mailto: tibet.fax@agora.it

pr.bruxelles@agora.it

To the Tibet.Fax Editor and Transnational Radical Party:

As a member of Tibet supporting society in Taiwanese community, I enjoyed the periodical tibet.fax from Transnational Radical Party a lot. By reading your recent tibet.fax #74 today, I found your comment on Taiwan issue very uncomfortable to Taiwanese people, especially to those who also advocate the cause for a free Tibet.

In your statement (see attached file), you wrote that "It must not be forgotten that the only true territorial problem for the Chinese remains Taiwan." I have to point out that this is the position of Chinese government, be it Chinese communist or Chinese nationalist, but NEVER accepted by Taiwanese people. To Taiwanese people, the Chinese Nationalist government on Taiwan (Kuomingtang) represents a colonial regime, like its previous colonial ruler Japan.

To Taiwanese people, Taiwan is NOT part of the Chinese civil war. They were dragged into it because of the post World War II U.S.-Europe power arrangement, when Taiwan was designated to be administrated by Chiang Kai-Shek troops, in a similar way as Berlin was administered by troops from U.S., British, France and former USSR. This arrangement has never consulted with Taiwanese people, who were under Japanese government at that time, nor is it aware of the independence movement advocated by left wing Taiwanese resistance, notably Taiwanese Communist Party (TCP), at that time. It is no surprise that two years after Chiang Kai-Shek's army set foot in Taiwan, there happened an island-wide uprising against Chinese Nationalist administration by social forces covering political spectrum from left to right, as historically called "228 uprising" in

Feburary 28, 1947. While right winger contended for a lesser goal (autonomy), the left wing lead by Taiwanese Communist Party, openly calls for Taiwan Independence and organized arm struggle.

This "228 uprising" met with severe brutal suppression from Chinese Nationalist Party, 100,000 people were murdered in less than 14 days. This island wide uprising also was met with international ignorance in a similar situtation like East Timor in 1975.

When KMT (Chinese Nationalist Party) was defeated by Communist Party in China, Chiang Kai-Shek decided to retreat to Taiwan. Because of previous brutal suppression in 1947, Chiang Kai-Shek's army landed with little or no resistance. The crystalization of cold war also helps to sustain Chinese Nationalist refugee government in Taiwan with the help of United States, who needs an anti-communist entity in its global power struggle against former USSR. However, Taiwanese people didn't just give up and the resistance carries on, be it in the open (local election) or underground. The Taiwan Independence movement has grown stronger than ever despite the Chinese Nationalist Party's constant severe suppression. It has motivated the establishment of Democratic Progress Party (DPP) and a crucial factor for the democracy foundation in Taiwan.

Taiwan Independence Movement today is a cross ethnic movement, as can be seen when it started to receive support from the Chinese people and their decendants who came along with Chinese Nationalist Government in 1949, and also from the various Taiwan indigenous peoples. For Taiwanese people, "the realization of democracy" is to achieve an independent statehood by Taiwanese people. Both Chinese government, Nationalist and Communist Party, all agrees that Taiwan is a part of China. The only difference is that Communist Party wants a "One Country, Two System" to unify Taiwan with China in a not too distant future, but Nationalist Party wants "One Country, One System" , a system they regard current Communist China not yet qualify. Taiwanese people strongly disagree with both. For Taiwanese people, there is only One Taiwan, One China and Taiwan is in no way a part of China!

The whole Taiwan drama was seen all too much (or dominated) from the Chinese glasses by our international audience. The voice of Taiwanese people in their say about the future of Taiwan has been systematically ignored, or even suppressed. Taiwanese people has never been consulted in various arrangement regarding the future of Taiwan, from Sino-Japanese war, World War II, cold war and to post cold-war period. It is important for the progressives to perceive Taiwan issue as an issue of the life and future of Taiwanese people, not as an issue of the disagreement between different Chinese governments.

Taiwan issue is NOT a Chinese civil war legacy, thus, it is NOT "the true territorial problem for the Chinese..." as put it in your statement. Japan didn't give Taiwan away to China in its 1951 San Fransico peace treaty, it simply renounced its ownership in Taiwan. Chinese Nationalist Party came to Taiwan to exercise its duty as administrative unit, like the Alliance governing Berlin. Communist party didn't even set a foot in Taiwan like its occupation in Tibet. There is no "true Chinese territory" problem in Taiwan issue here, Taiwan belongs to the people in Taiwan and nobody else.

What the international society can do, especially from the progressive, to the Taiwan issue is to help the realization of independent statehood by Taiwanese people, the democracy crystalization in Taiwan, by recognizing it, giving its necessary international support and deter any provactive move by both Chinese government, be it the Communist when it resorts to use force, or Nationalist regime when it chooses to deny it. Taiwan issue is the issue of democracy and human right of Taiwanese people, and an integrate part of Asian people's struggle for freedom from colonialization and dictatorship.

sincerely

I Chung Lai

former spokesperson of Taiwanese Collegian (TC)

current chairman of student affairs WUFI-USA (World United Formosans for Independence)