Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Get rid of Ma to save a hard-won democracy

James Wang 王景弘

Opinion polls show the majority of people believe the indictment of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) to be a matter of political manipulation and persecution because Lee’s talk about “ousting Ma to save Taiwan” has threatened President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) chances at re-election.

The “oust Ma to save Taiwan” mantra hits straight at the heart of the matter. It has frightened Ma, who has resorted to the political persecution of Lee.

That Ma has issued this judicial threat makes it clear that he is trying to eliminate anyone who promotes a Taiwanese identity.

US resolution calls for freedom to navigate Strait

Taipei Times

A new resolution calling for continued operations by the US military to support freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait has been introduced in the US House of Representatives. It also supports freedom of navigation rights in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea.

Sponsored by US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and supported by 18 Republicans and nine Democrats, it calls for a “peaceful and collaborative resolution of maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea and its environs and other maritime areas adjacent to the East Asian mainland.”

Lee indictment is as hollow as Ma

Lin Cho-shui 林濁水

Following the indictment of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Panel, Prosecutor-General Huang Shyh-ming (黃世銘) said that of course Lee should be indicted, because the nation cannot have a situation where only ordinary people are taken to court.

Make no mistake, it would be wrong to just charge ordinary people and let the rich and powerful off the hook, so even former presidents should be indicted if they are suspected of breaking the law, but it is equally important that this standard not just apply to former presidents.

Taiwan's Diane Lee, Is She Guilty Not Only of Fraud, But Also Perjury?

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

Taiwan citizens currently find themselves turning aside from the Lee Teng-hui indictment case and refocusing on the case of another Lee. That case is the forgery case of Diane Lee, who was found guilty of, shall we say, ripping the country off of some $US 3.5 dollars. Lee's guilty verdict has come up for appeal. Diane Lee had to resign from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and from the Legislature because of the case, but now she is tearfully trying to argue that she worked hard for her illegal money. By such bogus reasoning then, she wants to be allowed to keep the money as well as to avoid the two years in prison. Whatever her wishful pleas are, from all the facts thus far revealed, the opposite is true. Diane Lee is not only guilty of fraud but also it appears of what should be an additional charge of perjury. For any judge who is without political bias, this should be a slam dunk, guilty as charged, collect the money and send her off to jail case. Taiwan should not spend any more time on it.

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