Academics blast Lien for `treason'

Academics yesterday strongly criticized Chinese National Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) trip to China as "treason" and asked the government to take practical steps to prevent such visits.

"Lien's trip to China is treason. It might not necessarily be a treason in the legal sense at this point but it is definitely emotional and political treason," said Chen I-shen (陳儀深), the Northern Taiwan Society's deputy chairman and a research fellow at Academia Sinica.

Chen made the remarks yesterday afternoon in a seminar held by the Northern Taiwan Society, the Taiwan Association of University Professors (TAUP) and a Taiwan historical society to analyze Lien's trip, which begins tomorrow.

Chen stressed that Lien's trip exposed the inaccuracy of the Constitution, which still indicates that "Mainland China" is not a foreign country.

"If Lien insists on going [to China], I think he should explain the change in the KMT's political stance over the past 50 years," Chen said. "Otherwise, he won't be able to face those Mainlanders who migrated to Taiwan in 1949 because of their anti-communism."

Lien's remark on Friday that he will take the book A General History of Taiwan -- written in the 1920s by Lien's grandfather Lien Heng (連橫) -- as a gift to Chinese official, Tai Pao-tsun (戴寶村) also drew criticism. The president of the TAUP rebutted the KMT leader's claim that his grandfather's book was written to oppose the Japanese colonial regime which controlled Taiwan at that time.

"In fact, many documents show that Lien Heng asked two Japanese governors-general in Taiwan and even Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to autograph that book," Tai said. "Those historical materials directly debunk Lien Chan's lies ... In light of history, we strongly demand that Lien Chan should never pay tribute to China and sacrifice Taiwan's sovereignty. Taiwan's intellectuals will never consent to such an action."

TV political talk show host Clara Chou (周玉蔻) said she thought the special arms budget bill would be passed after Lien comes back from China, citing Lien's meeting with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Douglas Paal on Wednesday.

"In my opinion, I think the purpose of Paal's talk with Lien ... was to ask Lien Chan to make KMT lawmakers pass the arm sales bill after Lien comes back from China," Chou said.

"In fact, the US is very concerned about the current situation developing between Taiwan and China and it is worried that Taiwan might become divided because of Lien Chan's China trip," Chou said. "Therefore, the US sent Paal to talk with Lien to ascertain what he is going to do and say in China. And my take on this is that the arms sale bill might be a condition for Lien Chan's visit to China."

Chou urged the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) legislative caucus to do something to deter Lien and the KMT from colluding with China.

"For instance, [they could] revise the Statute Governing Preferential Treatment to Retired Presidents and Vice Presidents (卸任總統副總統禮遇條例) to abolishing Lien's considerable stipend of nearly NT$400,000 (US$12,725) per month," Chou said.

Moreover, the Ministry of Interior should keep an eye on Lien Chan's words and deeds in China, Chou added.

"The ministry is actually empowered to disband the KMT if Lien Chan violates the National Security Law (國家安全法) or the Civic Society Law (人民團體法), which stipulate that people ... cannot advocate ideas such as communism or the separation of the nation's territory," she said.