MEDIA REACTION: HUMAN RIGHTS IN TAIWAN, CHINESE MILITARY

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001667 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - NIDA EMMONS DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: HUMAN RIGHTS IN TAIWAN, CHINESE MILITARY MODERNIZATION ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news coverage November 27-28 on the economic difficulties that Taiwan need to deal with now; on the former first family's corruption scandals; on the political confrontation in Thailand; and on the Mumbai attacks. ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" lambasted the Ma Ying-jeou Administration's recent handling of various judicial cases and the administration's "cold response" to domestic calls to amend the Parade and Assembly Law. The editorial was worried that the administration is implementing the KMT's old practice of authoritarian rule. The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" had editorials two days in a row expressing concern about the alleged deterioration of human rights in Taiwan after the Ma Administration took office in May. With respect to China's military development, an op-ed in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" urged the United States and Taiwan not to underestimate China's real intentions behind its plans for aircraft carriers. The op-ed also urged the United States to review the decision to hold up the sale of eight submarines to Taiwan. End summary. ¶3. Human Rights in Taiwan A) "The Ma Administration Must Not Turn Around and Walk on the Road of Authoritarian Rule" The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 720,000] editorialized (11/27): "The aspects for which the Ma [Ying-jeou] Administration was denounced the most after it came into power for half a year were on that it leaned toward China and that it took advantage of the judiciary and police violence to conduct political harassment and murder and persecute human rights [in Taiwan]. ... "Overall, after coming into office, the Ma Administration draped itself in the cloak of the rule of law and used national security as an excuse openly to manipulate the judiciary and police to purge political enemies and persecute human rights [in Taiwan]. Every unimaginable phenomenon we have seen demonstrates that Taiwan's democratic politics are in danger of collapsing. The shadow of the white terror now hovers again over Taiwan people's heads. Now, only by the general public holding the banner of human rights and freedom 
to resist the Ma Administration from imposing the institutional violence on the people, [including] on the one hand taking to the streets to resist and on the other hand complaining to the international community can Taiwan's democracy be protected and prevent us and our offspring from falling under the iron heels of tyranny." B) "KMT Rights Rollback Cannot be Whitewashed" The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 20,000] editorialized (11/28): "A flood of international criticism by global human rights organizations, democratic governments and prominent legal scholars and academics in the China and Taiwan fields has evidently touched a sore nerve in the restored Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) government of President Ma Ying-jeou. ... "The KMT government's aim to pull wool over the eyes of foreign and domestic audiences was also exposed in claims that 'the U.S. government has expressed its full confidence' in Taiwan's judicial system. "Actually, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack on Nov. 18 stated that the legal process involving former president Chen 'is a matter for Taiwan's legal system to resolve. We are confident in Taiwan's democracy and its legal system, and we have every expectation that the process will be transparent, fair, and impartial.' "The most important word used by the U.S. State Department spokesman is 'expectation,' a term is by no means an endorsement but a diplomatic signal not to stray one inch from the standards of being 'transparent, fair and impartial.' "In sum, President Ma, [Justice Minister] Wang [Ching-feng] and other KMT government leaders may not appreciate that the world community has higher 'expectations' for the Taiwan government precisely because it is supposed to be a democracy and may not welcome any moves by the KMT government that threaten to extinguish the lamp in Taiwan's democratic lighthouse and retard hopes to promote democracy and human rights in China and the rest of Asia." C) "Taiwan Must Not Copy PRC in Human Rights" The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 20,000] editorialized (11/27): "... Ironically, while the UNCAT [Ed. Note: the UN Covenant Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment] report condemned the PRC for keeping suspects under custody 'for 37 days or longer periods,' Taiwan prosecutors have in recent months similarly detained present and former DPP government officials as 'suspects' incommunicado for up to two months without filing indictments. "These actions have sparked students, legal scholars as well as human rights, civic reform and social movement organizations and opposition parties to launch a campaign to resist the KMT's apparent attempt to rollback Taiwan's human rights standards to PRC levels. "International scholars and prominent human rights organizations such as Freedom House and the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) also have issued open letters expressing deep concern over these trends in a positive sign that Taiwan's democracy and its achievements in human rights is valued by the world community. ... "For the sake of Taiwan's own sovereignty and human rights as well as for the welfare of the 1.3 billion Chinese people and our world's future, we urge the people of Taiwan to more actively assist the development of human rights and democracy in China and stand up and speak out to ensure that we retain our hard-won democracy and deepen our protection for human rights instead of allowing a rollback to PRC standards." ¶4. Chinese Military Modernization "China's Carrier Plans Worry Region" Yu Tsung-chi, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in the United States, opined in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (11/28): "In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Chinese Major General Qian Lihua, director of the Defense Ministry's Foreign Affairs Office, said China has every right to build aircraft carriers, without confirming whether it had decided to do so. This enigmatic remark stirred fresh speculation about China's intentions in developing or acquiring the carriers in light of its economic rise. ... "Although submarines are believed is the best deterrent to aircraft carriers, Taiwan only has four submarines - two World War II-era subs from the Soviet Union and two Dutch subs imported in the 1980s. These outdated subs are obviously ill-suited to deter China's new carrier equipped with the state-of-the-art weapon systems supported by Russia. "To remedy the cross-strait status quo tilting in China's favor, the US must review the hold-up on its offer to sell Taiwan eight submarines. After all, any policy disregarding the Taiwan Relations Act would endanger the equilibrium in the Taiwan Strait and increase the likelihood of war that would involve the US. ... "The US, India and Japan would also be anxious about the prospects of carriers, about how they will be used in the Chinese fleet and what impact they will have on China's foreign policy. ... "This is clearly at odds with China's claim of peaceful rise or peaceful development. In fact, improving Sino-American strategic relations are conditioned upon China not challenging US global leadership, a position that Chinese leaders have repeatedly stressed. China's rigorous military reach-out, however, is now being interpreted otherwise. The more China's flexes its military muscle the more defiant it may become. ..." YOUNG