Nov
22
Is Taiwan Going Backwards in Cross-Straight Relations?
Filed Under China, Personal Freedom, Taiwan | 5 Comments
There is trouble in Taiwan…and naturally, the regime in Beijing is part of the mix. Of course, Beijing is part of the mix in many troubled parts of the world, usually where thugs and chaos rule. But in this case it is Taiwan, a young representative democracy that so obviously functions as an independent state except for the significant fact that Communist China claims sovereignty over its territory and citizens.
On March 22, Taiwan held a presidential election. Ma Ying-Jeou of the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, or KMT) defeated the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate. It was Taiwan’s second peaceful transfer of party power through democratic elections, which can generally be viewed as an excellent sign of a healthy and maturing democracy. Unfortunately, a recent (and rare) visit to Taiwan by an official from the communist People’s Republic of China (PRC) has resulted in President Ma and the KMT run Taiwan government acting to appease Beijing at the expense of the democratic values of free and open expression, freedom of assembly and the rule of law.
This should be seen as a significant step backwards by the new Taiwanese government in cross-Straight relations, and a threat to Taiwan’s hard won democracy.
Earlier this month, China’s head Taiwan negotiator, Chen Yunlin of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) traveled to Taiwan…the highest ranking Communist Chinese official to visit Taiwan in over a half-century. The visit sparked large scale protests against Communist China by Taiwanese citizens. In response the Ma administration sent in security forces to suppress the protests and ensure that the Communist official didn’t have to experience any uncomfortable pro-independence moments.
According to the China Post:
The most senior Communist Chinese official to visit Taiwan bid farewell to the island Friday, saying his historic trip was a success but that the rivals had a long road to travel toward better relations.
The official, Chen Yunlin, signed a landmark trade deal during his five-day trip, but his mission also sparked daily street protests that were often violent.
Before he left for the airport, Chen thanked the thousands of police who were deployed in the capital, Taipei, to protect him. In a possible dig at the protesters, Chen assured the Taiwanese that if they visit China, they will see “harmony everywhere.”
So just what did those thousands of police have to do to earn the gratitude of the representative from Beijing? Here is a summary of a portion of the egregious behavior, from an e-mail from a member of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA).
I. Incident regarding the Suppression of Freedom of Speech During Chen’s visit to Taiwan, the Ma administration commanded over ten thousand police officers to keep protesters away from the places that Chen planned to visit. Protestors were making nonviolent demonstrations, demanding reparation from the Chinese government for the export of melamine-tainted dairy products to Taiwan and expressing opposition against China’s intention to take possession of Taiwan.
The police unconstitutionally prohibited protesters from accessing the restricted areas and destroyed protesters’ banners, signs, balloons, and any other materials bearing political statements. In addition, police officers stormed into a record store near Chen’s reception site and forced the owners to turn off a radio that was playing Taiwanese human right songs that might disgruntle Chen.
These actions manifest the Ma administration’s deplorable suppression of freedom of speech. Furthermore, the Ma Government violated people’s freedoms by drawing security lines to restrict the protesters from certain government-controlled areas, without providing sufficient explanation for the restrictions. In response to the protests, Ma simply explained to the Taiwanese media that “freedom of speech only exists outside of the security lines.”
II. Incident regarding the Violation of Due Process of Law During Chen’s visit in Taiwan, the Ma Government searched pedestrians and their vehicles on the streets without any warrants or reasonable suspicion. The purpose of the search was not to find weapons or drugs but to remove banners, signs, balloons, and other forms of political expression. Furthermore, the police also used brutal violence to expel the protesters. Such acts and conducts represent a serious violation of due process of law.
Other instances of blatant human rights violations included clearing out the international airport and the highway of cars, including those of the media; prohibiting people from waving national flags and from saying that “Taiwan is not a part of China;” taking away people who held DVs shooting near Yuan Shan area; and destroying balloons with “lack of conscience” written on them. The police have also removed banners in support of Tibet independence from motorcycles based on the unfounded premise that they violate the Assembly and Parade Law.
On November 7, FAPA released a statement from some nineteen Taiwanese-American organizations blasting the Ma administration’s tactics. The statement reads in part:
The undersigned are deeply saddened by, concerned with and outraged at the unjustified actions taken by the Ma Ying-jeou administration to suppress mass protests during the visit of China’s ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin to Taiwan.
We are saddened because the Ma administration, in order to embrace this Chinese Communist representative, has violated and stripped the human rights (particularly the right of freedom of speech) of those who wished to demonstrate their love for Taiwan through waving flags, playing Taiwanese songs and other peaceful ways and means.
We are concerned because the Ma administration, in order to protect this Chinese Communist representative, ordered 7,000 police and rendered Taiwan a “police state”, a phenomenon only seen in an authoritarian country.
We are outraged because democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law that were earned with blood and tears by our Taiwanese forebears have been trampled upon in recent days. Taiwan has seemed to revert to the days of Martial Law when there was no freedom of speech, no personal liberties, no freedom of association but only the confrontation between the police force and public.
The Ma administration knows that the majority of the Taiwanese people do not support a rapid pro-China policy. Yet his administration decided to go ahead with hosting the meeting between Chen and Taiwan’s SEF chief Chiang Pin-kung. This decision is to deliberately provoke the Taiwanese people, divide the Taiwanese society and attack Taiwan’s fragile and hard-fought democracy. We strongly condemn the KMT government’s China policies and protest the government for denying Taiwan’s sovereignty and ignoring Taiwan’s human rights, freedom and democracy.
Whole statement available here.
Stay tuned.
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