VZCZCXYZ0007
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #2424/01 1990822
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 180822Z JUL 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1143
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5423
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 6627

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 002424 
 
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: KMT CHAIRMAN MA YING-JEOU'S TRIP TO JAPAN, 
AFTERMATH OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RECALL ATTEMPT, NORTH KOREA 
 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their 
coverage July 18 on President Chen Shui-bian's meeting with 
high-ranking DPP officials Monday regarding whether he should step 
down, and the cancellation of his planned meeting that evening with 
legislators; the Taiwan High Court's request that the Taipei 
District Court review whether to withdraw President Chen's 
son-in-law's bail; new developments in the Donald Keyser espionage 
case; and the plan of several well-known Taiwan doctors to practice 
medicine in a hospital set up by a Taiwan business group in China. 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's biggest daily, ran a 
banner headline on page two that read "Bian Meets with DPP 
Heavyweights, Who Urge Him Neither to Resign Nor to Withdraw from 
Party."  The pro-status quo "China Times," on the other hand, 
carried the results of its latest survey on page two, which showed 
that 44 percent of those polled supported a recent declaration by 
some pro-Green scholars calling for President Chen's resignation; 47 
percent said they believe such a move would have a positive impact 
on Taiwan's democratic development.  The same poll also found that 
67 percent of respondents said they are displeased with the DPP's 
recent performance, while 48 percent believe that to save the DPP's 
image, the party should either expel Chen or he should withdraw from 
the party. 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a "Liberty Times" 
editorial criticized KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's pro-China nature. 
A "China Times" analysis discussed President Chen's crisis 
management and said the Presidential Office and Chen are both on the 
brink of losing control.  An editorial in the limited-circulation, 
pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times," however, said 
Chen's resignation would not solve anything and it would not be 
helpful to pro-localization forces in the long term.  With regard to 
the North Korea issue, an editorial in the limited-circulation, 
pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" said Taiwan should 
focus on expressing its concern for regional peace and opposition to 
any military action, including Pyongyang's provocative missile tests 
or any "pre-emptive" military action by the U.S. or Japan.  End 
summary. 
 
¶3. KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's Trip to Japan 
 
"Ma Ying-jeou's Japan Tour Thoroughly Exposes His Pro-China Nature" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000] 
editorialized (7/18): 
 
"Ma Ying-jeou departed hurriedly for a trip to Japan before Typhoon 
Bilis hit Taiwan last week.  He traveled in the name of observing 
Japan's municipal administration, but in reality it was a trip of 
political party diplomacy.  The real purpose of Ma's trip was to 
remove Japan's doubts about his pro-China, anti-Japan mentality. 
But Ma's behavior and remarks in Japan not only failed to clear up 
his pro-China, anti-Japan image but also helped to expose his 
pro-China and anti-Japan nature. ... 
 
"During his trip to the United States in March, Ma called on China 
to regard Taiwan independence as its major enemy and the ROC as its 
secondary enemy.  Since Ma is interested in running for president, 
he should at least acknowledge that Taiwan is a sovereign state. 
But on the contrary, Ma regards Taiwan the sovereign state as his 
enemy, and he even desired to join China to destroy Taiwan's 
sovereignty.  This is the true essence of Ma's thinking, and while 
in Japan, he claimed that he just 'followed Japan's suit' to 
acknowledge China.  In our views, after Ma's Japan trip, perhaps 
more Japanese people would like to ask him:  'Your position is 
basically the same as Beijing's.  Don't you feel uncomfortable about 
it?'" 
 
¶4. Aftermath of the Presidential Recall Attempt 
 
A) "Bian's Crisis Management on Brink of Losing Control" 
 
Journalist Wu Tien-jung commented in the pro-status quo "China 
Times" [circulation: 400,000] (7/18): 
 
"Despite President Chen's efforts to maintain the image that he is 
still in control, his rash decision to call a meeting yesterday 
evening but cancel it soon afterwards indicated that both the 
Presidential Office and Chen himself are on the brink of losing 
control.  Let's just put the cases related to Wu Shu-chen aside; 
even on the political level, Chen's remarks and behavior appeared to 
be in a straitened circumstance.  For example, when he met with 
pro-independence heavyweights Sunday, he passively expressed that he 
is willing to push for rectification of Taiwan's name and writing 
Taiwan a new constitution.  Yet just a month ago when receiving AIT 
Chairman Raymond Burghardt, Chen reiterated his Four Nos pledge. 
Burghardt also responded in public that he was glad Chen would no 
longer push for constitutional reforms that are related to Taiwan 
sovereignty.  How is Bian going to resolve such inconsistency? 
 
 
"The answer is:  He can't.  In terms of Taiwan-U.S. relations, for 
the past two years, in order not to harm Taiwan, Washington has 
adopted a way of 'publicly criticizing Bian' to deal with Bian's 
repeated failures to keep his commitments.  In addition to President 
Bush's public criticism, the Bian administration must still remember 
the State Department's ruthless remarks early this year. ... 
 
"What's worse than the U.S. criticism is that if Bian really starts 
to push for writing Taiwan a new constitution and rectifying 
Taiwan's name, Washington's reason for opposing President Annette Lu 
to replace Chen will disappear completely.  This is because Bian's 
unpredictability is higher than that of Lu and he has stronger 
motives (i.e., to secure his presidency) than Lu has to push for 
extreme independence. ..." 
 
B) "DPP Must Swallow Its Pride" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 
30,000] editorialized (7/18): 
 
"... But even then, would the president stepping down solve 
anything, and would it be helpful to pro-localization forces in the 
long term?  The answer is a resound 'No.'  It would be an 
unmitigated disaster for the pro-localization movement and would 
leave a stain on the pan-green camp's reputation that would be hard 
to erase. ... 
 
"Some DPP members think the president has become a liability for the 
party.  They believe it will be difficult for candidates to convince 
the electorate that what the president's close aides and family have 
allegedly been up to has no bearing on their ability to be a good 
councilor or mayor.  In a highly partisan political climate this may 
be true, but what the pan-green camp needs now more than ever is a 
show of unity.  The president may have been nave or even downright 
foolish, but public requests from people within his own party for 
him to step down will only prolong the agony for the DPP and present 
the public with the image of a party in disarray. ..." 
 
¶5. North Korea 
 
"Taiwan Should Focus on Peace in Korea" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 
20,000] noted in an editorial (7/18): 
 
"... North Korea's missile tests have delivered a stunning blow to 
the 'sunlight policy' adopted by former South Korean president Kim 
Dae-jung and continued under current head-of-state Roh Moo-hyun and 
also aroused greater nationalistic tensions between South Korea and 
Japan and even with the U.S. that are rooted in the complex history 
of the region during the past century. ...  However, the close 
relations between Beijing and Kim Jung-il's regime in Pyongyang as 
well as between Beijing and Seoul provide the PRC with the space and 
influence to play an important 'buffer' role, even if international 
media reports indicate that Beijing seems to be losing its capacity 
or willingness to rein in its North Korea allies.  ... 
 
"Moreover, despite its vow to 'build a human rights state,' Taiwan's 
DPP government has shamefully refrained from criticizing Washington 
for its blatant use of 'state terror' in violating the Geneva 
conventions during the course of the 'war on terror' and the wars in 
 
Afghanistan and Iraq, including the illegal indefinite detention of 
prisoners in What Amnesty International has called a 'gulag' in the 
U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.  In return, Taiwan almost 
earned a place on the list of likely targets for extremist Islamic 
terrorists and has had its commitment to peace and human rights 
questioned in the world progressive community, but did not gain any 
noticeable warming in its ties with Washington in return for this 
abandonment of principle. 
 
"We therefore believe that Taiwan should focus on expressing our 
concern for regional security and peace and opposition to any 
military action, including Pyongyang's provocative missile tests or 
any 'pre-emptive' military action by the U.S. or Japan, and the 
threat posed to the security of Taiwan and Japan itself by the PRC's 
provocative deployment of hundreds of tactical missiles.  We can 
also continue to express our concern and willingness to offer 
humanitarian assistance and economic relief to the people of North 
Korea as part of peace efforts that focus on the fundamentals of 
alleviating poverty." 
 
YOUNG