Dear Mr. Prime Minister Tony Blair,
Mr. President Clinton,
Mr. Chancellor Gerhard Schr"der,
Mr. President Jacques Chirac,
Beijing, Dec. 23 ---
Mainland Chinese authorities on Wednesday turned their sights
on the published and entertainment industries, having cracked
down on dissidents in recent weeks. Under new rules carried
in major newspapers, book and magazine publishers well as music
producers, and filmmakers face life in prison if they were found
guilty of inciting to subvert state power.
Meanwhile, the beleaguered band of mainland Chinese dissidents
still at liberty following a heavy handed crackdown from Beijing
announced plans for a 100-day hunger strike Wednesday and called
for help from the international community.
Some 214 activists from 21 provinces and cities around the
country said in a fax that they would start the hunger strike
from Christmas Eve with dissidents taking turns to fast for
24 hours at a time. "We are expressing our protests at
the persecution from the government with hunger strike"
said the 214, including Beijing-based Ren Wanding who has been
frequently detained in recent weeks.
Exiled mainland Chinese human rights activist Wei Jingsheng
yesterday (Dec. 23, 1998) advised Taiwan's top negotiator Shi
Hwei-yow on tactics to be used in Cross-Strait negotiations,
suggesting the Taiwan authorities may employ him as adviser
on Cross-Strait relations. "I was very concerned about
the Koo-Wang meet while in the U.S.. I was worried Taiwan would
have fell into the communist's trap" Wei said. "And
at the early stage there were indeed several risky situations.
But at the end of the day it's fortunate you didn't get trapped"
Wei added.
"It's no easy task to deal with the communists
because they rarely mean what they say. Most of the time, they
would give you a big blow when you're not alert" Wei pointed
out. "If someday the communists promise to talk with President
Lee Teng-hui you (Taiwan) should think it over very carefully.
Remember, there must be something dodgy when the communists
make an offer so easily" Wei warned.
Both Taiwan and Beijing have vowed to terminate hostility against
each other before moving toward closer partnership. But Wei
also showed a distrust in Beijing's attachment to the consensus.
"It's no problem if the deal were between two
honest gentlemen. But the communists are no gentlemen.
They are villains who never mean what they say"
Wei argued. "Deng Xiaoping deployed a system which created
lots of bourgeois and bureaucrats. He had hindered possible
democratic development in the mainland China" Wei criticized.
"And as for Jiang Zemin, I don't think he is qualified
for the ranking because what he has been doing is simply carrying
on Deng's policies, which does not at all help the mainland's
modernization" Wei said.
Also the Chinese democracy fighter offer his perception of
Taiwan's three leaders of the Kuomintang government, which receded
to the island following its defeat in the 1949 Chinese civil
war. "Chiang Kai-shek was not bold enough to carry out
democracy. But as far his dictatorship is concerned, he failed
to compete with the communist religious-dictator Mao Zedong"
Wei commented.
Chiang Ching-Kuo wanted democracy but did not create a climate
suitable for the system. And at last it is Lee Teng-hui who
finally succeeded in transforming Taiwan to a democracy"
Wei said.
In our view; Beijing government is very hard to be trusted
by its promise, Wei said that, we said also. That the psychologic
defense mechanism is the only ban for communist China. Only
democratic mainland China can save the soul of Beijing's leaders.