President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday urged Beijing to release jailed Chinese writer and dissident Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波), who was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
“If Liu Xiaobo could regain his freedom, I believe Taiwanese would appreciate such a move from China,” Ma said while addressing a party for about 7,000 expatriates returning home to attend the Double Ten Day at the Taipei Arena yesterday afternoon.
Ma’s call came in the wake of criticism from the opposition party and critics, who earlier yesterday slammed the Ma administration for failing to call for Liu’s release in its statement on Friday congratulating Liu for winning the Nobel Prize.
In a written statement on Friday, Ma described Liu’s winning the award as bearing “significant historical meaning” for the development of human rights in China, as well as Chinese communities around the world.
“We expect mainland China to address the issue of human rights with a whole new attitude, solve major human rights incidents with honesty and confidence, and treat dissidents with more tolerance,” the statement said.
The failure to call for Liu’s release in the statement drew criticism from Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who yesterday morning said it was disappointing that Taiwan, as a democratic country, failed to join other world leaders in calling for Liu’s release.
She said that under the Ma administration, Taiwan’s human rights standards had regressed to that of China.
Former deputy National Security Council secretary-general Chen Chung-hsin (陳忠信) also dismissed the Presidential Office’s Friday statement as “rubbish” and “empty talk,” alleging Ma did not have the guts to join other world leaders and ask for Liu’s release.
Citing US President Barack Obama as an example, Chen said that although Obama wants to make friends with China, he was also clear on his position and values.
“Even if the Ma administration wants to adopt a China-friendly policy, it should not let it get in the way of its insistence on human values,” Chen said.
Tung Li-wen (董立文), a professor at the Graduate School of Public Security at Central Police University, observed that China was more likely to further suppress political dissidents than open up after Liu’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Tung said he had mixed feelings about the honor bestowed upon Liu. On the one hand, Tung said he was happy that the international community paid attention to, and was willing to challenge China’s human rights record and democratic development. On the other hand, as Liu is still in prison, Tung said he was not optimistic about Liu’s personal future.
“There are two possible developments in China,” Tung said. “The possibility that it will become more suppressive and authoritarian is more likely than that it will become more open and democratic.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG
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