Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06AITTAIPEI4027
2006-12-01 08:04:00
UNCLASSIFIED
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION: CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS

Tags:  OPRC KMDR KPAO TW 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0011
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #4027 3350804
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010804Z DEC 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3292
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6032
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7257
UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 004027

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: CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS


Summary: Taiwan's major dailies November 30 focused on Minister of
Justice Shih Mau-lin's opinion at an internal meeting of the
Executive Yuan that special allowances for high-ranking officials
are supplemental compensation, and officials therefore do not need
to return the balance. On the inside pages, the focus was on
reactions to Minister Shih's opinion, with Hsu Jan-yau, Minister of
the Directorate-General for Budget, Accounting and Statistics of the
Executive Yuan, saying that the practice of part of the Presidential
Office Allowance for State Affairs is the same as special allowances
for other high-ranking officials. Even though there are opinions
favorable to President Chen Shui-bian, a news analysis in the "China
Times" said that President Chen and the First Lady are not going to
walk away from their alleged involvement in the scandal of the
Presidential Office Allowance for State Affairs, since bogus
receipts had been used to claim reimbursement, and the First Lady
has obvious intentions to engage in corruption.

In terms of editorials and commentaries, the pro-independence
"Liberty Times", Taiwan's largest circulation daily, noted in its
editorial that pan-Blue legislators have continued blocking bills
vital to the island; nominations for Control Yuan members and
prosecutor-general; and the U.S. arms deal, yet they have included
bills on the Legislative Yuan's agenda regarding cross-Strait direct
links that allegedly would jeopardize the island. End summary.

A) "[Are Pan-Blue Legislators] Taiwan's Congressmen or China's
Agents"

The pro-independence, Taiwan's largest circulation daily "Liberty
Times" [circulation: 600,000] editorialized (11/30):

"... on Tuesday [November 28], KMT and PFP legislators again blocked
nominations for Control Yuan members and the prosecutor-general, and
for the 66th time blocked the passage of the U.S. arms procurement
bill in the Procedural Committee; however, they included
controversial bills concerning direct transportation from the Sung
Shan Airport [in Taipei] to Hong Kong and Macao, and the clause of
'direct transportation' under the Statute Governing Cross-Strait
Relations in Friday's plenary session. ...

"... [So] on the one hand, pan-Blue legislators have blocked the
nominations for Control Yuan members and prosecutor-general, and on
the other hand, they are bound and determined to include bills
related to the 'three links' on the agenda. This leads one to
question strongly whether these legislators are Taiwan's congressmen
or China's agents on the island. ..."

YOUNG