Tibet must be lesson for Taiwan: dissident

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The 10th Panchen Lama was murdered by former Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) and former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶), a prominent Chinese dissident said in Taipei yesterday as he warned that Beijing’s cultural genocide in Tibet could serve an example for those Taiwanese who still have false expectations of China.

Citing the findings from his private interviews with Chinese and Tibetan officials, Yuan Hongbing (袁紅兵) told a press conference that the 10th Panchen Lama, Choekyi Gyaltsen, was poisoned to death in January 1989 rather than dying from a heart attack as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claimed.

Tibetans remember 1959 uprising

By Loa Iok-sin  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Mar 11, 2013 - Page 1

Hundreds of Tibetans and supporters yesterday took to the streets of Taipei to commemorate the 54th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising and the 110 Tibetans who have self-immolated to protest against Chinese occupation, while calling for an end to Chinese repression of Tibetans.

“Free Tibet! Tibet belongs to Tibetans! China, get out of Tibet!” demonstrators chanted in Tibetan, Mandarin and English as they marched from Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station to Taipei 101.

Tibetans call for Taiwanese solidarity

GET UP, STAND UP:Saying Taiwan also suffers China’s oppression, Tibetans urged a show of support ahead of tomorrow’s anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Tibetan government-in-exile Finance Minister Tsering Dhundup visited the Legislative Yuan yesterday to promote better bilateral ties ahead of a demonstration tomorrow to commemorate the 54th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising.

Accompanied by the president of Tibet Religious Foundation of H.H. the Dalai Lama, Dawa Tsering, the official appealed for Taiwanese to support Tibetans’ fight for freedom in a 60-minute meeting with lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).

TSU caucus to propose inviting the Dalai Lama

RESOLUTION:The party is to propose a legislative motion demanding the government officially condemn Beijing’s brutal oppression of Tibetans
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday said its caucus would put forth a proposal in the legislature today to invite exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan after the government refused to grant him a visa last month.

President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration denied the Dalai Lama a visa to speak at the Asia-Pacific regional conference of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women, saying the timing was not “opportune.”

Ma backsliding on rights: DPP

MA’S FLAWS:The party will address what it says are Ma’s many failings on human rights in an international press conference it will hold today, which is Human Rights Day
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is set to highlight what it says is the serious backsliding on human rights under President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration in an international press conference today, which is Human Rights Day.

DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said the party had decided to call the press conference because of Ma’s inaction and inappropriate practices on a wide range of issues, which have led to the erosion of human rights during his presidency.

Lu set to open women’s conference

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) is set to open the 2012 International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International) Asia-Pacific Regional Conference today in Taipei.

Lu, founding president of BPW Taiwan, said yesterday that the conference with the theme “Empowered Women Leading Business and the Green Economy” marks a step in Taiwan’s international participation.

Dalai Lama visa rejection draws more fire

CHINA FACTOR:：The DPP ramped up its criticism of the visa denial, saying it has damaged Taiwan’s image as a democracy that values human rights
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Sat, Nov 24, 2012 - Page 1

Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday lambasted President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) government for denying a visa to the Dalai Lama, saying this was another “proof” of Ma’s pro-China position.

“President Ma, what are you afraid of? What do you want to do? Your denial of the Dalai Lama’s visit has hurt Taiwanese and Taiwan’s international image,” Lu told a joint press conference with the DPP caucus in the legislature.

Groups slam denial of Dalai Lama visit

NOT NOW:：Officials did not give an explanation for the government’s decision to refuse the Tibetan spiritual leader a visa, other than to say it was not the right time
By Shih Hsiu-chuan  /  Staff reporter
Fri, Nov 23, 2012 - Page 1

Acting on the president’s instructions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has again denied a visa to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who had been invited by an international group to attend its annual regional conference in Taipei next month, sparking outrage among various organizations in the country.

The Dalai Lama “is welcome to travel to Taiwan in due course. However, we need to arrange a more opportune time for his visit,” Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said in a letter, dated Friday last week, to Freda Miriklis, international president of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International), the non-governmental organization behind the event.

EDITORIAL: Human rights key to cross-strait ties

Fri, Nov 09, 2012 - Page 8

Tamding Tso, a 23-year-old woman, self-immolated and died in Amdo region, eastern Tibet, on Wednesday, raising the number of Tibetans who have set themselves ablaze in protest against the repressive Chinese regime since February 2009 to almost 70.

Maybe people read these kinds of stories too often to think that they are significant, or maybe they do not read them at all. Either way, Taiwanese, and in particular the administration of Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), have not been paying enough attention.

Tibetans decry Chinese domination

UP IN FLAMES:：A series of self-immoliations by Tibetans are a desperate cry for freedom and should serve a lesson to Taiwan about the dangers of Chinese rule, exiles have said
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Sep 24, 2012 - Page 3

Taiwanese should take the capture of Tibet by China to heart and support the Tibetan people’s pursuit of freedom, Tibetan rights activists said yesterday.

“Buddhists in Taiwan in particular should understand that people of the same faith in Tibet are suffering brutal oppression when they’re currently engaged in so-called religious exchanges with China,” Taiwan Friends of Tibet (TFT) chairperson Chou Mei-li (周美里) said at a symposium.

Participants at the symposium, organized by the TFT and Taiwan Association of University Professors (TAUP), yesterday in Taipei said that Tibetans striving for democracy under Chinese domination are being forced into extreme acts such as self-immolation.

TSU, Tibetans, Falun Gong stage protests

UNITED FRONT:The diverse group of demonstrators were unified by their disapproval of China’s handling of several human rights issues and its dealings with Taipei
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Falun Gong members, Tibetan independence supporters and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday staged protests against Chinese officials who are in Taipei for a round of cross-strait negotiations, resulting in brief clashes with police.

Thwarted by tight security, none of them were able to get close to the Grand Hotel, where Association of Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) was staying.

Suspend all religious exchanges with China: TSU

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

Taiwan should suspend all religious exchanges with China before Beijing stops its oppression on Tibetan monks, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday.

TSU legislative caucus whip Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) said China’s recent crackdown on Tibetan monks has been one of the most brutal cases of persecution in history, which has resulted in at least 20 monks dying from 30 cases of self-immolation since March last year.

Tsai expresses concerns over escalation in Tibet

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday expressed concerns over the situation in Tibet amid an intensifying crackdown by Chinese authorities and called on President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to voice his concerns to Beijing.

DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said she was “heartbroken” about increasing reports of self-immolation protests by Tibetans in her meeting with Dawa Tsering, director of the Tibet Religious Foundation of H.H. The Dalai Lama, yesterday, said Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), deputy executive director of the party’s New Frontier Foundation think tank.

Dalai Lama thanks DPP for support of democratic reforms

BEST WISHES:Tibet’s spiritual leader wished Tsai continued success, while the DPP called for China to respect human rights and basic freedoms
By Chris Wang  /  STAFF REPORTER, IN GREATER KAOHSIUNG

The Dalai Lama has expressed his gratitude to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) for supporting the recent changes to the Tibetan political system, the DPP said yesterday.

“Thank you for your recent letter of August 2011 highlighting my recent decision to strengthen the democratic system of the Tibetan community by transferring power to a democratically elected leader,” Dalai Lama wrote in a letter to Tsai.

Dalai Lama's first autobiography published in Chinese after 48 years

Taipei, March 10 (CNA) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's first autobiography has finally been published in Chinese, 48 years after it was first released in English, the book's publisher said Wednesday.

The Dalai Lama's first autobiography, titled "My Land and My People, " was published in English in 1962, three years after his flight into exile, but it was never published in Chinese due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Chou Mei-li, president of Taiwan Friends of Tibet, an organization supporting Tibetan democracy and also the book's publisher.

The publication date of the Chinese edition was selected to coincide with the 51st anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day, Chou said, adding that the publication "is long overdue for the Mandarin-speaking community." On March 10, 1959, Tibetans took to the streets to demand that the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) pull out from the Himalayan region, nine years after the Chinese invasion. Weeks later, the PLA launched a brutal suppression that the Dalai Lama claims killed more than 80,000 Tibetans.

In order to raise the awareness for Tibet's struggle for democracy and freedom, Taiwan Friends of Tibet was scheduled to hold a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening, as well as a March 14 rally, to commemorate the anniversary, Chou said at a book-launching press conference.

"There are only six million Tibetans. We need your help, " said Dawa Tsering, representative to Taiwan of the exiled Tibetan government.

Helping Tibetans is helping the Taiwanese, because the two countries have both been fighting for their future under the threat from China, Chou said, noting that March 14 will also mark the fifth anniversary of China's passage of an anti-secession law targeting Taiwan.

The torch of Tibet's fight for freedom will be passed down from generation to generation forever, said Tashi Tsering, chairman of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress in Taiwan, in a pre-recorded video.

"We will never forget what China has done to Tibet, " he added.

Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama said in a statement to mark the anniversary that "despite the great hardships Tibetans have faced for many decades, they have been able to keep up their courage and determination, preserve their compassionate culture and maintain their unique identity. It is inspiring that today a new generation of Tibetans continues to keep Tibet's just cause alive. I salute the courage of those Tibetans who are still enduring fear and oppression."

Taiwan's election not swayed by outside forces: analysts

Taipei, March 22 (CNA) The controversy over whether President-elect Ma Ying-jeou has a green card and the "one China common market" issue did not keep the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) from scoring a landslide victory in Taiwan's presidential election Saturday and shows that the Taiwan people acted on their own without outside impact, according to analysts.

Ma garnered almost 60 percent of the votes -- 2.2 million votes more than his rival Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Frank Hsieh -- in Taiwan's fourth direct presidential election since 1996. The lopsided victory shows that Ma's momentum was not slowed by Hsieh's campaign strategy, the analysts said.

Hsieh's camp had challenged Ma over the U.S. permanent residence status, or green card, that Ma obtained in 1977, questioning his integrity and loyalty to Taiwan. Hsieh also argued that Ma's cross-strait common market proposal will jeopardize Taiwan's labor and agricultural sectors and the future of the younger generation.

Most people have oversimplified the election and ignored its complexity, Danish columnist Michael Danielsen said on the eve of the poll, adding that from his observations, the Taiwanese would not let outside forces impact the election.

The Taiwanese people seemed determined to cast their votes this time solely on the issues of their immediate interests such as the economy and their livelihoods, he said.

Ma's support rate did drop when Hsieh's camp made its first accusation on the green card issue but it did not last long, said Yang Hsien-hong, a local political pundit.

Leading by around 20 percent during almost the entire campaign, Ma's momentum took a hit after a series of events over the past two weeks during which four KMT legislators gatecrashed Hsieh's campaign headquarters in an attempt to investigate whether the building had been illegally leased to Hsieh's campaign and China launched a military crackdown on Tibetan protesters. Ma seeks closer ties with
Beijing.

Taiwanese law forbids the publication of public opinion polls in the last 10 days of the campaign, but prior to the polls, most people had predicted that it would be a neck-and-neck race.

"It will take me some time to let the shocking defeat sink in because the large gap was unexpected, " said Yosoh Kure, deputy secretary-general of the pro-independence Taiwan Society, adding that with hindsight, it was maybe the DPP referendum held alongside the election that was the primary reason for the defeat."

Yure also agreed with an observation that Hsieh's camp ran too much of a "negative campaign" which backfired and hurt only himself.

U.S. congressman praised Taiwan's democracy

Taipei, March 21 (CNA) A visiting U.S. congressman described Taiwan's democracy as "healthy,”on the eve of the presidential election Thursday, and said no outside force should try to intimidate Taiwan's 23 million people into giving up their democratic rights.

“Shame on any U.S. or Chinese official (who) tries to get you to go one way or another, ”said Dana Rohrabacher, who was in Taiwan as part of a U.S. delegation to observe the March 22 presidential election and referendums to be held simultaneously.

Rohrabacher, a staunch Taiwan supporter who chairs the Taiwan Caucus in the U.S. Congress, said he was not in the country to endorse any candidate or political party, but to congratulate the people of Taiwan for continuing to set an example of democracy in Asia.

Taiwan has four times shown Asia that it could elect its leader in direct democratic elections, he said.

The California congressman said he believed Taiwan would never go back to the days of a one-party regime, as it has a healthy democracy, with freedom of the press, criticism and debate.

What happened in Tibet "underscored that peace should not be taken for granted,”he said.

Rohrabacher slammed Beijing over its recent crackdown on Tibetan protesters, describing China as a“rogue nation”and a“vicious gangster”that murdered its own people.

The congressman has sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to introduce a resolution in Congress that would call for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. The proposal has received bi-partisan support, he said.

“We should not permit the totalitarian government in China to use the Olympics to cover its own evil as did Adolph Hitler in 1936," he stated in the letter.

China's reaction to referendum unpredictable: MAC

Taipei, March 20 (CNA) It is virtually impossible to predict Beijing's reaction if either or both of the referendums pass in Saturday's election because it is a totalitarian regime, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Chen Ming-tong told a group of foreign reporters Thursday.

"It is not a government that can be trusted. It has always claimed that it will peacefully resolve the Tibet issue and has promised that it will continue its dialogue with the Dalai Lama, " Chen responded to a reporter's question.

Chen expressed optimism that Beijing will become a democratic country one day and when that day comes, issues surrounding Taiwanese and Tibetan independence will be resolved.

However, before that day arrives, Taiwan and China must reach a consensus on how to achieve stability and harmony across the Taiwan Strait to better serve the interests of the people on both sides.

He reiterated Taipei's usual stance that it will never engage in a dialogue with China until Beijing agrees to remove the "one-China" principle framework as a precondition for talks.

He further defended both of Taiwan’s referendum proposals -- one proposed by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party on whether Taiwan should join the United Nations under the name Taiwan and the other put forward by the opposition Kuomintang on rejoining the U.N. under the name Republic of China or some other "suitable" title -- saying that they are "neither an independence movement nor a provocative act,
but rather the Taiwanese people's humble wish to receive a `license' to the international community after a long period of apartheid."

Beijing has been trying to distort the meaning of the DPP's referendum, which is simply a representation of will of the Taiwanese, he said.

"It’s hard for me to fathom people’s assumptions that the referendum will lead to a disaster, " he said, adding that the act of holding referendums has always been a tool for exercising the people's democratic will.

Chen also took the opportunity to ridicule Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's recent claim that Taiwan's fate must be determined by the people living both in China and in Taiwan and that the 1.3 billion Chinese citizens should be permitted to cast votes in Saturday's election.

Civic groups condemn China, extend compassion for Tibet

Taipei, March 18 (CNA) Civic groups condemned China’s military crackdown of Tibetan protesters and extended compassion for the victims in a press conference Tuesday, urging the Taiwan people to support Tibet.

“The military crackdown was not an independent case. Currently in China, there are protests against the Chinese regime as well as the ensuing crackdown, arrests and killings in every Tibetans-inhabited region, “said Wong Shih-chieh, Deputy Secretary-General of Taiwan Tibet Exchange Foundation (TTEF).

The cruel nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) did not change after the economical development, said Tsai Ting-kuei, President of Taiwan Association of University Professors (TAUP).

“Tibetans’forbearance and tolerance did not earn security but relentless suppression,”he added.

China launched a military action last week that has left over 100 people dead following a protest in Lhasa, capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) . Hundreds of Tibetans have died in unrest in Lhasa and elsewhere, the India-based Tibetan parliament-in-exile said in a statement Monday.

On Tuesday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in an international press conference in Beijing that the unrest in Tibet was obviously masterminded by the“Dalai Lama organization”and the People’s Liberation Army was in Lhasa to prevent more killings by the protesters.

“Chinese government lies whenever it needs to and has to. It said the troops were sent to Lhasa to perform street cleaning. And it has said in the past 12 years in the World Health Organization assembly that China was responsible for the protection of Taiwan’s public health,“said Wu Shue-min, President of Taiwan Society, main organizer of the press conference.

“They were all lies,”Wu said.

Taiwanese should be able to identify the essence of the Chinese Communist regime after witnessing what has happened in Tibet, Wong said.

“Over the past 50 years China claimed it had helped Tibet with it economic development. If Tibetans enjoy a happy life, why would they risk their lives to fight against China?“he said.

Wong called for all Taiwanese to step up and voice their non-partisan support for Tibetans’fight for cultural preservation and religious freedom.

Yu Shyi-kun, former chairman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, also urged the international community–especially the United Nations–to actively engaged in rescuing those Tibetans in suffer.

SEF voices serious concerns over China's crackdown in Tibet

Taipei, March 17 (CNA) The Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) expressed grave concern over China's crackdown on Tibetan protesters and urge China to respect its pledge of a "high degree of autonomy" in the Himalayan region, SEF Chairman Hung Chi-chang said Monday.

"We expressed our serious concerns over China's crackdown in Tibet and urged China to stop its military actions in Tibet and the adjoining provinces of Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan," Hung said.

"The culture and religious freedom of Tibetans should be respected by all, " Hung said of the military action that has left over 100 people dead following a protest in Lhasa, capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR).

Hundreds of Tibetans have died in unrest in Lhasa and elsewhere, the India-based Tibetan parliament-in-exile said in a statement Monday.

Hung addressed the issue in a much softer tone and with cautious wording, using "concern" rather than "condemn, " which was seen in statements released earlier by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) .

The SEF is a semi-official organization funded by Taiwan's government to handle consultations and technical affairs with China in the absence of official ties.

The MOFA and MAC both condemned China for its human rights violations and use of force in official statements released last weekend.

Responding to a reporter's question, Hung said there were many ways to express concern and condemnation was one of them.

"It was obvious the Tibetans could no longer tolerate China's 'cultural genocide, ' as the Dalai Lama described it, in Tibet. The Dalai Lama has literally given up the Tibetan independence movement and settled for a 'meaningful autonomy' and the preservation of Tibetan culture and religious freedom. Even so, China still pulled the triggers, " he said.

The Constitution of the Republic of China, which still claims sovereignty over Tibet, has put Taiwan in an awkward position on the "Tibet issue." The ministry-level Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission was established under the Executive Yuan to preserve Mongolian and Tibetan cultures.

The independence-seeking ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government has not publicly supported the Tibetan independence movement.

However, what is happening in Tibet will be an election issue, Hung said.

"It is a living lesson for Taiwan's 23 million people that China still decided to go ahead with the crackdown despite the enormous international attention focused on the Tibet situation, especially ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August, " he said.

"While China has repeatedly stressed its peaceful rise and intention to seek stability, Taiwan's sovereignty should be respected and affirmed in the process of cross-strait dialogue, " he said.

"Fortunately, Taiwan is able to enjoy full sovereignty while Tibet has been under China's control, " he said.