G.F. 324
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Taiwan/PRC
1.
MAC Vice-Chairman Chiao Jen-ho was designated Secretary-General of the SEF in place of Cheyne Chiu who formally leaves the post on 29 November (CT 15 Oct).
2.
During ARAS-SEF talks in Xiamen in early November an agreement was reached that regulations should be drafted on the entry of ARAS and SEF representatives into Taiwan and to PRC respectively. It was also agreed in principle that arbitration bodies should be set up to deal with fishing disputes in the Taiwan Strait and that certain categories of illegal immigrants should be returned to the mainland. The SEF rejected an ARAS proposal for opening a direct channel for the return of illegal immigrants and also rejected demands for the immediate return of hijackers. Seven hijackings to Taiwan have occurred since April. The Taiwan authorities have put the hijackers on trial, demanding stiff prison sentences.
3.
WWP (17 Nov) quoted a CNA report that Taiwan Interior Minister Wu Po-hsiung had announced that the Executive Yuan had decided in principle that hijackers should be returned to the mainland. According to other reports, the authorities are still considering whether hijackers should be returned after being convicted in a Taiwan court or after serving their sentences on Taiwan. Policy recommendations are to be submitted to Premier
Lien Chan for final decision. A further SEF-ARAS meeting to
discuss the issue is to be held in early December.
4.
A CNS report from Peking (in WWP 16 Nov) reported that the authorities on the mainland had stepped up baggage checks to
prevent hijackings.
5.
Earlier, there was some controversy in Taiwan over a statement by the Foreign Minister in an interview in late September that Taiwan would no longer refer to a "one China policy". A Foreign Ministry official explained that the
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