20130129 Chinese intellectual Yuan Hong-bing cites secret document in Chen Shui-bian case

Chinese intellectual Yuan Hong-bing cites secret document in Chen Shui-bian case

January 28, 2013 By: Michael Richardson

http://www.examiner.com/article/chinese-intellectual-yuan-hong-bing-cites-secret-documents-chen-shui-bian-cas

Yuan Hong-bing cites secret Chinese documents in Chen case
Credits: Mary Loan

Law Professor Yuan Hong-bing escaped from the People’s Republic of China where he taught at Peking University. An advocate of democracy, Yuan found himself under arrest and his literary works banned in the years following the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Yuan was able to obtain release from jail and eventually travelled to Australia where he sought political asylum. The refugee scholar now makes his home in Taiwan where he is a law professor, political writer and poet. He is the president of the Intellectual Freedom Association of China and the chief editor of the“Sacred Fire of Liberty” website.

Yuan has written about the territorial ambitions of the People’s Republic of China against Taiwan using secret documents smuggled out of China. China’s “United Front” plans to take over Taiwan are spelled out in detail in Yuan’s book Taiwan Disaster translated into English as The Taiwan Crisis.

Yuan has also written about the prosecution and trial of Republic of China in-exile former President Chen Shui-bian. Yuan most recently has authored the book Incarcerated Taiwan about Chen’s plight.

In the course of writing the two books on China’s threat to Taiwan, Yuan completely reversed himself on the prosecution of Chen Shui-bain. In Taiwan Crisis, Yuan was harsh on Chen and accepted the prosecutors’ allegations of corruption without question. Yuan went so far as to suggest the honorable thing for Chen to do was take his own life in shame.

Yuan wrote: “It is a pity that not only does Chen shui-bian lack the values or courage…to take his own life as an apology to the people but Chen also does not have the wisdom or courage of Israeli politicians to defy the US for his nation’s interests.”

However, in Incarcerated Taiwan, Yuan wrote he visited Chen in prison at the urging of the Dali Lama and suddenly realized he was in error in accepting the prosecution version of the case: “I focused all my attention to read the soul behind his eyes. From Chen's eyes, I saw a deep sorrow but also a truthful and strong will. From that moment, I believe in his innocence because his eyes convey nothing but truthfulness. I started to contemplate why this prisoner in front me would rather be oppressed by all political powers, including CCP, KMT, and even the US, than sell out the interest of Taiwan. In no way a person this loyal to the fundamental value of Taiwan would betray his responsibility as a president by embezzling money.”

In his office at Kainan University, Yuan said as he began researching Chen’s case he received a batch of secret documents from sources in China: “I can’t reveal my sources but a large number of classified documents were leaked out. I obtained detailed documentation of the plan to destroy Chen Shui-bian by the Chinese Communist Party. I believe that the "corruption" charge against Chen Shui-bian is probably the worst political persecution in 21st century.”

Yuan Hong-bing bases much of his work on a document he obtained called “Political Strategy for Solving the Taiwan Problem” which details Chinese plans for a United Front against Taiwan. Yuan also quotes from a classified transcript of a speech Chinese leader Hu Jintao gave early in his administration, deep in a secret command bunker, to two hundred top People’s Republic of China government officials.

According to Yuan, Hu Jintao outlined the plan to destroy Chen Shui-bian in a secret meeting of the politburo shortly before Chen left office in 2008. Hu Jintao is quoted providing details of the plot against Chen: “Ministry of National Security was able to discover hard evidence of corruption in the Chen Shui-bian family….The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also attained evidence. After much effort they were able to convince the US government to help us in persuading the Swiss Bank and the Singaporean government to strategically disclose the Chen family corruption and hand the evidence over to the Taiwan judicial authorities.”

Hu Jintao continued: “According to our understanding, Chen Shui-bian will be arrested very soon. His arrest will be a huge blow to the Taiwan Independence forces. It will also strengthen the KMT’s influence in Taiwan.”

Yuan quotes Hu Jintao boasting about secret cooperation with the United States against Chen Shui-bian: “During this time of cooperation, the US also mentioned that international relation conditions are in favor for us to quickly and peacefully settle the Taiwan problem. The US definitely sees “Taiwan Independence” as a trouble point.”

Under the San Francisco Peace Treaty that ended World War II with Japan, the status of Formosa, now called Taiwan, was left unresolved with the United States as the “principle occupying power.” The Republic of China in-exile is a caretaker government pending resolution of Taiwan’s status.

Yuan wrote in his new book Incarcerated Taiwan about Chen Shui-bian, “This person imprisoned in that torturous cell symbolizes the destiny of Taiwan's freedom.”