"But an anonymous threat of violence could be a trick played by a third party in order to create misunderstandings."
Chang pointed out that faced with the danger of hate crimes becoming more pervasive, "the government should not hesitate to punish this sort of crime by using the authorities, the press and public opinion from the beginning."
But currently President Chen has another hot potato to deal with -- the collapse of "internal security."
"Since Chen's administration took office last year, there has been a fierce internal power struggle in the National Security Bureau. The director-general did not see eye-to-eye with his deputy, and a senior official defected to China," Chang said.
"The [Ministry of Justice] Investigation Bureau has also ignored Chen's orders."
Chang stressed that the disorder of the intelligence system, which deals with the country's internal security, has created an opportune moment for conspirators to act.
This is because the government cannot prevent them, through the intelligence system, from manipulating ethnic sentiment and plotting hate crimes.
"The scene of thousands of enthusiastic pro-Taiwan supporters greeting Lee Teng-hui at the CKS airport on his return from a trip to the US early this month sent another equally disturbing signal. It showed that this group of people are also seeking an outlet for their dissatisfaction," Chang noted.
"Apparently both mainlanders and local Taiwanese are keen to find opportunities to challenge each other and the confrontations are on the verge of getting out of hand. The elections will set the stage for people to voice their displeasure, and given the tense opposition among the political parties, it seems that clashes will be inevitable."
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