May 11,1999---Tony Blair, Trent Lott, Denny Hastert

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Taiwan Tati Cultural
And Educational Foundation
B16F, No.3 Ta-Tun 2St.
Taichung, Taiwan, ROC
May 11, 1999.


Dear Mr. Prime Minister Tony Blair,
        Mr. Trent Lott,
        Mr. Denny Hastert,

Another wave of buses arrived with more student protesters early yesterday (May 9, 1999), a day after protesters attacked the U.S. and British embassies in Beijing with chunks of concrete, smashing windows and cars in demonstrations against NATO's accidental bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia. The Chinese government basically bans protests for fear they will escalate into unrest.

But officials apparently felt that stopping people from publicly expressing outrage over the embassy bombing could further inflame them and possible turn emotions against the government. Not since the government crushed democracy protests at Tiananmem Square on June 4,1989, have students and other Chinese marched through Beijing streets in large numbers with banners and slogans.

However, China needs economic growth for social stability, and continued economic growth requires continued access to American markets and capital China would hurt itself if it responds to the Belgrade tragedy too harshly.

Taiwan commentators said communist China's state --- controlled media were playing with fire by whipping up nationalist, anti-western feelings that they said encouraged mobs of irate students to attack U.S. and other western diplomatic outposts. "If mainland authorities aren't careful, these sentiments could ultimately end up turning against them." Taipei China Post said in an editorial.

According to "tragic mistake", the President dismissed critics who suggested the attack was an act of barbarism. "What is barbaric is what Mr. Milosevic has done," he said, "What is barbaric is the intentional ethnic cleansing he has provoked."

In our view; China's state-controlled media concealed the truth of Serb's ethnic cleansing and genocide massacre from Chinese people. We support that Clinton said the bombings could stop if Milosevic would accept NATO's demands to leave Kosovo and accept the return of ethnic Albanians to the province under the protection of an international peacekeeping force.

Yours Sincerely,
Yang Hsu-Tung.
President
Taiwan Tati Cultural
And Educational Foundation

 

 

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