VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0148 0190842
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190842Z JAN 07
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3801
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6248
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7477

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000148 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - LLOYD NEIGHBORS 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS 
 
 
Summary:  As the debt-ridden Rebar Asia Pacific Group continued to 
stay in the Taiwan media's spotlight, news coverage on January 19 
also focused on the Legislative Yuan's approval of President Chen 
Shui-bian's nomination of Chen Tsung-ming as the new State Public 
Prosecutor-General Thursday, and on the trial hearing of the 
Presidential Office Allowance for State Affairs case today.  Major 
Chinese-language dailies editorialized either on the confirmation of 
Taiwan's top prosecutor or the Rebar Asia Pacific Group case. 
Editorials of two English-language papers, however, discussed the 
Executive Yuan's recent move to designate the Sakizaya tribe as 
Taiwan's 13th indigenous aboriginal tribe.  An editorial in the 
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan 
News" said Beijing should learn from the Sakizaya case and respect 
the Taiwan people's pursuit of self-determination.  The editorial in 
the limited-circulation, conservative, pro-unification, 
English-language "China Post," however, argued that Premier Su 
Tseng-chang should not link the controversial policy of "name 
 
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rectification" to the noble efforts by aborigines to preserve their 
status and culture.  End summary. 
 
A) "What Taiwan's Amis Can Teach China" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 
20,000] editorialized (1/19): 
 
"The decision by the Democratic Progressive Party Cabinet Wednesday 
to ratify the designation of the Sakizaya tribe as Taiwan's 13th 
distinct indigenous people is an event that affects far more than 
the estimated 10,000 persons, mostly in eastern Hualien County, that 
make up our newest internal nation. ...  [A]s observed by Premier Su 
Tseng-chang, the Sakizaya identity movement has succeeded 'a step 
 
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ahead' of Taiwan and should provide inspiration that 'Taiwan's 
effort to rectify its own name needs to continue.'  Certainly, if 
the Sakizaya people can recover their own identity, there is 
certainly no reason for 23 million people of Taiwan to cease 
promoting our own identity movement out of a sense of defeatism. 
... 
 
"Although the PRC has never ruled Taiwan for even one day and Taiwan 
is certainly not integrated into the PRC's community as the Sakizaya 
were with the Amis people, Beijing's leadership has not only failed 
to offer any genuine goodwill or generosity, but has proclaimed to 
the world its insistence that it has the right to use force to 
compel Taiwan to 'unify' with the PRC regardless of the fact that 
Taiwan is already a self-governing independent state and regardless 
of whether the people of Taiwan have the desire to unify with 
China's 1.3 billion people under the PRC authoritarian state. ... 
We hope that the Beijing leadership will eventually learn similar 
wisdom and apply it in their relations with Taiwan and their own 
people so that generosity, respect for pluralism and even mutual 
solidarity can prevent tragedy." 
 
B) "More Name Games" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" 
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (1/19): 
 
"... During his remarks, Premier Su said that just like the 
10,000-or-so Sakizaya, who have sought for years to be recognized as 
their own distinct tribe, Taiwan would also continue working to 
'rectify' its name and status.  This marked the first time that 
Premier Su has publicly embraced the controversial policy of 
'rectification' which requires the government to replace references 
to China and things Chinese in the names of government 
organizations, state companies and projects whenever the opportunity 
arises. ... 
 
"However, we object to Premier Su's linking the controversial policy 
of 'name rectification' to the noble efforts by aboriginals to 
preserve their status and culture.  We do not see how changing the 
names of organizations ranging from Chinese Petroleum to the post 
office and China Airlines is going to make things better for people 
in Taiwan.  We think politicians of all stripes should be doing more 
to provide substantial assistance to aborigines, such as giving more 
budget money to promote aboriginal culture, housing and education, 
rather than making them props in the ongoing debate among groups of 
Han Chinese." 
 
YOUNG