20050905

UK crewmen celebrate POW rescue

COMMEMORATION: Five men who served in the UK navy returned to a Keelung yesterday -- to the same spot they'd arrived at 60 years earlier to evacuate POWs

BY JEAN LIN

STAFF REPORTER

Five former sailors of the British Royal Navy attended a commemoration ceremony yesterday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the evacuation of prisoners of war (POWs) from Taiwan.

The ceremony took place on the No. 2 West Wharf at Keelung Harbor, the exact spot where Taiwanese POWs were rescued 60 years ago by Allied sailors two weeks after the surrender of the Japanese forces.

Former members of the British Royal Navy attend a commemoration ceremony yesterday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the evacuation of prisoners of war from Taiwan at Keelung's Wharf No.2.

From August 1942 until September 1945 the Japanese held more than 4,300 Allied prisoners of war in 15 POW camps around Taiwan. Many suffered mistreatment and malnutrition at the hands of their Japanese captors, or died from abuse and starvation.

For the POWs that lived, the crew members present at the commemoration service yesterday -- Ken Connolly, Peter Longhurst, Stan Morriss, Sam Pearsall and Denys Carden -- were a welcome site in early September of 1945.

Now in their 70s and 80s, the British sailors were just young men of around 17 and 18 years old when they arrived in 1945 in Keelung harbor on a rescue mission.

The sky was overcast and rain started falling lightly as the former crew members of the British Royal Navy took their places yesterday next to a line of flags of the Allied nations that took part in the evacuation of the POW survivors -- the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Many POWs would have died if the rescue ships had come one or two weeks later, said Michael Hurst, the director of the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society, who organized the ceremony.

"The POWs called these rescuers the angels of mercy," Hurst said.

"And these navy crew members recall their greatest moment as the rescue of the POWs in Taiwan," he added.

World War II US navy veteran Art Scholl choked up as he tried to read the poem A Veteran Speaks.

"We serve to protect our countries, to regain freedom and to make sure our children have a better place to live," the poem read.

Representatives of the Allied nations, Laurence Mitchell, senior military advisor of the liaison affairs section at the American Institute in Taiwan, and Charles Garrett, deputy director-general of the British Trade and Cultural Office, both praised the veterans for their selflessness and sacrifice in coming to evacuate the POWs.

Denys Carden, who was on the British ship HMS Bermuda, talked about the first POW he saw at the harbor 60 years ago.

"The POW was so gratified, and he gave me this," Carden said, taking a red handkerchief out of his pocket.

Denys Carden, left, a former member of the British navy, shows a bandanna given to him by a prisoner of war (POW) in 1945 during a commemoration ceremony yesterday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the evacuation of Allied POWs from Taiwan at Keelung's Wharf No. 2.

Another former navy crew member Peter Longhurst, from the HMS Barle spoke of the rumors he had heard before his arrival of how badly the prisoners were treated in the Japanese camps in Taiwan.

"However, I was still very surprised when I saw the POWs. They were in even worse conditions than I had previously imagined," Longhurst said.

Retired Lieutenant General Abraham Lee, who is deputy secretary-general of the Veterans Affairs Commission, said that "We should help the society remember the POWs. We must face the history, not hide it."

"Many POWs went home and were discouraged from talking about their time in Taiwan," Hurst said. "Therefore, we must work harder to make sure these men are never forgotten."

Mark Wilkie, also from the society said: "We must thank these veterans. That's all they need. A simple thanks."

Wreaths were laid on the dock to honor the men of the Allied navies who evacuated the POWs.

A memorial service for POWs will be held in November in Chinkuashih (金瓜石) the site of the Kinkaseki POW camp, reportedly one of the most brutal of the Japanese camps.

"Taiwan's military modernization needs greater emphasis on participation in US weapon systems programs, international joint development ventures and cooperative or license production, rather than launching a completely domestic effort." －Fu Mei, editor-in-chief of the Taiwan Defense Review

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will send a representative to attend a high-level conference in the US designed to boost Taiwan's military cooperation with America, the Taipei Times has learned.

Ho Szu-yin, director of the KMT's Overseas Department and vice-convener of the National Security Division of the KMT's National Policy Foundation, has been invited by the organizer -- the US-Taiwan Business Council -- to make a luncheon keynote presentation at the "US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference 2005," which is scheduled to be held in San Diego, California from Sep. 18 to Sep. 20.

This is the fourth in a series of ongoing conferences addressing the future of US defense cooperation with Taiwan, the defense procurement process and Taiwan's future defense and national security needs, according to the organizer's Web site.

Deputy Minister of National Defense Hou Shou-yeh will attend in the place of Minister of National Defense Lee Jye.

People First Party (PFP) Legislator Nelson Ku, a retired admiral who is a member of the legislature's National Defense Committee, criticized the KMT's participation in the meeting as its "endorsement of the arms procurement plan."

The pan-blue alliance of the KMT and PFP have been staunchly opposing the arms procurement plan, which would acquire three items from the US government.

While the KMT is still divided over the issue and has established a task force to evaluate the arms procurement plan, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng of the KMT has called on opposition lawmakers to push the stymied bill through to the National Defense Committee for further review during the upcoming legislative session.

Newly-elected KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou, however, has said that he finds the expensive plan unacceptable and laid down three basic principles for the party to abide by.

Ho, who is currently out of the country, was not available for comment about his upcoming trip. KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung, who also serves as the deputy executive director of the KMT's Central Policy Committee, confirmed to the Taipei Times that Ho will represent the party at the meeting.

Ting also proposed that the government earmark a bigger budget for the military's Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology to improve and mass produce domestically developed military weaponry instead of spending large amounts of money buying expensive arms from other countries.

In addition, the armed service branches and the Ministry of National Defense need to expand their portfolio of interest into areas and disciplines not traditionally under military jurisdiction, such as space affairs and critical infrastructure protection, he said.

Mei has been invited by the organizer to speak on "Taiwan military modernization and the rapidly changing strategic environment."

Mei said that he is not sure whether the conference in San Diego would have a direct effect on the arms budget review process, because this will depend on the attitude of the PFP in the coming weeks and on the political dynamics within the pan-blue coalition.

Kuo Lin-wu, chief coordinator of the Executive Yuan's Anti-Terrorism Office, has been invited to speak at the forum on critical infrastructure protection. He told the Taipei Times that he personally does not think the conference would have a significant impact on the arms procurement plan, but may serve as an opportunity for the government to ponder such issues like critical infrastructure protection, which directly affects the nation's economy and people's livelihoods.

Participants from the US side include Gregory Man, political and military affairs officer of the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington Office; Richard McNamara, executive director of the US Navy's Program Executive Office for Submarines; and Randall Schriver, partner in Armitage International.

At least 23 paramilitary soldiers were killed yesterday in a powerful landmine blast triggered by suspected Maoist rebels in eastern India, a federal minister said.

The vehicle carrying the soldiers passed over the mine in Bijapur district in the state of Chhattisgarh, some 1,100km southeast of New Delhi.

Two of the soldiers who survived the blast were battling for their lives in hospital, officials said. The blast shattered the vehicle.

"We suspect that the Maoists are behind the incident. It is a blow to the state because the Maoist situation was improving in Chhattisgarh when the incident happened," said federal junior home minister Shriprakash Jaiswal.

Maoists have strongholds in at least five of India's 29 states including the eastern states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. They say they are battling for greater social and economic rights for indigenous tribes and landless farmers.

"They used a powerful explosive and that is why the toll is so high," said Arvind Vichar Netam, Chhattisgarh's home minister.

New Delhi says left-wing rebels operating in India have ties with Maoist guerrillas in neighboring Nepal who are fighting to overthrow the monarchy and install a communist republic.

On Saturday Nepal's Maoists announced a unilateral three-month ceasefire starting immediately in an effort to aid talks with political parties in the Himalayan nation.

"Our government has been trying to resolve the Maoist problem and we are confident you will see a solution emerging over the long-term," Jaiswal said.

He said the federal government had advised state governments to boost economic and social development in insurgency-hit areas to resolve the Maoist problem.

"We have told the state governments that unless you try to address the problem of development in these areas, you will not be able to solve the problem. We are doing the maximum possible to bring peace to these regions," Jaiswal added.

Last month Maoist guerrillas ambushed officials returning from an event celebrating India's Independence Day in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, killing nine of them.

The incident happened days after the Indian government rejected a parliamentary panel's recommendation for direct peace talks between the federal government and banned Maoist groups.

The federal government said it would offer assistance to states fighting the insurgents.

After the ambush in Andhra Pradesh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised to hunt down the Maoist rebels responsible for the deaths. He also urged Maoist groups to take part in electoral politics instead of armed rebellion.

I must take issue with your editorial "Learning respect for typhoons," (Sept. 2, page 8). You have simply taken what you read or was given to you by "US officials" and printed it without question. I wonder who these "US officials" are that you quoted. Are they the same ones around President George W. Bush as he stands in Washington talking about the disaster that he has only seen from his 747?

The people still in New Orleans did not stay inside the city because of a "cry wolf" mentality, nor were they ignorant about the forces of wind. The ones who "ignored" -- as your editorial stated -- the evacuation were the poor. They had no way to get out of the city. It is tough to leave your home, drive many hours away and stay in a hotel for days or weeks, if you don't have a car and you don't have money.

About 150,000 people in New Orleans lived below the poverty line before Katrina, 100,000 of them in abject poverty, making less than US$8,000 (NT$262,000) a year. Your staff should have viewed some other sites to find information about the people still in New Orleans and could have used the editorial to discuss ways that governments can in times of natural disasters help the ones who need it the most, the poor.

I completely agree with Mike McKenzie (Letters, Sept. 2, page 8) Taiwan should send any and all relief to the US now. They should offer to send Taiwanese medical staff along with search and rescue teams. Then when China objects it will add a little talking point for the press when Hu arrives for his visit.

"Under a fallen bird nest there is no unbroken egg," the saying goes. Only when a country is stable can people's livelihoods and society make progress and the economy can be developed. This is an unalterable rule among all countries. Indeed, under the threat of China's rapid modernization and its rising military power, to maintain an effective deterrent force for Taiwan through the special arms procurement budget is crucial for maintaining the balance between China and Taiwan.

Last year, the government actively promoted the special arms procurement plan, which is expected to radically upgrade the military defenses of Taiwan. However, due to the cost of the budget, the arms procurement plan has been a source of contention in the legislature. The public has even been led to believe that the delay in enforcing the special arms budget has been caused by the sluggish administrative procedures of the government.

Maintaining peace and stability between China and Taiwan is the government's policy, and the people's hope as well. The arms procurement plan is not an arms race between Taiwan and China. It is a necessary means for Taiwan to improve its national defense forces, until China announces it has aborted its intention of invading Taiwan. Besides, the arms procurement plan can also provide essential defensive armaments for Taiwan to help the government achieve it's policy of "preventing war, ensuring stability and defending the homeland."

National defense depends on the involvement of the whole society. To build up a modern national defense force is everyone's responsibility. The objective of a national defense force is to protect the safety of all the people in Taiwan. We face an increasing threat from China, and the arms procurement plan needs everyone's support. A modern self-defense force can be established by means of the arms procurement plan. Moreover, the security of Taiwan will ultimately be ensured.

The Pescadores, or Penghu in Mandarin, are a group of 64 small islands with an area of 80km2 situated in the Taiwan Strait, about 40km off the west coast of Taiwan.

On Aug. 1, Premier Frank Hsieh announced a plan to open Penghu County for direct point-to-point shipping services across the Taiwan Strait on an experimental basis, starting early this month. The premier is proposing that the "small three links" now in effect in Kinmen and Matsu be extended to the Pescadores.

While it is not clear whether this new policy has the blessing of President Chen Shui-bian and the Mainland Affairs Council, it is patently an imprudent idea.

The experience of the small three links at Kinmen and Matsu has been miserable. The original expectation of developing the economy of these islands simply did not pan out. Chinese tourists have been few. Taiwanese businesspeople merely use Kinmen and Matsu as convenient transit points; they do not stop there long enough to spend money. As for investment, it has been a one-way flow, as well-to-do residents of the islands poured money into the thriving real estate market on the Chinese side.

To be sure, for businesspeople who travel between Taiwan and China the small three links mean savings in travel expenses and time. This advantage pales, however, compared to the intractable problems the links have caused. Smuggling is now routine and often ignored by Taiwan's coast guard.

Where it involves cheaper daily necessities from China, little harm is done. The small three links, however, also facilitate the smuggling of illicit drugs, guns and ammunition into Taiwan, empowering criminal elements.

Another problem is the transmission of diseases from China through circumvention of health and sanitary inspections. The Financial Times has warned of a potential pandemic caused by the spread of the lethal H5N1 strain of avian flu ("How to nip the flu epidemic in the bud," Aug. 5). Taiwan's Department of Health has said there was a serious risk of avian flu breaking out in Taiwan between January and March of next year. The US Center for Disease Control has even predicted as many as 14,000 Taiwanese deaths should there be an outbreak.

Against this background, it is disconcerting to learn that on Aug. 21, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) intercepted a Taiwanese fishing boat carrying more than 4,500 smuggled birds from China.

Even more dangerous is the smuggling of Chinese spies and PLA special forces operatives, who land on Kinmen and Matsu with falsified papers and then infiltrate Taiwan with ease.

Taiwan's military bases are notorious for their lackadaisical security measures. Taiwan's infrastructure, such as water reservoirs and the power grid, are vulnerable to sabotage. Taiwan's political and military leaders could become targets of PLA assassination squads. It is no exaggeration to say that the Trojan horse is already inside Taiwan's gate, thanks in part to the small three links.

It is incomprehensible why the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government would want to open up Penghu for another small three links, when the experience of Kinmen and Matsu has been such an utter failure.

Furthermore, there are other reasons why this will be an egregious mistake in policy. First, the Pescadores are an indispensable military bastion guarding the security of Taiwan. In 1622, the Dutch took possession of Penghu for its strategic location and then took Taiwan in 1624 in exchange for relinquishing Penghu. In June 1683, Qing Dynasty admiral Shih Lang took Penghu in a naval battle with the Cheng forces. The next month the Cheng regime surrendered Taiwan to the Qing emperor. Once the Pescadores fall into enemy hands, it would be most difficult to defend Taiwan.

Opening up Penghu to infiltration by Chinese agents and spies will do irreparable harm to the security of both Penghu and Taiwan proper.

Second, the legal status of the Pescadores is entirely different from that of Kinmen and Matsu. The Pescadores have always been an integral part of Taiwan. In 1895, the Pescadores were ceded to Japan in perpetuity, along with the main island of Taiwan, by the Qing dynasty. In the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty, Japan renounced its title to Taiwan and the Pescadores. Kinmen and Matsu, on the other hand, have historically been China's outlying islands.

Even though these islands are now controlled by Taiwan, they are destined to be returned to China in the event of an amicable settlement between Taiwan and China, because Taiwan has no legitimate claim on Kinmen and Matsu, just as China has no valid claim on Taiwan.

In its public statements, the government has often lumped Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu together, seemingly oblivious to the important distinction in legal status between Penghu and the Chinese outlying islands. This is a dangerous practice which could lead allies such as the US and Japan to conclude that Taiwan lacks the resolve to defend Taiwan's sovereignty and may be amenable to eventual annexation by China.

Third, opening Penghu to the small three links could also accelerate the demoralization of the Taiwanese citizenry. Ever since KMT Chairman Lien Chan and PFP Chairman James Song made their pilgrimage to Beijing, Chen can't seem to hide his eagerness to follow suit.

China is intensifying its united front tactics to divide and conquer Taiwan, undermining the authority of the government. Chinese fishing vessels have been encroaching repeatedly on the territorial waters of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu. Although Chen has ordered a week-long "Clear Sky" campaign to chase the Chinese vessels away, the problem will recur so long as the links are in place. Implementing Penghu's links under these circumstances can further erode Taiwanese people's confidence in the government's ability to defend Taiwan's sovereignty and democracy.

Chen should order Hsieh to cease pursuing this suicidal policy. Penghu's economic problem should be solved by encouraging tourists from Japan and Okinawa, not from China, an adversary intent on devouring Taiwan.

The DPP and its administration have not clearly enunciated a vision for Taiwan's future. Public statements have often been inconsistent and contradictory. However, its deeds in dealing with China, whether by action or inaction, may be characterized as unilateral, incremental concessions to China. This policy has steadily changed the status quo in China's favor. A point of no return will soon be reached, where preserving Taiwan's de facto independence will no longer be a viable option.