VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1667/01 3330807
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 280807Z NOV 08
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0472
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 8765
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0219

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001667 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - NIDA EMMONS 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: HUMAN RIGHTS IN TAIWAN, CHINESE MILITARY 
MODERNIZATION 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news 
coverage November 27-28 on the economic difficulties that Taiwan 
need to deal with now; on the former first family's corruption 
scandals; on the political confrontation in Thailand; and on the 
Mumbai attacks. 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the 
pro-independence "Liberty Times" lambasted the Ma Ying-jeou 
Administration's recent handling of various judicial cases and the 
administration's "cold response" to domestic calls to amend the 
Parade and Assembly Law.  The editorial was worried that the 
administration is implementing the KMT's old practice of 
authoritarian rule.  The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan 
News" had editorials two days in a row expressing concern about the 
alleged deterioration of human rights in Taiwan after the Ma 
Administration took office in May.  With respect to China's military 
development, an op-ed in the pro-independence, English-language 
"Taipei Times" urged the United States and Taiwan not to 
underestimate China's real intentions behind its plans for aircraft 
carriers.  The op-ed also urged the United States to review the 
decision to hold up the sale of eight submarines to Taiwan.  End 
summary. 
 
¶3. Human Rights in Taiwan 
 
A) "The Ma Administration Must Not Turn Around and Walk on the Road 
of Authoritarian Rule" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 720,000] 
editorialized (11/27): 
 
"The aspects for which the Ma [Ying-jeou] Administration was 
denounced the most after it came into power for half a year were on 
that it leaned toward China and that it took advantage of the 
judiciary and police violence to conduct political harassment and 
murder and persecute human rights [in Taiwan]. ... 
 
"Overall, after coming into office, the Ma Administration draped 
itself in the cloak of the rule of law and used national security as 
an excuse openly to manipulate the judiciary and police to purge 
political enemies and persecute human rights [in Taiwan].  Every 
unimaginable phenomenon we have seen demonstrates that Taiwan's 
democratic politics are in danger of collapsing.  The shadow of the 
white terror now hovers again over Taiwan people's heads.  Now, only 
by the general public holding the banner of human rights and freedom 
to resist the Ma Administration from imposing the institutional 
violence on the people, [including] on the one hand taking to the 
streets to resist and on the other hand complaining to the 
international community can Taiwan's democracy be protected and 
prevent us and our offspring from falling under the iron heels of 
tyranny." 
 
B) "KMT Rights Rollback Cannot be Whitewashed" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 
20,000] editorialized (11/28): 
 
"A flood of international criticism by global human rights 
organizations, democratic governments and prominent legal scholars 
and academics in the China and Taiwan fields has evidently touched a 
sore nerve in the restored Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) 
government of President Ma Ying-jeou. ... 
 
"The KMT government's aim to pull wool over the eyes of foreign and 
domestic audiences was also exposed in claims that 'the U.S. 
government has expressed its full confidence' in Taiwan's judicial 
system. 
 
"Actually, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack on Nov. 18 
stated that the legal process involving former president Chen 'is a 
matter for Taiwan's legal system to resolve. We are confident in 
Taiwan's democracy and its legal system, and we have every 
expectation that the process will be transparent, fair, and 
impartial.' 
 
"The most important word used by the U.S. State Department spokesman 
is 'expectation,' a term is by no means an endorsement but a 
diplomatic signal not to stray one inch from the standards of being 
'transparent, fair and impartial.' 
 
"In sum, President Ma, [Justice Minister] Wang [Ching-feng] and 
other KMT government leaders may not appreciate that the world 
community has higher 'expectations' for the Taiwan government 
precisely because it is supposed to be a democracy and may not 
welcome any moves by the KMT government that threaten to extinguish 
the lamp in Taiwan's democratic lighthouse and retard hopes to 
promote democracy and human rights in China and the rest of Asia." 
 
C) "Taiwan Must Not Copy PRC in Human Rights" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 
20,000] editorialized (11/27): 
 
"... Ironically, while the UNCAT [Ed. Note: the UN Covenant Against 
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or 
Punishment] report condemned the PRC for keeping suspects under 
custody 'for 37 days or longer periods,' Taiwan prosecutors have in 
recent months similarly detained present and former DPP government 
officials as 'suspects' incommunicado for up to two months without 
filing indictments. 
 
"These actions have sparked students, legal scholars as well as 
human rights, civic reform and social movement organizations and 
opposition parties to launch a campaign to resist the KMT's apparent 
attempt to rollback Taiwan's human rights standards to PRC levels. 
 
"International scholars and prominent human rights organizations 
such as Freedom House and the Paris-based International Federation 
for Human Rights (FIDH) also have issued open letters expressing 
deep concern over these trends in a positive sign that Taiwan's 
democracy and its achievements in human rights is valued by the 
world community. ... 
 
"For the sake of Taiwan's own sovereignty and human rights as well 
as for the welfare of the 1.3 billion Chinese people and our world's 
future, we urge the people of Taiwan to more actively assist the 
development of human rights and democracy in China and stand up and 
speak out to ensure that we retain our hard-won democracy and deepen 
our protection for human rights instead of allowing a rollback to 
PRC standards." 
 
¶4. Chinese Military Modernization 
 
"China's Carrier Plans Worry Region" 
 
Yu Tsung-chi, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in the United 
States, opined in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei 
Times" [circulation: 30,000] (11/28): 
 
"In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Chinese Major 
General Qian Lihua, director of the Defense Ministry's Foreign 
Affairs Office, said China has every right to build aircraft 
carriers, without confirming whether it had decided to do so.  This 
enigmatic remark stirred fresh speculation about China's intentions 
in developing or acquiring the carriers in light of its economic 
rise. ... 
 
"Although submarines are believed is the best deterrent to aircraft 
carriers, Taiwan only has four submarines - two World War II-era 
subs from the Soviet Union and two Dutch subs imported in the 1980s. 
 These outdated subs are obviously ill-suited to deter China's new 
carrier equipped with the state-of-the-art weapon systems supported 
by Russia. 
 
"To remedy the cross-strait status quo tilting in China's favor, the 
US must review the hold-up on its offer to sell Taiwan eight 
submarines.  After all, any policy disregarding the Taiwan Relations 
Act would endanger the equilibrium in the Taiwan Strait and increase 
the likelihood of war that would involve the US. ... 
 
"The US, India and Japan would also be anxious about the prospects 
of carriers, about how they will be used in the Chinese fleet and 
what impact they will have on China's foreign policy. ... 
 
"This is clearly at odds with China's claim of peaceful rise or 
peaceful development.  In fact, improving Sino-American strategic 
relations are conditioned upon China not challenging US global 
leadership, a position that Chinese leaders have repeatedly 
stressed.  China's rigorous military reach-out, however, is now 
being interpreted otherwise. The more China's flexes its military 
muscle the more defiant it may become. ..." 
 
YOUNG