Today, Russia mourns the victims of the inhuman terrorist attack in Beslan. It is a terrible tragedy and emotional blow to every Russian citizen, and has evoked a wave of sympathy from around the world (which in this case, regrettably, did not include Taiwan). Of course, what is a tragedy to Russia is a joy to terrorists and their sympathizers. For the author of your editorial ("Address root causes of terrorism," Sept. 5, page 8) about this episode, as he or she calls the death of 335 people, nearly half of them children, is a good occasion to throw some mud at Russia, as well as to arrogantly judge it and provide unsolicited advice.
This article creates the impression that, although the terrorists are wrong, the Russian government should ultimately be held responsible for the tragedy, or at least share some responsibility with the terrorists. I wonder if the author uses the same logic to describe other terrorist attacks, like on Sept. 11, 2001, or if Russia is a special case conveniently providing the opportunity for an exercise in hypocrisy and double standards.
There is indeed no good solution to a situation in which 1,500 people, including many children, are taken hostage by brutal terrorists, who can not be called human, who do not even have any demands and who just want to provoke bloodshed. And to those who watched live coverage it should be absolutely clear who opened fire and why the siege began. I am unaware of any group "demanding an explanation from the Russian government," as the editorial claims. Leaders and citizens of many countries, as well as the UN, EU, NATO and other organizations, have expressed their sympathy, as well as their condemnation of terrorism.
So, some people wonder why Russia cannot just leave Chechnya alone. Well, we have tried that already. Chechnya was de facto independent from Russia from 1996 to 1999. This resulted in Chechnya becoming a bandit republic of the dark medieval kind. Just one example: at the time, there were slave markets openly operating in Grozny and other cities. Curiously, at that time we did not hear reprimands addressed to Chechen rulers from those human rights crusaders who are now accusing Russia with gusto. They were busy with some other problems, like Kosovo, saving their ammunition for bigger targets than some slave masters in Chechnya.
Finally, in 1999, Chechen bandits tried to invade the bordering republic of Dagestan to establish their caliphate. They blew up several apartment houses in Moscow and other Russian cities, killing hundreds of innocent people. That finally triggered the Russian response.
Russia is trying to restore normal life in the republic, to restore the rule of law, democracy and human rights. It is a difficult process, interrupted by frequent terrorist attacks. If Russia leaves the northern Caucasus, this region will become a kingdom of terror that would make Afghanistan under the Taliban seem like Switzerland. So, our war with terrorism should mobilize help and support from the international community. That is generally what is happening.
Even if Russia wants to start negotiation with so-called "rebels," who should we talk to? Famous terrorist and murderer Shamil Basayev? "President" Aslan Maskhadov, under whose rule Chechnya became the hotbed for international terrorism and religious extremism and who controls nothing and decides nothing?
Terrorists want to break the spirit of my nation and make it surrender. Those who read history textbooks know that Russia does not surrender.
George Zinoviev
Deputy representative,
Russian Representative Office, Taipei
Chinese agents often target Taiwanese officials who are motivated by financial gain rather than ideology, while people who are found guilty of spying face lenient punishments in Taiwan, a researcher said on Tuesday. While the law says that foreign agents can be sentenced to death, people who are convicted of spying for Beijing often serve less than nine months in prison because Taiwan does not formally recognize China as a foreign nation, Institute for National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said. Many officials and military personnel sell information to China believing it to be of little value, unaware that
Before 1945, the most widely spoken language in Taiwan was Tai-gi (also known as Taiwanese, Taiwanese Hokkien or Hoklo). However, due to almost a century of language repression policies, many Taiwanese believe that Tai-gi is at risk of disappearing. To understand this crisis, I interviewed academics and activists about Taiwan’s history of language repression, the major challenges of revitalizing Tai-gi and their policy recommendations. Although Taiwanese were pressured to speak Japanese when Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, most managed to keep their heritage languages alive in their homes. However, starting in 1949, when the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) enacted martial law
“Si ambulat loquitur tetrissitatque sicut anas, anas est” is, in customary international law, the three-part test of anatine ambulation, articulation and tetrissitation. And it is essential to Taiwan’s existence. Apocryphally, it can be traced as far back as Suetonius (蘇埃托尼烏斯) in late first-century Rome. Alas, Suetonius was only talking about ducks (anas). But this self-evident principle was codified as a four-part test at the Montevideo Convention in 1934, to which the United States is a party. Article One: “The state as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications: a) a permanent population; b) a defined territory; c) government;
The central bank and the US Department of the Treasury on Friday issued a joint statement that both sides agreed to avoid currency manipulation and the use of exchange rates to gain a competitive advantage, and would only intervene in foreign-exchange markets to combat excess volatility and disorderly movements. The central bank also agreed to disclose its foreign-exchange intervention amounts quarterly rather than every six months, starting from next month. It emphasized that the joint statement is unrelated to tariff negotiations between Taipei and Washington, and that the US never requested the appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar during the
RSS