The Taiwan Hand-in-Hand Alliance organized a street demonstration outside the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday to demand that the US respect any decision to abolish the National Unification Council (NUC) and unification guidelines, as it reflects mainstream public opinion in Taiwan.
Alliance leader Ng Chiau-tong (
The group chanted "Taiwan and China, one state on either side," "abolish the NUC, protect Taiwan" and "respect mainstream public opinion" as they marched.
Ng said the activity was not a protest, but an action aimed at informing the US of the will of the people of Taiwan.
"The people of Taiwan rejected and detest China's `Anti-Secession' Law. But the National Unification Guidelines indicate in black and white that Taiwan is a part of China, which is unfair to Taiwan and we worry that they are an excuse for China to attack Taiwan," Ng said.
"We believe that it is imperative that the NUC and the unification guidelines be rescinded," he said.
National Policy Adviser Huang Hua (
"For the sake of Taiwan's security, I urge everyone in Taiwan to support President Chen's proposal," Huang said.
The alliance tried to deliver two letters -- one to US President George W. Bush and the other a statement to the US government and its people -- to AIT.
AIT officials, however, did not send a representative out to receive the letters, so a policeman from the Daan Police Precinct accepted the letters on the AIT's behalf.
Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (
The BCC quoted an unnamed US official as saying the envoy was Dennis Wilder, the National Security Council's acting senior director for Asian affairs.
Wilder was accompanied by Taiwan's representative to Washington, David Lee (
Huang was questioned about the report by People First Party Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) at the legislature yesterday. "Because of diplomatic conventions, I can't divulge anything about the communication processes with the US," Huang said.
A source in Washington late last night confirmed to the Taipei Times that David Lee returned to Taiwan last week with a high-ranking US official.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan and Ko Shu-ling
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