There is a growing chorus of protest against perceived efforts by members of US President Barack Obama’s administration to interfere in Taiwanese elections by boosting President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who is seeking re-election on Jan. 14.
US Representative Michael McCaul and US Senator Sherrod Brown have now written separate letters to US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urging her to maintain neutrality.
The letters come as the White House appears to be approving measures — which include new visa-waiver rules and visits to Taiwan by senior officials — that could be interpreted as an -endorsement for Ma.
It is believed within some Washington political circles that Obama thinks Ma will continue to appease China if he is re-elected and that he would not cause any problems for US policy by trying to strengthen Taiwanese independence.
“We must send a strong signal that the US is committed to seeing that Taiwan’s elections are free, fair and transparent, and that the results are respected by all sides within Taiwan and by all of its neighbors,” McCaul told Clinton.
“In keeping with our own founding principles of freedom and democracy, I urge the administration to refrain from speaking or acting in any way that might be construed as favoring any one candidate over the others,” McCaul said.
McCaul also said that China might attempt to “undermine the integrity of the electoral process in Taiwan — whether by military or other means — or to interfere with the transfer of power after the election if the opposition party is victorious on Jan. 14.”
In his letter, Brown reminded Clinton that it was US policy to strongly support Taiwan’s democracy and the will of the Taiwanese people to choose their own leaders.
“We don’t take any sides,” Brown said. “It is critical that our government continue to refrain from endorsing a particular political candidate or party. I ask you to ensure that our government does not actively or inadvertently influence the outcome of the upcoming Taiwanese elections.”
Bob Yang (楊英育), president of the Formosan Association for -Public Affairs, commented: “We commend these gestures of bipartisan support in the US House and Senate for free, fair and transparent elections in Taiwan.”
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hualien and Taitung counties declared today a typhoon day, while schools and offices in parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties are also to close Typhoon Ragasa was forecast to hit its peak strength and come closest to Taiwan from yesterday afternoon through today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Taiwan proper could be out of the typhoon’s radius by midday and the sea warning might be lifted tonight, it added. CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said that Ragasa’s radius had reached the Hengchun Peninsula by 11am yesterday and was expected to hit Taitung County and Kaohsiung by yesterday evening. Ragasa was forecast to move to Taiwan’s southern offshore areas last night and to its southwestern offshore areas early today, she added. As of 8pm last night,
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