US policy on Taiwan unchanged: AIT
　

DEFENSE: The AIT chairman said the missiles aimed at Taiwan were just one part of China’s overall threat, and that US security commitments covered all contingencies
　

By Ko Shu-ling
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Nov 25, 2009, Page 1

American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond Burghardt yesterday reassured President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) that US policy on Taiwan remained unchanged, including its position on Taiwan’s sovereignty and commitment to help Taiwan meet its defense needs.

Burghardt’s visit comes a week after US President Barack Obama visited China. Since the US’ Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) was not mentioned in the US-China joint statement issued during Obama’s visit, the Democratic Progressive Party had expressed concern that the US might have backtracked on its commitment to Taiwan.

Despite the omission in the joint statement, Obama spoke about the TRA in the joint press statement he gave with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).

Burghardt told Ma that Obama has made remarks both in public and private reaffirming Washington’s longstanding policies toward Taiwan, including its position on Taiwanese sovereignty.

“US public and private statements on Taiwan, including the joint US-China statement, in no way represented any change whatsoever in the United States’ position concerning sovereignty over Taiwan,” he said. “Simply put, the US has never taken a position on the political status of Taiwan.”

The TRA remains the central document governing relations between Taipei and Washington, as Obama pointed out in his public statement in Beijing about the US’ commitment to the TRA, Burghardt said.

He said Washington has long urged that cross-strait issues should be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the wishes of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Ma thanked Washington for keeping his administration informed about Obama’s trip before and after the visit.

“Our representative in the US felt that it was the first time they could obtain information about a US president’s trip to China so smoothly and abundantly,” he said.

Ma said that since Obama’s visit to China was the first of its kind since the two presidents took office, Taiwanese were very interested in what Obama would say to the “mainland leader” and what agreements would be signed.

Two issues of grave concern, Ma said, were the US’ respect for “mainland China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and Washington’s hope to see efforts by both sides to increase dialogue and interactions in economic, political and other fields.

Ma said he hoped to see Washington sell Taiwan the more advanced F-16 C/D fighter jets to replace its aged F5s in a speedy manner.

On US beef, Ma said his administration would impose the so-called “three controls and five checks” measure. This refers to border controls and various safety screening measures.

However, Ma said that none of the measures would violate the protocol on bone-in beef signed with Washington and would conform to the regulations of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the WTO.

He said his administration would strive to protect public health while honoring the country’s international obligations, adding that he believed the health and economic agencies would find a way to satisfy the needs of all involved.

At a separate setting later yesterday during a meeting with local media, Burghardt said the items that were not approved by Congress as part of an arms deal with Taiwan in October last year, such as F-16 jets, did not mean they have been ruled out completely.

These items will be considered at another time, he said, reiterating recent comments by Jeff Bader, the East Asia director on the White House’s National Security Council, that “there will be arms sales to this administration.”

When asked about the Chinese missiles pointed at Taiwan, Burghardt said that the number of missiles has increased and that they continue to pose a threat to Taiwan.

“[The missiles are] a form of threat. That’s the only way to look at it ... yes, of course they should remove the missiles,” he said, but added that the missiles were only one part of China’s overall threat to Taiwan and that US security commitments to Taiwan covered all contingencies.

KMT investigates alleged crossover campaigning
　

QUITTERS NEVER WIN?: After the KMT’s Hualien County commissioner endorsed a candidate who had quit the party, the local branch is looking into the matter
　

By Mo Yan-chih, Shih Hsiu-chuan and Jenny W. Hsu
STAFF REPORTERS
Wednesday, Nov 25, 2009, Page 3

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday said a local branch was looking into Hualien County Commissioner Hsieh Shen-shan’s (謝深山) public endorsement of independent candidate Chang Chi-ming (張志明), who left the KMT to run against the party’s candidate in the election.

Hsieh attended a campaign event held by Chang, Hualien County deputy commissioner, on Monday, sparking concern about his violating party regulations to campaign for non-party members.

KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) said yesterday that the party had asked its Hualien branch to look into the matter, declining to confirm whether or not the KMT would punish Hsieh.

“We will handle the issue according to the report presented by the local branch,” he said.

Asked whether the KMT was refraining from punishing Hsieh, a long-term party member and an influential politician in Hualien, Chan said the party adopted tough regulations against any members who campaigned for candidates from other parties.

Juan Kang-meng (阮剛猛), director of the KMT’s Party Disciplinary Committee, said the party had revoked the membership of Hsinchu County Commissioner Cheng Yung-chin (鄭永金) for campaigning for independent candidate Chang Bi-chin (張碧琴) and that the party would adopt the same standard with Hsieh’s case.

In related news, in his capacity as KMT chairman, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday led party officials to pay their respects to Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) to celebrate the 115th anniversary of the party’s precursor, the Revive China Society.

Ma later visited Hsinchu County again to campaign for party candidate Chiu Ching-chun (邱鏡淳) last night.

The situation in Hsinchu remains tense as the KMT faces a split in the county. Cheng has been endorsing Chang Bi-chin, whose party membership was revoked for insisting on running in the election.

Meanwhile, Liu Ti-hao (劉櫂豪), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate for Taitung commissioner, yesterday drew a parallel between his rival, Justin Huang (黃健庭), and Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁), who is running for commissioner in Hualien County as an independent candidate after being ousted from the KMT.

Fu, the frontrunner in the Hualien race, was barred by the KMT from taking part in the party primary after being found guilty in his first and second trials in two separate legal cases.

The KMT has been trying to divert potential votes from Fu to its candidate Tu Li-hua (杜麗華) by saying that Fu might not be able to assume office even if he wins the election as his third trial is expected to end soon. If found guilty, he would have to serve time in jail.

Liu said that the KMT should have disciplined Huang, who was also indicted for corruption.

Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), however, disagreed.

“There is no comparison between the case of Fu and Huang,” he said. “As Huang was indicted and not found guilty, we can assume that he is not guilty.”

In related news, the DPP yesterday said a private investigator it hired to look into allegations of vote-buying in Yilan County was forced to divulge information he had gathered to the KMT camp.

Speaking at a press conference, DPP spokesman Chuang Shuo-han (莊碩漢) said the party would sue the KMT for violating personal liberties and coercion by demanding the detective disclose the information.

Chuang said the party hired private investigators to help with its anti-vote buying effort and that recently one of the hired detectives was pressured into going to the campaign headquarters of KMT candidate Chen Han-chung (陳漢鐘) to relinquish his equipment and all the information he had gathered. Chuang called on the KMT to “play by the rules.”

DPP Deputy Secretary-General Hung Yao-fu (洪耀福) said party headquarters had information that a chief staffer of KMT Chiayi County candidate Wong Chung-chung’s (翁重鈞) campaign recently changed more than NT$1 million from NT$1,000 into NT$500 bills.

The DPP urged prosecutors to look into why the exchanges were made, saying it suspected the smaller bills might be used to bribe local voters.

Children’s chorus in Pingtung preserves songs of the Paiwan
　

MUSICAL HISTORY: The choir, the brainchild of teacher Camake Valaule, was formed to raise cultural awareness and conserve the tribe’s musical heritage
　

By Sofia Wu
CNA
Wednesday, Nov 25, 2009, Page 4

Located in a remote mountainous village, tiny Taiwu Elementary School in southern Taiwan might have only 44 students, but it has gained international recognition through its 19-member choir dedicated to singing the traditional songs of the Paiwan tribe.

The choir, the brainchild of choirmaster, schoolteacher and musicologist Camake Valaule, was formed to raise cultural awareness and preserve the musical heritage of the Paiwan, who number 86,000 and are the third most populous among the nation’s 14 formally recognized Aboriginal tribes.

Aborigines have lived on Taiwan for thousands of years, long before settlers began arriving from China.

Now, however, there are fewer than 500,000, and modernization and assimilation into mainstream society has led to the disappearance or near disappearance of many Aboriginal traditions, including music.

This problem is compounded for the Paiwan by their lack of a written language, meaning that songs are handed down verbally from one generation to the next.

But this is changing thanks to the efforts of Camake and the choir, who have preserved many almost forgotten Paiwan tunes, while garnering widespread attention for Paiwan culture.

The children from the tribe’s Taiwu and Jiasing settlements in Pingtung County first rose to prominence in 2003 when they won first prize in a national Aboriginal singing contest.

Three years later, in 2006, the Taiwu school choir was formed, and since then the choir’s mission of maintaining the tribe’s musical heritage has drawn ever-increasing recognition.

Their songs have been included in various recordings and the choir has received numerous invitations to perform around Taiwan.

Furthermore, it has traveled to Shanghai twice this year and in June performed in Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Germany.

“The choir won great acclaim,” Camake said. “Our adherence to tradition distinguishes our choir from others.”

Camake said the choir’s rise to fame came as a bit of a surprise.

“My principal aim was to collect and document our traditional songs so that youngsters could learn about their ancestors’ musical legacy and way of life,” the 30-year-old said.

Camake said the centuries-old ballads and songs can help Paiwan children take pride in their identity.

“We are known for our rich heritage of mythology and artistry. We love to sing and traditionally, music imbued our everyday lives with color and meaning,” he said.

For the Paiwan, their songs are a means of expressing personal feelings and narrating the tribe’s history or tales of a settlement, a clan or a social class, Camake said.

In order to teach his choir, Camake needed to record the songs being sung by Paiwan elders, or vuvu.

Each song, whether a love ballad or a ritual chant, should be sung with strict adherence to certain tones, styles and traditions, he said.

Take the song titled Bulaqa — usually sung by the daughter of a chieftain in Jiasing settlement before her wedding. In the song, the bride not only thanks her parents, but also narrates glorious aspects of her family’s history to inform the guests about her aristocratic bloodline.

Sikiqeci, meanwhile, is sung by a homecoming warrior or hunter to chronicle his clan’s history and relate acts of courage during his expedition.

As the Paiwan tribe has no written history, Camake said it is not always easy to understand what the lyrics of the songs mean.

With the patience and assistance of the Jiasing and Taiwu elders, Camake said, he has managed over the past six years to document and record more than 40 traditional songs, including love ballads, work songs, nursery rhymes, warrior chants and festive melodies.

However, several clans of a higher status within the tribe refused to share their songs, Camake said.

“They do not like to hear non-nobles sing their clan’s songs or see the tunes sung outside their settlements,” Camake said.

Despite repeated attempts, the Taiwu chieftain has not yet agreed to allow Camake document his clan’s songs.

Another challenge lies in the fact that each Paiwan community has its own singing style and rhythm.

However, his sense of mission spurs him to continue with his efforts.

Over the years, he has traveled extensively around the isolated village, situated on Beidawu Mountain (北大武山) at an elevation of 750m, visiting elders to record their songs.

“Our members can now sing many ancient ballads that, sadly, even their parents do not know,” he said. “This has led a number of parents to think about what they can do to save and protect our indigenous culture.”

One of Camake’s colleagues, Idis Chiu, who assists with teaching the choir the tribal language, described Paiwan music as hearty and brilliant, fully reflecting the tribe’s vitality.

“Our music is closely related to each settlement’s natural environment and everyday life, and many of our tribal songs are richly melodious,” she said.

At first, Chiu recalled, some of the children were not interested in the old songs.

“But after training and performing away from the school, their interest began to grow and they are now enchanted,” she said.

The school has also arranged for elders to practice and perform with the children, Chiu said, adding that some of the vuvu have been moved to tears by the experience.

To better preserve and promote the songs, Camake said he has begun cataloguing the music and will seek the aid of friends familiar with musical theory to transcribe them into musical notation.

Camake said the 40-plus songs collected so far are just the beginning: “The next stage will focus on documenting the songs of festive rituals and the tunes chanted by tribal shamans when communicating with the ancestral spirits.”

A warning ahead of negotiations

Wednesday, Nov 25, 2009, Page 8

Beijing doesn’t need excuses to do as it pleases, even when violating its own laws — and it certainly is not concerned about the world knowing. The carefully watched case of Huang Qi (黃琦), a man labeled a dangerous dissident simply for trying to help victims of last year’s Sichuan Earthquake, came to a close on Monday when Huang was sentenced to three years in jail.

The court did not even bother to give his family a copy of the verdict, as his lawyer says is required by law. But Huang, long active on social issues, seems to have been targeted because of his calls for a transparent probe into schools that collapsed during the quake. Thousands of children died or are still listed as missing after their schools collapsed, yet China’s investigation into the matter was a whitewash that denied the role of corruption and substandard construction in the tragedy.

Huang is no stranger to China’s prisons. He had already spent five years in jail and had only been free for three years when he was arrested again following the Sichuan quake.

Yet none of his activities, which portray him as a caring and determined citizen concerned about the injustice and tragedy he sees around him, merit this treatment. In the late 1990s, Huang ran a Web site that aimed to help families find loved ones who had fallen victim to human trafficking, often being kidnapped and taken to other parts of China.

The suspicion that charges against him are trumped up is strengthened by the court’s failure on Monday to detail its case against him. That is typical conduct in China, where even the courts, instruments of upholding the law in name alone, do not feel obligated to follow it themselves.

Huang’s case is just a microcosm of the Chinese Communist Party’s decades of abuse and flouting of its own rules and promises.

Another example is Hong Kong’s struggle under “one country, two systems.” The Chinese territory is moving no closer to democratic reforms originally promised for 2007. Pro-democracy legislators could soon resign over a Hong Kong government proposal last week for “reform” that failed yet again to offer even a semblance of progress.

Unfortunately, a mass walkout by legislators might have little effect in the face of Beijing’s opposition to democracy. The territory’s residents, it seems, cannot hope for universal suffrage for several more years, if at all.

Over the past few years, the plight of the Chinese people has drawn regular media coverage and pressure from Western governments. Beijing, however, is not very concerned about all the bad press. On the contrary, it ploughs forward with the same old tactics at home. There are few signs of progress; in some cases, there is every indication that it is tightening controls on parts of the population, such as minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang.

A country that cares little about the interests of its own people — whether they are the victims of state corruption, those who challenge it, or the 7 million residents of Hong Kong — is even less likely to show concern for the interests of others.

As a “renegade province” in negotiations with Beijing, that is a lesson for Taiwan’s government to keep in mind.

Treat us with dignity

The Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration’s decision to relax restrictions on the import of US beef has engendered heated debate. After the matter was discussed for days, Ma ruled out the possibility of renegotiating the pact with the US. Your thought-provoking article (“Ma rules out new US beef negotiations,” Oct. 30, Page 1) made me wonder why this issue has caused such a commotion.

First, we are threatened by the postponement of crisis.

Scientific studies show that bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has a long incubation period. This means that when we eat infected beef, we are still unaware of our own death sentence.

At the moment, there is no mechanism to determine whether beef is dangerous or not. The thought that we might suddenly die one day if we eat infected beef — and that no one will be held responsible — creates public apprehension.

Most of us agree with Ma when he said that “negotiations are a matter of give-and-take. You cannot simply ask other people to accept your terms without accepting theirs.”

We are not asking Ma to tell us what he has “taken,” as it might be related to national security, but we all deserve a certain degree of respect. It seems that we will be the last to be informed on the matter, with no alternative but to accept the pact unconditionally.

Though this protocol relates to the image of Taiwan, it could be handled with more professionalism. The conflicting information provided by government officials prior to the announcement highlighted a severe breakdown in communication.

Ma keeps saying that his principal concern is the health and interests of Taiwanese, but his tendency to delegate makes it hard to believe his claim that his administration is any better than the previous one.

MANDY CHOU
Wenshan, Taipei

Obama-Hu statement: Taiwan loses
　

By Joseph Wu 吳釗燮
Wednesday, Nov 25, 2009, Page 8

During his first visit to Asia as US president, Barack Obama issued a joint statement with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤). References to Taiwan in the statement suggest that the situation is evolving in a direction unfavorable to the country. In view of this, the government of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should immediately seek clarification from Washington and try to remedy the situation.

There are several points to which Taiwan should pay attention. In his speeches in Japan, Obama did not mention Taiwan at all. At his “town hall” meeting in Shanghai, he only mentioned the three US-China joint communiques and avoided the issues of China’s military threat and US arms sales. At the press conference following his meeting with Hu, although he mentioned the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) in the same sentence as the three joint communiques, he also talked about respect for China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The joint statement itself makes no mention of the TRA, while the two countries’ respect for one another’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is stated twice, as well as a wish for the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to “increase dialogues and interactions in economic, political, and other fields.”

The TRA provides the legal basis for US policy on Taiwan. Section 4 of the Act states that, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the US and Taiwan, “Whenever the laws of the United States refer or relate to foreign countries, nations, states, governments, or similar entities, such terms shall include and such laws shall apply with such respect to Taiwan.”

This amounts to regarding Taiwan as a de facto independent state. The six assurances delivered to president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) in 1982 by then-director of the American Institute in Taiwan James Lilley on behalf of US president Ronald Reagan included the point that the US had not altered its position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan, implying that it did not recognize China’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan. These assurances, along with the TRA, are the most important foundations for the maintenance of Taiwan-US relations.

However, the Obama-Hu joint statement says: “China emphasized that the Taiwan issue concerns China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity ... [The US and China] reiterated that the fundamental principle of respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is at the core of the three US-China joint communiques which guide US-China relations. Neither side supports any attempts by any force to undermine this principle.”

The wording of the joint statement clearly departs from what is mandated by the TRA, as well as the spirit of Reagan’s six assurances. While Taiwan has in the past been viewed as a de facto sovereign independent state, the wording of the joint statement shows that its status is now being seriously challenged.

In view of this, it is very sad to see Ma happily claiming that Taiwan-US relations are better than they have been in 60 years and that mutual trust between the countries has been completely restored.

Besides, before the Obama-Hu talks, the Chinese side privately expressed the wish that the US would support dialogue across the Taiwan Strait. China wants US approval for the six points Hu proposed on the Taiwan issue on New Year’s Eve last year, which seek by hook or by crook to confine Taiwan within a “one China” framework. It wants to create an environment of cross-strait political consultation that would work in its own favor, and to reduce Taiwan’s maneuvering room.

Obviously this situation is not good for Taiwan.

The Obama-Hu talks have indeed been a big diplomatic victory for China. With regard to Taiwan, however, the Ma administration has accepted the idea of “one China.” At the same time, it is dismantling Taiwan’s strongest line of defense — its democracy. When so much has been given away, what grounds can we have for demanding that the US not accept China’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan? Seemingly we are left with no choice but to swallow the bitter fruit of the Obama-Hu talks.

Joseph Wu is an adviser to the Taiwan Thinktank and a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations at National Chengchi University.