MEDIA REACTION: CAMPAIGN TO OUST PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI-BIAN

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 003274 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - DAVID FIRESTEIN DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CAMPAIGN TO OUST PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI-BIAN ¶1. Summary: Taiwan major Chinese-language dailies continued to focus their coverage September 21 on former DPP Chairman Shih Ming-teh's campaign to oust President Chen Shui-bian; on the violent clashes that erupted between the pro-Chen and anti-Chen protesters in southern Taiwan Wednesday; and on an attempted military coup in Thailand. Most papers also started to discuss possible resolutions that may help to bring an end to the current political stand-off in Taiwan. The pro-unification "United Daily News," on the other hand, ran an exclusive news story on page four with the headline "Amid the Voices Calling to Oust Bian, DPP Drafts Constitutional Reform Proposal on Taiwan Independence." ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's largest circulating daily, called for an end to the mass movements, as they are now getting out of control. A "United Daily News" editorial, on the other hand, lashed out at the DPP and President Chen for having taught and cultivated a group of mobs and turned Taiwan into an "inhuman" society. End summary. A) "Masses Are Losing Control; Why Not Stop [the Movements] at the Right Moment?" The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000] editorialized (9/21): "... What is more worrisome is that demonstrations in a democratic country are by no means a zero-sum game or a battle to the bitter end. That is why mass movements need to have an exit plan, by which the differences between both sides can be resolved through negotiations, and thus achieve a win-win result. But the leader of the 'Oust Bian' movement, in an attempt to underscore his heroically tragic moral character and to create his personal heroic image, has announced repeatedly that unless President Chen steps down, his demonstrations will have no exit plan. Frankly speaking, Taiwan is a diversified democratic society, and each political idea only represents the views of a certain group of people, not all the Taiwan people. Politicians therefore must not impose their personal political stances on all the people using the excuse that they represent public opinion. The true course of public opinion will not be clearly manifested except via regular elections and the number of votes. ..." B) "Who is Pushing Taiwan toward an 'Inhuman' Society?" The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] editorialized (9/21): "There is one more reason why Chen Shui-bian should step down: He is a president supported by mobs. The DPP government should resign, too, because it has cultivated those mobs over a long period of time. ... One cannot just look at the surface of these riotous scenes. The really horrible story behind it is, what political teaching materials and political identity has the DPP been using over a long period of time to teach its supporters? To put it another way, what are the political values and political identity of those people who constitute the stalwart supports of the DPP? These people were chanting 'the Chinese people are trampling on the Taiwanese people' onstage, while their audience below the stage was, without a doubt, waving slogans saying 'Kill those pigs to protect Taiwan.' ... "In order to survive, the DPP has fully demonstrated to society how much support it can get from its followers. ... But if judged from another perspective, Chen should step down, because he is a president supported by mobs. The DPP should step down, too, because it has polluted the souls of the Taiwan people, teaching and turning innocent people into mobs and transforming Taiwan into an 'inhuman society' which 'does not regard human beings as human beings.' ..." YOUNG