Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DPP, TSU CONDEMN BEIJING FOR PASSING ANTI-SECESSION LAW

ROC Central News Agency

2005-03-14 14:25:34

    Taipei, March 14 (CNA) The legislative caucus of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) condemned Beijing Monday for passing the Anti-Secession Law targeting Taiwan, saying the law is causing irreparable damage to the development of cross-strait relations.

    In a written statement, the DPP caucus condemned the move as severely infringing upon the freedom, dignity and security of the Taiwan people, and urged the Taiwan people to spare no efforts in denouncing it.

    The statement said that the Republic of China is an independent sovereign state belonging to the 23 million people of Taiwan. Any move to change Taiwan's status quo, if not agreed upon by the Taiwan people through a democratic referendum, is unacceptable, it added.

    The Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are two separate political entities, it said, adding that the fact that the ROC government exercises exclusive sovereignty in the Taiwan area should be respected by the PRC and the international community as well.

    The DPP caucus called for the international community to denounce Beijing's Anti-Secession Law, saying that the law authorizes "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan and is poised to escalate cross-strait tension and undermine stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

    The law also goes against the U.N. Charter's aim of safeguarding world peace and runs counter to the universal values of freedom, democracy and human rights, the statement said.

    Meanwhile, members of the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), an ally party of the ruling DPP, have decided to hold a 24-hour hunger strike beginning 4 p.m. Monday to express their vehement opposition to Beijing's passage of the Anti-Secession Law.

    The sit-in -- to be staged by TSU Chairman Su Chin-chiang, ranking TSU officials and major party members -- is also aimed at urging President Chen Shui-bian to immediately initiate a nationwide defensive referendum, TSU legislative party whip Lo Chih-ming said.

    Lo said that the Executive Yuan should designate March 14 as "Taiwan Anti-Aggression Day" to mark the day that China passed a law to try to legitimatize its suppression of Taiwan's sovereignty.

    He added that the government should immediately close all communication channels with China and freeze all exchanges across the Taiwan Strait to prevent Taiwan from "falling into China's trap."

(By Deborah Kuo)

ENDITEM/Li