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GOVERNMENT CRITICIZES BEIJING FOR DISPLAYING ALLEGED TAIWAN SPIES

2004-01-16 19:52:06

    Taipei, Jan. 16 (CNA) It is "inhumane" and "unacceptable" for mainland China to let the media cover Taiwan businessmen arrested for allegedly working as spies for Taiwan, an Executive Yuan spokesman said Friday.

    Lin Chia-lung made the remarks after mainland China arranged for reporters to see two Taiwan businessmen arrested earlier for allegedly collecting information for Taiwan on the mainland.

    The two men who faced the press in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, were identified as Chang Keng-heng and Wang Chang-yung. "Allowing the media to meet the Taiwan businessmen is tantamount to a public trial, " Lin said, adding that "this is a violation of human rights and an inhumane practice, " and is also an attempt by Beijing to influence Taiwan's presidential election. "The government is saddened and regretful" of such a practice, Lin said, adding that it cannot accept the practice, and will "do everything possible to save the Taiwan businessmen."

    He said that the mainland should not use the men as hostages and turn a judicial case into a political affair.

    Judging from the words that were "forced from the mouths" of the Taiwan businessmen, they were "obviously reading scripts choreographed by Beijing" and were not speaking from the bottom of their hearts, Lin claimed. "This shows that Beijing has changed from its past approach of verbal attacks and military intimidation and that it has used another approach to try to intervene in Taiwan's presidential election, hoping to sway the possible direction of Taiwan voters," according to Lin.

    He said that Beijing is not ruled by law and therefore has no concept of a "closed-door probe" or "the protection of the human rights of suspects, " adding that the scene is reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution, when the Chinese Communists persecuted those who refused to toe the party line.

    Lin said that the mainland's approach will only expose its absurdity to the world and will add to the misgivings of the Taiwan people who travel to the mainland for business or tourism, which will not be conducive to cross-strait relations.

    Meanwhile, Vice President Annette Lu said that she does not believe the detained businessmen are spies and expressed the hope that Beijing will follow legal procedure in dealing with the case.

    Tsai Huang-lang, whip of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party of the Legislative Yuan, also said that the high-profile treatment accorded to the men by Beijing is a politically motivated maneuver and an attempt to interfere with the election.

(By Lilian Wu)

ENDITEM/J