Taiwan VP says she rejected RI's apology for botched presidential trip

Taiwan VP says she rejected RI's apology for botched presidential trip

Associated Press, Taipei

Vice President Annette Lu said on Monday that Indonesia had
repeatedly apologized in private for a bungled attempt by the
Taiwanese president to visit the Southeast Asian country last
week.

But the outspoken Lu said during a tea party for reporters
that she didn't accept the apology because she wanted to preserve
Taiwan's dignity and wait until Indonesia apologized in a proper
way.

The informal trip was canceled after the details were leaked
to an Indonesian newspaper and China began pressuring Jakarta to
call off the visit, Taiwanese officials have said. China
considers self-ruled Taiwan to be part of its territory and
demands that other countries block visits by Taiwanese leaders.

Lu did not say who in the Indonesian government has
apologized. An official in her office, Jeffrey Chen, declined to
provide more information and directed questions to the Foreign
Ministry.

But Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Chang Siao-yue would not
discuss the reported apologies. "This is an ongoing event. It's
premature for the Foreign Ministry to make any comments at this
time," she said.

The incident turned ugly when Indonesian Foreign Minister
Hassan Wirayuda angered Taiwanese officials by saying that he
never approved the trip and that the Taiwanese president would
never be welcomed in Indonesia. Hassan said that Jakarta has a
"one-China policy" that only formally recognizes the Beijing
government.

Taiwan called the remarks "extremely unfriendly," and Lu told
reporters on Monday that Hassan's comments were criticized within
the Indonesian government.

In Jakarta on Monday, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Marty Natalegawa said the ministry hasn't apologized.

"Our thoughts and policies on this entire episode have been
expressed openly and clearly by the minister of foreign affairs,"
he said.

"That is where it stands and there hasn't been any additional
thoughts expressed on this subject, either privately or
publicly," he added.