Former first lady receives apology from prosecutors
　

LIVING EXPENSES: The SIP spokesman said the office had overstated the amount in bank accounts available to the former first family by NT$45 million
　

By Shelley Huang
STAFF REPORTER
Monday, Nov 09, 2009, Page 1

Prosecutors in charge of investigating former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) corruption and money laundering cases apologized yesterday to former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) for saying the family still had NT$50 million (NT$1.6 million) in active bank accounts.

“The prosecution apologizes to [Wu] for mistakenly saying that the total amount the Chen family holds in [active] checking deposits is [NT$]50 million, when in fact the amount is a little more than [NT$]5 million,” said Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南), spokesperson for the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Investigative Panel (SIP).

The apology came after Wu issued a statement on Saturday saying that the funds in the accounts of Chen Shui-bian, their son Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching (黃睿靚) and herself to which they have access totaled about NT$1.23 million, and was not enough to cover living expenses, a mortgage, attorney fees and her medical and nursing expenses.

Wu said her medical and nursing expenses come to NT$200,000 a month, while a NT$3.8 million life insurance payment was being used to pay legal fees.

Chen Yun-nan confirmed on Wednesday that the SIP had frozen the bank accounts, stock holdings and real estate holdings of several members of the former president’s family.

The prosecutors said the assets needed to be frozen to ensure illegal profits would be returned to the treasury in the event the former president and other defendants were found guilty by the Taiwan High Court.

They said the money in the unfrozen accounts was enough to sustain Wu, Chen Chih-chung and Huang.

Prosecutors said if Wu felt the family needed more money to cover their expenses, she and her attorneys should tell the High Court, which is reviewing the family’s corruption and money laundering cases.

The only family member whose assets were not frozen was daughter Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤), because prosecutors said they have no evidence she had participated in the alleged money-laundering.

Walkers demand ECFA referendum
　

By Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTER
Monday, Nov 09, 2009, Page 1
　

The People’s Sovereignty Movement — a 49-day protest walk to promote changes to the Referendum Act (公民投票法) and push for referendums on all cross-strait agreements — departed yesterday from Longshan Temple (龍山寺) in Taipei.

People from all walks of life — teachers, college students, shop owners, workers, social activists, Christian ministers and Buddhist monks — gathered at the square in front of the temple to sign up for the protest. Politicians such as former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) also took part.

Several civic groups, including the Nuke-4 Referendum Initiative Association, the Union of Taiwanese Teachers, the Green Formosa Front Association and the Taiwan Labor Front, organized the walkathon.

As people prepared to begin the walk, a Buddhist monk held a placard written in English that read “ECFA — No.”

ECFA stands for “economic cooperation framework agreement,” a deal that the government plans to sign with China to establish closer economic ties, but some groups have raised doubts about the proposal.

Many people brought banners and signs voicing their concern that signing an ECFA might result in higher unemployment because more factories may move to China and less expensive Chinese products may be dumped on the Taiwanese market.

“The People’s Sovereignty Movement believes that cross-strait agreements concern the country’s sovereignty and the people’s welfare, and thus should be ratified by the people via referendums,” said Chen Li-chun (鄭麗君), a spokeswoman for the movement.

“We urge the public to demand that President Ma Ying-jeou [馬英九] initiate a referendum to ask the people if they agree that Taiwan should sign agreements with China under the ‘one China’ principle as stated in Article 17 of the Referendum Act,” she said. “The Executive Yuan should also propose amendments to the law so that it becomes a better tool of direct democracy.”

Article 17 of the law stipulates that the president may initiate a referendum if the country is under threat from an outside force or if its sovereignty may be compromised.

Chen Li-kuei (陳麗貴), a movement leader, urged more people to “say with our feet what we, the masters of the country, want.”

Web users protest lifting of beef ban
　

By Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTER
Monday, Nov 09, 2009, Page 3

A group of Internet users yesterday staged a demonstration outside the Taipei Railway Station to protest the government’s decision to lift the ban on imports of US bone-in beef and bovine organs.

Despite a legislative resolution adopted in January 2006 stipulating the government must consult with and gain approval from the legislature before lifting the ban, the government announced last month that it had already signed an agreement with the US lifting the ban after years of negotiation.

The announcement created uproar around the country and drew strong opposition from local government heads, as well as legislators of both the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party.

Following a candle-lit demonstration in Hsinchu organized by Internet users last Saturday to protest the policy and to demand the renegotiation of the beef agreement with the US, Internet users in Taipei also staged a demonstration yesterday.

“President Ma Ying-jeou [馬英九] always says that he represents the voice of all 23 million Taiwanese, but that’s just bullshit,” a woman surnamed Chang (張) who brought her daughter to the protest said. “The government negotiated with the US on the beef deal for years, but the public only found out about it after the agreement was signed.”

Another protester surnamed Chen (陳) said that Ma and officials at both the Presidential Office and the Executive Yuan should eat bone-in beef and bovine organs from the US every day, since they have told people it is safe.

“A handful of officials have already said that they wouldn’t eat it — so why should the public?” he said.

Chang condemned Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) for being irresponsible when he said the public should serve as the last checkpoint for US beef and make up their own minds as to whether they want to eat it.

“Well, if they don’t lift the ban, the people don’t have to take that risk,” she said. “Why don’t we just legalize drugs and guns and turn off all traffic lights — just leave it to the public to decide?”

Chu Cheng-chi (朱政麒), a student at National Taiwan University’s Department of Sociology who became well-known after uploading a video of himself eating cow excrement in protest of the lifting of the ban, also joined the protest.

“No matter how small it is, there is still a chance that mad cow disease could enter Taiwan in the more hazardous parts of US beef and once it comes, it stays for generations,” Chu said. “If Taiwan becomes an affected area, it would be hard to root out the disease.”

In related news, Lin Ja-liang (林杰樑), a clinical toxicology specialist at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Linkou, yesterday advised people not to nibble the bones when consuming US bone-in beef.

Those who do so are four times more likely to become ill than those who do not, he said.

Lin also suggested that the government separate the waste generated from the consumption of US beef and incinerate it so that it would not contaminate other food waste.

While the government has banned farmers from feeding their cattle bone meal imported from infected areas, Lin said it should also ban products containing substances made from beef in the infected areas, including collagen, bone dust used in medical surgery and vaccines.
　

Dalai Lama visits Tawang as China fumes

AP, TAWANG, INDIA
Monday, Nov 09, 2009, Page 5
　

The Dalai Lama brushed off Chinese protests and traveled yesterday to a remote Himalayan town near the Tibetan border to lead five days of prayers and teaching sessions for Buddhist pilgrims.

Thousands of poor villagers braved freezing temperatures and icy winds for a rare chance to glimpse the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Monks clanged cymbals and sounded traditional Tibetan horns to greet the Dalai Lama as he arrived at the Tawang monastery from a nearby helipad.

The Dalai Lama smiled and chatted with the gathered crowds. One monk shaded him with a giant yellow silk umbrella, while scores of others bowed before him as he walked into a hall to lead a prayer session.

The trip to Tawang, which has strong ties to Tibet and lies at the heart of a border dispute between India and China, angered Beijing and further heightened already raised tensions between the two nations.

China accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking Tibetan independence and is especially sensitive to protests against its control over the Himalayan region following deadly anti-government riots there last year.

The Dalai Lama said Beijing’s accusation that his trip is anti-China is “baseless.” He said he is only seeking to promote religious values, peace and harmony.

“My visit here is nonpolitical,” the Dalai Lama said.

He said he felt close ties to the region, which was his first stop in India when he fled from Chinese-ruled Tibet 50 years ago. At that time, he was ill and suffering dysentery, but when he reached here yesterday, he felt safe, he said.

In the days leading up to this visit — only his fifth trip here in the last half century — monks and residents painted the monasteries of Tawang and scrubbed the town. They hung prayer flags along the streets and banners welcoming the Dalai Lama.

On Sunday, the main monastery was filled with fresh orange, white and red flowers as young monks bustled around making last-minute preparations.

Pilgrims arrived in packed trucks, others walked along narrow paths in the Himalayan foothills for as long as five days to hear a man they revere as a living god speak.

“If I can just see him once in my lifetime, then I am not afraid to die,” said Dorji Wangdi, 17.

The local administration, which expected 25,000 people, erected a small tent city for pilgrims, while other visitors sought shelter in local monasteries and guesthouses.

India and China have been embroiled in a border dispute over the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh since 1962. Tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries have worsened in recent months as they vie for economic and political power in the region.

While China regularly protests the movements of the Dalai Lama, it is particularly sensitive to this trip, which highlights two issues of special concern to ­Beijing, Tibetan independence and its disputed border with India, said Srinath Raghavan, a senior fellow at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi.

“The Chinese are highly distrustful of what the Dalai Lama is doing there,” he said.

Tawang is close to the border with Tibet and is home to the Monpa tribe, who have strong ties to Lhasa. The sixth Dalai Lama came from the region in the 17th century and China fears the current Dalai Lama will say his successor could also come from the region, removing China’s role in choosing Tibet’s next spiritual leader.

At the same time, India’s decision to let the Dalai Lama visit Tawang — just weeks after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Arunachal Pradesh — is another declaration of its sovereignty over the disputed border area.

For his part, the Dalai Lama no longer appears concerned about angering China since negotiations over his Himalayan homeland have gone nowhere, Raghavan said.

“The Dalai Lama really has nothing to lose,” he said. “The key thing is for him to be able to preserve Tibetan religion and culture.”

Pitfalls and possibilities in Obama’s Taiwan line
　

By Nat Bellocchi
Monday, Nov 09, 2009, Page 8

As US President Barack Obama prepares for his visit to Japan, South Korea, China and Singapore, it is worthwhile to consider a number of issues that affect US-Taiwan-China relations.

On two of the three sides in this triangle, we have relatively new actors at the political helm: the Obama administration in the US and the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

Obama has the advantage of being at the start of a new chapter in relations with both Taiwan and China. He is relatively unburdened by the inhibitions of the past, and has the freedom to do some out-of-the-box thinking.

But there is already a tendency — similar to that seen in the administration of US president George W. Bush — that the US “needs” China to resolve major issues like global warming, pollution and the financial crisis.

While it is essential to engage China on these issues, we need to ensure that this is not done at the expense of a free and democratic Taiwan. During the past weeks, Chinese spokesmen have called on the US and other international partners to respect China’s so-called “core interests.” It would be good if Obama emphasized clearly that it is a core interest of the US that the future of Taiwan be resolved peacefully and with the express consent of the Taiwanese people.

Similarly, in his first year in office, Ma opened a new chapter and started rapprochement with China. While there is broad agreement that a reduction of tension in the Taiwan Strait is desirable, Ma has been criticized for moving too far, too fast and for allowing Taiwan’s drift into China’s sphere of influence to be accompanied by erosion of justice and a decline in press freedom.

The US’ Taiwan policy has traditionally swung back and forth between realism and idealism. The policies of president Richard Nixon and secretary of state Henry Kissinger in the 1970s, president Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s, president Bill Clinton in the mid-1990s and Bush in the period 2001-2004 are all testimony to the fact that the US made significant mid-course changes that were detrimental to Taiwan and that contributed to its international isolation, despite Washington’s statements that its policies were “unchanged” and contributed to “stability.”

From an international perspective, Taiwan is an example of a successful transition to democracy. The most rational and reasonable outcome of Taiwan’s normalization of relations with China would be acceptance of this young democracy in the international family of nations. This is a process that will need cooperation from all sides; for its part, China will need to see that it is in its own interests to come to terms with a small and democratic neighbor with which it can live in peace.

Taiwan can justifiably be proud of its achievements, economically and politically, but it needs to stay the course and strengthen its democracy, sovereignty and international relations so that it can be an equal partner in the international community.

Taiwan can also strengthen the fabric of its society by implementing judicial change, improving governance, protecting human rights and finding new niches in the international economy. All of these will enhance the nation’s acceptance and respect around the world.

The US can play a constructive role if Obama is willing to apply creative thinking and steer away from the pitfalls of the mantras that were recited in the past. The fundamental values of democracy and human rights, for which the US stands, mandate that we are more supportive of the dream of many Taiwanese that their country be accepted as a full and equal member of the international community. That would be change we can believe in.

Nat Bellocchi is a former chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan and a special adviser to the Liberty Times Group. The views expressed in this article are his own.

Taiwan eyes TIFA talks at APEC

STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA
Monday, Nov 09, 2009, Page 12

“Given the close economic relations between the two sides, Taiwan hopes to discuss many bilateral trade issues with the US, including the TIFA talks.”— Huang Chih-peng, Bureau of Foreign Trade director-general

Taiwan will propose holding talks with the US under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) during bilateral meetings on the sidelines of an APEC summit in Singapore, an official said yesterday.

“Given the close economic relations between the two sides, Taiwan hopes to discuss many bilateral trade issues with the US, including the TIFA talks,” Bureau of Foreign Trade Director-General Huang Chih-peng (黃志鵬) said.

Huang is in Singapore for a two-day meeting that marks the start of the annual APEC Leaders’ Week activities. The meeting of senior officials precedes meetings with ministers and leaders.

In the absence of diplomatic ties, the TIFA talks have become the most important channel for the Taiwan-US dialogue on trade and economic issues.

The annual TIFA talks are usually hosted alternately by Taiwan and the US. However, they have been suspended since 2007 because of differences between the two sides on a number of issues, including Taiwan’s ban on some US beef products.

Taiwan agreed last month to lift the ban on imports of US bone-in beef and ground beef, as well as bovine intestines, brains, spinal cords and processed beef from cattle younger than 30 months, but the decision drew flak at home, with local governments threatening to boycott the products.

Asked whether Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-hsiang (施顏祥) would bring up the TIFA issue with the US representative at the APEC ministerial meeting that will follow the senior officials’ meeting, Huang said, “That’s right, he will come up with a proposal” for resuming TIFA talks.

But Taiwan’s representatives will not take the initiative to address the beef trade issue in their talks with their US counterparts on the APEC sidelines, Huang said, adding that beef importation is a bilateral issue and he cannot make any forecasts about problems that might develop.

The senior officials’ meeting began yesterday and is tasked with preparing the agenda and related documents for the ministerial and leaders’ meetings.

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) designated former vice president Lien Chan (連戰) as his special envoy for the APEC summit, which has a theme this year of “Sustaining Growth, Connecting the Region.”

This will be the second consecutive year that Lien, also a former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, represents Taiwan at the APEC leaders summit.

He is expected to hold talks with foreign leaders on the sidelines of the summit.