S
(Pon) interesting. Perhaps this will signal a
change in relations in the
FE/1012 A3/1
Land Commission
A. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
3. FAR EASTERN RELATIONS
CS
5/3
нисого/
m Macan
5 Mar 91
TAIWAN AND MACAO
[1]
Head of Sino-Portuguese land group on Macao appointed Xie Houhe, a deputy department director from the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office under the State Council of China, will become a member of the Chinese delegation of the Sino-Portuguese Joint Liaison Group from 4th March. From then on, he will also head the Chinese delegation of the Sino-Portuguese land group. (Xinhua News Agency, Peking, in English 1449 gmt 3 Mar 91)
[2]
Taiwan protests at killing of fisherman by "communist pirates" (Text) The Cabinet Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued a statement Saturday [2nd March] accusing Peking of allowing pirates to rob and kill Republic of China fishermen in the Taiwan Strait. At 1:00 am on 28th February, a communist Chinese pirate ship attacked a Kaohsiung-based fishing boat near Matsu Island, off the mainland, killing a crewman, Wu Wen-hua, and seriously injuring captain Wu Tung-shun and Ou Teng-ming, a fisherman. The Chinese communist pirates also robbed the crew of their gold jewellery, watches, 4,000 NT dollars and fish catch worth 20,000 NT dollars. MAC said ROC fishermen have repeatedly been preyed upon by armed communist Chinese fishing boats and yet Peking authorities have time and again ignored Taipei's protests.
"The latest shocking incident, in which an ROC fisherman was victimized, shows once more that the Chinese communist authorities do not care about the safety of life and property of ROC fishermen," it added. By allowing its pirate ships to commit robbery and killing on the Taiwan Strait, the statement warned, Peking has certainly severely damaged the feelings between the people on both sides of the strait, MAC said. The Cabinet agency said it will ask the private Foundation for Exchanges Across the Taiwan Strait to forward a written report by the surviving fishermen to Peking authorities. MAC demanded that Peking serret out the criminals and put them to justice, in addition to taking effective steps to prevent similar tragedies from occurring again. (Central News Agency, Taipei, in English 0256 gmt 4 Mar 91)
INDOCHINA
[3]
Phnom Penh forces' operations in Varin district and Battambang During counter-operations launched from 13th to 23rd February in the district of Varin, the Siem Reap- Oddar Meanchey provincial armed forces put out of action 79 soldiers of the three opposition factions, according to a military source which specified that 38 enemy soldiers were
killed, 38 wounded, and three others captured, while 13 enemy hideouts were destroyed. On their side, the authorities of Battambang Province welcomed back to the fold in 1990 and during the first two months of 1991, 32 returnees. (SPK news agency, Phnom Penh, in French 0410 gmt 4 Mar 91)
[4]
VODK says USSR continues arms supplies to Vietnam and Cambodia In its "News commentary" the radio station calling itself the Voice of Democratic Kampuchea (in Cambodian 2330 gmt 3 Mar 91) writes that: "on 20th February, the Soviet Union shipped heavy arms and war materiel to Kompong Som port for the Hanoi authorities to carry on their war of aggression and occupation of Cambodia". Moreover the Soviet Union "has continued to send modern arms, tanks, artillery pieces and war materiel to Cambodia for Vietnam to escalate its war of aggression and racial extermination in Cambodia". However, the radio said, the Vietnamese enemies and their Soviet boss will never
realize their criminal schemes because the international community and particularly the countries in this region will continue pressuring Vietnam to respect and implement the five UN documents for settling the Cambodian problem comprehensively through political means.
SOUTH-EAST ASIA
on
[5]
Bali seminar ASEAN cooperation President Suharto opened a seminar on the theme of ASEAN and the World Economy in Bali on 3rd March. The seminar is sponsored by the New York-based Asian Community and the Jakarta-based Institute of Strategic International Studies, ISIS. Earlier, President Suharto held a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in Bali, at which they agreed to ask their foreign ministers to hold the ASEAN summit, which it would be Singapore's turn to host. Touching on the presence of the ASEAN leaders in Bali, Minister [State Secretary] Murdiono stressed that they are here to attend the seminar and that there would be no informal ASEAN summits or any mini-ASEAN summits in Bali. On Indonesia-Singapore cooperation, Minister Murdiono said the two leaders agreed to expedite their development cooperation on Bintan Island, Riau. (RRI, Jakarta home service 1200 gmt 3 Mar 91)
[AFP (Hong Kong in English 0710 gmt 4 Mar 91) added in a report from Bali that Indonesia and Australia said on 4th March that an Australian-initiated Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group of Pacific-rim nations was moving quickly towards the carly inclusion of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan despite political difficulties. Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said that the group was holding consultations to include the three Chinas at future mectings because of their economic importance. "I think in practical