TNAG-1868-FCO40-2656-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Taiwan-1989 — Page 65

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REPORT

TAIWAN NO 4

TAIWAN: 1-30 APRIL

SUMMARY

APRIL 1989

Mr Wood Twish

W 18/5

Taiwan continues to improve its international standing. Despite some loss of face it has agreed to attend international events in China, and has almost managed to turn the tables on Peking by linking this concession to its policy of flexible diplomacy which is reaping considerable dividends. Taiwan is pleased with the progress in the relations with Britain (para 8). Further steps have been taken in contacts with Communist countries. Taiwan floated the idea of 'one country, two governments' which was predictably irritating to, and rejected by, Peking.

Internal Developments

2.

On 7 April Cheng Nan-jung, the publisher of Freedom Era Weekly, learned that the police were coming to arrest him on treason charges for having published a new draft constitution of Taiwan. He committed suicide by setting himself alight with fire bombs rather than fall into their hands. Cheng's horrifying gesture embarrassed the ruling Kuomintang but did not win a great deal of support for his cause.

3.

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) finally swallowed its pride and registered as a political party under the government's new legislation on 29 April. Otherwise there was not much comfort for the opposition. Ju Gao-jeng, a DPP member of the Legislative Yuan, was finally tried and sentenced (to eighteen months imprisonment, suspended for four years) for his role in a demonstration on 29 March 1988. Overseas, the Formosan Association for Political Affairs, split apart after its Chairman, and more moderate leader, Peng Ming-min was ousted by a more extreme pro-independence group.

4. The ruling Kuomintang announced that it was still keen to get many of the elderly legislators and other elected officials to retire in order to improve its image for the elections in December. It hopes that 70 will go from the Legislative Yuan, 100 from the National Assembly, and 10 from the Control Yuan. The actual number of resignations so far is 1, 11 and 2 respectively. Natural causes seen still to have a better chance of making a significant impact. 22 National Assemblymen have died this year. Another method may be through impeachment. The Secretary-General of the Control Yuan is to be impeached following his loss of key documents relating to a Taipower case that was under investigation. Taipower has recently attracted considerable anger through its decision to go ahead with a fourth nuclear power plant. 2,000 people demonstrated against it on 24 April.

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