DPP wants probe of TV stations that aired Beijing parade
　

OUT OF CONTEXT: DPP spokesman Chao Tien-lin said the stations erred in airing the mainly military parade without mention of the threat to Taiwan
　

By Jenny W. Hsu
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Oct 03, 2009, Page 1

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday that several local media outlets broke the law by broadcasting China’s National Day parade on Wednesday almost in its entirety and demanded that the National Communications Commission (NCC) and the Government Information Office (GIO) investigate.

DPP spokesman Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) said that the parade through Tiananmen Square showcased China’s military might by displaying its latest military hardware such as missiles, tanks, fighter jets and nuclear-tipped missiles.

Several local media outlets covered the event live with almost no editing, but failed to mention China’s military threat toward Taiwan, he said.

The broadcasts violated the Act Governing the Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the People of the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) by promoting unification, he said.

“Broadcasting the military parade uncut has serious legal implications because it was spreading propaganda for an enemy state and should be considered part of the unification warfare strategy. This posed great harm to Taiwan’s national security,” he said.

“We call on the GIO and the NCC to launch an investigation immediately. We also ask the press to exercise self-discipline and stop disparaging the country’s dignity and hurting the public’s feelings,” Chao said.

Chao said former DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦), a former GIO chief, had received word from some NCC review board members that some “movement” would be taken in the next few days.

Ho Nai-chi (何乃麒), director of the GIO’s Department of Broadcasting Affairs, said last night the GIO would probe the matter, adding that an initial accessment suggested some TV stations may have violated regulations.

The DPP released a statement criticizing China’s elaborate military show, saying history has proven a strong army under an authoritarian regime is often the biggest threat to world peace.

“China chose to display its strength and progress by putting on a grandiose military parade on the 60th anniversary of Chinese Communist rule. Such a gesture only highlighted a lack of confidence and the weak nature of an authoritarian regime because it can only rely on force to suppress its people and intimidate surrounding countries,” the DPP statement said.

Taiwan has long been a target of Chinese military threats, the statement said, but the nation still looks forward to normalization of relations and the establishment of a harmonious setting where both sides can coexist peacefully, the DPP said.

“The DPP puts its hope in the Chinese people and is willing to work with them to help China abandon authoritarianism in order to advance toward democracy, freedom and universal human rights, which are steps to becoming a responsible major power that could live in peace with its neighbors,” it said.

Meanwhile, during a question-and-answer session at the legislature, DPP Legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌) asked Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) what he thought about China’s display of military might, to which Wu answered that he “held a neutral position.”

“Any sovereign country has the right to decide on its national day activities,” he said.

Asked if the more than 1,000 missiles that China had aimed at Taiwan were a threat, Wu said: “If [the missiles] are targeted at Taiwan, it’s not beneficial to peaceful development of cross-strait relations.”

The lawmaker also asked Wu if China Airlines chairman Philip Wei (魏幸雄) should resign after the Chinese-language China Times reported yesterday that Wei was one of the Taiwanese businesspeople on the official review platform watching the parade in Beijing, given that the airline could be considered government-owned since public institutions own all its shares.

It was “inappropriate” for officials from government departments and state-owned enterprises to attend China’s National Day celebrations,” Wu said, adding that he would ask the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to look to into the matter.

Wei, who returned to Taipei yesterday, told the Central News Agency that he participated in Beijing’s celebrations as a matter of courtesy after receiving an invitation from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.

“China Airlines is a private company and I am not a civil servant, so there is no need for me to inform the government in advance of my activities,” Wei said.

Activists criticize 'mercy releases'
　

BAD KARMA: The Environment and Animal Society Taiwan said some native species are under threat because of foreign species released into the wild by religious groups
　

By Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Oct 03, 2009, Page 2

A mass release of captive animals into the wild by religious groups is doing more harm than good and should be reconsidered, the Environment and Animal Society Taiwan (EAST) said at a press conference yesterday.

The practice of “mercy release,” or fang sheng (放生), is a common practice among Buddhists and Taoists. The animals are brought to the site of the release in cages and freed into the wild after a brief religious ritual.

Those who practice the releases believe that doing so helps build good karma and bring good luck.

EAST director Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏), however, citing his organization’s own study, told a news conference that the practice actually causes more harm than good.

“So-called ‘mercy releases’ have become more like ‘commercial releases,’ as religious groups buy the animals — usually birds, fish or turtles — from pet shops,” Chen said. “To make sure that they can always satisfy demand, pet shops will often catch wild animals for sale to the groups.”

“What’s the purpose of a ‘mercy release’ if it means that someone first has to catch the wild animals before freeing them again?” Chen asked.

One bird shop owner told undercover EAST staffers in a video shown at the press conference that they would catch birds from the wild to sell.

The owner also said that some foreign bird species now flourish in the wild because of organized releases.

“Some native species are now under threat,” Chen said.

Besides damaging the ecosystem, studies show that between 0.75 percent and 5 percent of birds released cannot fly away because they are too frightened and many just die, she said.

EAST staffers also recorded a bird release event in which more than 1,800 birds were freed at once.

Around 100 birds just remained on the ground, with many appearing wounded or sick.

Bird shop employees who delivered the birds in trucks picked up the birds and “recycled” them.

In the latter part of the video, a Buddhist group was seen releasing thousands of mixed species of fish into the Liyutan Reservoir (鯉魚潭水庫) in Miaoli County earlier this year. Among the fish released were kingfishers and fish that were already dead.

Chen said releasing fish in a reservoir is prohibited because it may pollute the drinking water and added that kingfishers are known as the “fish killer” since they feed on live fish and pose a severe threat to the aquatic ecosystem.

The EAST study said Taiwan-based religious groups hold on average 750 such ‘mercy releases’ annually.

The study estimated that ‘mercy releases’ have become a lucrative business that brings in around NT$200 million (US$6 million) in profit each year, Chen said.

Among the religious groups, the Life Foundation run by Buddhist master Shih Hai-tao (釋海濤) caught the group’s attention, as the foundation alone held 89 releases in Taiwan and 35 in China, the US, Canada, Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal and India in the last year.

Earlier this year, the foundation released 500,000 baby fish — purchased from fish farms in southern Taiwan — into a fishing port in Hsinchu.

“Such a massive release of fish without prior assessment would only result in irreversible ecological disaster,” National Taiwan Ocean University aquaculture professor Gwo Jin-chywan (郭金泉) said.

He said the gene pools of even the same fish species are different because of differences in the environment and genealogy.

“When farm-raised fish mix with wild fish, it could weaken the gene pool of the wild species,” he said.

While there’s no law prohibiting the releases, EAST chairman Wu Hung (朱增宏) urged the government to sanction pet shops who illegally catch wide animals or sell foreign species for release using the existing animal protection laws.

DPP legislator pans government over terrorist label
　

OLD NEWS: Kuan Bi-ling said that allegations the World Uyghur Congress was linked to terrorist groups were based on outdated US data and a misinterpreted ‘notice’

By Shih Hsiu-chuan
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Oct 03, 2009, Page 3

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) and Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) engaged in a fierce quarrel in the legislature yesterday over the meaning of Interpol’s “red notice” for Dolkun Isa, secretary-general of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC).

Kuan said the government misinterpreted Interpol’s warning and used outdated information in determining the WUC was a terrorist organization, citing a Central News Agency (CNA) report as evidence.

“I can’t believe you could sell your soul like this … How can you say black is white?” Kuan asked Jiang, who is considered by some to be a liberal.

Jiang said the government had made inquiries with Interpol via the country’s allies before publicizing information about the WUC, saying that the CNA story was based on false and second-hand information.

“Legislator Kuan, do you know the first sentence in the notice Interpol gave us? It says: ‘The person [Isa] is considered to be violent,’” Jiang said.

Jiang did not provide the notice from Interpol to back his claim.

The government rejected a planned visit by exiled WUC leader Rebiya Kadeer because of claims that Isa is a terrorist red-listed by Interpol and that the WUC has close links to two terrorist groups.

During Premier Wu Den-yih’s (吳敦義) question-and-answer session with the legislature, Kuan asked the premier to explain what the government had learned from Interpol about the WUC.

Wu said he did not know the name of the WUC secretary-general and that he had no idea about the seven types of Interpol notice or what the red notice for Isa meant.

“It’s not necessary for me to know all the details … as I decide on strategy,” Wu said.

Interpol uses seven types of notice: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, black and the Interpol-UN Security Council Special Notice.

Except for the green, orange and special notices, the other four do not represent a threat, Kuan said.

Kuan said CNA had published a report on Tuesday quoting Interpol as saying that it uses red notices as a way to spread information at the request of member countries and that it did not represent Interpol’s position on the matter.

The Government Information Office (GIO) asked CNA to remove the report, Kuan said, but GIO Minister Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) denied that this was the case.

Kuan also said US documents that Jiang cited in calling the WUC a terrorist group were outdated, as Washington removed the WUC from its terrorist list in 2004.

Jiang said Kuan’s interpretation of Interpol’s notices was flawed, adding that “being red-listed by Interpol is a very serious matter.”

A “red notice” by Interpol means the group seeks the arrest or provisional arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition, Jiang said.

Jiang said that the CNA reporter did not contact Interpol’s spokesman for an explanation of its notices.

The WUC was listed as a terrorist group in the US Department of State and the US Congress’ official report in 2002, Jiang said, adding that every country revises its terrorist watch list by adding and removing individuals each year.

“As we don’t have our own terrorist watch list, we have to resort to information from international organizations and other countries,” Jiang said.

While the government has repeatedly said that it never referred to Kadeer as a terrorist, Kadeer said on Wednesday that she planned to sue the Taiwanese government over its terrorism claims.

Marie Yang (楊月清), spokeswoman for the Taiwan Youth Anti-Communist Corps spokeswoman, said yesterday she had spoken on the telephone with Kadeer on Thursday and that Kadeer said that she would write a letter authorizing the group to file a suit on her behalf in the next few days.

Court upholds ruling on Su Beng
　

By Shelley Huang
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Oct 03, 2009, Page 3
　

Veteran independence activist Su Beng waves a stick inside Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on April 26, 2005, during a protest against then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan’s visit to China. PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that found independence activist Su Beng (史明) guilty of using violence or threatening behavior at a public gathering and other crimes in a 2005 protest against then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan’s (連戰) visit to China.

On April 26, 2005, the day Lien embarked on his trip to China, hundreds of pan-green and pan-blue supporters clashed in the lobby of the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The visit came shortly after China passed its “Anti-Secession” Law, which says the People’s Liberation Army can use “non-peaceful means” against Taiwan.

In the course of the protest, the 92-year-old Su and his associates lit firecrackers, which the courts said disrupted order at the airport and endangered passersby.

During his trials, Su said that he called for the fireworks to be set off out of self-defense because he saw gang members at the scene.

Thursday’s ruling said that Su violated the Criminal Code (刑法) and the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) and refused to disperse after being ordered to do so by police.

The Supreme Court sentenced Su to a total of 230 days in prison, but allowed him the option of paying a fine in lieu of serving time in jail. The judges said they were lenient because Su’s actions did not cause injury or death. The ruling is final and cannot be appealed.

After the verdict, Su said his protests were a product of his love for Taiwan.

“How could that be called a crime?” he asked.

Su said he led the protest at the airport because he was worried China would take over Taiwan. If President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) follows in Hong Kong’s footsteps, Taiwan will soon become part of China, Su said, adding that he was very angry with the verdict and had not considered his next step.
　

US names its new Tibet coordinator on China’s national day

AFP , WASHINGTON
Saturday, Oct 03, 2009, Page 5

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday named a new coordinator for Tibet tasked with promoting dialogue between China and representatives of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader.

Clinton announced that Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero will also serve as special coordinator for Tibetan issues for US President Barack Obama’s administration, the US State Department said.

“Otero will coordinate the US government’s policies, programs and projects on Tibetan issues within the context of our bilateral relationship with the People’s Republic of China,” it said in a statement.

Her appointment was announced the same day as China — which sent troops into Tibet in 1950 and crushed protests there last year — celebrated 60 years of communist rule and received congratulations from Clinton on the occasion.

“She will seek to foster an environment to promote substantive discussion between the Dalai Lama’s representatives and the Chinese government, as well as support initiatives to help safeguard Tibet’s unique culture,” it said.

China said last month it “firmly opposed” any meetings between foreign officials and the Dalai Lama, after top Obama aides met the Tibetan spiritual leader in India. Beijing also issued a veiled warning to the White House against an eventual meeting between Obama and the Buddhist monk, seen by China as a “splittist” seeking independence for Tibet despite his calls for regional autonomy.

Aides to the Dalai Lama then said the spiritual leader would not meet Obama on a planned visit to Washington this month, which prompted Tibetan prime minister-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche to accuse the US of appeasement.

In the previous administration of former US president George W. Bush, the under secretary for democracy and global affairs, Paula Dobrianksy, also served concurrently as special coordinator for Tibet.

The PRC at 60: a shame of a parade

Saturday, Oct 03, 2009, Page 8

Perhaps it was unrealistic to expect that the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China would produce festivities symbolizing a new era of peaceful co-existence and cooperation with China’s neighbors. Even so, it is disappointing to note that the evolving use of the concept of “peace” or “peaceful” in Chinese government rhetoric simply had no place in a parade that bristled with Stalinist symbolism and offensive weaponry.

A number of analysts have pointed out — somewhat in China’s defense — that the bravado and military pomp primarily targeted a domestic audience, and that relationships with other governments continue to be guided by more congenial and sensitive techniques.

The Beijing Olympics opening ceremony was an excellent example of the Chinese government going out of its way to merge the requirements of both locals and foreigners — and largely succeeding in pleasing both sets of audiences. This was, admittedly, in the context of an international sporting event, but sport did not stop previous Olympic hosts, for example, from commandeering a celebration of internationalism in the service of something noxious.

If the National Day parade’s message was primarily domestic, it was still going to have an international dimension, and in this instance, with the aggressive display of indigenous weaponry, it seems the Chinese government is unconcerned that it might be portrayed as tilting toward the hardliners.

With so many ordinary Chinese expressing pride in their country not in terms of its own merits and standards but in terms of comparisons to other nations whose wealth and power they covet, the overall atmosphere justifies concerns over China’s intentions in the region — not just for Taiwan, for which Beijing’s goal is explicit, but also Japan, India, the Russian Federation and the US, for example.

Indeed, it is difficult to see how foreign governments — particularly Western governments and Japan — are going to find solace in the gargantuan bombast and cultural misappropriations that not only characterize China, but oppressive regimes everywhere.

As to the political effect on Taiwan, the reaction has largely been “more of the same” from both sides. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government can point to overtures of peace in speeches on the day and explain away the display of weaponry as stock behavior for any nation’s birthday celebrations. The Democratic Progressive Party, however, can rightly ask how China can be taken seriously in cross-strait negotiations when its primary measure of national might is the capacity for military threat rather than the ability to synthesize diverse regional interests.

For most ordinary Taiwanese, however, the parade will have simply acted as a reminder that people across the Strait are ruled by a political machine that, for all of its strength, is struggling to steer a complex, changing environment at home and to live up to the expectations of democratic states in its international activities.

Whether domestic or global, the pressing, shared problems of the world can no longer be unilaterally solved by great powers, nor by the exercising of power through the barrel of a gun.

Neither reality had any role to play in Thursday’s parade, and if the tenor of that celebration of national features, which ironically expelled ordinary Chinese from the surrounds, is a harbinger of China’s dealings with the region in the foreseeable future, then that is a tremendous shame — and another clear warning.