The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan on Tuesday issued a "Statement on Justice and Peace," advocating that Taiwanese sovereignty and independence should be the basis for interparty cooperation and negotiation. The statement also said that the quest for justice and peace is the common responsibility of the international community from which Taiwan long has been ostracized in violation of universal principles of justice and peace. The statement ended by calling for the establishment of a new relationship between Taiwan and China, saying that the two nations should recognize each other based on the principles of equality, mutual benefits and peaceful co-existence.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Wu Chin-sheng吳進生
Stamps prominently displaying the word "Taiwan," which have been designed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Rotary International, went on sale yesterday. This is the first time in 109 years that Chunghwa Post has issued stamps designed by Rotary International, and more significantly, has made the word "Taiwan" such a prominent part of the design.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Wang Mei-hsiu王美琇
On Feb. 28, we would like to declare to people around the world the significance of Taiwan's existence. We will make this declaration on that day because it is a day of special significance for Taiwan. Fifty-eight years ago on that day, Taiwan was the scene of a terrible massacre. Because of this event, Taiwanese are still filled with fear, anger and an irrepressible energy to oppose those who oppress them. From this event on, Taiwan has declared war on tyrannical government. The 228 Incident is one of the most painful memories of Taiwan's history, and was a painful lesson of what it means to fall under foreign rule. It was also a milestone marking a point of no return in our struggle to achieve democracy.

[ FULL STORY ]

The threat of a dirty bomb or `conventional' nuclear strike is now greater than during the Cold War
By Paul Harris and Jason Burke
It was 1.22am on Monday, Feb. 14 on the frozen Alaskan island of Kodiak when the missile flared upwards into the night sky. As the rocket's flames disappeared into darkness, US military chiefs waited with bated breath to see if their multi-billion-dollar "Son of Star Wars" defense shield would work.

[ FULL STORY ]

The US has long been hoping that pressure from Beijing will bring North Korea back to the negotiating table, but such hopes are not justified by China's actions
Twelve days after North Korea pulled out of six-party talks, leader Kim Jong-il staged a partial climb down at China's request but left a key roadblock to dialogue still standing, analysts said.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Marc Plumb
The EU plan to lift the arms embargo against China does not seem to make any sense given the unstable situations in the Taiwan Strait, North Korea, Iraq, Iran, Syria and within China itself. In addition, China's need to secure energy resources makes the lifting of the ban even more perplexing.

[ FULL STORY ]