MEDIA REACTION: TAIWAN'S UN REFERENDUM

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000182 SIPDIS 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: TAIWAN'S UN REFERENDUM Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies continued to focus news coverage February 5 on the March presidential election and the UN referenda, on the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays, and on the epilogue for the family members of fugitive tycoon Wang You-theng, who remain in custody. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" discussed the UN referenda to be held in tandem with the presidential election in March. The article said the UN referenda have created a predicament for both the Blue and Green camps. End summary. [Ed. Note: AIT will close for Chinese New Year until February 12, ¶2008. This will be the last Media Reaction until then. We wish everyone a happy and prosperous Year of the Rodent!] "The Referenda May Not Be Able to Be Bundled with the Presidential Election, But They Sure Can Tie up Frank Hsieh!" The centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] editorialized (2/5): "... In other words, the 'referenda bundled with the presidential election' in March this year have created a certain kind of 'predicament' for both the Blue and Green camps. The situation is especially so for the Green camp. On Frank Hsieh's part, because the 'UN referendum' involves the fundamental beliefs of the DPP, which is the key point that differentiates the party from the Blue camp, it left Hsieh no room to dodge or maneuver. The question thus lies in whether Hsieh wants to treat the UN referendum as the principal idea of his campaign for the presidency. The dilemma that Hsieh now faces is that, if he pushes strongly for the UN referendum, it will surely trigger intense reactions from Washington and Beijing. The high-ranking U.S. officials' criticism of the UN referendum was originally aimed at Chen Shui-bian, and it is certainly not an outcome that Hsieh will be happy to see if Washington turns and aims the rifle barrel at Hsieh. In the same light, manipulating the UN referendum will also escalate [tension] across the Taiwan Strait. Compared with the various campaign policies Hsieh has proposed in an effort to ease restrictions on Taiwan's investments on the mainland, that would be akin to Hsieh's slapping himself in the face. "The second reason that Hsieh may not be willing to disclose was that, once he regards the 'UN referendum' as a major idea for his campaign for the presidency, it will be, without a doubt, paramount to his declaration that he will follow the line picked by Bian [i.e. President Chen]. Or even, it will indicate that he has again put Bian back into the fulcrum of the campaign, and surely he and Bian will be linked together. ..." YOUNG