CHINA/TAIWAN: Taiwan criticises China over Tibet while Beijing residents call for more security

Record ID: 575251

  • Title: CHINA/TAIWAN: Taiwan criticises China over Tibet while Beijing residents call for more security
  • Date: 16th March 2008
  • Summary: (W2) BEIJING, CHINA (MARCH 16, 2008) (REUTERS) NEWSPAPER BOOTH WITH A COPY OF CHINA DAILY NEWSPAPER ON WALL ARTICLE CRITICISING DALAI LAMA ON CHINA DAILY READING "DALAI LAMA BEHIND SABOTAGE"
  • Embargoed: 31st March 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAIPLJ43EYS9K6PLNYE7S3504E
  • Story Text: Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian condemns China's action in Tibet, in the midst of fierce election campaign battles. Beijing residents call for more security but say they trust the government to deal with the situation accordingly.
    Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian on Saturday (March 15) condemned China's action in Tibet.
    Speaking in the midst of fierce election campaign battles, Chen called China's action "tyrannic".

    "How dictating, how tyrannic! They are against Taiwanese people, and even set a law to invade Taiwan, with a basis, with a law. To Tibet, there is no anti-secession law, but they deploy tanks and armed forces, to kill and suppress. When you say, 23 million people pursue democracy and sovereignty, how likely will China allow this?" he said.
    The Nationalist party presidential candidate, Ma Yin Jeou, also condemned the violence on Saturday.

    "The government of the Republic of China has kept consistent stance toward the situation in Tibet. We support autonomy in TIbet, they have their own culture and religion that must be respected. Therefore we strongly condemn China's action," said Ma.
    Taiwan officials and the ruling party's presidential candidate also condemned China's move against rioters in Tibet, linking it to their own island, which China claims as its own and has threatened with force.

    "We are against China's suppression, and we express concern. But in the process we also see, once we open a gate for China, we may end up like Tibet. Chinese people diffuse into Tibet, Xinjiang is much like so, "
    said Frank Hsieh, presidential candidate from Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which favours formal independence from China.
    Hsieh also warned about Taiwan's fate as the Tibet situation may be a test case for China's application of the anti-secession law.
    China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's Communists won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists (KMT) fled to the island. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary.
    Hsieh trails his opponent Ma Ying-jeou from the main opposition KMT opinion polls ahead of the March 22 election. The KMT once ruled all of China and is seen as more mainland-friendly.
    The Taiwan foreign ministry and the Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan's main China policy maker, also condemned China's use of force in Tibet to quell rioters.

    "We strongly condemn China's use of force to suppress Tibet and urge the international community to monitor the development in Tibet,"
    the foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
    As Chinese police and troops locked down the capital of Tibet on Sunday (March 16), tension in Tibet remained high.
    Two days after ugly street protests against Chinese rule, Chinese major newspapers and other media kept this low profile. The China Daily newspaper put blame on the Dalai Lama, with a front page article reading 'Dalai Lama behind sabotage'.
    Locals in Beijing said they trusted their government to deal with the situation accordingly.
    A Beijing resident named Chen has been a party Communist Party member for over forty years.

    "I think when it's the right moment, we need to take measures. The 1989 Tiananmen protest was much more messy. But once the government took measures it was fine. Otherwise it's going to be a huge mess. This is my belief: as long as it's the Communist Party ruling, there will be no problem," Chen said.
    Wu Jian, another Beijinger, said the separatists chose this moment to protest.

    "There will always be some forces with ulterior goals to sabotage the nation's biggest event (Olympics). We need more security to reduce the danger to lowest level," Wu said.
    China has declared a "people's war" of security and propaganda against support for the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, underlining that it will not heed calls from around the globe for a lenient response to the riots.
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