Taiwan linked to terrorism

Mr. Derek Hsu`s arguments in The Jakarta Post published Oct. 24, 2001 were far-fetched and overstretched. He wrote that China had been informed in August about the decision to send Mr. Li Yuan Zu -- a former vice president who is also a legal and political expert -- as an envoy to the APEC summit because this year`s agenda at the forum was the issue of cooperation against terrorism. But, the agenda against terrorism only came after the Sept. 11 attack on the United States, not in August.

Ironically, in a report published in Singapore's Straits Times on June 9, 2001, Taiwan President Chen Sui-Bian had tried to appoint an adviser and ex-terrorist Huang Wen-Hsiung to be an ambassador-at-large but had to abort it after harsh criticism from opposition politicians. Huang Wen-Hsiung was previously a member of the U.S.-based World United Formosans for Independence (WUFI), which advocated violence and terrorism to "liberate" Taiwan from Kuo Ming Tang (KMT) rule and make the island independent.

Reportedly Huang Wen-Hsiung, together with another former WUFI member, had tried to assassinate the then vice-premier Chiang Ching-Kuo during his visit to New York in 1970, but such an attempt was foiled by U.S. law enforcers.

Also, in the Singapore The Straits Times of Dec. 18, 2000, Taiwan was reported to be one of 10 rogue nations suspected of developing offensive chemical, biological and nuclear weapons for mass destruction. The Canadian intelligence report even pointed out that Taiwan had so far developed 36 types of bacteria to be used for biological warfare. These reports were denied by Taiwan's Ministry of Defense in The Straits Times published on Dec. 18, 2000.

As Singapore's Senior Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew said, the sooner Taiwan negotiates under the principle of one China, the better deal it will get. Any effort to try to secede from China will destabilize the region and undermine economic growth.

SIA KA-MOU

Jakarta