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Olympic ad flap begets commentary

"In the future, just as women carry mace with them all the time, when Taiwanese travel abroad they should carry with them signs reading `Taiwan, Go Go Go!' and `Shame on China!'"

Vice President Annette Lu

The furor raging over Taiwan's advertisements at Athens' international airport continued yesterday, as a number of senior government officials weighed in on the matter.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山) responded to a request allegedly made by a preparatory committee for the Athens Olympics that Taiwan remove the ads, saying his ministry has instructed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Greek capital to look into the matter.

Details regarding the nature of the request -- which was reportedly made to an as-of-yet unnamed private advertising company -- and the manner in which it was delivered were sketchy.

The Government Information Office (GIO) reported on Thursday that the "National Olympic Committee in Athens" had asked that advertisements and publicity posters be removed. The office said it believed that the request came after "pressure from China."

The ads are part of the GIO's publicity campaign, "Taiwan on the Starting Line" which is designed to coincide with the Olympic Games on Aug 13.

The GIO also plans on having large outdoor billboards erected along major thoroughfares in Athens, as well as placing posters featuring images of Taiwan on the exteriors of electric trams.

Publicity posters have also been placed on 500 luggage carts at the Athens International Airport.

Despite the committee's request, the ads have not been removed. Chen said it is still unclear whether China is behind the committee's move.

"No matter who is behind this action, such behavior is unwelcome in Taiwan," he added.

Meanwhile, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) also threw in her two cents on the debacle, proposing a novel solution to intimidation in the international arena: Taiwanese should not leave home without carrying two signs, one which reads "Taiwan Go Go Go!," and another reading "Shame on China."

"In the future, just as women carry mace with them all the time, when Taiwanese travel abroad they should carry with them signs reading `Taiwan, Go Go Go!' and `Shame on China!'" Lu said during a radio interview yesterday.

"`Taiwan Go Go Go!' can be used to cheer Taiwan on at the appropriate time. But when one encounters Chinese intimidation, the `Shame on China' sign can be used," Lu added.

In addition to offering travel advice, Lu also said that the establishment of a "Friends of Taiwan International" group would allow for an immediate response to be made whenever Taiwan is threatened or insulted.

Lu said that she was very angry upon learning of China's alleged use of intimidation tactics to try to remove the promotional posters, but added that she was not surprised.

"Although Taiwan is small, Taiwanese people have big hearts. Although China is big, it is a stingy nation," Lu said.

Chen, however, thought that the problem required a different approach. He said Taiwan's representative office in Athens must supplement the Government Information Office's efforts in safeguarding Taiwan's sovereignty in the Olympic Games.

"Getting together peacefully to exhibit sportsmanship is the central spirit of the Games. This is also the key spirit for people living in the global village," he said.

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) also responded yesterday, telling reporters that China never fails to use extreme measures to limit Taiwan's "international space."

"With regards to the Olympics posters, Taiwan has used peaceful means to spread a positive image of itself. If China wants to bully Taiwan on this issue as well, this will only cause the citizens on both sides of the strait to drift apart and lead to Taiwanese resentment," Wu said.

MAC Vice Chairman Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) said that if China is to continue bullying Taiwan, Beijing must consider whether such actions stand in the way of cross-strait exchanges.

In related news, the country's representative office in Athens cautioned Taiwanese watching the Games in the city against waving any flag apart from the Taiwanese delegation's official flag, which was approved by the International Olympic Committee.

Differing from the national flag of the Republic of China, the Taiwanese delegation's official flag consists of five rings and a plum blossom, the country's national flower. The delegation is formally registered as the "Chinese Taipei" team.

"If our citizens wave other flags to cheer our up team in the Games, security guards may stop their behavior or even drive them out," the representative office warned in a statement.

To serve Taiwanese tourists in Athens during the Olympic Games, the representative office will have staff fluent in Chinese, English and Greek on duty every day until Sept. 2.

The representative office's has three phone lines to serve Taiwanese: (+30-210) 677-6750, 677-5121, 677-5122.
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