In a front-page article on Saturday, the French newspaper Le Monde lashed out at the French government for refusing to issue a visa to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) for fear of angering China.
The visa would have allowed President Chen to receive an international award in November at a European Parliament meeting in Strasbourg.
In February, Chen was awarded the 2001 Prize for Freedom by Liberal International, a London-based association of major liberal political parties from more than 60 countries.
The association initially planned to present the award to Chen in person in Copenhagen, but had to look for alternative venues after the Danish government, buckling under pressure from Beijing, refused to issue a visa to Chen.
The French foreign ministry has agreed in principle to allow first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) receive the award on her husband's behalf -- on condition that Wu will not pass through Paris, that she leave France from the Charles de Gaulle international airport immediately after accepting the award and that she must keep a low profile -- in other words not speak to reporters -- according to the Le Monde report.
In the past, the French government set aside political issues and allowed passage for the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the report said.
In an interview with the Taipei Times in August, Liberal International Vice President Hans van Baalen said that he found the travel restrictions on Taiwanese leaders unacceptable.
"Today they are a democratically elected president and vice president, and they are in prison again. They are now imprisoned in their own country," said van Baalen.
Previous recipients of the Prize for Freedom award include Czech President Vaclav Havel, Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Hong Kong Democratic Party leader Martin Lee (李柱銘).
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
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‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
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