Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Ma Ying-jeou's Political Manipulations Draw Another Open Letter

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

As the presidential campaign heats up, President Ma Ying-jeou of Taiwan continues to use his minions to attempt to squash any criticism or opposition. In word, he professes he is not involved, but in reality, he has those under him carry out the dirty work; the timing of the indictment of Lee Teng-hui after 16 years is but one example of a continuing form of harassment; as a result, some thirty plus scholars and writers take him to task with this open letter.

Open letter to President Ma

Chinese pressured Yang to drop lawsuit: legislator

Taipei Times

Chinese pressure forced Taiwanese taekwondo athlete Yang Shu-chun (楊淑君) to withdraw an appeal against her disqualification at the Asian Games last year from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator said yesterday.

With the Chinese Taipei Taekwondo Association (CTTA) and the Sports Affairs Council (SAC) embroiled in allegations that they threatened Yang to get her to withdraw the appeal, DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) yesterday added that he suspected they were under the influence of strong Chinese pressure.

Taiwan status kept in the news by Florida Republican and Taiwanese Marxist

Michael Richardson

An unlikely duo is keeping Taiwan’s unresolved international status before the American public. One member of the duo of is the Chair of the U.S, House of Representative’s powerful Foreign Affairs Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, while the other is 92 year-old Taiwanese independence advocate, Su Beng, an avowed Marxist.

Representative Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican, has scheduled Congressional hearings on “Why Taiwan matters“ for August 2nd to explore the Obama administration policy toward Taiwan, the second in a series of hearings by her committee Scheduled witnesses are Kurt Campbell from the State Department and Michael Schiffer with the Defense Department who are expected to explain the president’s views on Taiwan.

Beware of the Chinese flu

Taipei Times Editorial

The lone figure of exiled Chinese author Ma Jian (馬建) being denied entry into his homeland last week should be enough to remind candidates in January’s presidential election of the need to approach China with the utmost caution.

The London-based Ma, whose application to enter China via Hong Kong on July 23 was turned down without explanation from Chinese officials, had previously returned home on several occasions since leaving in 1986. That he would be denied entry at a time when China is, by most accounts, seemingly in the ascendant, is a testimony to the uncertainty that haunts the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) amid domestic turbulence and an upcoming leadership transition.

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