Vice president's Indonesia jaunt still drawing flack

Former diplomats from the KMT era yesterday criticized Vice President Annette Lu's (呂秀蓮) trip to Indonesia as ill-conceived and conducted in a way that defied all conventional diplomatic wisdom.

But a DPP lawmaker spoke out in defense of the vice president, urging all parties to rally behind the government for a united bid to break the diplomatic isolation imposed by Beijing.

KMT Legislator John Chang (章孝嚴), a former foreign minister, said officials as high-level as Lu must make judicious preparations before embarking on foreign trips.

"The fact that Lu was stranded in Jakarta's airport for two hours upon her arrival showed she did not draw up a meticulous plan before leaving," Chang said.

Indonesia denied Lu entry to Jakarta on Aug. 14, bowing to protests from China. Lu then caught a later flight to Bali, where the hotel in which she stayed said she had not made a reservation.

Lu then flew to Jakarta on Aug. 16, apparently thanks to some astute maneuvering by Indonesian officials and Taiwanese businesspeople in Indonesia.

Lu has touted her trip as a diplomatic battle without gunfire, saying she dealt Beijing an outright defeat.

"The humiliating treatment, the result of amateur actions and inexperience, has caused irreproachable damage to the country's dignity," Chang said.

He dismissed Lu's assertions as sophistry, saying the diplomatic realm is not marked by armed weapons in the first place.

Loh I-cheng (陸以正), a former ambassador to South Africa, said he doubted Lu's four-day trip would produce any concrete contribution to Taiwan's diplomatic efforts.

"Lu's trip only adds strain to cross-strait relations," he said, predicting that Beijing would soon retaliate against Taipei.

Loh urged the DPP administration to learn the wisdom of keeping a low profile, saying, "the wise would keep quiet when planning their moves."