Dear Mr. Secretary-General George Robertson,
　　 Mr. Trent Lott,
　　 Mr. Denny Hastert,

Doctors Without Borders won the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of its "pioneering humanitarian work." The organization was founded in Paris in 1971, by a group of idealistic doctors disillusioned with the neutral polices of the Red Cross. In the nearly 30 years since then, the doctors and volunteers of Doctors Without Borders have been among the vanguard of aid works wherever they are needed.

Taiwan wants to do the best for their people.

Oct. 18, 1999 ---
A Japanese scholar yesterday praised Taiwan authorities for their efforts to promote reconstruction of towns in central Taiwan, which suffered huge losses of human lives and property in the September 21 earthquake.

The scholar, who was invited to provide counseling in the post-earthquake reconstruction, said Taiwan authorities are doing a better job in organizing relief and reconstruction work than the Japanese government did in after a major earthquake there a few years ago.

He especially praised Taiwan's religious groups and armed forces for their contributions to the relief work, saying that their outstanding performance is one of the reasons why Taiwan has been recovering so rapidly since the earthquake.

However, the scholar warned that rapid recovery of quake-affected towns in no necessarily a good thing for local people, judging from Japan's experience. One side effect is that many local people will find less employment opportunities than before.

The scholar also noted differences between American, Japanese and Taiwanese leaders in dealing with major earthquakes. Japanese leaders were upset by the huge losses in the Kobe earthquake, blaming bad luck for having had to deal with such touchy issues while they were in office.

On the other hand, American leaders take advantage of natural disasters to demonstrate their coordinating and organizing capabilities. "According to what I have observed, Taiwanese leaders are more like American leaders," he said.

On Beijing side, political issue always more important than charity.

Charity knows no national borders.

Several members of Doctors Without Borders are scheduled to arrive in Taiwan this week to help relieve the suffering of the earthquake victims. The charity group, which was awarded the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize will offer rehabilitative medicine and psychological counseling, according to a spokesman for the Buddhist Tzu Chi Compassionate Relief Foundation.

The group's arrival will be cordially welcomed. It will also warm the hearts of all those who receive their assistance. Taiwan residents will be happy to witness the charitable deeds of the doctors.

Since the earthquake, numerous foreign groups have come to Taiwan to lend a helping hand. Their acts of kindness have made a deep impression on the people of Taiwan. More important, they have demonstrated to our citizens that humanitarian work knows no national boundaries.

Taiwan is now a prosperous society, where some religious group, such as the Buddhist Tzu Chi Compassionate Relief Foundation, are eager to make relief efforts beyond the island's borders. More private individual, we believe, should act in the same philanthropic was as Doctors Without Borders and the Tzu Chi Organization have towards people in the other parts of the global village.

Communist China government crackdown on their people because of scaring out of leader's control.

Oct. 17, 1999 ---
Widespread support for the nomination of mainland Chinese democracy activists Wei Jingsheng and Wang Dan led China, the largest communist dictatorship in the world, to mount an unprecedented campaign to interfere in this year's review process. Such a campaign is an insult to the Nobel Peace Prize, being completely at odds with its meaning and purpose. If the campaign achieved its intended effect, then human idealism and justice once again would have been frustrated.

We congratulate the Doctors Without Borders for winning this year's Prize, and at the same time we express admiration for the long and arduous efforts of those in the mainland democracy movement. The road toward democracy in China will be a long one, and advocated of that cause will still have their chance to win the prize.

This attempt to intervene in the process by mainland China only demonstrates its ignorance of the meaning of democracy and human rights, and its indifference to this symbol of man's desire for peace. We hope that international society will continue to support the Chinese democracy movement, and to show its concern for those citizens and groups who are threatened and oppressed, in overt or clandestine fashion, by the Chinese regime.

Beijing, Oct. 17 ---
The communist Chinese government crackdown on the out-lawed Falun Gong religious sect is now targeting civil service and state enterprise employees, state press reported Sunday.

"As for the diehard followers of 'Falun Gong', we must according to law and discipline kick out those that should be kicked out of the party and fire those that should be fired from public employment," Su Rongjie, vice party head in Jilin Province, was quoted by the People's Daily as saying.

Su said a government circular issued Friday on punishing Falun Gong followers who were in government employ would be fully implemented in Jilin Province, the home region of Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi.

Hongzhi now lives in the United States.

The circular called on government work units to investigate the role state employees have in the Falun Gong movement and the attitude the workers had towards "correcting their mistakes."

Officials from Hunan, Guangxi and Hebei as well as the cities of Chnogqing and Haikou also pledged to crack down on the group, which the government has accused of spreading superstition and plotting to challenge communist rule, the paper said.

The sect was banned on July 22 after a huge protest in central Beijing by some 10,000 followers earlier this spring. A massive vitriolic campaign of denunciation by the state press followed. The group, whose teachings combine traditional Chinese meditation with morality and mysticism, claims a following of up to 100 million worldwide.

DDP policy paper on relations with China expected to reflect Chen's current stance.

Oct. 17, 1999 ---
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is drafting a white paper on the party's mainland China policy which is expected to echo DPP presidential candidate Chen Shui-bian's views of conditional direct contacts between the two sides.

On September 20, Chen announced his views on cross-strait relations. He proposed a relaxation of restrictions on direct shipping, trade and investment on condition that Taiwan's security is not undermined.

A DDP source disclosed that the white paper will be released next month, corresponding with the DPP-sponsored "International Conference on China in the 21st Century" to be held at the Taiwan University Conference Hall on November 6-7.

Chen, who has been invited to speak at the closing ceremony, is expected to further elaborate his views on normalizing relations between Taipei and Beijing.

In September the DPP politician summed up his proposals in five points --- negotiation of all topics, including political issues, the establishment of institutionalized exchanges of visits and dialogue, the building of mutual trust to reduce the risk of military confrontation, the relaxing of restrictions on direct shipping, trade and investment on the precondition that they don't endanger national security, and the signing an interim peace agreement that recognizes equal status.

Yen Wan-chin, director of the DPP's Department of China Affairs, said that the five-point announcement reflected a policy of bold advancement and patience.

According to a February 1999 Pentagon report on the security situation in the Taiwan strait, "Within the next several years, the size of China's short range ballistic missile force is expected to grow substantially. Despite anticipated improvements in Taiwan's missile and air defense systems, by 2005, the People's Liberation Army will posses the capability to attack Taiwan with air and missile strikes which would degrade key military facilities an damage the island's economic infrastructure."

The failure to faithfully implement section 3 of the TRA, in addition to the negative impact 20 years of diplomatic isolation has had on the ability of Taiwan's military to effectively assimilate advanced military technology and techniques, has now created the need for the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act (TSEA).

Section 3(a) of the TRA clearly instructs the U.S. government to make available to Taiwan defense articles and series "in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability."

It is possible for the key provision of the TSEA to make it into law, but it will be an uphill battle.

It will take a lot of work, creativity and persuasion, and it may have to wait for a new U.S. president and a new congress.

No matter what the odds, the Taiwanese people are entitled to use every reasonable means at their disposal to protect themselves as mush as possible.

Section 3(b) continues; " the president and the congress shall determine the nature and quantity of such defense articles and services based solely on their judgement of the needs of Taiwan."

From mainland attack or coercion, the U.S. must decide whether Taiwan's security or vulnerability is conductive to, not just peace and stability, but freedom and prosperity on both sides of the strait.

As for us, we believe that security is the key to flexibility in cross-strait relations, and democracy is the only path to eventual peaceful unification. Soon we hope to see the members of the U.S. House and Senate agree.