Dear Mrs. Mary Robinson,

This war gave Taiwan room to breath and flourish, after 50 years late. Taiwan transformed to be a democratic country. If we have no powerful military against the aggression from communist China, at Kinmen's Battle, Taiwan would be nothing to talk.

Marking the 50-year anniversary of Kinmen's Battle of Kunigtou, President Lee Teng-hui issued a statement yesterday saluting the bravery of Taiwan's military who managed to fend off a communist invasion and safeguard democracy for Taiwan.

"Fifty years ago might seem far away, but this battle has had a resounding effect on ROC history," President Lee pointed out. "There would be no Taiwan without Kinmen. Kuningtou Battle made Kinmen a fortress of democracy, giving us room to breath and flourish."

Located in a strategically crucial position between Taiwan and mainland China's Fujian province, Kinmen has always been an island with strategic importance for Taiwan. The island was officially named a county in 1915 and was under Japanese occupation from 1937 to 1945, during the eight years of Sino-Japanese conflict.

In 1949, Chiang Kaishek's Nationalist forces retreated to Taiwan when Mao Zedong's communist party took control of China. Attempting to win over the last KMT-controlled region in China, the communists launched an attack on Oct. 25, deploying more than 200 ships and 20,000 soldiers to Kinmen island.

After a 56 hour-long bloodbath, KMT troops had killed 13,000 mainland soldiers and captured 7,000. In the 50 years since this historical juncture, both cross-strait governments have pursued their individual ideological goals.

Chinese people only wants to appeal world leaders to change their current policies in order to persuade China to stop this religious persecution.

China has arrested an underground Roman Catholic bishop and sentenced seven other Catholics to one year in prison days after defending itself against U.S. criticisms of religious intolerance, a rights group said yesterday (Nov. 3, 1999).

Jia Zhiguo, bishop of the diocese of Zhending in the northern Chinese province of Hebei, was arrested on August 15 and has been missing ever since, the U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation said.

Jia was arrested just before the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. "We believe this was done to prevent Bishop Jia from leading his faithful to celebrate the feast days," the foundation said in a statement.

The bishop's detention was not the first time Chinese authorities have arrested him before a holiday, but in the past officials have released him after one or two weeks.

However, this time Jia, 65, has been detained for almost three months and his whereabouts were unknown, the foundation said. "He has in fact disappeared. We do not know where he is," the foundation said.

Seven other underground Roman Catholic laypersons also arrested earlier this year in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangxi have been sent to prison.

A police officer in the town of Sunfangzhen in Jiangxi said the seven were sentenced to one year in prison for threatening social order. He did not say whether the sentences were connected to their religious beliefs.

Joseph Kung, president of the foundation, said China's achievements in economic progress in the past two decades had not been accompanied by religious freedom.

"In fact, the widespread persecution continues to worsen," Kung said. "Obviously, the current policies of many countries in the free world to delink human rights from trade has failed to convince China to stop the religious persecuting."

Kung said the policies, on the contrary, had made the Chinese government contemptuous, allowing it to continue persecuting religious groups without fear of damaging international relations.

"We would appeal to world leaders to change their current policies in order to persuade China to stop this persecution immediately," Kung said.

China in recent days has voiced strong indignation and opposition to U.S. State Department's decision earlier this month to name China as one of five countries it was placing on a watch list for possible sanctions due to violations of religious freedoms.

China regularly cracks down on anyone practicing their faith without the Communist Party's seal of approval, imposing heavy jail terms on unofficial priests and ministers.

It only allows state-sanctioned churches to exist openly.

This year the state has also launched a campaign of vitriolic propaganda and arrests the mystical Falun Gong sect after followers demonstrated in the capital Beijing in April.

That crackdown was widened this week to other sects linked to traditional Chinese mysticism.

Taiwanese people have custom to enjoy their life in free society. If Taiwan was forced unification with communist China at this time, that means all Taiwanese people are dissidents that needs reeducation and accused of the fate as Falun Gong follows.

So, Taiwan needs your support.