The US expects Taiwan to adopt a “transparent, fair and impartial” approach in the corruption proceedings against former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), American Institute in Taiwan Director Stephen Young said yesterday.
“We believe it needs to be transparent, fair and impartial,” Young said at his biannual media briefing in Taipei.
“Considering that it is conducted in that manner, it can then strengthen the confidence both here and around the world in your democracy,” he said.
“The only thing I would say is that not only Taiwan, but your friends around the world will be watching this process very closely,” Young said.
Young said he had confidence in Taiwan’s democracy, but urged for more dialogue between the government and the opposition.
He also said that Taiwan-US relations would remain “strong and enduring” under the leadership of US president-elect Barack Obama.
In related news, the foreign affairs spokesmen of the ruling and opposition parties in the Netherlands on Tuesday expressed concern to Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen during a session of the Dutch parliament about the spate of detentions in Taiwan.
Maarten Haverkamp of the ruling Christian Democrat Party and Hans van Baalen of the opposition People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy asked the foreign minister if he was aware that “Chen and a number of politicians of the DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] have been arrested on suspicion of abuse of power while in power.”
Their prepared list of questions also asked Verhagen whether he planned to brief parliament on events in Taiwan so that its members could gain a better understanding of the situation.
They also asked the foreign minister whether he was prepared to use all available channels to “urge the present administration led by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to apply the basic principles of the rule of law in a democracy when prosecuting those who on juridical grounds are suspected of abuse of their position while in power.”
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
Taiwan yesterday advanced to the gold medal match of the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time in history, despite last night losing 9-6 to Japan. Taiwan advanced after the US defeated Venezuela in the first game on the last day of the Super Round. However, the US had no chance of advancing to the championship game unless it defeated Venezuela by at least nine points. The US won 6-5. As a result, the two teams — who both had one win and two losses in the Super Round — are to face off again in the
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said she would tender her resignation following criticism of her handling of alleged bullying by Ministry of Labor Workforce Development Agency branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) resulting in the death of an employee. The ministry yesterday gave Hsieh two demerits and said she is subject to review by the Disciplinary Court. The severest possible punishment would be her removal from office and being barred from government jobs indefinitely. Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) also received a major demerit and was transferred to another position. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) issued a formal apology
FREEDOM CURTAILED: The conviction of 45 democracy advocates proves the ‘unworkability’ of Beijing’s ‘one country, two systems’ model, the Presidential Office said Taiwan yesterday condemned China over the jailing of 45 Hong Kong activists, saying “democracy is not a crime.” The government “strongly condemned the Chinese government’s use of judicial measures and unfair procedures to suppress the political participation and freedom of speech of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. International condemnation of the jailings has been swift, with the US, Australia and rights groups slamming the sentencing as evidence of the erosion of political freedoms in the territory since Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020. Yesterday’s sentencing “not only breaks the promises of ‘50
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