Ma hasn’t shut out Saito: official
　

‘NOT SO’: A Presidential Office official denied a report that said Ma Ying-jeou was so angry over comments by the Japanese envoy that he would ask Tokyo to recall him

By Ko Shu-ling
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Jun 28, 2009, Page 1

An official from the Presidential Office said yesterday the government was upset by remarks early last month by the de facto Japanese ambassador on Taiwan’s status, but dismissed speculation that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has refused to see the Japanese envoy.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, disputed a report by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (Taipei Times’ sister paper) yesterday that said Ma had refused to see Masaki Saito after the Japanese representative said that Taiwan’s status was “still unresolved.”

Saito made the comments at an annual meeting of the Republic of China (ROC) International Relations Association at National Chung Cheng University in Chiayi County. Saito’s remarks were made days after Ma declared that the 1952 Treaty of Taipei affirmed the transfer of Taiwan’s sovereignty from Japan to the ROC.

The Japanese representative later apologized for his remarks after Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Andrew Hsia (夏立言) lodged a protest and demanded an explanation.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release announced that Hsia had met Saito, who said that it was his personal view that Taiwan’s status was unresolved and that his comment did not reflect the position of the Japanese government.

“[Ma and Saito] recently attended an event and had short exchanges,” the official said yesterday, dismissing the report, which said Ma was so furious that he planned to ask Tokyo to replace Saito.

“Although his remarks were indeed inappropriate and hurt the feelings of Taiwanese people, the president is not as angry as the media portrayed,” the official said. “The Presidential Office does everything with the country’s best interest in mind.”

The report said the government declined to describe Ma’s move as a “boycott” or a “reluctance to see” Saito, instead saying it was “inconvenient [for the two] to meet.”

No one knew exactly when Ma would be willing to see Saito, the report said.

The report also said Tokyo had no immediate intention to replace Saito and had recently given Taiwan’s representative to Japan, John Feng (馮寄台), the “cold shoulder” in retaliation.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus on May 4 urged the Executive Yuan to declare Saito persona non grata and ask Tokyo to recall him.

At a separate setting yesterday, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said he had no information on whether the KMT caucus was acting under instructions from the Presidential Office.

“Taiwan-Japan relations have been sound,” Wang said.

While the Ma administration was upset by Saito’s remarks, Taiwan independence supporters rallied in support of the Japanese representative to Taiwan, saying the Japanese government and Saito need not apologize because “they told the truth.”

DPP pans prosecutors for probe
　

BIAS?: Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen said prosecutors were biased in their investigations against DPP officials, equating donations with corruption

By Rich Chang
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Jun 28, 2009, Page 3

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday criticized Taipei prosecutors’ investigation into alleged corruption by DPP Legislator Kuo Wen-chen (郭玟成), saying the money Kuo accepted was a political donation, not a bribe as prosecutors have argued.

Taipei prosecutors on Friday went to the Legislature Yuan and summoned Kuo for questioning. They brought with them a warrant in case Kuo refused to cooperate, in which case the prosecutors could have arrested him.

Kuo submitted to the prosecutors’ questioning, and after he answered their questions, prosecutors applied with the Taipei District Court late on Friday night to detain Kuo. The prosecutors’ released a press statement saying they suspected Kuo of receiving NT$2 million (US$60,000) in bribes in late 2006 in return for lobbying for a transportation company, Solar Bus Company.

Prosecutors alleged that because the bus company ran bus routes without permits from the Ministry of Transportation and Communication’s Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau, Kuo intervened and requested the bureau to refrain from punishing the company.

The Taipei District Court yesterday rejected the prosecutors’ request, but ordered Kuo released on NT$5 million bail and prohibited him from moving from his current residence.

Kuo told reporters yesterday that he was clean and the money was a political donation he received one month before the legislative election in December 2006.

Saying political donations were part of the country’s democratic system, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said prosecutors had to be careful when dealing with cases related to political donations and corruption investigations.

Tsai said she did not have all the information regarding the case concerning Kuo, but that in terms of judiciary procedure alone, the prosecutors did not follow due process by summoning Kuo first. Tsai said this reminded her of the way prosecutors treated DPP Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) and DPP Chiayi County Commissioner Chen Ming-wen (陳明文). Both were arrested and detained on corruption allegations without being summoned for questioning in advance.

The Judiciary is biased in its treatment of DPP officials, Tsai said.

At a separate setting yesterday, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said the money that the prosecutors alleged was a bribe “is clearly a political donation, not a bribe.”

The DPP caucus and Kuo’s voters in his Kaohsiung constituency believe Kuo is clean, Ker said.

Ker criticized the prosecutors for showing contempt of the Legislative Yuan by trying to arrest Kuo in the legislature without summoning him for questioning in advance. Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) must lodge a protest with the Ministry of Justice, Ker said.

Tsai joins anti-communist league

STAFF WRITER
Sunday, Jun 28, 2009, Page 3

“At the time, the KMT popularized slogans about ‘terminating the evil communists,’ but it now leans toward China.”— Su Tseng-chang, former premier
　

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday joined the newly established Taiwan Youth Anti-Communist Corps (台灣青年反共救國團).

“The establishment of the Taiwan Anti-Communist Youth Corps highlighted the fact that the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] owes Taiwanese an explanation for why it was anti-Communist before but is now leaning toward China to such a degree? Why such a turn-around? Where is Taiwan’s destiny under the KMT’s radical change?” Tsai asked, making a reference to the China Youth Anti-Communist Nation Salvation Corps (中國青年反共救國團) established by then-premier Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) on Oct. 31, 1952.

China Youth Anti-Communist Nation Salvation Corps upheld anti-communist doctrines and organized military training camps for high school, college and university students.

It later changed its name to China Youth Nation Salvation Corps (中國青年救國團) on Oct. 31, 2000, and transformed itself into a private organization aimed at guiding youth in their growth and development.

Tsai said yesterday that when she was a college student, she had joined a hiking program sponsored by the China Youth Anti-Communist Nation Salvation Corps.

Political commentator Paul Lin (林保華), who established the new group, said its aim was to help Taiwanese uphold the nation’s sovereignty by gaining a clear understanding of China’s nature.

“It can be confusing for some to compare the China Youth Anti-Communist Nation Salvation Corps of fifty years ago to today’s Taiwan Youth Anti-Communist Corps,” said former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who also attended yesterday.

“At the time, the KMT popularized slogans about ‘terminating the evil communists,’ but it now leans toward China,” Su said. “That confuses Taiwanese.”

N Korea says it will shoot down Japan’s spy planes

AFP, SEOUL
Sunday, Jun 28, 2009, Page 5

North Korea yesterday warned that any Japanese plane entering its airspace would be shot down for spying, as recent surveillance suggests Pyongyang may be preparing to fire more missiles.

“The air force of the Korean People’s Army will not tolerate even a bit the aerial espionage by the warmongers of the Japanese aggression forces but mercilessly shoot down any plane intruding into the territorial air of the DPRK [North Korea] even 0.001 millimeter,” the air force said in a statement.

It said a Japanese AWACS ­aircraft made a long shuttle flight into airspace between the cities of Wonsan and Musudan-ri on Friday morning.

Similar aerial espionage was committed the previous day, it said.

The North used Musudan-ri for its three previous long-range missile launches, in 1998, 2006 and on April 5 this year.

North Korea will likely fire short or mid-range missiles in waters off its eastern coast from which it has banned shipping, a senior South Korean government official said on Wednesday.

The North has warned foreign ships to stay clear of an extensive area for 16 days starting on Thursday because of unspecified military exercises.

Yonhap news agency, quoting a government source, said the communist state would probably fire Scuds with a range of up to 500km or ground-to-ship missiles with a 160km range into the Sea of Japan, or East Sea.

Washington has said it is prepared for the possibility that the North could also fire a long-range missile toward Hawaii, perhaps on July 4, US Independence Day.

An ironic group to fight the CCP
　

By Paul Lin 林保華
Sunday, Jun 28, 2009, Page 8

‘The pan-green camp is embroiled in infighting, and the man on the street probably says that both sides in this party dispute are wrong. This has had a negative impact on the pan-green camp’s reputation and therefore benefits the KMT.’

A few of my friends and I have established an anti-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organization.

The idea was proposed by Professor Lee Hsiao-feng (李筱峰) last year before Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) visited Taiwan. We have called it the Taiwan Youth Anti-Communist Corps (台灣青年反共救國團). Aside from being ironic, the name captures our goal of focusing on Taiwanese youth.

The name is similar to the China Youth Anti-Communist National Salvation Corps (中國反共青年救國團, “China Youth Corps” for short).

That organization, however, deleted “anti-communist national salvation” from its title in 2000.

We are, therefore, two completely different groups, but it is ours that maintains the original anti-CCP spirit.

Dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) once used the slogan “We shall defeat communism and build the nation.” I agree with this slogan.

First, the communists must be defeated before Taiwanese can secure their right to self-determination, as this is the only way we can build the nation.

What type of nation we will establish is an issue to be dealt with through democratic procedures once Taiwan’s territory has been secured.

We cannot enter into extensive arguments at this time about what type of country to establish, as this will lead us into the CCP trap of alienating Taiwanese from each other and weakening their strength in opposing the CCP.

Given Taiwan’s critical situation, opposition to the CCP is our greatest common feature. We must come together and consolidate as much power as possible to set up the broadest possible anti-CCP and anti-unification front.

President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) surrender to the CCP, his ineptitude, his close relationship to big business and distance from the ordinary person are no guarantee that those who love Taiwan will be able to throw him out of office and establish rule by the people.

This is because we get involved in too many unnecessary arguments that sap our strength.

Ma’s prestige is fading, but that of the Democratic Progressive Party is not increasing in its place.

The pan-green camp is embroiled in infighting, and the man on the street probably says that both sides in this party dispute are wrong. This has had a negative impact on the pan-green camp’s reputation and therefore benefits the KMT.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t solve the problems we face, but we must be clear about two kinds of contradiction: Within the green camp, disputes should be calmly debated without generating enemies and diminishing the power within our ranks.

In the same vein, it breaks my heart to see how competition between the pan-blue and pan-green camps has turned into a vicious struggle, because this only benefits the CCP.

Only a few people have sold out Taiwan out of personal interest, while the majority of Taiwanese, including the majority of pan-blue-camp supporters, are not benefiting from their leader’s surrender to China.

For example, issues such as the large amount of Taiwanese investment in China, Chinese students and the importing of cheap labor to compete with Taiwanese workers affect everyone, even those who lean toward the pan-blue camp.

We therefore must work harder to make them aware of these facts.

The CCP used to have a revolutionary song that went “When the East Wind blows and the drums of war sound, who will fear whom in this world?”

In recent years, there have been many reports of assassinations and beatings of police and officials.

In China, it is easy to mobilize tens of thousands of people, disseminate ideas via the Internet and gain widespread support.

To uphold social stability, the CCP has made it compulsory to install content-control software known as Green Dam Youth Escort on computers.

This will place controls on information accessible via the Web.

This shows that the Chinese public serves the CCP and not the other way around.

If the peoples of Taiwan and China can unite in opposition against the CCP, then it can be brought down.

Let us come together and call on every Taiwanese to oppose the CCP as we inaugurate this anti-communist group.

Paul Lin is a political commentator.