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Marchers send message to China

Demonstrators burn China's flag yesterday at a protest rally entitled ''opposing annexation, defending Taiwan'' near Kaohsiung's Cultural Center. PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES

Tens of thousands of Taiwanese yesterday rallied in Taipei and Kaohsiung to voice opposition to China's proposed "anti-secession" law, which the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) is slated to unveil tomorrow in Beijing.

Determined to overshadow its erstwhile ally the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), which organized a large rally in Kaohsiung, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday held a protest in Taipei.

Encouraged by the brisk and sunny weather, an estimated 2,000 people jammed the auditorium of Taipei Municipal Cheng Yuan High School where the gathering was held, while many more congregated outside the school complex and caused traffic congestion.

Doves and roses

The highlight of the event was when several guests of honor replaced images of missiles pointed at Taiwan on a large map of China with paper doves. Children then presented the guests with red roses, which they in turn gave to audience members.

In addition to DPP heavyweights, leaders of pro-independence social groups such as the Northern Taiwan Society, the Central Taiwan Society and the Taiwan Professors Association (台灣教授協會) also attended. The event was dubbed "safeguarding Taiwan, opposing annexation.

"We are gathering here to tell China and the world that if China passes the `anti-secession' law, there will be more than 500,000 Taiwanese people taking to the streets."

Su Tseng-chang, DPP Chairman

Saying that his party has not forsaken its pro-independence ideals, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) urged the 23 million people of Taiwan to stand up to China and safeguard the sovereignty of Taiwan.

"We are gathering here to tell China and the world that if China passes the `anti-secession' law, there will be more than 500,000 Taiwanese people taking to the streets to oppose the legislation," Su said. "I believe President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will lead the people of Taiwan to participate in such a protest."

Chen failed to attend yesterday's gathering, but instead sent Presidential Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun to act as his proxy.

Calling China a "trouble-maker," Su said that Beijing runs the risk of changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait if it enacts the "anti-secession law."

"Taiwan is an independent sovereign state and not part of China. China has never governed Taiwan for a single day nor have the Taiwanese people paid any tax to the Chinese government. It is a misfortune that we have such a malevolent neighbor who constantly intimidates us and now is trying to pass a law to seize control of our territory."

Responding to the "four never's" made by Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) on Saturday, Yu said that he has "three urges" for him.

Sovereignty

"If he genuinely meant to put his hopes in the Taiwanese people, he should respect the mainstream opinion of the public in Taiwan and immediately stop the passage of the anti-secession law," he said. "If he truly hoped to see peace across the Taiwan Strait, he would instantly dismantle the 700 missiles targeted at Taiwan. And if he was really sincere about negotiating with us on an equal footing, he should honestly recognize our sovereignty."

Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said that as the Taiwan issue is internationalized, Taiwanese people should send out the message that they are a peace-loving people and a model of democratic development for the world.

"Before the Republic of China [ROC] Constitution is mended, we should respect it," he said. "While different political parties advocate different cross-strait policies, I think that the DPP's is the best and it is clearly stipulated in the DPP's `Resolution on Taiwan's Future' (台灣前途決議文) established in 1999," Hsieh said.

The resolution states that Taiwan is an independent sovereign state and its national title is the Republic of China, according to the Constitution. It also says that the nation belongs to the 23 million people of Taiwan and Taiwanese people have the final say on any change to the status quo.

Hsieh also said that China's leaders must be held responsible for any consequences should it heighten the already volatile cross-strait tensions by enacting the anti-secession law.

"Some might question the potency of love and peace, but they are the most powerful weapons," he said. "I believe we, the peace-loving people, will eventually prevail."

In Kaohsiung, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who served as the march's coordination convener, urged the people of Taiwan to show their resolve to resist China's hegemony and ambitions and warned that Beijing's attempts to exploit the anti-secession law were meant to oppress public opinion in Taiwan and to treat the people of Taiwan as slaves.

"The people of Taiwan are facing a critical juncture whether they choose to rule their own roosts or choose to be China's slaves," Lee said at the Kaohsiung Municipal Cultural Center, where the march processions converged.

Lee told the audience that Taiwan is not a part of China from a historical perspective, pointing out that in the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951, signed by 48 countries, Japan only officially renounced all rights, title and claim to Taiwan and the Penghu islands.

"People can't find any words in any treaty that indicate the People's Republic of China [PRC] or the Republic of China have jurisdiction over Taiwan. It is untenable for China to swallow up Taiwan, Lee said.

"Taiwan is part of the world, and is by no means part of China," he said.

Lee, who tied a brown ribbon around his head with the words "opposing annexation, defending Taiwan" written on it, said he was glad about the good weather yesterday and said that God helps Taiwan whenever it faces a key moment.

Organized by the TSU, the theme of the march in Kaohsiung was "opposing annexation, defending Taiwan," and two separate processions departed from the Chungshan Stadium and the National Science and Technology Museum at 2pm and headed to the Kaohsiung Municipal Cultural Center.

Police estimated that 20,000 people took part in the marches.

Meanwhile, TSU Secretary-General Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) yesterday announced that the TSU will again hold a rally to promote a new constitution on May 8 in Kaohsiung, just one week before the elections of for representatives to the National Assembly.

In the rally, TSU Chairman Shu Chin-chiang (蘇進強) responded to Chinese President Hu Jintao's (胡錦濤) "four nevers," saying that "peace" is only an excuse for China; unification is its real goal.

"China has viewed Taiwan's democratic movements as actions promoting independence," Shu said. "China ostensibly opposes Taiwan's independence; it actually imposes the charge of fomenting Taiwan's independence on those who don't accept its `one-country, two systems' policy."

Shu reiterated the TSU's view that the status quo in the Taiwan Strait is "one nation on either side," accentuating the idea that "Taiwan is Taiwan and China is China."

Shu also blasted some Taiwanese for echoing China's excuses and even saying that it was Taiwan that had compelled China to move to enact the legislation.

"This notion inverts cause and effect," Shu said. "In fact, `Taiwan' is the common ground of the Taiwanese people. Only by continuing to promote changing the nation's name and making a new constitution does Taiwan have a future.

Several DPP politicians also took part in the march and rally yesterday. DPP Secretary-General Chang Yu-jen (張郁仁), who was selected by Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to take part in the event, as well as Council of Labor Affairs Chairwoman Chen Chu (陳菊), DPP Legislators Trong Chai (蔡同榮) and Wang Sing-nan (王幸男), who are known as a pro-independence hardliners, all joined in the march.

Acting Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), who is a DPP member, said that Taiwan has to learn from the case of Hong Kong, which had received a promise from China that the situation in Hong Kong would remain unchanged at least 50 years after the handover from the UK.
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