reasons for tension between Taiwan and China to basic facts about Taiwanese and Chinese history — and there are no signs that sloppy reporting will end any time soon.

Careless wording in wire reports can lend credence to Beijing’s portrayal of Taiwan as a “renegade province.” Although a reporter may sidestep the word “country” to avoid taking a stance on Taiwan’s status, alternative phrasing may instead suggest that Taiwan is part of China. Frequent references in wire articles to China as “the mainland” and Taiwan simply as “the island” do just that.

An Associated Press (AP) report on Monday offers an example that is hardly limited to that agency. The report on the Strait Forum in Xiamen, China, said “mainland purchasing groups” would travel to Taiwan to buy agricultural products and mentioned “President Ma Ying-jeou’s [馬英九] policy of allowing more investment by mainland Chinese in the island.”

That wording suits Beijing. While the term “mainland” is appropriate to denote China in the context of Hong Kong and Macau, in an article on cross-strait relations it is misleading. More than geographical proximity, it implies a political link similar to that between China and its two former European colonies.

Wire reports also often contain straightforward and recurring factual errors. The same AP report recycles the claim that “China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949,” which also appears in an Agence France-Presse (AFP) article that same day. Read in combination with the terms “mainland” and “island,” the risk of misleading readers is considerable.

This error reduces the historical gap between Taiwan and China, suggesting the two were unified until 1949. That is a version of events that Beijing and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) have both insisted on and that can be dismissed as propaganda. Coming from international media, however, the effect is disconcerting. Independent media enjoy added credibility by virtue of their neutrality on cross-strait developments, but unfortunately what they are reporting in these instances is wrong in fact.

As news agencies often reuse these snippets as inserts, their inaccuracy is all the more unacceptable. Agencies need only get the background information right once, then draw upon it as needed.

Just as disturbing in the AFP report is its unqualified citation of a poll conducted by the KMT-friendly, Chinese-language China Times as showing that “a record number of Taiwanese believe traditional rival China is friendly.”

As a backdrop to this, AFP explains: “Relations between Taiwan and China, which split in 1949 at the end of a civil war, hit rock bottom due to the pro-independence rhetoric of Ma’s DPP predecessor [former president] Chen Shui-bian [陳水扁].”

This has the effect of sweeping under the carpet decades of aggression during which the KMT’s goal was to “retake the mainland” and Beijing’s was to “liberate” Taiwan through force. The blame for cross-strait tension is placed squarely on the shoulders of a president who never advocated aggression. This suits Beijing, which branded Chen a provocateur.

Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) may have claimed to rule all of China for decades at the UN, and China may have bombarded Kinmen in 1954, but AFP suggests Chen’s presidency was the nadir of cross-strait relations. Such reports may be laughable to informed readers but others have no cause to doubt them. Professional journalists are obliged to avoid such nonsense.

Taiwanese are ‘truly pathetic’

Wednesday, May 20, 2009, Page 8

I am writing in response to an article regarding the approval given by university professor groups for Chinese students to study in Taiwan (“College associations back admission of Chinese students,” May 15, page 4).

I think these individuals are a bunch of idiots who have a truly condescending attitude.

On one hand I can understand how exchanges might be beneficial — but for these educators (who have an important responsibility to make sure the students of Taiwan make this nation better) to throw themselves behind President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) agenda is ridiculous.

The president of National Taiwan University (NTU), Lee Si-chen (李嗣涔), needs to have his head examined for his comments, which are unbecoming of an intellectual.

This is sad as NTU is at the forefront of Taiwanese higher education, cultivating tomorrow’s intelligentsia and leadership elite. For him to say that “one day a Chinese premier may be an alumnus of NTU” is completely inappropriate.

I am sick and tired of fellow Taiwanese putting themselves down and sympathizing with those who want to see not only a political and economic annexation but also cultural annexation of Taiwan.

Ku Chia-heng’s (谷家恆) comment that Chinese students could have a positive influence on their Taiwanese counterparts is so offensive I think he should step down from his post.

What about the other way around? Hopefully the Taiwanese students would have a positive influence on the students from China. We have more to offer than the Chinese students do, and the Chinese students would be in Taiwan.

We could try to open the world of democracy and freedom to them on our own soil. What could the Chinese students teach us in Taiwan?

This should be the goal of having Chinese students in Taiwan. Come on, people of Taiwan. Let’s take pride in ourselves. We are falling behind in every facet not because of the economy but because of a lack of pride and respect in ourselves and a lack of national identity.

This idea permeates from the top down and from the bottom up.

Be proud of Taiwan. Stand up. Currently the people of Taiwan are truly pathetic.

KELLVAN CHENG
Texas

Yeh is no doctor

Since reading that the 2009 World Health Assembly (WHA) has been addressing Taiwan’s Department of Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) as “Dr Yeh,” I have been waiting for Yeh to come clean on the “Dr” title.

Although Yeh graduated from the medical school of the National Taiwan University in 1975 and passed Taiwan’s public health medical doctor written examination in the same year, he never went through the required clinical training and internship to become a fully qualified medical doctor and never practiced medicine.

Yeh does not hold a PhD either. By custom, he should not be styling himself a “doctor.”

The local Chinese-language media are referring to him as “[medical] doctor Yeh” (葉醫師) in their WHA-related reports. Yeh has never corrected them. I wonder what kind of “doctor” he is.

SING YOUNG
Taoyuan City

China is playing along with Ma
　

By Emerson Chang 張子揚
Wednesday, May 20, 2009, Page 8

Many analysts believe Taiwan’s admission to the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer to be a reflection of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) hidden agenda on Taiwan. The question is if the CCP will show Taiwan goodwill in talks over an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA).

Based on the fact that the ECFA was not on the agenda for the third and fourth meetings between Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), many wonder if China will frustrate the Taiwanese government’s goals.

The current stagnant status of the ECFA is in fact a result of requests by the government of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). The CCP is merely playing along.

This means that there could be some huge breakthroughs at the fifth meeting between Chiang and Chen that is scheduled for next year. There are several reasons for backing this theory.

First, in January 2002, the CCP proposed a mechanism for cross-strait economic cooperation. However, this suggestion never came to fruition because Taiwan insisted that talks be conducted under the framework of the WTO.

Last July, Ma proposed a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) and five months later, the chairman of China’s People’s Political Consultative Conference, Jia Qinglin (賈慶林), formally responded to the Ma administration on the matter.

Jia suggested that a CECA be established as soon as possible. Jia’s suggestion was later included in Chinese President Hu Jintao’s (胡錦濤) “six points” speech.

In this speech, Hu brought together the differences in opinion between Ma and Jia. Ma emphasized words like “comprehensive” and “agreement,” while Jia emphasized words such as “cross-strait” and “mechanism.”

Hu said the two sides could sign a CECA and set up a collaboration mechanism with special “cross-strait characteristics.”

This shows that the CCP at the time was willing and had plans to promote cross-strait economic cooperation.

In early February this year, the Ma administration was prepared to include the topic of a CECA on the agenda of the third meeting between Chiang and Chen and it was even sure of completing its ratification before the end of this year. Later that month, the Ministry of Economic Affairs completed the draft for the agreement and submitted it to the Cabinet for approval so it could be discussed at the next Chiang-Chen meeting.

These developments seem to contradict the fact that the ECFA has not been included on the agenda for the latest two meetings between Chiang and Chen. Why have things come to a standstill? This is the work of the Ma administration rather than the CCP.

In the past, the CCP was suspicious of the underlying motives behind the Ma administration’s eagerness to sign an ECFA and its attempts to sign free trade agreements (FTA) with other nations as this could give Taiwan the opportunity to declare independence.

However, there are some indications that the CCP is trying to eradicate these suspicions.

First, the Ma administration has adopted a strategy of lying low. The government has lowered its sights — instead of an FTA, they were willing to sign a CECA with China, which is similar to the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangements (CEPA) that China signed with Hong Kong and Macau.

The Ma administration has low demands — it changed its rhetoric from wanting to “discuss related regulations with ASEAN” to saying that the promotion of an ECFA could enable other countries to “be more proactive in discussing FTAs with Taiwan.”

Finally, the government is also taking a low profile in its dealings with China — it wants agreements to be based on the WTO “spirit” rather than the WTO “framework.”

Secondly, the CCP is confident that its opinions will be considered by other nations when discussing trade agreements with Taiwan and that agreement titles that China finds offensive will be avoided.

The CCP’s position on promoting a mechanism for cross-strait economic cooperation has not changed, the signing of an ECFA is only a matter of time and the only question left now is how much Taiwan will benefit from an ECFA.

On the other hand, the government places importance on public opinion and worries that signing an ECFA will give the pan-green camp ammunition in its opposition, which would not be beneficial in the year-end mayor and county commissioner elections.

The government is even more worried that the local elections will reflect a lack of confidence, or turn into a vote of no confidence. To avoid these dangers, the government has put the ECFA issue aside for the time being.

Pressure from the pan-green camp has resulted in government hesitation, but it is not enough pressure to change the direction of government policy. Now that the three links have been established with China, interdependence between Taiwan and China will increase and even if Taiwan is more reliant on China than China on Taiwan, the Ma administration remains confident that the CCP will not allow Taiwan to lose everything because this could force a declaration of independence or the creation of two Chinas.

In addition, the government also hopes to achieve progress of historic proportions by ending Taiwan’s economic marginalization.

Therefore, the ECFA has probably come to a standstill because China is playing along with the requests of the Ma administration.

Regardless of who wins in the year-end elections, everything will be rosy for the Ma government. In addition, the ECFA draft will probably also be finished by then. The most probable time for signing an ECFA will be the fifth meeting between Chiang and Chen next year.

Emerson Chang is director of the Department of International Studies at Nan Hua University.