Report points to surge in PRC missiles
　

CROSS-STRAIT THREAT: The latest National Security report said that Beijing could launch a 12-hour saturation missile attack and hit more than 100 key targets in Taiwan
　

By Shih Hsiu-chuan
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Apr 04, 2008, Page 1

The number of tactical ballistic missiles deployed by China against Taiwan reached more than 1,400 at the end of last year, said the National Security Council (NSC), which said in May 2006 that the figure would rise to more than 800 by the end of that year.

An NSC report released on March 26 said that China had more than 190 cruise missiles targeting Taiwan at the end of last year, rising from more than 100 a year before.

The council said the deployment “allows the People's Liberation Army [PLA] to launch a nine-wave, 12-hour saturation missile attack on Taiwan and conduct precision strikes on more than 100 key targets in Taiwan.”

The report was an update on the 2006 report —– the first ever released by the council to state in detail the government's views on internal and external threats since the nation's highest intelligence agency, presided over by the president, became a legal institution in 1993.

Included in this year's report were the PLA navy's (PLAN) 400km-range YJ-62A anti-ship cruise missiles and submarine-launched anti-ship submarines.

“PLAN has more than 1,000 ships of various types and more than 250,000 personnel. The number of its new large-sized naval vessels and submarine-launched anti-ship submarines had increased to 30 each by the end of last year, which, together with the deployment of YJ-62A anti-ship cruise missiles, equipped the PLAN with the capability to blockade the Taiwan Strait, the northeastern and southwestern waters of Taiwan proper,” the report said.

The report said the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) was preparing to deploy 200km-range S-300 PMU2 anti-aircraft missiles, which, along with its new-generation Air Early Warnings, electric warfares, and more than 10 types of stand-off weapons, “had reduced Taiwan's strategic depth and imposed threats to military and civil aviation in the airspace around Taoyuan and Hsinchu.”

It said the PLAAF had increased its fleet of new-generation fighter aircraft of various types at a rate of 70 a year, with the number growing to 550 by the end of last year.

The Chinese military's successful test-firing in January of its Dong Feng 25 ballistic missile against a weather-satellite marked significant progress in China's space technology in terms of satellite tactical communications, satellite electronic reconnaissance, satellite oceanic navigation and satellite meteorological observation, the report said.

“The PLA possesses all-day technology for aerial surveillance, satellite imagery and topography, which can enhance its ability to precisely attack targets in Taiwan,” the report said.

NSC said China had revealed its ambition to expand its sea power to the high seas.

“In 2007, China's ocean exploration ships conducted 14 sorties in the waters around Taiwan in the name of oceanic survey, intelligence and technology,” it said.

The full text of the report in Mandarin is available on the Presidential Office's Web site. An English version will be publicized at a later date.

Chinese rights activist Hu Jia jailed ahead of Games
　

SILENCED: Xinhua said Hu's 'confession of crime' led to a relatively light sentence of three-and-a-half years in prison, while the Chinese foreign ministry accused critics of interference

AGENCIES , BEIJING
Friday, Apr 04, 2008, Page 1

A Chinese dissident outspoken on Tibet and other sensitive topics was jailed for three-and-a-half years yesterday, a conviction likely to become a focus of rights campaigns ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

Hu Jia (胡佳), 34, was found guilty of “inciting subversion of state power” for criticizing the Chinese Communist Party, a verdict at which the US expressed dismay.

“In this Olympic year, we urge China to seize the opportunity to put its best face forward and take steps to improve its record on human rights and religious freedom,” the US embassy said in a statement.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused to comment.

“It is not up to us to comment on those cases,” Hein Verbruggen, head of the IOC's Coordination Commission, which is advising Beijing on how to prepare for the Games in August, told reporters.

“It is a matter of Chinese law and is not a matter for the Olympic Games or the IOC,” he said.

Xinhua news agency said Hu had made a “confession of crime and acceptance of punishment,” leading the court to issue a relatively light sentence. Hu's two lawyers said he had acknowledged “excesses.”

“In the end, I think that he came to accept that some of his statements were contrary to the law as it stands,” defense lawyer Li Jinsong (李勁松) said.

Hu has 10 days starting today to decide whether to appeal, but Li said he was unlikely to do so.

The “inciting subversion” charge can mean a jail term of five years or longer, and before the hearing lawyer Li Fangping (李方平) said a long sentence was likely.

After the hearing he said he was unaware of any deal in return for the sentence.

The Chinese foreign ministry defended the verdict and said critics were interfering in the country's internal affairs.

“We will not stop implementing the rule of law ahead of holding the Olympics,” spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters.

Another Chinese dissident, Yang Chunlin (楊春林), who called for human rights to take precedence over the Olympic Games, was sentenced to five years in jail late last month for the same crime.

Foreign reporters and diplomats were excluded from Hu's hearing, but Xinhua gave details of the offenses.

The court heard that from August 2006 to last October, Hu published articles on overseas-run Web sites, made comments in interviews with foreign media and “repeatedly instigated other people to subvert the state's political power and socialist system,” Xinhua said.

In two Web site articles, one on law enforcement ahead of last year's Communist Party Congress, and one entitled “One Country Doesn't Need Two Systems,” Hu spread “malicious rumors and committed libel,” Xinhua quoted the verdict as saying.

Dozens of well-wishers gathered outside the court to express support for Hu and rowdily air their own grievances.

“Hu Jia is a hero to us because he stood up to speak out, so we should also speak out,” said one of them, Li Hai.

Human-rights groups worldwide were quick to condemn the verdict.

“This verdict is a slap in the face for Hu Jia and a warning to any other activists in China who dare to raise human rights concerns publicly,” said Mark Allison of Amnesty International. “It also betrays promises made by Chinese officials that human rights would improve in the run-up to the Olympics.”

Starting with advocacy for rural AIDS sufferers, Hu emerged as one of the nation's most vocal advocates of democratic rights, religious freedom and self-determination for Tibet, recently shaken by protests and a security crackdown.

“Hu spread malicious rumors and committed libel in an attempt to subvert the state's political power and socialist system,” the court said, Xinhua said.

Hu was detained by police in late December after spending more than 200 days under house arrest in a Beijing apartment complex.

Hu's wife, Zeng Jinyan (曾金燕), who has also often criticized the government, and their infant daughter remain under house arrest and their telephone is cut off. Zeng attended the hearing, emerging with her baby from the courthouse visibly upset before being whisked away in a police vehicle.

Ma is treating 'Taiwan' like toilet paper, DPP says

STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA
Friday, Apr 04, 2008, Page 2

A group of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday criticized president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) after he expressed reservations over the use of the word “Taiwan” on postage stamps, and accused him of discarding the name “Taiwan” like “toilet paper” after using it to win the March 22 election.

The lawmakers were referring to a request by Ma that the state postal company postpone the issuance of stamps to commemorate his May 20 inauguration on grounds that the use of the name “Taiwan” on the stamps would be “controversial” because it is not the country's official name.

The DPP legislators said Ma had expressed no such reservations when he used the slogan “Taiwan marches forward” in his election campaign.

The post office has printed “Taiwan,” rather than the country's official name, “Republic of China,” on its stamps in Chinese and English since February last year. The change came about after the post office's name was changed from “Chunghwa Post Co” (中華郵政) to “Taiwan Post Co” (台灣郵政).

The change was made as part of the DPP administration's efforts to revise the names of state-owned enterprises that contained references to China. The DPP said this was done to avoid confusion with similarly named organizations in China. “Chunghwa” means “Chinese” or “China.”

Expressing regret and surprise at Ma's decision on the commemorative stamps, the DPP lawmakers asked whether he would rename everything that included the word “Taiwan” in its title after his inauguration.

“Does the word ‘Taiwan' sound so unpleasant to the ears? How is it that Ma, before the election, claimed he would do anything for Taiwan but is taking a different stance now that the election is over?” DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) asked.

Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津), a DPP caucus whip, argued that the the DPP administration's decision to rename “Chunghwa Post Co” was aimed at protecting national interests.

The move was criticized by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) as being part of the DPP's “pro-Taiwan independence” ideology.

During a recent interview, Ma argued that Chunghwa Post Co's name change was “illegal” because it had not been made through the proper legal channels. This gave rise to speculation that he might restore the company's original name.

Beijing asks Nepal to oust Tibet groups
　

FOR AUTONOMY: The Chinese reaction followed Tibetan protests in Kathmandu on Tuesday and Wednesday during which demonstrators tried to march on to China’s embassy

DPA, KATHMANDU
Friday, Apr 04, 2008, Page 4

“The ringleaders of Tibetan organizations here, some of whom are plotting behind and some are conducting protests, urged the Tibetans demonstrators to storm the embassy. ”－Zheng Xialing, Chinese Abassador to Nepal

China has asked the Nepalese government to prevent pro-Tibetan groups from operating in Nepal, official media said yesterday.

Terming the growing protests by Tibetans in Nepal as “illegal political activities,” China asked Nepal to take stringent measures to prevent anti-Chinese activities, the official Rising Nepal newspaper reported.

China has sought to quell Tibet-related demonstrations in the region, which have proven an embarrassment as it steps into the international spotlight as host of the Summer Olympic Games in August.

Human rights groups have criticized both China and Nepal for their handling of the Tibet protests. Rights groups charged them with violating protesters’ basic rights, including the right to assembly and freedom of speech and with using excessive force.

The Chinese reaction followed Tibetan protests on Tuesday and Wednesday in Kathmandu during which demonstrators tried to march on to the Chinese embassy in the latest of nearly daily protests in the Nepalese capital since March 10, the 49th anniversary of a failed uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule.

“The ringleaders of Tibetan organizations here, some of whom are plotting behind and some are conducting protests, urged the Tibetans demonstrators to storm the embassy,” the newspaper report quoted Chinese Ambassador Zheng Xialing (鄭祥林) as saying.

Xialing said anti-Chinese forces were operating in Nepal camouflaged as Tibetan protesters and were attempting to sabotage relations between the two countries.

“We hope the Nepalese government adheres to a `one China’ policy and does not allow anti-China forces,” Xialing said. “Our long-term friendly relations should not be undermined by these forces.”

Xialing said that most of the protesters in Kathmandu were associated with the Tibetan government in exile and described them as “separatists,” a charge China has long leveled against the exiles.

Tibet’s spiritual leader and head of its government-in-exile, the Dalai Lama, has insisted he does not seek independence from China, only greater autonomy for Tibet within China, although some Tibetans involved in the recent protests have called for independence.

Nepal’s government has said there is no change in its policy of recognizing Tibet as an integral part of China and would not allow anti-Chinese activities despite coming under growing criticism from the UN and human rights groups.

More than 1,500 Tibetan demonstrators have been detained since the beginning of anti-China protests in Kathmandu.

Rights groups have charged the Nepalese authorities with threatening the refugees involved in demonstrations with deportation back to Tibet, a charge denied by Nepalese authorities.

Nepal is home to more than 20,000 Tibetan refugees who arrived in the country in the late 1950s after the failed uprising in Lhasa.

Human rights groups said that about 3,000 Tibetans still cross over into Nepal from Tibet each year, risking their lives traversing the Himalayas.

Remembering your supporters

Friday, Apr 04, 2008, Page 8

On Wednesday, Liao Shu-hsin (廖述炘), the director of a pro-independence underground radio station in Taipei, allegedly immolated himself in his grief over the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) loss in the presidential election. Liao reportedly felt that his dream of seeing a “Republic of Taiwan” established was no longer possible.

While Liao’s love for Taiwan should be honored and respected, no one should throw away the gift of life, no matter how bleak the future may seem.

Liao’s death was a wake-up call for the DPP, which, in the wake of its loss to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in the March 22 presidential election, seems to have forgotten its supporters and become obsessed with infighting and jockeying for power.

Politics is a subject that inspires the deepest passion, and many of pan-green supporters are understandably saddened by the DPP’s disastrous electoral performance, which started with the devastating legislative elections in January. Then, as the KMT gathered strength from its newly won two-third majority in the legislature, it thrashed the DPP again last month, when its presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) garnered 2.2. million votes more than the DPP’s Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).

What many senior DPP leaders may not realize, however, is that the election losses are not in themselves what disappointed supporters the most. Rather, the inappropriate behavior of certain DPP figures during the campaigns that was most disturbing.

With calls from inside and out of the party for reflection and renewal, the public has been treated to a sad show as some DPP members eagerly take advantage of the situation to play the blame game. Constructive reflection and changes are needed, but these are far more difficult than self-righteous finger-pointing.

Senior DPP leaders have shirked responsibility in the name of being humble. A notable exception was Vice President Annette Lu’s (呂秀蓮) gift of “charcoal in snowy weather” (雪中送炭) two days after the presidential election, when she led some 100 new members to join the DPP as internal morale was at a nadir.

Other than that, the DPP appears to be in a great mess with no one seems willing to step up to the plate.

Traditionally, candidates make rounds after the election, regardless of whether they won or lost, to visit and thank supporters. Only after 10 days did Hsieh emerge from his post-election hibernation to thank his supporters on Wednesday.

Although Hsieh, who continues to serve as DPP chairman, may have been bogged down with post-election party matters, or he may simply have needed time to reflect along with other senior party officials on the significance of the defeat and party’s future, the DPP will certainly go nowhere without its grass roots. Reaching out to a disappointed and grieving support base should have been one of Hsieh’s top priorities.

Leadership is more than making decisions and standing at the helm when things are going well. It entails boosting party morale after crushing defeats, inspiring hope and creating visions of a renewed party at a time when everything looks bleak.

Preventing one party from abuse of powers
　

By Jang Show-ling 鄭秀玲
Friday, Apr 04, 2008, Page 8

In carrying out its legislative and executive rights, the government can be seen as a company that provides national defense, international relations, economic policy, education and other services to its citizens. It also divides the nation’s resources among all industries, professions and classes through various administrative and legislative measures. The most urgent task for the public now is to establish a strong system of checks and balances to ensure that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government provides good and adequate services at a reasonable price to a majority of the public and establishes a fair and transparent system for resource allocation.

I have four suggestions regarding how to establish effective checks and balances.

First, voters need to adjust their attitude. The elections are over and I recommend that voters across the political spectrum turn their focus to demanding checks and balances for the future government and opposition. This means that every voter is a consumer who must be aware of the effects of any government measure on the public. The public needs to ask whether the effect of a measure is good or bad for their company and their daily lives. We should review every government service and increase supervision of the government together.

Second, information on governmental and legislative issues must become more transparent. Before consumers buy a product, they gather information from a variety of sources. Similarly, in order to avoid bad laws and inferior governance, we must force legislators to pass sunshine legislation. Before important legislation is passed, the government should organize public hearings. We must insist on a more professional and knowledgeable media that can expose government failings to the public. We must form professional groups and appoint experts to interpret and assess the possible consequences of government measures and bills.

Third, the opposition must be strong. As curbing the KMT’s power is important, it is disappointing that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is in such disarray after its losses in the legislative and presidential elections. In addition to a strong DPP, the nation will need to intensify efforts to consolidate a third political force.

Academics from all fields, especially economy and finance, should no longer look at things from a pan-blue or pan-green perspective. Instead, they should use their expertise to examine the ruling party’s actions and policies. They can form a strong opposition that will make the KMT act with caution, afraid that it might again be replaced by an opposition party in the future if it misbehaves.

Fourth, the threshold for legislative representation should be lowered. If the above three suggestions fail to improve legislative and executive quality, the representatives chosen in the elections – the legislators – will hopefully still uphold justice. But as the legislature is dominated by the KMT, most people have little hope that these representatives will stand up for public interest.

The number of votes a political party has to receive to win a legislative seat should be lowered so the legislature will represent a more diverse representation of public opinion and fully reflect the needs of all social groups.

The future could be bright, but it could also prove difficult. Only the public has the collective wisdom and ability to make the effort necessary for the nation’s democracy to flourish. This can be done by demanding checks and balances to prevent abuse of power by the KMT and scrutinizing policies.

Jang Show-ling is a professor in the Department of Economy at National Taiwan University.