XNEW PREMIER VISITS
 CHAIRMAN May 2007
YOU….…………….…1

XNEW GOAL SET AT 1.4M

SIGNATURES FOR
 « PARTY ASSESTS
REFERENDUM »..........2

XPERSEVERE AND
TAIWAN’S
INDEPENDENCE WILL

democracy
 BECOME

&
 RECOGNIZED...............3

XUN REFERENDUM
PASSES FIRST
HURDLE.......................4

A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY THE DPP’S

DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
progress
New Premier visits Chairman You
On May 14, the chairman of the Straits Exchange
Foundation, Chang Chun-hsiung, was formally
nominated by President Chen Shui-bian as the
successor for the office of Premier. Following the
announcement, Chang Chun-hsiung straightaway
paid a visit to DPP Party Chairman, You Si-kun to
exchange views and discuss such issues as future
cooperation between the Executive Yuan and the
party caucus.

Chang Chun-hsiung said that his special meeting

with the Chairman had furnished him with invaluable
advice on future coordination and cooperation
between the three areas of party affairs, the party
caucus, and the Executive Yuan. Chairman You said
he hoped Chang Chun-hsiung would make swift
headway in resolving the stalemate over the
New Premier Chang Chun-hsiung shaking hands with government’s budget bill, and do his utmost to
DPP Chairman You Si-kun . advance transitional justice issues.
During the meeting, Chairman You emphasized that, currently, in order to protect their illegally gained assets, the
Kuomintang (KMT) has no qualms about violating the Constitution and breaching the law governing the Central
Election Commission, so stalling the budget bill to the detriment of the whole nation. Once Premier Chang takes
office he will be expected to find a swift resolution to the budget standoff.

Chairman You also pointed out that the KMT had abused the strength of its majority in the legislature to force
through amendments to the Farmers’ Association Law and Fishermen’s Association Law, canceling the three-term
limits for secretary-generals of the associations. The new amendments also mean that, whereas indicted leaders of
these associations were formerly fired from their posts following conviction in their second trials for crimes, they
will now be allowed a third trial. Given that the vast majority of secretary-generals of farmers’ and fishermen’s
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New Premier visits Chairman You

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DEMOCRACY &
associations are KMT loyalists, and that many of them have been involved in
PROGRESS
Department of International corruption, clearly, the amendments constitute a “black money clause” in the
Affairs law. Chairman You urged Chang Chun-hsiung to reopen the debate on these
Democratic Progressive Party questions once he assumes offices.
8F, No. 30, Pei-Ping East Rd.
Taipei, Taiwan
t. 886-2-23929989 ext. 373
f. 886-2-23214527 Chairman You also said that, since coming to power, the DPP has striven for
e-mail: foreign@dpp.org.tw transitional justice, name rectification, and gaining membership in the World
web: http://www.dpp.org.tw
Health Organization and the United Nations under the name “Taiwan.” The
Director party has also pursued the KMT’s illegal party assets and carried out
Winston Dang investigations into who was responsible for the February 28 Incident. The
Editor-in-Chief: Chairman expressed his hope that upon taking office, Chang Chun-hsiung
Michael Fonte would continue the progress already made in these areas. He also stressed that
in the future, the party and the Executive Yuan could establish a platform for
Editor:
Clementine Lee pooling staff and training talented politicians to help lead the country forward.

In response to the media’s questions about his new appointment, Chang Chun-
hsiung emphasized that in nominating Cabinet members, the most important
thing is to select the right person who will exercise their abilities in the right
position, so that wise and intelligent people can make good use of that person’s
skills and knowledge, as they join together in serving Taiwan.

New goal set at 1.4m signatures for

“Party Assets Referendum”
The signature drive for the “Kuomintang’s (KMT) illegally gained Party
Assets Referendum” promoted by the DPP entered its second stage on January
23 of this year. During this stage, the activity has received the enthusiastic
support of the people, who have made their contribution by signing the forms.
A few days ago, 829,000 signatures had been received, making this the first
time that the required threshold of 826,000 signatures in the second stage has
been exceeded.

However, in order to ensure that, when the forms are examined, the number of
repeat signings and incomplete—and thus invalid—forms will not push the
number of signatures below the limit, the party headquarters has decided to set
a goal of 1.4 million signatures. On May 17, the campaign was over 500,000
signatures short. The party headquarters calls on all the people of Taiwan to
help speed up the process and to show their support by participating in the
form-signing, so that, hopefully, by the end of June the signing can be
successfully completed with 1.4 million signatures.

You can add your signature in support of holding the “Party Assets
Referendum” by visiting the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) website at,
www.dpp.org.tw, and clicking on “Party Assets Referendum” to download the
form and pre-paid envelope. Once you have filled in your details, you can send
the form directly to the DPP headquarters. In celebration of Mother’s Day,
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New goal set at 1.4m signatures for “Party Assets Referendum”

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on May 12 and 13, the DPP headquarters held a “Carnations and Referendum Day,” setting up over 200
signing booths across the country to gather signatures. The event garnered much support from the people,
and in mid-June, another large-scale signing event will beheld.

We hope that those people who have not yet signed a form will take part in the June signing. Updates on
the exact location of each signing booth will be announced each week on our website. We sincerely hope
you will give us your voice. It is only with the generous help of the people that we can pursue and
recover the illegally gained assets of the KMT, and rightfully return wealth to the people, so settling the
issue of transitional justice and creating fairness.

Persevere and Taiwan’s independence will become recognized

On the morning of June 19, DPP Chairman You Si-kun received an invitation from the Taiwan New
Century Foundation to attend a celebratory forum entitled, “Policy Suggestions for the New Century,”
held to mark the tenth anniversary of the foundation’s establishment. In his opening speech, Chairman
You stressed that 2008 would be a crucial year for “the confrontation on identity,” the confrontation
between identification with Taiwan and identification with China. If the question of identity can be
substantially resolved, then Taiwan can become a normal country. The people of Taiwan need to remain
resolute in their purpose if the goal of a recognized independent Taiwan is to be realized.

The Chairman also said that while, domestically, all political parties were focused on the presidential and
Legislative Yuan primaries, the DPP continues to pay close attention to the events that affect Taiwan
internationally. For example, regarding the Kyoto dormitory controversy [a legal wrangling between
China and Taiwan over the ownership of a dormitory in Kyoto], the verdict of Japan’s Supreme Court
conforms to the “one China” principle, which states that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is “the
sole legal Government of China.” Apparently, this proves that the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan)
does not exist, and therefore, Taiwan can not receive any compensation. Such issues are constantly
arising and creating difficulties for Taiwan’s interaction with the international community.

Another example is the debate over receiving the Olympic Torch in Taiwan. The DPP’s stance has
always been clear. We would genuinely welcome the torch to Taiwan and we continue to look forward to
watching our national contenders participate in the Games. And yet, with regard to the Olympic Torch
relay route, China has once again suppressed Taiwan and sought to undermine its sovereignty, defining
Taiwan as a local government of the PRC. This is entirely unacceptable to us. Taiwan’s recent setback
following its application for membership in the World Health Organization (WHO) under the name
“Taiwan,” highlights the reality that, in foreign affairs, Taiwan is unable to participate fully in
international organizations. Making applications to such organizations under the name “Taiwan” in the
future is the right, albeit rocky, road to take. The people of Taiwan should take this question seriously
and keep themselves informed of the issues at stake.

Chairman You went on to say that, in international terms, Taiwan is an economic powerhouse and has a
highly competitive edge. In this light, of course Taiwan is a sovereign independent country. The Chinese
leader Hu Jintao’s ongoing opposition to a Taiwan that has “de jure independence” indirectly confirms
Taiwan’s “de facto independence.” In the future, we need to take swifter action and be more persistent in
our efforts toward name rectification, constitutional reform, and applying for entry into the United
Nations (UN) under the name “Taiwan.”

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Persevere and Taiwan’s independence will become recognized

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The Chairman emphasized that 2008 would be a crucial year in resolving the issue of identity. He said that it
will also be a decisive time, in which Taiwan can take either “a big step forward” or “a big step back.”
Domestically, Taiwan currently faces contradictions and there is no consensus on who is “friend” and who is
“foe,” severely hampering political and economic reform. Chairman You emphasized that the future will see a
showdown between the respective streams identifying with Taiwan and China. As long as this question can be
substantially resolved, and the DPP wins the majority of the vote and remains in power, then economic reform
and transitional and social justice can be upheld.

Referring to the idea of a “resolution on making Taiwan a normal country,” Chairman You emphasized that
the DPP will continue to put into practice “democracy, policies of opening up, and the overcoming of factional
politics.” He said that the many different views in all areas of society must be listened to, especially those on
constitutional reform; name rectification; applying for UN membership under the name “Taiwan;” meeting the
requirements of social and transitional justice; and reforming culture and education, amongst others. In this
way, areas in which the government is not making sufficient efforts will be clearly defined, and the views of
society can act as an “inspection, reflection and review” of government activity. This will encourage the public
to develop a concrete understanding of issues, whilst allowing the views of the public to become the party’s
new guiding force for policy.

Finally, the Chairman said that ultimate unification carries the highest price, and maintaining the current status
quo is a “toxic inertia” that causes the ROC to lose all dignity on the international stage. Therefore, while
Taiwan’s path toward accepted independence may be long and arduous, if we maintain our willpower and
continue to persevere when times are hard, we will definitely be able to realize our ultimate goal.

In response to a question from a journalist on the renaming of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall as National
Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall, the Chairman stressed that it has been proven that Chiang Kai-shek was
the culprit behind the February 28 Incident (or 228 Massacre), and therefore, the property of the nation cannot
be used to “commemorate” him. This represents one stage in pursuing transitional justice. However, the KMT
has repeatedly thwarted our work in this area and is unwilling to face up to the truths of history. They are
equally unwilling to reflect on, and examine themselves. Under the leadership of Ma Ying-jeou, the KMT
ruthlessly manipulates the power of the old order, without even thinking to reflect on its behavior. It will thus
not be able to win the trust of the people.

Regarding the controversies in the election primaries, Chairman You said that the candidates should remain
calm and level-headed as an opponent in the primaries could one day be a partner in a general election.
Candidates should work together on expanding the voter base and uniting as one. He added that as long as all
those involved can provide evidence that they have not been involved in wrongful activities; the party
headquarters will ensure any conflicts are resolved.

UN referendum Passes First Hurdle

On May 21, DPP Chairman You Si-kun, together with former Premier Frank Hsieh, DPP Legislative Caucus
Whip Ker Chien-ming, and Secretary-General of Taiwan United Nations Alliance (TAIUNA) Luo Guang-
rong, announced that the first stage of collecting signatures for holding a national referendum on applying for
UN entry under the name “Taiwan” had been completed. A total of 92,000 signatures had been gathered,
surpassing the 85,000 signatures required in the first stage of signature collection.

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UN referendum Passes First Hurdle

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The four also cheered the principle of “Taiwan and China—one border, two countries,” and called on the
whole nation to unite and participate in signing the petition to push for Taiwan’s entry into the UN. Chairman
You emphasized that if the referendum is passed, our collective consensus, as well as the strength of our desire
for normal country status, will be made visible to the whole world.

Chairman You said that becoming a normal country is our goal and ideal for Taiwan. It will also create
wellbeing for Taiwan’s 23 million people. Even though Taiwan is a sovereign independent country, it has been
excluded from the UN, the reason being that the existing Constitution of the ROC (Taiwan) has restricted
Taiwan’s movements.

The Chairman pointed out that in the days when the ROC had a seat in the UN (1945-1971), it represented all
of China. After the UN passed a resolution [Resolution 2758] recognizing “the People’s Republic of China” as
“the sole legal Government of China,” the ROC completely lost its legal position in the UN and its system of
organizations.

Chairman You further stressed that if Taiwan wants to participate in the UN, then it must apply for entry under
the name “Taiwan,” so as to demonstrate the legitimacy of Taiwan’s entry as a sovereign independent country.
Therefore, in pushing for a referendum on applying for UN entry under the name “Taiwan,” the DPP wants the
whole world to witness our longing for normalcy and our determination to achieve our goal.

Former Premier Frank Hsieh said that the energy fuelling the conflicts at home [recognized independence
versus unification], should be directed towards fighting for Taiwan’s dignity and national status abroad. He
also pointed out that when he spoke in favor of accession to the UN under the name “Taiwan” in a debate with
KMT Legislator John Chiang [grandson of Chiang Kai-shek] back in 1991, opinion polls indicated a mere 20
percent of the public supported his stance. Today, however, opinion polls show that over 70 percent support
UN entry under the name “Taiwan,” which is an expression of the people’s hopes for Taiwan’s national status,
and shows that their willpower to normalize their country is growing ever stronger.

Frank Hsieh referred to the fact that the ROC was ostracized from the UN in 1971 and has not been admitted
back to the organization ever since. Moreover, the UN has not passed one resolution on Taiwan during this
time. He stressed that, given the UN principles of democracy and universality, Taiwan clearly qualifies to
apply for UN entry. Even if we are not successful on our first attempt, by applying under the name “Taiwan”
at least we can demonstrate the determination of our nation. With each application that we make, we will be
letting the international community know that “Taiwan” is the name of a country, and that the people of
Taiwan have the willpower to make Taiwan a recognized country.