Representative to Japan Koh Se-kai (許世楷) submitted his resignation yesterday after he was accused by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers of being a “traitor” for “siding with the Japanese.”
As of press time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not accepted the resignation and had instead lauded Koh’s contribution and hard work in solidifying bilateral relations.
“A solider can be killed, but must not be insulted. I absolutely cannot accept the accusations that have been leveled at me,” said the 74-year-old diplomat, who is highly respected in Japan.
Koh refused to show up at the legislature yesterday afternoon as scheduled “because they [pan-blue lawmakers] would only pepper me with insults instead of letting me explain the details of the incident.”
Koh said he had planned to submit his resignation after the transfer of power on May 20, but the ministry had been reluctant to accept it, especially in the wake of the high-seas collision off the Diaoyutai (釣魚台) islands a week ago that led to the sinking of a Taiwanese fishing boat.
The ministry recalled Koh in protest against the Japanese authorities’ claims that the accident resulted from a bungled attempt by the Japanese patrol vessel to chase the fishing boat away from Japan’s territorial waters and that the Taiwanese vessel was partly to blame for the incident.
Koh said he had originally agreed to stay on until the incident blew over, but said “the caustic affront by the pan-blue camp has prompted me to seek immediate relief from my duty.”
In a press release, the ministry said Koh’s refusal to show up at the legislature for an interpellation session was “very inappropriate” because he was still the representative to Japan and has the responsibility to report to the legislature even though he has submitted his resignation.
The ministry also said Koh’s request to leave his position by the end of next month must be approved by the president because the post he occupies is that of a presidentially appointed special envoy. The ministry said it would respect Koh’s wishes by submitting his resignation to the Presidential Office.
Koh, a staunch supporter of Taiwanese independence, also said he would not consider giving up his permanent residency in Japan because he plans to retire soon.
He said holding residency in a foreign country does not violate any law.
Koh said he obtained Japanese residency more than three decades ago when he was in political exile after the then-KMT government placed him on a blacklist.
“I couldn’t come back to Taiwan. When my Republic of China [ROC] passport expired Japan offered me two choices — to become a naturalized citizen or a permanent resident. I chose the latter,” he said.
Meanwhile, KMT caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (林益世) lashed out at Koh for not announcing his resignation at the legislature, saying that he treated his resignation as “child’s play.”
KMT Legislator Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) said Koh’s insistence on retaining his Japanese residency had prompted suspicions about his loyalty.
In related news, KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said the legislature’s Diplomacy and National Defense Committee should still make an inspection trip of the area around the Diaoyutais tomorrow. He said the nation needed to take a hardline stance on the Diaoyutai issue before continuing negotiations with Tokyo.
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