We are deeply concerned about the recent actions of former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Shih Ming-teh (
We are writing this as friends who -- when Shih was arrested in those dark days of January 1980, following the Dec. 10, 1979, Kaohsiung Incident -- worked day and night for his release from prison.
In 1985 and in 1986, when Shih was on hunger strike in prison, we wrote articles and letters calling on the international community to put pressure on the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) authorities to release him. These articles can be found on our Taiwan Communique Web site at www.taiwandc.org/twcom/tc21-int.pdf and www.taiwandc.org/twcom/tc26-int.pdf.
We are writing to remind Shih of the ideals he expressed at that time. In his 1985 statement, Shih wrote: "With mounting and maturing years, knowledge, experience and powers of judgment, I have come to know that injustice and inequality among the human family is not limited to Taiwan alone."
"Everyone must hold fast to this with unshaken conviction, even more with patience. Simply because we are confident of the supremacy and sacredness of our ideal, under no circumstance does this warrant our failure to carefully choose the methods used in its attainment. Foul means are still foul, and the sacredness of the purpose can in no way render them fair," he wrote.
We want to remind Shih that Taiwanese people have no other "motherland" than Taiwan.
We want to remind him that in those dark days, current People First Party Chairman James Soong (
In view of all this, we are deeply disappointed that Shih is now siding with the pan-blue camp, who were the ones responsible for Taiwan's 38 years of martial law, its White Terror and Shih's own imprisonment. This is incomprehensible to us.
Certainly, one should stand up for what is right, and certainly it is essential to fight corruption. But the cases of former Presidential Office deupty secretary-general Chen Che-nan (
These cases came to light because under the DPP, Taiwan is now free and democratic. Under the old KMT administration, these cases would have been swept under the carpet. As a former human-rights activist, Shih should respect the law and let the court handle these cases instead of taking to the streets, creating disruption and social instability.
It is clear to us that the pan-blue camp is using these cases to undermine a democratically elected government. Former KMT chairman Lien Chan (
To quote Shih's own words: "foul means are still foul."
For the sake of stability and to safeguard Taiwan's future as a free, democratic and independent nation that can stand proudly as a full member of the international community, we strongly urge Shih to call off his campaign and reconcile with his old friends in the democratic camp, instead of letting himself be used by the self-serving pan-blue demagogues.
The Taiwanese now have a motherland. Don't sell it out to those who want to unite with China.
Gerrit van der Wees and Mei-chin Chen
International Committee for Human Rights in Taiwan
Washington
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry