VZCZCXYZ0013
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #3274 2642159
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 212159Z SEP 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2253
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5684
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 6903

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 003274 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - DAVID FIRESTEIN 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CAMPAIGN TO OUST PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI-BIAN 
 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan major Chinese-language dailies continued to 
focus their coverage September 21 on former DPP Chairman Shih 
Ming-teh's campaign to oust President Chen Shui-bian; on the violent 
clashes that erupted between the pro-Chen and anti-Chen protesters 
in southern Taiwan Wednesday; and on an attempted military coup in 
Thailand.  Most papers also started to discuss possible resolutions 
that may help to bring an end to the current political stand-off in 
Taiwan.  The pro-unification "United Daily News," on the other hand, 
ran an exclusive news story on page four with the headline "Amid the 
Voices Calling to Oust Bian, DPP Drafts Constitutional Reform 
Proposal on Taiwan Independence." 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the 
pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's largest circulating 
daily, called for an end to the mass movements, as they are now 
getting out of control.  A "United Daily News" editorial, on the 
other hand, lashed out at the DPP and President Chen for having 
taught and cultivated a group of mobs and turned Taiwan into an 
"inhuman" society.  End summary. 
 
A) "Masses Are Losing Control; Why Not Stop [the Movements] at the 
Right Moment?" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000] 
editorialized (9/21): 
 
"... What is more worrisome is that demonstrations in a democratic 
country are by no means a zero-sum game or a battle to the bitter 
end.  That is why mass movements need to have an exit plan, by which 
the differences between both sides can be resolved through 
negotiations, and thus achieve a win-win result.  But the leader of 
the 'Oust Bian' movement, in an attempt to underscore his heroically 
tragic moral character and to create his personal heroic image, has 
announced repeatedly that unless President Chen steps down, his 
demonstrations will have no exit plan.  Frankly speaking, Taiwan is 
a diversified democratic society, and each political idea only 
represents the views of a certain group of people, not all the 
Taiwan people.  Politicians therefore must not impose their personal 
political stances on all the people using the excuse that they 
represent public opinion.  The true course of public opinion will 
not be clearly manifested except via regular elections and the 
number of votes. ..." 
 
B) "Who is Pushing Taiwan toward an 'Inhuman' Society?" 
 
The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] 
editorialized (9/21): 
 
"There is one more reason why Chen Shui-bian should step down:  He 
is a president supported by mobs.  The DPP government should resign, 
too, because it has cultivated those mobs over a long period of 
time. ... One cannot just look at the surface of these riotous 
scenes.  The really horrible story behind it is, what political 
teaching materials and political identity has the DPP been using 
over a long period of time to teach its supporters?  To put it 
another way, what are the political values and political identity of 
those people who constitute the stalwart supports of the DPP?  These 
people were chanting 'the Chinese people are trampling on the 
Taiwanese people' onstage, while their audience below the stage was, 
without a doubt, waving slogans saying 'Kill those pigs to protect 
Taiwan.' ... 
 
"In order to survive, the DPP has fully demonstrated to society how 
much support it can get from its followers. ... But if judged from 
another perspective, Chen should step down, because he is a 
president supported by mobs.  The DPP should step down, too, because 
it has polluted the souls of the Taiwan people, teaching and turning 
innocent people into mobs and transforming Taiwan into an 'inhuman 
society' which 'does not regard human beings as human beings.' ..." 
 
 
YOUNG