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Wednesday, 19 March 2008
To those who support the Tibetan rioters
This is my message to them:
Free USA, Canada and Australia (Tibet). Aboriginals (Tibetans) get up on your horses, burn down the White House, loot the banks, and fire bomb the white men (Chinese) occupying your native land.
1 comment:
Anonymous
said...
Tibet dominates Taiwan presidential campaign
19 March 2008
TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwan's presidential rivals pounded the campaign trail Wednesday just three days ahead of a crunch election that has been gate-crashed by China's military crackdown in Tibet.
The unrest in the Himalayan region and China's response has turned a harsh spotlight on Taiwan's own fraught relations with Beijing, which still claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island.
Election frontrunner Ma Ying-jeou, who has vowed closer ties and a peace treaty with China, has been forced onto the defensive against charges by his rival Frank Hsieh that Taiwan could end up like Tibet under Chinese rule.
While Ma has focused his campaign on reviving the island's sluggish economy, a key concern for voters here, he was forced for the third time in as many days to insist he would defend Taiwan's national interests.
"Taiwan is not Tibet," he told a campaign rally. "If elected, I would not let Taiwan become Tibetised."
Ma has upped his rhetoric against China in what analysts view as a bid to prevent any loss in support just days before the election.
The last official opinion poll before voting day gave him a 20-point lead over Hsieh, but that was more than a week ago, before images of the crackdown in Tibet were broadcast around the world.
Taiwan split from the mainland in 1949 after nationalist Kuomintang forces lost a civil war to Mao Zedong's communists, and Beijing has threatened to invade if the island formally declares independence.
Ma said Tuesday he would consider barring Taiwan's athletes from competing in the August Olympics in Beijing if the Tibet unrest worsened, and separately accused Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao of arrogance for reasserting Beijing's claim to Taiwan.
That was given short shrift by Hsieh, who Wednesday accused Ma of changing his tune.
"Ma has been wayward," he said. "Previously, I was attacked when I voiced concerns about Tibet's human rights, but now he's suddenly talking tough.
"These aren't games for children and mustn't be decided on a whim. How can such a person be given the mandate to lead the country?"
Hsieh said Ma should drop his backing of the 'one China' principle and proposal for a common market to boost trade with China, accusing his rival of working toward Taiwan's eventual reunification with the mainland.
"Those would be good ways to step up pressure on China," he told a press conference in Taipei.
Ma has insisted his Kuomintang (KMT) party wants to maintain Taiwan's unique status quo -- no reunification with China, but no formal independence either.
KMT spokesman Huang Yu-chen defended Ma's talk of an Olympic boycott, saying: "The point is safeguarding human rights, it's not about political intervention in sport."
Meanwhile police said they were stepping up security for Saturday's vote, cancelling leave and tightening a cordon around the candidates.
Most of Taiwan's 68,000-member police force are now on active duty, said Wu Chi-ruei, a spokesman for the National Police Agency.
Four years ago, outgoing President Chen Shui-bian and his Vice President Annette Lu were slightly wounded in a shooting on the eve of election day.
A day later, Chen -- standing down now after serving the maximum two terms -- was re-elected by a razor-thin margin.
Besides regular police, a team of 90 special agents has been assigned to protect Hsieh and Ma, the National Security Bureau said.
At the same time as the presidential election, Taiwan is also holding two referendums on joining the United Nations, one by each of the main parties.
Taipei lost its UN seat to Beijing in 1971, and its attempts to rejoin the world body have been repeatedly blocked by China.
"With the vote only a few days away, there is nothing more important than this," Chen said.
"I hope you will vote for the (DPP) referendum, and this is also a way of supporting Tibet."
However, neither referendum is expected to get the 50 percent participation that would make it valid.
1 comment:
Tibet dominates Taiwan presidential campaign
19 March 2008
TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwan's presidential rivals pounded the campaign trail Wednesday just three days ahead of a crunch election that has been gate-crashed by China's military crackdown in Tibet.
The unrest in the Himalayan region and China's response has turned a harsh spotlight on Taiwan's own fraught relations with Beijing, which still claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island.
Election frontrunner Ma Ying-jeou, who has vowed closer ties and a peace treaty with China, has been forced onto the defensive against charges by his rival Frank Hsieh that Taiwan could end up like Tibet under Chinese rule.
While Ma has focused his campaign on reviving the island's sluggish economy, a key concern for voters here, he was forced for the third time in as many days to insist he would defend Taiwan's national interests.
"Taiwan is not Tibet," he told a campaign rally. "If elected, I would not let Taiwan become Tibetised."
Ma has upped his rhetoric against China in what analysts view as a bid to prevent any loss in support just days before the election.
The last official opinion poll before voting day gave him a 20-point lead over Hsieh, but that was more than a week ago, before images of the crackdown in Tibet were broadcast around the world.
Taiwan split from the mainland in 1949 after nationalist Kuomintang forces lost a civil war to Mao Zedong's communists, and Beijing has threatened to invade if the island formally declares independence.
Ma said Tuesday he would consider barring Taiwan's athletes from competing in the August Olympics in Beijing if the Tibet unrest worsened, and separately accused Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao of arrogance for reasserting Beijing's claim to Taiwan.
That was given short shrift by Hsieh, who Wednesday accused Ma of changing his tune.
"Ma has been wayward," he said. "Previously, I was attacked when I voiced concerns about Tibet's human rights, but now he's suddenly talking tough.
"These aren't games for children and mustn't be decided on a whim. How can such a person be given the mandate to lead the country?"
Hsieh said Ma should drop his backing of the 'one China' principle and proposal for a common market to boost trade with China, accusing his rival of working toward Taiwan's eventual reunification with the mainland.
"Those would be good ways to step up pressure on China," he told a press conference in Taipei.
Ma has insisted his Kuomintang (KMT) party wants to maintain Taiwan's unique status quo -- no reunification with China, but no formal independence either.
KMT spokesman Huang Yu-chen defended Ma's talk of an Olympic boycott, saying: "The point is safeguarding human rights, it's not about political intervention in sport."
Meanwhile police said they were stepping up security for Saturday's vote, cancelling leave and tightening a cordon around the candidates.
Most of Taiwan's 68,000-member police force are now on active duty, said Wu Chi-ruei, a spokesman for the National Police Agency.
Four years ago, outgoing President Chen Shui-bian and his Vice President Annette Lu were slightly wounded in a shooting on the eve of election day.
A day later, Chen -- standing down now after serving the maximum two terms -- was re-elected by a razor-thin margin.
Besides regular police, a team of 90 special agents has been assigned to protect Hsieh and Ma, the National Security Bureau said.
At the same time as the presidential election, Taiwan is also holding two referendums on joining the United Nations, one by each of the main parties.
Taipei lost its UN seat to Beijing in 1971, and its attempts to rejoin the world body have been repeatedly blocked by China.
"With the vote only a few days away, there is nothing more important than this," Chen said.
"I hope you will vote for the (DPP) referendum, and this is also a way of supporting Tibet."
However, neither referendum is expected to get the 50 percent participation that would make it valid.
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