A powerful series of videos from The National Press Club / January 6th, 2009
January 20, 2009
Massive military police at the protests in Taipei against the Chinese minister Chen Yunlin's visit to Taipei in 2008. Unfortunately many peaceful protesters were roughed up and injured. Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images
"He who controls the past controls the future"
George Orwell from his classic book 1984
All we have to say here is wow! This is pretty powerful stuff. Please see the video link below. The conference is in English and it is in three parts listed at the bottom of the page 01, 02, 03:
The speakers at this conference pretty much detail the complete history of modern Taiwan. Its a powerful education about the true history of Taiwan and what the Taiwanese people have actually gone through. The sad truth today is that 23-million Taiwanese people today do not have a nation-state to call their own and suffer the loss of liberty and true democracy as a result. Rather they are governed by a Chinese Nationalist military government in exile which is also known as the KMT party.
In short, there is nothing Taiwanese about the KMT's fantasy of "The Republic of China" on the island of Formosa (Taiwan). It is a dangerous fiction and an outmoded idea that has no basis on the ground in Taiwan and to the Taiwanese people themselves whatsoever.
In fact, along with the hostile behavior of the Communist Chinese, the Nationalist Chinese (KMT) are a significant cause as well for all the military friction in the Taiwan Straits and the various confusing China policies floating around now internationally. Its not really a question of doubting or not a "One China Policy" but considering the rightful needs of the 23-million Taiwanese as well, per their legal rights under UN international law. A much more accurate international policy would be "One China" and "One Taiwan".
The new KMT (pro-Peoples Republic of China) government in power in Taiwan currently controls the judiciary, legislature and executive branches in Taipei. There is no longer any political plurality in Taiwan whatsoever and most major political opposition leaders are now imprisoned on trumped-up charges and/or held in pre-trial detention. In short its a political witch hunt leaving the state in absolute one party control and the rest in fear.
Democracy is witnessing a very rapid death in Taiwan today. Human rights are now in peril as freedoms diminish. What is worse for the Taiwanese people and also for the overall best interests of the United States is that the new Ma administration is bringing Taiwan closer and closer to becoming yet another province of communist China each and every day! Taiwan holds enormous strategic significance in Asia as it straddles major shipping and oil routes in the Pacific and is a strong counter to any aggression on the part of a hostile PRC in the region for the USA, Japan and their allies.
Overwhelmingly the population of Taiwan is against becoming a part of communist China and this is the root reason why there were hundreds of thousands of people protesting in Taipei last November during the visit there by the PRC representative to sign significant pro-Chinese trade deals that hurt Taiwanese home industries and workers. They risked it all and were often times beaten down by the police and injured. Why did they protest on the streets in such massive numbers? Because they had no other choice!
We need to challenge and examine history very closely and act upon it now before it is too late for the people of Taiwan. This is what this conference here was all about.
Defiantly a worth-while watch for anyone who cares about Taiwan, democracy and human rights and wants to learn more. America can help save Taiwan and bring freedom and democracy to the people of the island of Taiwan who have been denied their freedom and liberty for so long. Now that Obama is the president in the United States, we can only hope that the dawning of this new age of hope and promise also includes Taiwan's right to exist....
