Sat, Nov 18, 2000 page1

• Impromptu trip to China fails

  GO WEST A group of legislators were in Kinmen to inspect two islets near China when they decided to head directly for Xiamen. The trip turned out to be rougher than they thought

  • STAFF WRITER
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  A group of legislators who were on an inspection tour in Kinmen yesterday made a spur of the moment decision to try to sail directly to China. Only high waves and mechanical problems stopped them from heading to Xiamen in China's Fujian Province.

  Legislators from the Transportation and Communications Committee (交通委員會) and the Sci-Tech and Information Committee (科技及資訊委員會) led by KMT legislators Chen Ching-pao (陳清寶) and Chen Keng-te (陳根德), yesterday afternoon visited Kinmen to inspect local transportation construction.

  

  Legislators wave yesterday afternoon before they tried to sail from Kinmen to Xiamen, China, challenging the government's ban on direct transportation across the Taiwan Strait, in order to promote the "small three links" between Taiwan and China.

  PHOTO: WU CHENG-TING, TAIPEI TIMES

  The legislators were originally scheduled to sail to Tatan (大膽) and Erhtan (二膽), two islets of Kinmen County lying 2km from islands under Chinese control, in order to study the possibility for the development of tourism on the two islets. Before the boat they were using left port, however, members of the group suddenly decided to sail for Xiamen.

  According to the legislators, they were trying to sail for Xiamen directly from Kinmen in order to challenge the government's ban on direct transportation between Taiwan and China.

  Although local officials tried to convince them not to sail to Xiamen because of the high waves yesterday, Chen and the other lawmakers insisted on making the trip. Local officials then asked them to take the coast guard boat, which is bigger and safer. Chen and his colleagues turned down the suggestion and chose to make the trip on the boat they had.

  After 30 minutes, however, the group was forced to turn back to Kinmen because of the high swell and minor mechanical problems. According to local police, even though the lawmakers didn't want to turn back, police would have been forced to stop them once they passed the center line dividing Taiwan's and China's territorial waters.

  According to Chen's assistant, the group wanted to prove that a "happy sailing" (快樂出航) across the Taiwan Strait was possible.

  Meanwhile, Mainland Affairs Council (陸委會) chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) arrived in Kinmen yesterday as well, to inspect the preparation work for the opening of the "small three links" (小三通) -- direct trade, transport and communications links between the Kinmen (金門) and Matsu (馬祖) island groups and China's Fujian Province. Those links are scheduled to be implemented in January.

  According to Tsai, there are still many difficulties to be overcome before the "small three links" can be effectively implemented. The government, however, will try its best to solve all the problems before January, she said.

  "Hopefully, the `small three links' will be opened on time," Tsai said.
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