Intelligence Bureau Chief Arrested: Rickards in WaPo

Jane Rickards has another "special to the Washington Post" piece in WaPo on the arrest of Taiwan's former security chief in the Chen "money laundering" case. Rickards writes:

Prosecutors are seeking 2 1/2 years' imprisonment for Yeh Sheng-mao, chief of the Bureau of Investigation under Chen, for allegedly concealing documents given to his bureau by the Egmont Group, an international organization that collects data on suspicious financial activity. The Egmont documents expressed suspicion that the money wired into a Swiss bank account belonging to the daughter-in-law involved money laundering.
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That the judiciary is willing to go after senior politicians such as Yeh was seen by some foreign observers as another sign of the strengthening democratization of Taiwan's political system.

Subordinates at Yeh's bureau, which deals with white-collar crime and internal security, notified Yeh when they received the Egmont documents in January and recommended that the bureau take legal action, the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

But Yeh reportedly told them the matter was so confidential and sensitive that only he was equipped to deal with it. He then concealed the documents, quashing any possible investigation, the statement said. Yeh retired at the end of Chen's second four-year term as Taiwan's president in May.

Prosecutors claim that Yeh concealed the documents. Interesting -- because this they (and this report) leave out a key fact reported by the Taipei Times on the 29th: in March the prosecutors office asked for this information. In other words, they already knew he had it. Thus, they ask for it in March, don't ask again, and wait until August to prosecute him for not giving them the information. This stinks of a set-up (and why is it illegal for Yeh to ignore it from March to May but legal for prosecutors to do so over the same period?).

Rickards cites the ponderous observations that many outsiders are making: this will be good for Taiwan's democracy if someone high-ranking is prosecuted. Please! The prosecutions of high-ranking figures are only occurring to Green politicians from the pro-democracy party. If Chen and Yeh were Nationalists, these prosecutions would not be happening.

The KMT is most fortunate in the timing, as the case has been known about since January when Egmont reported it to the Taiwan authorities -- meaning that the people under Yeh knew (as Rickards reports), meaning that politicians in both parties probably knew. Yet the case breaks right as Ma is in the midst of the worst performance of the economy in years, when China has categorically refused to yield an inch on UN participation in any form, when his plan to "save Taiwan" by flooding it with Chinese tourists has yet to bear fruit, and when his government, instead of revealing competence, has been floundering. Instead of serious coverage of the state of the nation, the media is full of spurious coverage of the Chen case. Lucky, eh?

The Taipei Times also reported today that Douglas Hsu was acquitted in the Sogo case. This was another case in which the Chens had been accused of selling influence, and found not guilty by the largely Blue Taiwan Court system. The article observes at its end:

The court also said that while Hsu and other businessmen had visited former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) during the battle for ownership of Sogo, she did not help any party in the battle for control.

Prosecutors believed that Lee had distributed NT$14.82 million [US$447,320] in Pacific Sogo Department Store vouchers, with the first family indirectly receiving NT$277,000 in vouchers.

Prosecutors found no evidence, however, that Wu had received the vouchers in return for helping secure ownership of the department store.

Prosecutors said Wu had received her vouchers from the first family’s former doctor, Huang Fang-yen (黃芳彥).

However, the Special Investigation Panel of the Supreme Prosecutor Office’s is investigating whether Far Eastern deposited US$11.5 million into an overseas account held by former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) family in exchange for help securing ownership of Pacific Sogo.

Hsu said on Wednesday that the company had not bribed the Chen family to gain control of a Chinese subsidiary of Pacific Sogo.

What? "Prosecutors found no evidence, however, that Wu had received the vouchers in return for helping secure ownership of the department store."

[Taiwan]

Old dilemmas

After a couple of years with teenagers, I've discovered the difference between raising teenagers and raising children. As parents, when you raise children, you are always congratulating one another:

"Look honey, he can ride a bike!"
"Great work darling! I'm so proud of him"

"Darling! She's writing her ABCs already!"
"Wonderful! I know you put a lot of effort into teaching her that!"

"Did you see her beautiful drawing of a dinosaur?"
"Our daughter is soooo talented!"

But when you raise teenagers, you're always consoling one another:

"But he only eats meat and starches."
"It's ok. At least he's not bulimic."

"She made up her hair so she looks just like Avril Lavigne!"
"It could be worse, dear. It could be Britney Spears."

"He spends all his time on the computer making Lego videos!"
"Well, at least he isn't looking at Japanese bukkake porn."

However, reaching the age where we are taking care of teenagers means we are also reaching the age where we are racking our brains over what to do about our parents....

My wife's parents are salt-of-the-earth Taiwanese of their generation. My father in law was educated in electrical engineering under the Japanese and served in the Imperial Japanese Army. He then spent many years working for China Shipbuilding. Both are from old established families in Lukang. And both face dilemmas common to old people in Taiwan.

Like many Taiwanese their age, they were ripped off in the numerous Ponzi and pyramid schemes that proliferated in Taiwan during the bubble era of the late 1980s. In their case it was a 'friend' who ripped off their life savings for investment in the famous H scam (I'm not naming it publicly), served a brief prison sentence, and is now enjoying my in-laws' hard-earned cash. They used to go stand in front of his house periodically for years afterwards, silently begging him to return the cash...

...the H officials -- it was an established company -- recently met with the victims. They are unable to compensate them, but they did offer them spaces in the linguta, repositories where the ashes of the dead are kept (columbaria, I think they are called).

Immediately the scammers moved in. After all, the list of H victims is basically a list of people with proven ability to be scammed. For just NT$50K, they promised that they would sell the linguta spaces. My father in law immediately went for it, and another $50K vanished from his accounts. Finally my wife intervened and told him she would sell them on the internet. And sure enough, if you get on Yahoo and search for linguta spaces, you'll find the children of these victims selling the spaces so that 'their parents will have the peace of providing for their children' when they die. For the elderly burned in this and numerous other scams, the humiliation is double: not merely being victimized, but leaving nothing to the next generation as they are supposed to.

My in-laws also face another problem that many Taipei residents of their generation face: the pointlessness of a home sale. The luxury property they bought in Yungho the 1970s is now an aging, crappy, cramped house on a very expensive plot of land two minutes walk from the Dingxi metro stop. They could, in today's depressed markets, probably get $3.5-$3.8 million for the place. But because the land is so valuable, land taxes will eat over $2 million (land taxes are fixed by bureaucratic diktat in Taiwan). Hence there is no financial incentive for them to sell, since what they get after taxes would only support them for a couple of years. That is one reason why, in the heart of so many Taiwan cities, on valuable and useful urban land, sit row after row of ugly, downtrodden two and three story homes, unrenewed and unrebuilt.

Fortunately, a local development company has offered to purchase the property in a very common arrangement: they swap the house for a new flat in the apartment building that will be built on the spot. During the construction period, the company will pay for an apartment in the area for my in-laws. It's a sweet deal that benefits everyone, within the framework of a system rigged to favor developers and the construction industry.

Not all the elderly are so lucky, and so many of them face dilemmas like those of my in-laws.

[Taiwan]

Daily Links, August 28, 2008

What a day! A major American party nominated a non-white to be its candidate for the Presidency. I never thought I'd live to see that day. The Democrats did the nation proud.

What can we be proud of on the blogs today....

Paul Katz over at the China Beat has a great post on the KMT's changing fortunes in Taiwan recently.

Holly on today's air raid drill in Taipei.

Kent at the Taipei Air Station has a letter from a US kid here in the 1970s.

Amateur commune as always, with good pics.

Ming surfs in Yilan

A-gu, always on top of everything, blogs on China's rejection of UN agencies for Taiwan. He also discusses the DPP reaction to Pres. Ma's decision to grant landing visas to Chinese entering Taiwan.

Sponge Bear encounters a snake and writes on Taiwan-Japan relations.

Stocks and Politics blogs on what it feels like to become Chinese Taipei instead of Taiwan.

Scott S discusses N Daly's recent piece in the Taipei Times on English teaching.

Tea Masters on the shapes of pots.

Steve Crook with a nifty piece on the heart of old Hsinchu.

Taiwanonymous on a subject near and dear to my heart: the use of the word "besides" in writing here.

MEDIA: Global View magazine says Taichung Mayor Hu is tops in integrity. Temples that specializing in handling the guilt and regret of abortions. Japan Times hosts an article by a Taiwan official on participation in the UN, and by Max Hirsch on the KMT and Japan. The two nations are also in fishing talks. UPI online has an article on Chinese views of Taiwan democracy, which, like so many international media articles, repeats Ma Ying-jeou's criticism of Chen Shui-bian as Marcos, without mentioning that Ma is no stranger to downloading government funds himself. Note that Chen is accused repeatedly of money-laundering but in fact the issue is that he kept campaign funds without reporting or apparently, paying taxes. The ex-chief of intelligence was indicted on suspicions of covering up the alleged money laundering by Chen. The article says that Chen has denied "any illegal activity" in the case but that is not correct; Chen has already admitted he broke the law. Far Eastern Chair Douglas Hsu denies he bribed Chen. Taipower to build nuclear waste dump in Taipei County. Will Ma's "diplomatic truce" open space for Taiwan's participation in special agencies and other UN organs? Not a chance in hell, says China. The Vancouver Sun goes on a food trip to Taiwan. The CFR argues that Russia may attempt to strengthen its security ties in Asia in response to our insane foreign policy of pissing on their leg while telling them it is raining, while in the Financial Times Geoff Dyer says that China might be a bit miffed that Russia has supported the independence of two parts of Georgia and that this might offer leverage for the US to split the two giants. Sure, if we gave Taiwan to China first..... Joe Biden's instrumental role in establishing US listening posts in China. A major expert in vanishing languages puts Taiwan's Thao language among the world's 10 most endangered.

[Taiwan]

Aug 30 Rally

Various pro-Taiwan groups are putting together a rally for the first 100 days of the Ma Administration on Aug 30, Saturday. The rally starts at 3 in the afternoon from either of 2 locations:

◎東區：台北市忠孝東路頂好商場 (East: Chunghsiao E. Rd, the Dinghao Commercial Square right next to SOGO)

◎西區：台北市龍山寺前廣場 (West: Lungshan Temple)

The two then march to Ketegalen Rd in front of the Presidential office where they gather at 4:30. The event ends at 7:30.

FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: In Sick Around the World, Frontline looks at 5 capitalist democracies and how their health insurance programs work. Of course Taiwan is right there....

MILESTONE: This post is my 3000th.

[Taiwan]

Biden: Not Good for Taiwan? -- UPDATED --

This got passed around the FAPA lists the other day. It is from a prominent Taiwanese-American commentator with many years of political experience in the US:

++++++++++

.....Joe Biden is not friendly towards Taiwan. There is a Chinese American by the name of Wu Sian-piau who has been active in Delaware politics. His wife has served as Biden's secretary for some 20 years in his Delaware office. Biden's pro-China views are presumably the result of his long association with the Wu's.

The Taiwanese American community in Delaware has tried for many years to talk to Biden about Taiwan, without success. Around 1999-2000 when FAPA and many others were pushing for the passage of the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act, Alice Yang finally secured an appointment to see Biden's foreign affairs aide Frank Jannuzi, through the help of then Delaware Governor Tom Carper (now Senator). So I joined a group of several Delaware Taiwanese Americans at the Senate Foreign Relations (FRC) office to talk to Jannuzi for about 75 minutes, trying to get Biden's support for TSEA. Finally Frank said I really sympathize with your view but there is just no way I can persuade my boss to support the Act. Biden was then the ranking Democratic member of the FRC.

I remember as we took our leave Frank shook my hand and said loudly "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir." I suppose he was surprised that a Taiwanese American could engage him in an in depth discussion of Taiwan's security issues.

Shortly after this visit to the Senate, I had an opportunity to engage Joe Biden himself in a mini-debate on TSEA. Again, Alice Yang invited Helen and I, together with Timmy and Sue Chiu to attend a breakfast meeting of a Wilmington chamber of commerce, where Biden was the main speaker. So during Q&A, I briefly described TSEA and asked Biden what his position was on the Act. But even before I finished talking, Biden turned away from me and asked the audience if China were to attack Taiwan, would anyone be willing to put his son or daughter in harm's way to defend Taiwan. His implication was clear: Taiwan was not important enough to risk the shedding of American blood.

After his long-winded screed, Biden finally turned back to me so I said, "Senator, you didn't let me finish my question." Then I explained that according to the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), it is the US objective to protect the human rights of the Taiwanese and any Chinese threat to Taiwan's security is a matter of grave concern to the US, which is obligated to sell defense arms to Taiwan.

Biden then changed his tune, went into his own elaboration of the TRA provisions and finally proclaimed he was a proud sponsor of the TRA. Afterward he was very friendly when I asked to have a picture taken with him. But it seems clear to me Biden's pro-China view is deeply rooted.

So Biden's selection as VP candidate does not augur well for Taiwan, especially if Obama gets elected. So prudence will require Taiwanese Americans to support McCain. Nevertheless, I believe FAPA should try to approach Obama's Asian experts and convey our view that the survival of democratic Taiwan is indispensable to the maintenance of the US-Japan military alliance and to the peace and stability of East Asia.

++++++++++

As Veep, Biden will be a statutory member of the National Security Council (NSC) and will have a strong influence over foreign policy and security policy. The remaining members of Obama's East Asian policy team are Establishment and/or pro-China (they have business interests there). Biden had possessed the inside track on the Sec. of State job.

However, another longtime Washington worker for Taiwan I have interacted with recently viewed Biden with equanimity, saying that Biden is a strong TRA supporter, knowledgeable, and mainstream. Obama, BTW, is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

UPDATE: A longtime Taiwan advocate on the Hill observed on an email list:

On Biden-specific issues: while he never stuck his neck out for Taiwan or was very friendly to Taiwan, he did stick closely to the TRA end emphasized that Taiwan should not be bullied by China. One of his aides told us a few months ago that the Chinese tried to get him to condemn the UN referendum of the DPP, but he decided against it and remained silent in spite of a lot of pressure – unlike the Bush Administration which lambasted the CSB Administration at every turn. His voting record is actually quite good: he voted in favor of most of the Taiwan-related resolutions in the past decade.

[Taiwan]

Drive Bys for Wednesday

Defense News is reporting that the US has released Harpoon rounds to Taiwan. It's not a big arms sale (~$90 million), dollar-wise, but the sale of missiles to the island has raised hopes that the Bush Administration may ease the freeze. The missiles are to be mounted on the P-3C Orion subhunting aircraft whose purchase has already been authorized.

Corruption? The China Times claimed today that Merrill Lynch had sent two executives to Taiwan in connection with the investigation into former President Chen, and news reports also said other foreign financial houses were cooperating. For light entertainment, contemplate the news that the speaker of the Tainan County Council was indicted for fixing baseball games. This might be appalling, if it didn't happen every couple of years in Taiwan baseball. Hackers in China and Taiwan stole the personal data of President Chen and President Ma, among 50 million other records stolen.

Not that corruption matters since all of us in central Taiwan will be dying of respiratory disease anyway as Taipower attempts to push ahead with plans to build a coal-fired electricity plant in Changhua just 15 kms from the plant in Taichung which was identified in 2007 as the single most polluting electric plant in the world. At last we have leadership in something!

On the economic front China's weakening appetite for exports is slamming Taiwan, as export orders fell in July to their slowest pace in 5 years and leading economic indicators slipped. No problem, because Taiwan is building a massive resort north of Taipei on vacant public land that will be bigger than Disneyland:

Central government authorities have given a verbal nod to the 372 hectare (930 acre) Integrated Family Resort on vacant public land along the coast north of Taipei, Taipei County Magistrate Chou Hsi-wei said.

Bidding will begin next year, he said, and construction should take three years.

"It's bigger than Disneyland, a lot bigger. It's a huge, huge place," Chou told Reuters in an interview after returning from Las Vegas to talk with four hotel firms about investing. "Only like this can you get international tourists to come."

The project is expected to cost at least T$10 billion ($328 million).

A promotional video for the park shows high-rises, including hotels and exhibition spaces, shaped like balls, eggs and blow-up inner tubes for tires.

Some resemble skyscrapers along the waterfront in Dubai, which Chou described as a model for his project. Developers in the fast-growing United Arab Emirates city are adding new islands, channels and gleaming high-rises to the coastline.

Perhaps that resort will help handle the influx of Chinese tourists President Ma says will come in September. If that doesn't work out, perhaps Taiwan's entry into robot markets can save us. Ma meanwhile claimed that GDP will grow 4.8% in 2008, above the government forecast. This is after revising his original 6% promise to 5%. As Ma warns China that it should respond positively to his truce US Treasury Secretary Paulson is on audio at the CFR discussing the right way to engage China.

Finally, a couple of posts down I blogged on the Olympic mess and the Chinese Taipei name game. The US Open (tennis) is now using Chinese Taipei. Check the drop down menu: it says Chinese Taipei (Taiwan). If you have a moment, contact them through the form at the bottom of the screen.

[Taiwan]

Taiwan e-learning scheme to aid 41 countries

Taiwan's e-learning scheme in the developing world is having positive effects on host countries....

Some 3,500 people and businesses have been trained in six e-learning centres sponsored by the Taiwan government in three Indonesian cities: Bandung, Jakarta and Yogyakarta.

The programme of transferable ICT skills has proven to be useful for participants, says Lester Leu, deputy director at the economic division of the Taiwan Economy and Trade Office (TETO).

"After taking part in e-learning programmes, some students and small and medium enterprises [SMEs] start to access technology and get better life opportunities. Many students and SMEs immediately set up e-commerce both for domestic and international markets," Lester told SciDev.Net.

Lester said Taiwan started establishing the centres in 2006 and the work was finished by May 2008.

Eventually Taiwan hopes to have 41 centers installed across seven countries under an APEC-approved program.

[Taiwan]

Paper on Parade: China's Foreign Policy in Sport

With the Olympics receding into history, and with gymnast He Kaixin looking forward to her 15th birthday, now is the perfect time to check out a recent publication in China Quarterly entitled "China’s Foreign Policy in Sport: The Primacy of National Security and Territorial Integrity Concerning the Taiwan Question" (2008, volume 194). Junwei Yu, the author, is quite clear about authorial intent, announcing:

This article argues that from the outset, China’s foreign policy in sport vis-a-vis Taiwan has placed national security and territorial integrity in front of all other objectives. My intention is to show how China singles out this priority and formulates policy around it.

At the international level sort, Wei points out, can be used to declare recognition or non-recognition, express various forms of foreign policy stances, or even enhance the national welfare. In China's drive to annex Taiwan, it takes on a security policy role.

The China-Taiwan first popped up on the international stage in 1952 at the Helsinki Olympics. The PRC was allowed to attend, so naturally Chiang Kai-shek withdrew Taiwan. The favor was returned in 1956, when China notified "Taiwan province" it could be part of the Chinese Olympic delegation. But Taiwan was permitted to compete, and so China withdrew from the Melbourne Olympics in '56.

It was ping-pong diplomacy that got Taiwan kicked out of the Olympics and subordinated to the Chinese:

The diplomatic debacle of UN expulsion produced a domino effect within the world of sports. Firstly, a group led by Iran and Japan orchestrated the admission of the PRC into the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in 1973, and simultaneously expelled Taiwan from the organization. The following year, Taiwan was variously excluded from the governing bodies of fencing, wrestling, volleyball and weightlifting, and had its basketball membership suspended. At the outset, China vowed to drive Taiwan from the IOC by using the countryside-surrounding-city tactic, through which countries that supported China began to expel Taiwan from individual sports federations. According to the IOC charter, if a country could not preserve membership in at least five international associations affiliated to the General Association of International Sports Federations, its membership with the IOC would be automatically revoked.

The recognition of the PRC by the US in 1979 further isolated Taiwan but ironically, since the PRC permitted Taiwan to continue to compete in sporting events, gave it the opportunity to compete as an equal even if the names ROC and Taiwan were not permitted. There was diplomatic huha, but the spineless IOC abjectly surrendered to China and the name Chinese Taipei was used. These arrangements were formalized in 1981 and known as the Olympic Formula.

Yu moves on to discuss the Zhonghua vs Zhongguo Taipei. Remember how there was an agreement? And the Chinese government, ever the trustworthy partner and brimming over with Olympic goodness and decency, said that its media had always had the habit of using Zhongguo Taipei and they really didn't mean it? Wei observes that it isn't some informal tradition -- it's orders from the top:

According to China’s official document ‘‘Opinions on how to correctly use propaganda phrases involving Taiwan,’’ promulgated in 2002: ‘‘In international sporting competitions held by us [China], the Taiwanese delegation can use the Chinese words Zhonghua Taibei, but our media reports should still call them Zhongguo Taibei.’’

Intent on creating the idea that Taiwan is a province of China, the Chinese press the IOC on any appearance of the ROC emblems. In 1988 the IOC nearly revoked Taiwan's membership when the bobsled team was found to have the ROC logo on their helmets. The IOC, which rolled over and barked for China when He Kaixin had to be 14 15 16 years old, sent Taiwan a stern letter about this horrible violation. In Atlanta 1996 a Taiwanese student waving an ROC flag during a table tennis match was (shamefully) arrested and fined by the American police, and in Sydney in 2000 a Taiwanese was asked to remove a baseball cap with the ROC flag. These were not official Taiwan reps, but ordinary people. Apparently free speech rights disappear whenever China needs them to. Who needs soft power when the IOC is your bitch?

Things became even more complicated when Taiwan under the Lee and Chen Administrations had an actual foreign policy (remember those days?). And China remains China:

....in principle [China] does not send groups or athletes to international sporting events held in Taiwan; and it tries to prevent Taiwan from using attendance at international sporting events to sabotage the ‘‘Olympic formula." China only selectively follows its guideline for attendance at international competitions held in Taiwan. It will indeed send athletes to tournaments in Taiwan if they have a reasonable chance of winning a medal, and forego those in which their chances are slimmer.

Because IOC practices tend to filter down to other organizations, Yu points out, China uses this leverage to try and compel Taiwan to appear in the "Cs" when sports organizations are introduced, thus reinforcing the fantasy that Taiwan is part of China. All of the moves we saw China make this summer to suppress Taiwan's space are part and parcel of its long-term sports policy to isolate and eventually annex Taiwan. Nor is this policy limited to sports participation: in 1994 when President Lee Teng-hui was invited to attend the Asian Games in Hiroshima, China threatened to withdraw from the games if Lee was permitted to attend, creating a "massive political firestorm" in the IOC. As always, the IOC kow-towed and Lee was forced to say no to the invitation. If games are held in China, China will not issue Taiwan officials games ID, but instead forces them to come on mere Taiwan compatriot visas. This is not limited to major sporting events either...

In 2004, Taiwan’s first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) led Taiwan’s paralympic delegation to Athens and this invited protest from China, which demanded that the International Paralympics Committee (IPC) ask Wu to suspend all public activities and cancel her National Paralympics Committee Card, a top-class VIP card given to delegation leaders. But this time, Taiwan gained the upper hand. Huang Chih-fang (黃志芳), a technical staff member for the Taiwan delegation, threatened to hold a conference and divulge all the official documents exchanged with the IPC, showing the committees its biased treatment towards the island. The tactic worked, and the first lady maintained her accreditation and was able to attend the opening ceremony.

Naturally China blocks Taiwan's hosting of sports events whenever possible, including its attempts to host the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games, the 2001 and 2007 World University Games, and the 2009 East Asian Games.

Good thing China doesn't politicize sports!

The paper ends with a short discussion of the 2008 Olympics and a review of the possibilities if Taiwan were to declare independence during the games. This section will be familiar to anyone who has followed recent events, so I have omitted it (and also because it is the weakest and most poorly-written part of the paper, referring to Lu Hsiu-lien as a "hardliner" and using the Chinese code term "de-sinicization.") The history presented in the paper, however, forms an important background to understanding how China's Olympic behavior was neither new nor petty, but in fact represented policies and behaviors that have been part of China's annexation drive for most of the last forty years.

[Taiwan]

Twofer Tuesday

Dr. Peng Ming-min, one of the great men of Taiwan's history, has some words of sage advice on the Chen Shui-bian mess in today's Taipei Times:

Although Chen’s actions are sad and infuriating, from a historical perspective it is just an episode in Taiwan’s struggle for democracy and human rights — don’t forget how many people have lost their lives or their property, families and freedom for these ideals.

Despite its disappointment, I believe the public will learn a lesson and understand that we must never relax in our pursuit of ideals.

Peng, who lost an arm in WWII and ran for President in 1996, has been one of the most important figures in the Taiwan independence movement for forty years.

Also on tap today is a devastating insight from Jerome Keating, delivered against the rising class of China specialists in US. People argue that China has far less soft power than the US, but they appear to have it where it counts, as Jerome pegs perfectly:

Begin then with academia, examine how US scholars in Russian Studies have always been able to separate culture from government with Russia; they can appreciate Russian art, architecture, writing, culture etc. but condemn its authoritarian rule. With China it is the opposite; US Sinologists have become so enamored with their self-perceived mystique of Chinese culture, art, etc. that they then use this to make excuses for China's authoritarian rule. Who has not heard this excusatory refrain, "See how far China has come in the last century." Have you ever heard a similar refrain about Russia?

As US Sinologists seek their free invites to Chinese universities and Chinese backing for their research, they go to great lengths to defend and explain how this poor country is being misunderstood. You don't find that same kind of pandering by US Russian scholars. From a different angle, if one were to look inside the Soviet Union, you likewise would not find Russian Sinologists as enthralled about China as their American counterparts. No Russian Sinologists and or advisers suffer from a debilitating awe of Chinese culture or tradition; they have a sounder base in reality.

Those are the central two paragraphs of a piece on the Russia-Georgia-US mess.

[Taiwan]

Formosa Foundation Responds to Chiu Yi

Over the last few years legislator Chiu Yi of the KMT has been making all sorts of allegations about the Chen family and the DPP and associated organizations, the vast majority of which have turned out to be false (Chiu Yi is described in detail in this great post on Wandering to Tamshui). Chiu Yi routinely gets sued and just as routinely loses (see here the most recent example). As the self-appointed attack dog of the KMT, Chiu Yi has been out and about hacking on Green institutions, one of which is the Formosa Foundation, a foundation dedicated to the advancement of human rights, democracy, and self-determination for Taiwan. He claimed that Chen Shui-bian had laundered money through the foundation. This morning Terri Giles, the Executive Director, was kind enough to provide me with the Foundation's response:

++++++++++

Political Lies Masquerading as Truth
Convicted Slanderer Chiu Yi is Back in Business

It seems the muckraking tradition is alive and well in Taiwan. Taiwan legislator Chiu Yi of the KMT recently held a press conference in Taiwan where he wrongly accused the Formosa Foundation and its honorary chairman Li Pei Wu of being involved in alleged money laundering of which former president Chen Shui-bian and his family have been accused. This claim is completely untrue and an absolute fabrication by Chiu.

In a desperate act to vilify the Formosa Foundation, and the important work that the organization has done promoting Taiwan's democracy, Chui has created a false controversy. It is a matter of public record that this legislator has previously been sued for, and found guilty of, slander. In fact, Chiu has served jail time as a result of his slanderous comments and has a history of making unfounded allegations smearing innocent people and organizations. Now he has targeted the Formosa Foundation for his unfounded and outrageous allegations in an effort to promote his political agenda while we are forced to defend our reputation from these baseless attacks. Chiu's behavior should be unacceptable to all Taiwanese and Americans.

We urge Chinese - language and English - language media to check facts before reporting any of Chiu's allegations as truth. The Formosa Foundation, a Los Angeles based non-profit organization, has spent years working to educate the American public about the importance of supporting Taiwan's democracy. The organization has a hard won and well deserved reputation as an honest and effective advocate. Each year the Formosa Foundation trains students to become activists for democracy.

The Foundation has made a tremendous difference in the way Congress and the American public view Taiwan and should be supported rather than the victim of vicious lies.

Democracy, the old American saying goes, is a contact sport. You expect vigorous give-and-take, and you allow for a certain amount of rhetorical spin. But blatant lies and smears are an attempt to undermine democracy. No one should tolerate politics based on fabricating allegations with complete disregard for the truth. The Formosa Foundation demands that Chiu halt his slanderous comments and call upon the media to act responsibly in publishing such falsehoods.

Terri Giles, Executive Director
Formosa Foundation

Based in Los Angeles, CA, the Formosa Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting greater understanding of the relationship between Taiwan and the United States, and preserving and enhancing democracy, human rights and freedom for the people of Taiwan.

++++++++++++++

The Formosa Foundation is a important non-profit organization that has done great work on behalf of Taiwan. If you have a few spare pennies drop them in their donations box....

[Taiwan]

News Shorts

Quote of the day from an overseas Taiwanese friend, on turnout at a pro-Taiwan demonstration in the US: I told my mother today, "Well if Taiwan was invaded you'd see as many Taiwanese out today." She shot back, "Taiwan is already invaded, fool!"

Well, Obama has picked Biden. An interesting choice, an Establishment senator from working class roots. Xiangwei has collected a bunch of news articles from the Chinese press on Biden in China. Biden favors "engagement" with China, whatever that means. He also appears to think positively about Taiwan. UPDATE: Nope, I'm totally wrong. Biden appears to be useless on Taiwan. See comments below + some other stuff I hope to have up soon.

I was contemplating this e-government survey that puts Taiwan at number 2 in the world. Better than any medal at the Olympics. Taiwan has also seen $60 million in investment in the new software park down south, but everyone here is crying over the baseball team, which will do nothing to better the people's lives. Get some perspective folks, and cry over things that matter, like jobs, foreign policy, and the environment.

Ma has once again called on the US to speed up the arms approval.

The Chen Affair continues. First, former First lady Wu says the money wired overseas came from election funds, which would make it legal. How dumb is it to wire money overseas when every policeman and prosecutor in the nation is watching you, and when Taiwan is a member of an anti-money laundering group? The Chens found three witnesses to say that First lady Wu managed the campaign funds. A former cabinet member is also questioned in connection with the funds. A KMT legislator goes down on bribery charges, prosectors seek a 10 year term. KMT attack dog Chiu Yi, who has been flinging accusations right and left, got sued by Taishin Bank for repeatedly alleging that it had paid off President Chen. Suing Chiu Yi is a bit like whipping a sadist; it just excites him. He sued back, the papers reported the other day. The Ministry of Justice said that the findings in the Chen probe will be back in one week. Prosecutors have been looking at Chen since '06. Can anyone explain why they didn't find $21 million just lying around in Chen's accounts?

The Humane Society has an interview with one of the people behind the recent decision of the National Palace Museum to take Shark's Fin soup off the menu. It would be great if Chinese would give up the habit of eating this soup, which has no real nutritional benefit and does great harm to the environment.

The Daily Yomiuri reports on the proposal to build a bridge between Jinmen and China.

Finally, everyone has heard that GDP growth is expected to slow to 4.3% this year (Ma save us!). Conventional wisdom is that the slowdown is due to the problems overseas, but in fact Kathrin Hille of the Financial Times reports that it is actually weakening domestic demand that slammed the economy first:

In the three months to June 30, Taiwan’s gross domestic product increased 4.32 per cent over the same period last year, down from 6.25 per cent growth in the first quarter, the cabinet’s statistics agency said.

The numbers mean that the government of President Ma Ying-jeou is set to miss even its revised growth target. He won the elections in March on a pledge to help the economy grow by 6 per cent. The government later said that in the face of the global slowdown, it would seek to achieve 5 per cent.

“Domestic demand was weak and came in far below expectations, and [only] strong demand from emerging markets helped to still achieve decent growth,” the statistics agency said.

Ma has saved us from 6.25% growth! We're so lucky to have him in charge! The government is pinning its hopes on tourism and infrastructure to boost the numbers next year, according to Hille:

The cabinet had hoped demand would strengthen following a deal with China under which its citizens can visit Taiwan as tourists. But the situation has failed to improve as the local stock market has shed gains, inflation has increased public worries, and the expected tourists have failed to appear.

But officials hope more tourists will arrive next year and, along with the effects of an infrastructure spending programme, will give a boost to confidence.

However, analysts quoted therein observe that government growth forecasts are too optimistic, and slumping external demand, following on the heels of slumping domestic demand, will hit the economy again. All the Asian economies are taking a beating at the moment, so clearly it isn't Ma's fault. The real test will be how the Ma Administration responds to this mess. At present I don't think inflationary spending on infrastructure projects is the way out....

[Taiwan]

Foreigner Victimized by Gun toting tough in Taichung

First, the letter in its entirety, printed up in the Taipei Times.

+++++++++++++++

While the Taiwanese judicial system is busy prosecuting the Chen family, justice as a lived reality on the streets of Taichung took a sad and predictable turn this week.

A foreigner, fired upon with a BB gun, accosted the assailant, who then shot him seven times, including three times in the face. The victim used the assailant’s gun case as protection and then, when close enough, hit the shooter with the case.

The assailant ran to his parked SUV, produced a 9mm hand pistol and pointed it at the victim. After questioning the authenticity of the weapon, the assailant pulled out the clip to prove that it was real, whereupon the victim grabbed the clip and threw it into the canal.

The angered assailant then threatened to shoot the foreigner with the remaining bullet. A nearby sausage vendor with a clear view of the incident refused to help or intervene.

When the police arrived, they did not carry out a full forensic search of the assailant’s vehicle and they passed around evidence without gloves, even permitting the assailant to handle it at times. They did not question the assailant’s girlfriend or the sausage vendor.

The foreigner did not have his statement taken for more than six hours. In the meantime, the assailant gave a statement and was allowed to fall asleep two tables away from the pistol and single bullet, lying unsecured.

Later in the morning, the assailant sued the victim for damage to his property (the illegal clip of ammunition) and insulting behavior.

The foreigner was asked to sign an admission that he was an active criminal involved in an assault. This was part of a form that would allow him to press charges against the assailant.

Paradoxically, the prosecutor for the case was more sympathetic than the legal counsel, who mainly acted as a translator in the courtroom.

In court, a judge repeated the charges. Despite a sense that a threat on his life was not being taken seriously, the foreigner chose to defend himself and argued his case well enough to be cleared of all charges.

The judge ordered the assailant to give the victim compensation, to be agreed by negotiation, but then — unbelievably — the legal counsel wanted to give the victim’s phone number to the assailant so that he could discuss compensation directly.

As a result of being shot on a quiet night in the center of Taichung, this foreigner also lost his job when his school’s administrators, supposedly fearful of gang-related retaliation, canceled his work permit. He may now have to leave Taiwan.

With Taichung again rated as Taiwan’s most crime-ridden city, its mayor’s pride in his accomplishments and his description of it as retaining “friendliness and warm-heartedness” seem out of sync and prematurely self-congratulatory.

We need to look beyond these rhetorical flourishes and diversionary sound bites and hold leaders to account for the grimy reality they tolerate, not the one that their spin would have us believe.

BEN GOREN

+++++++++++++

I happened to have coffee with Ben yesterday at the Early Bird diner, a great place for American breakfast all day long, where you can always find foreigners hanging out. He told me that the foreigner in question, W., had been standing with a group of foreigners when the tough guy began sniping at them with a BB gun. Apparently he was drinking with his friends. UPDATED: Not in a vehicle as I originally heard. Not certain it was a Glock.

Ordinarily one might wonder what had started this behavior, but frankly it makes no sense that if they had somehow provoked him, he gets out a BB gun and starts shooting at them at long range. Provocation calls for an up-close-and-personal response. I think this is simply another case of one of Taiwan's darker sides: abuse of foreigners. As another friend of mine pointed out, in a western country, had someone stopped to abuse a group of foreigners with a weapon, it would immediately have been classed as a hate crime.

W. then ran up to the guy, getting shot repeatedly in the face and bleeding profusely, as face wounds will, and grabbed the case from the BB gun and started to bash the guy with it. Being a real tough guy, he turned tail, ran back to the car, and grabbed a 9mm. As he waved it in W.'s face, W. shouted "Is it real?" in his limited Chinese. Seeking to prove it, and evidently not very bright, the tough guy ejected the clip and showed it to W., whereupon W. snatched from his hand and flung it in a nearby canal. There was, however, one round left in the chamber. The police refused to search for the clip, Ben told me, when they couldn't "prove" the 9 mm was a real gun.

Taichung has a terrible reputation for crime. Something needs to be done.

UPDATE: I should add that if something like this happens to you, leave. These people are violent, completely without scruple, and revenge-driven. There's no way you can win. They can easily get your address and other personal information from the police and pay you a visit. Unless your life is at stake, retreat should be mandated. Confrontations will only end, as in this case, with you as a victim.

[Taiwan]

Critter Pics

Haven't posted some critter pics in a long time. Although I frequently hike on the trails around my house, it seems that there are fewer and fewer critters about to take photos of. I think the trails simply host too many hikers now, and the bugs have moved elsewhere. But when I went out yesterday I had good luck with critters...like this lovely ladybug, for example. [click on any photo to be taken to its Flickr page.]

Too far away to get a good shot, but a dragonfly is always a good pic.

The recent rains have trashed the path in several places, forcing detours through the bamboo farms on the hillside.

Who knows what weevil works in the shards of fen?

The trail was absolutely lined with the webs of gigantic golden orb spiders. Never have I seen so many.

Mimicry always delights. Here is a beetle in Dead Leaf Camo hiding under a leaf.

This tiny fellow took time out from web building to pose for me.

Of course I shot a large spider. Goes without saying. This one was only of middling size, not quite as big as my palm.

On weekdays most of the hikers appear to be retirees.

When I took his picture, I assumed it was one of those caterpillars one sees hanging down from trees all the time. I thought myself fortunate to get such a clear picture of him, moving rapidly in low light conditions. Only later did I fully realize my luck: it was a master of mimicry: a spider disguised as a stick, right down to the spots on its joints echoing the knobs on a branch. No wonder I've never spotted his kind before.

Local lychee farms tend to have their own apiaries, and they sell honey right from the honeybees along the roadside.

The safety rules on Trail 8 recommend that if you encounter a toxic snake, suck the venom out. Isn't that the wrong thing to do?

Nothing like a stunning dragonfly to crown a morning hike through the woods.

[Taiwan]

Defense Cuts

Remember Ma Ying-jeou's promise to raise defense spending to 3% of GDP? Well, it's hanging in the air...

The Executive Yuan approved the 2009 budget statement yesterday, with the budget for national defense the only one to suffer cuts.

The brief version of the budget statement said national defense spending would be NT$10.4 billion (US$331 million) lower than the amount earmarked for this year.

“This is because we are still negotiating the arms procurement deal [with the US],” Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) Minister Shih Su-mei (石素梅) said without elaborating.

Shih would not say whether she was referring to the US$11 billion arms package or a plan to purchase 66 F 16C/D fighters at an estimated cost of US$5 billion.

“We write the budget to reflect reality, but for confidentiality reasons I cannot provide details,” she said.

The debate is about more than the weapons procurement. The always reliable Wendell Minnick reported in Defense News the other day on the debate over whether Taiwan should have offensive weapons that is ongoing within the Ma Administration:

The principal debate is over the so-called offshore engagement strategy that would take the fight to the enemy. It would employ limited offensive missions, including F-16 airstrikes, against China during an invasion and would develop offensive missile systems like the Hsiung Feng 2E cruise missile and short-to-medium-range ballistic missiles.

During the recent election, Ma Ying-jeou, now president, promised “no unification, no independence and no use of force.” “No use of force” is interpreted as no offensive operations against mainland China. In line with Ma’s “Hard ROC” defense policy, the new defense strategy is expected to emphasize surviving a sudden attack by improving air defenses, strengthening bunkers and aircraft shelters, improving firewalls for command-and-control hubs, and upgrading land warfare rapid response capabilities.

But the debate is ongoing, and the Ma administration is not expected to make a public announcement until February, when the Quadrennial Defense Review is released.

“Now we are in a period of debate and inspiration, especially in the next two months,” one Taiwan defense specialist here said. “How the ‘Hard ROC’ concept would be ‘authoritatively’ translated into programs, budgets, force structures and investments remain to be seen.”

Ma has promised a defense budget increase of 3 percent of gross domestic product. The administration has been pushing Washington to release arms notifications to Congress for the sale of $11 billion in U.S. weapons to Taiwan — eight submarines, 30 AH-64D Apache attack and 60 UH60 Black Hawk utility helicopters, and six Patriot Advanced Capability-3 air defense missile batteries.

However, Ma might reject subs and sub-launched Harpoon missiles in line with new strategies. The proposed design phase for the sub program is estimated at $360 million, and those funds could go into other defense projects that would produce more immediate results.

Su Chi, new secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC) here, has publicly opposed the procurement of subs. In a January 2006 opinion piece on soft power and defense published in the Chinese-language United Daily News, Su said the submarine delivery would take 10 years and the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Buying Goodwill? There are fears China could attack should the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) retake the presidency in 2012.

The real motivation for the new strategy, according to Michael Pillsbury, a Pentagon consultant on China’s military, is to placate China in the hopes of getting concessions.

Hard ROC? Or is it that Ma Ying-jeou simply can't bear to hurt Zion, the source of all that is good in the world, China. You make the call... but in warfare, it is difficult to win if you can't carry the fight to the enemy. It may be that the Ma Administration is cutting the defense budget to put pressure on the US -- or because they want to use US recalcitrance as an excuse to cut the defense budget. Ma needs the $$ for his ambitious economic stimulus programs he needs to buy local support for the next election....

I'm curious to see whether the Give up Taiwan! crowd in the US is going to bash the Ma Administration for going back on its defense promises. Note the stunning silence from that crowd since everyone realized that the Bush Administration has had an arms freeze on during most of the period they were bashing Taiwan for not defending itself. Doubt we'll get any explanations, acknowledgments, or apologies.

On the plus side, as far as the US is concerned, the Dem platform put in some positive language about Taiwan, including a reference to the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the wishes of the people of Taiwan. Very promising! The first draft did not contain such language and Taiwan's people in the US apparently lobbied hard to get it in. One of the key Obama advisors on Taiwan is Richard Bush, longtime Taiwan specialist for the US government and former AIT head.

Finally, gratis, this arms package timeline someone involved Taiwan issues in the US emailed me:

++++++++++++

List of weapons & systems:

- AH-64D Apache attack helicopters
- Patriot PAC-3 fire units plus PAC-3 missiles
- UH-60 utility helicopters
- Javelin anti-armor missiles
- Submarine-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles
- E-2T Hawkeye upgrade
- Spare parts package
- Submarine design

There's also the issue of F-16C/D fighters that are awaiting release of P&A data.

[these dates are approximate]

1972. Release of two Guppy submarines. Initial requests, first submitted in 1969, refused.

1979. End of US-ROC Mutual Defense Treaty. Temporary freeze on release of US defense systems.

1982. First US-Taiwan Arms Sales Talks. Face-to-face discussions between Taiwan MND and USG, with first meeting being when MND brings over list of requested military hardware and then second meeting three-four months later to hear decision. Reason for face-to-face discussions is to make sure Taiwan's requests don't get blown off.

Same year was US-China arms sales communique. Implementation of the "bucket," which was the system used to determine value of arms sales to ensure amount was less and less each year.

1984/85. First Taiwan requests for Patriot, F-16s, Harpoons, etc in arms sales talks forum. Refusals leads to start of indigenous programs -Tienkung, IDF, PFG-2, etc, all with US industry assistance.

Sept 1992. Approval of F-16 A/B MLU. US position was that aircraft would have only air/air capability (ie., presumption of denial of air-ground munitions with exception of dumb bombs). Approval was outside normal arms sales talks channels.

1993. Approval of Patriot PAC-2

1994. First request for new submarines. Refused each year in arms sales talks until 2001.

1995-1996. Chinese missile tests. Start of Taiwan interest in missile defense (PAC-3, Aegis, early warning radar, and satellite early warning)

1997. Deployment or delivery of F-16s, Patriot, IDF, PFG-2.

Approval of release of air-launched Harpoons. Big deal since it marked shift in US F-16 policy (gave them air-surface capability).

Dec 97. Start of annual "Monterey Talks" - new forum for strategic military dialogue with focus on non-hardware issues.

1998. Softening of USG position regarding submarines. First request for missile defense long range early warning radar. Maverick missiles approved. Start of major debates on Taiwan missile defense - Chinese threats of war if Taiwan gets PAC-3, Aegis, and other missile defense systems.

1999. Missile defense assessment; and release of TMD Report to Congress. Approval of Link-16, AMRAAM, and long range radar in arms sales talks.

2000. Two naval assessments completed. US military validation of requirement for submarines, Aegis, and other systems. Recommendation to procure Kidds as intermediate step to Aegis. "Bucket" dropped.

December 2000 pre-arms sales talks request list of more than 20 items. Includes submarines, P-3s, Aegis, Apaches, minesweeping helis, HARM, JDAM, AAV-7s, sub-launched Harpoons, and briefing on PAC-3.

April 2001. Approval of subs, minesweeping helis, AAV-7s, sub-launched Harpoons, P-3s, and also full release of PAC-3 (only briefing requested - not release of missile). Aegis decision deferred - but, in effect was a "soft approval." Subs intended to be a domestic Taiwan program with US industrial assistance. Apache release decision deferred until Army assessment. HARM/JDAM turned down.

In addition, USG cancellation of annual arms sales talks. In its place, Taiwan would submit letters of request for new systems. Taiwan side worried that requests would not be taken seriously if no face-to-face meetings involved. Assurances given that requests would be answered in writing within 60 days.

Sept 2001. Army ground force assessment. Recommendation to release Apaches that were deferred earlier.

2001. First Taiwan negative GDP growth in history. Request for loans with low interest rates for arms procurement. Turned down.

2002. First LORs submitted under new system for systems previously deferred. Included Apaches and AH-1Zs (competing attack helis, Aegis, etc). In late 2002, cost estimate for subs - $11.7 billion is a shock. Apache LOR approved. Aegis request blown off.

2003. Missile defense talks in Spring - US pressed PAC-3. In June, LOR for PAC-3 submitted. Estimate of $3.4 billion. Kidds approved by LY.

Enactment of National Defense Reorganization Act that was first introduced in 2000 - major turmoil in MND, including shifts in staff functions.

Feb 2003. Start of USG pressure campaign to raise defense budget and accelerate passage of budgets for specific programs, with emphasis on PAC-3 and P-3s.

May 2003. First notification to US of plans for special budget amounting to $15 billion. Includes PAC-3, P-3s, and subs. Budgeting process starts.

2004. Special budget for PAC-3, P-3s, and subs submitted to LY in Summer.
2005. Initial studies on future fighter requirements, including F-16s, F-15s, JSF. Special budget debates continue.

2006. Initial LOR submitted for F-16C/Ds. Not acknowledged (fears of being blown off realized) - US position was that LOR never submitted. P-3s spun off of special budget and submitted to LY in Sept.

Sub program divided into two phases - Phase 1 for design and Phase 2 for construction.

2007. Impasse on special budget resolved. P-3 budget approved by LY. Patriot ground system upgrade budget approved by LY. LOR submitted for utility helicopters. Staffs work to process budgets for PAC-3s and six new ground systems, Apache, and submarine Phase 1.

LOR submitted for UH-60 utility helicopters in wake of UH-1 crash.

Sale of P-3s notified to Congress - LOA signed by December.

2008. Javits Report submitted to Congress by March. Javits report needed before Congressional notifications (CNs) can be sent. With Javits completed, DoD sends paperwork for notifications to State in March.

By April, SecState decision made to hold notifications. No clear DoD opposition to State decision. First indications of a problem.

In May, probable POTUS-level decision to freeze notifications.

In June, first media reporting of problem.

[if notifications on the fighters are sent in Sept, still enough time to process all the paperwork]

+++++++++++++++++++

[Taiwan]

Daily Links, August 21, 2008

What's being collected on the blogs today?

Wild at Heart on Founder Robin Winkler interviewed in the Taipei Times.

US Taiwan Defense Command has a welcome letter from way back when to troops posted to The Beautiful Island.

Holly blogs on where the temple costumes come from.

Ran the Man blogs on Girls of Taiwan in ten easy categories.

The Foreigner has been on a roll lately. Enjoy this abuse of the idiotic belief that Chen Shui-bian had himself shot.

Into quilting? The Dutch Lady in Taiwan shares her experience.

A-gu catalogues the extent of the damage from Chen Shui-bian's monstrous stupidity and corruption. I always thought we'd get one more Ma term anyway, but this pretty much seals it. Maddog looks at the drip drip drip of Taiwan's independence dripping away, concealed by the Chen affair...Richard thinks it might be the end of the line.

TaiwanAirBlog continues its series on the 50th anniversary of the Taiwan Strait Crisis.

Steve Crook on Taiwan's Newest Forests.

Taiwan Photographers is moving to Wordpress.

Mark Forman goes to Nantou.

Kelake looks at the Taiwan and Singapore MOE websites.

Sumptuous photos of Barclay Park in Tainan from Meiguotaiwanren.

MEDIA: An old problem: Taiwan fishing boats fishing illegally in Saipan waters. Taiwanese regulators look into the privatization and merger deals involved state-owned firms during Chen's tenure. Lots of people in the US Techworld think it is bizarre and silly that Taiwan is targeting Microsoft in an anti-trust action for using its monopoly power to force consumers to buy Vista instead of XP (some don't). Apparently everyone forgot to ask the consumers what they wanted. And when the consumers disagree with the Tech Experts, they must be nuts! There's a reason why American firms find it so hard to market in Asia.... Dengue fever is smacking both the north and south, with 13 more cases in Kaohsiung...and don't forget enterovirus as well... Major signal to Japan? Taiwan appoints a KMT heavyweight as ambassador. Teenage pregnancies occurring at younger ages in Taiwan. Taiwan baseball team beaten by Team US: US to medal round, Taiwan home to recriminations. A government survey finds President Ma at 47% popularity, whereas among businessmen it is only 15% (but headline is misleading -- it's actually higher.

[Taiwan]