this man -ma

Taipei Times - archives: "President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) owes the public an apology for using government money to campaign for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidates, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said yesterday, accusing Ma of spending at least NT$3.71 million (US$115,000) a day campaigning."

Let Taiwan no defense

Taipei Times - archives: "The US’ promises to Taiwan weakened and Washington violated its 1982 “six assurances” to Taiwan by endorsing cross-strait political talks.

With Obama’s endorsement, Hu is expected to pile on the pressure to achieve his dream of creating an irreversible framework for unification before he steps down in 2012."

That is Beijing orders

Taipei Times - archives: "Prosecutors investigating former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) alleged money-laundering activities yesterday said they were close to concluding their investigation and delivering another round of indictments to the former first family and businesspeople involved in the case.

Special Investigation Panel (SIP) spokesperson Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南) said the panel had recently questioned several witnesses and defendants suspected of helping the former first family launder money and it would soon summon former China Development Financial Holding Corp (中華開發金控) president Angelo Koo (辜仲瑩) for questioning."

some plots there

Taipei Times - archives: "Speaking in front of a large banner reading “Rise up and Shine — Building a Righteous, Merciful and Peaceful Country,” Ma said that in the past year, the country has transformed from a troublemaker into a problem solver and peacemaker."

扁家弊案／致靚怨媒體：對連、馬子女不同 | 政治 | 國內要聞 | 聯合新聞網

扁家弊案／致靚怨媒體：對連、馬子女不同 | 政治 | 國內要聞 | 聯合新聞網: "陳致中、黃睿靚夫婦昨天再度為洗錢案赴特偵組應訊，確認國外帳戶細目。陳致中向媒體表示，現在的社會風氣讓他覺得不公平，才會在接受媒體訪問時說如果真有三百億就要把電視台都買下來的話"

white terror

Taipei Times - archives: "The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday accused the police of sabotaging the pan-green camp’s campaign activities to give the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) an edge in next Saturday’s local elections and likened the situation to the White Terror.

In the last two days, police cracked down on pan-green camp campaign activities in Hsinchu and Keelung, saying the DPP had failed to apply for permission to canvass on the streets, the DPP said."

yes, I have guilty over political persecution

Taipei Times - archives: "Former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) and family members yesterday pleaded guilty to perjury charges at the Taiwan High Court, seeking lighter sentences than those handed down by the Taipei District Court in September.

The wife of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) appeared at the High Court for a pre-trial hearing on whether she asked members of her family to give false testimony regarding the family’s alleged money laundering and embezzlement."

beef

Taipei Times - archives: "US beef imports and US President Barack Obama’s recent trip to China were key points in the discussion yesterday between American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond Burghardt and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the DPP said.

Briefing reporters, DPP Director of International Affairs Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said that during the 70-minute meeting, Tsai told Burghardt the DPP was concerned about the US’ stance on Taiwan as a US-China joint statement released during Obama’s trip had not mentioned the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), the backbone of the Taiwan-US relationship since the two countries severed ties 30 years ago."

ECFA is Red

Taipei Times - archives: "The administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) insists on signing an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China and is using an assessment report by the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research as an endorsement. The institute has assessed the impact of the cross-strait economic pact based on the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model. The Ministry of Economic Affairs then made “expert adjustments” to the report to minimize or eliminate any negative impact before concluding that an ECFA with China would raise the nation’s economic growth by about 1.7 percentage points and increase the number of employed by about 260,000."

china threat

Taipei Times - archives: "The second surprise came from Yang Jiemian (楊潔勉), president of Shanghai Institutes for International Studies and the younger brother of Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (楊潔篪), who said the possibility of a cross-strait war was almost zero.

Their views are very different from those of the Taiwanese public, and remarks made by both government and opposition leaders, who claim China’s missiles are devastating, and that a cross-strait war could break out anytime."

for Beijing happy

Taipei Times - archives: "The government’s regulatory agencies last week lashed out at a Hong Kong consortium’s plan to sell 30 percent of its stake in Nan Shan Life Insurance Co to Chinatrust Financial Holding Co. However, the Nan Shan deal has also put the regulatory agencies’ credibility to the test, with the public watching closely if they will approve the deal eventually."

Taiwan no no no

Taipei Times - archives: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday confirmed that the UN in June rejected two human rights covenants signed by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) earlier in the year, but said the refusal did not indicate that Taiwan’s diplomacy had failed.

The two UN covenants — the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights — were ratified by the legislature and signed by Ma in March and May respectively."

Red china over Taiwan

Taipei Times - archives: "The agreements signed during the previous three rounds of SEF-ARATS talks were all limited to economic issues, ranging from cross-strait postal services and regular flights to Chinese tourists and investment coming to Taiwan. However, now there are reports that the regular flight services may be reduced. Not only is the inflow of Chinese tourists to Taiwan unsteady, but China’s political maneuvers include its tourist boycott of Kaohsiung following the screening of a documentary on World Uyghur Congress president Rebiya Kadeer at the Kaohsiung Film Festival earlier this year. The contaminated Chinese milk powder scandal also remains to be settled."

Taiwan culture

Taipei Times - archives: "Taiwan has a unique culture, Huang said, which mixes Chinese culture, Western culture and maritime culture. Despite its uniqueness and advanced character, Taiwan seems to lack self-confidence, he said."

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That is plots by KMT

Taipei Times - archives: "he Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday it would purchase rice at guaranteed prices from Tainan County farmers who are having difficulty selling their crops after their paddies were found to be contaminated with heavy metals.

Council Chairman Chen Wu-­hsiung (陳武雄) said he would instruct the Agriculture and Food Agency to study the details of purchasing rice from the farmers, though he suggested that rice from paddies in Houbi Township (後壁), where excessive amounts of chromium were found, could not have been contaminated and was of good quality."

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no Taiwan only china

Taipei Times - archives: "A new study by US economist Daniel Rosen forecasts that a proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China would increase Taiwan’s GDP by 4.5 percent over the next 10 years, but also cautioned that China’s motivation for signing the pact was solely concerned with unification.

“It would be difficult to find any other policy choice that would give that kind of boost,” Rosen told a conference in Washington on Tuesday.

He said, however, that an ECFA was “absolutely not a strategy for assuring [sic] Taiwan’s prosperity.”"

公視新聞網 PTS NEWS ONLINE

公視新聞網 PTS NEWS ONLINE: "胡志強強調,合法的集會遊行一定會受到尊重,不過為了防止暴力事件重演,已經和警政署協商,考量增加警力的必要性"

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not so happy to see that Obama

Taipei Times - archives: "Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday expressed regret over US President Barack Obama’s remarks that “the US respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.”

“[The remarks] did not clarify the fact that Taiwan does not belong to China and disregarded the fact that the 23 million Taiwanese are under threat from the 1,400-odd missiles [deployed] by China. The result is regrettable,” Tsai said in a statement.

Tsai’s remarks came after the US and China issued a joint statement in which Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) underscored the importance of the Taiwan issue in US-China relations."

one china constitution????

Taipei Times - archives: "n the speech, Ma said that as the Republic of China Constitution is a “one China” constitution, “it does not rule out the option of eventual reunification between Taiwan and Mainland China if the overall conditions across the Taiwan Strait are ripe.”

To attain that goal, Wu said, the Ma administration will create the most favorable environment, adding that he is worried the administration will leave Taiwanese with the sole option of unification under a “one China” framework."

KMT cluture

Taipei Times - archives: "As for the township chief elections, 286 allegations of suspected bribery and eight allegations of violence have been documented, the official said. Eight cases have been open for investigation and two suspects have been detained."

great man

Taipei Times - archives: "After his ambassadorship in Beijing, Lilley became a forceful — and public — proponent of greater US support for Taiwan, efforts that he continued after being appointed assistant secretary of defense for international affairs from 1991 to 1993. He often clashed with the US Department of State over arms sales to Taiwan, arguing that it would be unwise to grant Beijing the cutoff date that it sought."

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independence

Taipei Times - archives: "Pro-independence groups yesterday dismissed comments by a visiting Chinese official after he told a seminar in Taipei that the Taiwan independence movement was “doomed.”

Zheng Bijian (鄭必堅), a former vice president of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Central Party School, said yesterday in Taipei that Taiwanese efforts to seek independence were doomed because most Taiwanese expected continuous development of cross-strait relations.

“To this day, the contest between seeking independence and anti-independence has yet to end,” Zheng said at the seminar titled “60 Years Across the Taiwan Strait.”

“Because mainstream public opinion is for a continuous, peaceful and stable development of cross-strait relations, however, efforts to seek independence are doomed to decline and fall,” he said."

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KMTsaying

Taipei Times - archives: "The latest episode in these risible efforts came on Wednesday when Control Yuan member Frank Wu (吳豐山) produced a report in which he claimed the prosecutors’ investigation had several flaws. In the report, Wu said that Chen Yi-hsiung’s motive was not fully explained and that the scene of his death was not properly described. Wu also cast doubt on the conclusions of the ballistics studies."

Thisman ma and gangster

Taipei Times - archives: "The recent controversy over alleged links between criminal figures and politicians showed no signs of abating yesterday, as pan-blue and pan-green legislators continued to trade accusations over who had closer ties with a Nantou County convict.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) threw the first blow, telling a press conference that a number of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) figures had been close to Chiang Chin-liang (江欽良), a paroled former gangster from central Taiwan."

fire with serious tension

Taipei Times - archives: "This might be an intentional clash aimed at heightening tension ahead of Obama’s trip,” Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Dongguk University, told YTN television.

“I believe North Korea is trying to show Obama the volatility of the peninsula. North Korea has demanded a peace pact be signed with the US to replace the truce agreement,” he said."

mafia

Taipei Times - archives: "Lee said that Wu, Chiang Chin-liang (江欽良) — a convicted felon on parole — and Nantou County Commissioner Lee Chao-ching (李朝卿) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) were on a trip together to Bali, Indonesia, last December to settle the distribution of profits from the local gravel trade as well as select a new Nantou County Council speaker and vice speaker."

Human rights

Taipei Times - archives: "China said yesterday it had put to death nine people over deadly ethnic unrest in Xinjiang, the first executions since the violence erupted in July.

Authorities convicted 21 defendants last month — nine were sentenced to death, three were given the death penalty with a two-year reprieve, a sentence usually commuted to life in jail, and the rest were handed various prison terms."

Taiwan culture

Taipei Times - archives: "he internationalization of education will also encourage Taiwanese students to go overseas in greater numbers. Minister of Education Cheng Jui-cheng (鄭瑞城) has initiated an international student exchange plan that promises to enrich the international perspectives of Taiwanese while expanding foreign students’ understanding of Taiwan and Taiwanese culture. This plan should be expanded."

apologize for downplaying the threat from China.

Taipei Times - archives: "Su’s apology on this issue is therefore accepted.

But if apologies are his new thing, then I want him to say sorry for all the sinister shit he got up to after Chen was shot in 2004 on the eve of his re-election. Propaganda booklets, mailouts to the US Congress, ludicrous conspiracy theories ... all of it insulting, cynical and demeaning.

I want him to apologize for downplaying the threat from China.

I want him to apologize for inventing the term “1992 consensus.”

I want him to apologize for fraternizing with top People’s Liberation Army officers and security officials in Beijing in November 2005 — and tell us exactly what he said in his speech to them on Nov. 12.

But most of all, I want him to apologize for picking at his dentures with a toothpick in full view of photographers while the prez met foreign diplomats in April last year. Man, that was gross ... who taught you manners?

But because Su is Marky Mark Ma’s Main Man, and one of the prez’s most loyal deputies and buddies, he won’t be apologizing again anytime soon."

liar ma

Taipei Times - archives: "On Tuesday, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Secretary-General Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉) met with Zheng Lizhong (鄭立中), deputy chairman of China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, in Taipei and settled on four issues that SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and his Chinese counterpart Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) will discuss in their meeting in Taichung next month.

While the government’s proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with Beijing will not be on the agenda, SEF spokesman Maa Shaw-chang (馬紹章) said both sides would “exchange opinions” on the matter nonetheless."

a dream of referendum

Taipei Times - archives: "Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday rejected calls for a referendum on the government’s relaxed beef policy, while Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday pledged support for one in an open letter.

In an interview with the UFO Network radio station, Wu said a referendum would be inappropriate and there was no good reason for one. There is a risk that the matter of US beef imports would become “tainted by populism,” making a rational debate impossible, he said."

surrender is peace?

Taipei Times - archives: "All this makes one wonder whether the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee have lost their minds as they have destroyed the prize’s prestige and credibility.

If a Taiwanese thinks there is a Nobel Peace Prize to be had by making peace with China by signing a so-called “peace accord” and getting Beijing to remove the more than 1,000 missiles it has aimed at the country, he would be bringing catastrophe to the nation."

fear of plebiscite

Taipei Times - archives: "In the absence of anything substantial — and with so many substantial problems to choose from — the political world has moved on to the next helping of a controversy that is contemptible in the way it takes ordinary people for fools and elevates the voices of the foolish.

Joining these disingenuous legislators, councilors and party hacks in their attacks on US beef are a number of interest groups whose contributions to the debate have been uninformed, unintelligent and even deceitful. The main offender is the Consumers’ Foundation, which over the years has launched consumer crusades of dubious priority and zero scientific rigor.

If this organization applied its ferocious strictness on US beef imports to all other health matters affecting consumers, it would extend its campaign to instituting bans on imports and local production of alcohol and tobacco, introduce bans on betel nuts, motorscooters, sports cars, meat with high levels of fat and night market food. This would just be the start.

The fact that the Consumers’ Foundation does not engage in such quixotic behavior points to opportunism and cynicism, not a sense of proportion or respect of the right consumers should enjoy to choose what they wish to consume."

Beijing saying

Taipei Times - archives: "Hsiao said Beijing threatened to cancel a planned visit by the Chinese foreign minister to Cairo if Egypt allowed Lu to attend the LI congress because China did not want the two to be in Cairo at the same time.

Hsiao said the DPP later found out that it was Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) who visited Cairo.

Expecting Cairo to deny Lu’s entry should she make the trip, Hsiao said the party decided to cancel Lu’s visit. Hsiao and three others, however, managed to attend the event.

Lu had also planned to transit in Thailand, but her Thai visa application was denied, Hsiao said.

Lu had planned to give a speech at the Cairo event, whose theme this year was “Education for the 21st Century.” The event opened on Thursday and ended yesterday."