VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #2079/01 1670830
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160830Z JUN 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0730
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5323
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 6534

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 002079 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - ERIC BARBORIAK 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION:  RECALL OF PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI-BIAN 
 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their 
coverage June 16 on further investigations into President Chen 
Shui-bian's son-in-law's role in an insider trading scandal and the 
roles of First Lady Wu Shu-chen and President Chen Shui-bian's close 
aides in the Sogo Department Store ownership case; former Premier 
Frank Hsieh's announcement he will run for Taipei mayor as the DPP 
candidate; and the FIFA World Cup.  The mass-circulation "Apple 
Daily" ran a colored banner headline on page four that said "Bian 
Strongly Asserts That Recall Motion and No-Confidence Vote Are Meant 
to Usurp Power."  The sub-headline added "Tainan County May Very 
Likely Be First Stop [for Chen] to 'Make a Report to the Taiwan 
People.'"  Several papers also carried on inside pages the State 
Department's remarks Thursday welcoming the announcement of 
cross-Strait charter flights. 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an analysis in the 
mass-circulation "Apple Daily" said the Bush administration's 
backing for President Chen may meet Washington's short-term national 
interests, but the United States will be a loser when it comes to 
major values of honesty and democracy.  An editorial in the 
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan 
News" supported Chen's decision not to submit a written defense to 
the recall motion to the Legislative Yuan and urged Chen to report 
to the Taiwan people with humility and honesty.  An analysis in the 
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei 
Times" criticized KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou for trying to recall 
Chen for no reason.  End summary. 
 
A) "United States Fully Supports A-bian Out of Comradeship" 
 
Professor Edward Chen of Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of 
American Studies opined in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" 
[circulation: 500,000] editorialized (6/16): 
 
"On June 13, 2006, Taiwan's opposition parties successfully had the 
recall motion aimed at the month-long heatedly discussed 'Bian-gate' 
case adopted in the Legislative Yuan.  Following its review, the 
Legislative Yuan is scheduled to vote on the motion June 27.  The 
United States is undoubtedly a key factor during this process. 
 
"This writer believes that the United States deserves some credit 
for helping to strengthen the legitimacy of the exposure of corrupt 
practices in Taiwan. ...  In addition, before the recall motion was 
adopted in the Legislative Yuan, new AIT Chairman Raymond Burghardt 
visited Taiwan, but he did not say anything harsh with regard to all 
the corrupt practices and misconduct happening in Taiwan. 
Burghardt's move is akin to helping Chen under the table to 
stabilize his stand and is thus viewed as a 'demerit' for the United 
States when it comes to the normal development of Taiwan's 
democracy.  On the surface, Chen's faithful assurance to adhere to 
his 'Four Nos' pledge and not to go beyond the Constitution when he 
pushes for constitutional reforms, in exchange for no harsh comments 
from Burghart, seemed like a fair deal.  But given Chen's current 
situation, he has lost the legitimacy to launch any constitutional 
reform moves. 
 
"On the surface, it seems that Washington's assistance in 
stabilizing the morale in Chen's camp is in the U.S.'s interest. 
For one, Chen, who is stuck in the 'Bian-gate' case, has never been 
so vulnerable since he came to power, so now is the best moment for 
the United States to put him under control.  Second, at this 
sensitive moment, when Chen is facing hostility from all sides, it 
will be most easy for Washington to make requests.  Following the 
normalization of [cross-Strait] charter flights, Washington's next 
request should be direct transportation across the Taiwan Strait. 
Third, the United States is worried that once Chen is recalled, Lu 
will succeed him.  [If that be the case,] not only will there be a 
new and dynamic atmosphere but unpredictability will also increase, 
and as a result, [the island] will be more difficult to control. 
 
"If this is really what the Bush administration has in mind, its 
actions might meet Washington's short-term national interests.  The 
United States, however, will be a loser when it comes to the values 
that it has honored since the founding of its nation:  honesty, 
democracy, and [the tenet that] politicians should not take any 
bribes. ... 
 
"For a long time, the United States has attached great importance to 
Taiwan's democracy.  While facing difficulties for the time being 
with regard to its efforts in pushing for a democratic roadmap in 
the Middle East, Washington can shift its attention to Taiwan, whose 
young democracy still relies on the United States.  As a 
full-fledged democratic country, the United States should not just 
say empty words like 'there are often sensitive moments in a 
democratic age,' but should directly tell the Taiwan people that one 
can make mistakes during the process of democratization, but he can 
never act shamelessly." 
 
B) "Chen Should Report to People with Humility, Honesty" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 
20,000] editorialized (6/16): 
 
"We strongly support the decision by President Chen Shui-bian and 
the Democratic Progressive Party to report directly to Taiwan's 23 
million people on the record of the six years of DPP governance 
instead of submitting a formal reply to the recall motion filed 
Tuesday by the Legislative Yuan. ...  We therefore approve of the 
DPP's call for the president to issue a report to the people that 
rebuts the recall motion and explains the DPP's administrative 
concepts, the difficulties it has experienced in the past six years, 
its administrative achievements and the directions and visions that 
will guide Taiwan's future development if DPP administration 
continues. ..." 
 
C) "Ma's Brazen Attack on Taiwan's Democracy" 
 
Cao Changqing, a Chinese-born dissident writer based in the U.S., 
opined in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" 
[circulation: 30,000] (6/16): 
 
"... When Ma gave his reasons for supporting the recall motion, he 
inadvertently told us the truth.  He said that the motion to recall 
Chen was a 'political action' and that 'a violation of the law is 
not necessary' to support such a move.  In the midst of the barrage 
of pan-blue accusations against Chen, this was tantamount to telling 
the world that Chen had not violated the law and that he was not 
involved in the corruption scandals; that these accusations, in 
effect, were political fabrications without any foundation in fact. 
..." 
 
KEEGAN