Missile crisis worse than Cuba
Your editorial ("Allies need to show some spine," Jan. 1, page 8) offers good advice to allies on how to deal with the referendum on China's missiles. As the Taiwanese expression goes, China is "an assailant calling for assistance" from Taiwan's allies.
Taiwan is under constant threat from China's ballistic missiles, which can reach their targets in seven minutes.
This situation is much graver than the Cuban missile crisis.
If US President John F. Kennedy could ask Russia to dismantle its Cuban-based missiles, why can't President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) have a defensive referendum to ask China to dismantle theirs?
This referendum can prevent the missiles from altering the status quo.
If Taiwan's allies discourage this peaceful and democratic referendum from taking place, China will get the wrong impression and deploy more missiles, even targeting Japan and probably the west coast of the US.
Japan therefore should ask the UN to sponsor a plebiscite in Taiwan based on the principle of self-determination. In addition, Japan should support Taiwan's defensive referendum because this will stabilize the entire Asia-Pacific region, including Japan.
Taiwan will be happy to cancel its defensive referendum on March 20 if China dismantles its missiles, just like Libya is voluntarily dismantling its program for weapons of mass destruction.
The US, Japan and the EU should ask China, through a UN resolution, to renounce the use of force against Taiwan.
Charles Hong
Columbus, Ohio
US deaths on Chen's head
I have read many articles and editorials recently supporting President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) move to hold a so-called "defensive referendum" in March, and also criticizing the Bush administration for publicly rebuking Chen, often stating that the matter is of no concern to the US.
The ignorance and arrogance of people like this astound me. While I support democracy in Taiwan, and while ideally the Taiwanese people have every right to decide on their future, this is not an ideal world.
It is US soldiers who will be sacrificing their lives to defend Taiwan in the event of an attack, and it is the US who has come to the defense of Taiwan in recent years when the Chinese threatened Taiwan with missile attacks. So this issue in every way affects, and should involve, the US. By being reckless and provocative, Chen is not only threatening the lives of many young Taiwanese soldiers who have no need to go to war, but also the lives of many young US soldiers. He has no right to do this.
If Chen can publicly state that he does not want or expect the US to defend Taiwan if the Chinese attack, then I say he can do whatever he pleases. But he can't seem to see the big picture, only whether he can get re-elected in March.
This isn't a game, and there are real people's lives at stake. Chen's recent actions and stubbornness show him to be an inexperienced and selfish person who cares more about his own power and connections than he does about the people of Taiwan. It's time for him to grow up and learn how to be a leader. Taiwan deserves much better than this.
David Evseeff
Taipei
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