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Chen keeps up offensive against Lien

Japanese engineers yesterday conduct an auspicious ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Yuanshantzu flood-diversion tunnel, which is part of the Keelung River dredging project in northern Taiwan that President Chen Shui-bian opened yesterday. PHOTO: CNA

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday urged the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to prove its sincerity in apologizing for its past mistakes when ruling the country, saying that the KMT should immediately return all property it illegally stole from the country and the government.

"We are glad to see that KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) was willing to apologize for those mistakes. However, an apology is not enough," Chen said. "We want to see Mr. Lien and his party's resolution and boldness in correcting their faults."

"First, they should return party assets that were illegally seized from the public and the country since the KMT fled mainland China and began ruling Taiwan," Chen said.

The president made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the "Cultural and Historical Relics of Taiwan's Human Rights" exhibition at the Presidential Office yesterday.

Chen reminded the public that leaders of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had experienced the 228 Incident, during which the former KMT government used military force to oppress Taiwanese, and the White Terror era. Therefore, he said, the party had devoted itself to improving the country's human rights protection since it took power in 2000.

"The KMT's leader told the public that he would like to propose ethnic reconciliation and is willing to apologize for the mistakes his party made during past decades," Chen said. "We hope to see whether he and his party can take concrete action rather than just pay lip service to cheat the people of Taiwan again.

"If they are really sincere in admitting their faults, there are so many things to do," Chen said, adding that the public is waiting to see how the party will realize its promise of dealing with its party assets.

Chen yesterday also attended a ceremony to mark the completion of a flood-diversion tunnel on Chufeng River in northern Taiwan, during which he commended the Cabinet for its superior efficiency compared with the former KMT government, especially the former Taiwan Provincial Government under then governor James Soong (宋楚瑜), now the People First Party's chairman and Lien's running mate in next year's presidential election.

"Hsichih Township has suffered flood damage from the Keelung River during the typhoon season since 1987. However, the former Taiwan Provincial Government declined to dredge the river because they lacked the money," Chen said.

"It was support from former KMT premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) before the power transfer and the efforts of the DPP government that allowed restructuring of the entire Keelung River, costing NT$31.6 billion, to be finally carried out," Chen said.

"Now Premier Yu Shyi-kun's team has demonstrated its high efficiency in accomplishing this construction of a flood-diversion tunnel," Chen said.

Chen stressed that the Legislative Yuan should learn from the experience of the flood-prevention work and legislators from all parties should support the Cabinet's recent "investment of NT$500 billion in the new five-year national infrastructure plan."

"Just like the Keelung River's renovation, if we do not pass the plan right now, we will regret it in the future," Chen said.

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