One can no doubt read about the basis of his suit in a number of places. SCMP is but one of them.
As one analysis from Taiwan pointed out the obvious,
What President Chen wants is to create a smokescreen under which he can get out of Tucheng, where he has been held since December 30 last year.
In another story,
Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party, said: "The DPP demands that the ex-president is swiftly released so that he is able to defend himself freely."
I met Ms. Tsai in 2001 as a member of the Committee of 100 delegation. At the time, she was a member of Chen's cabinet in charge of the cross straits relations. Chen was still in his "four no's and one don't have" mode and his true colors about Taiwan and China were still well hidden from view.
Educated in the U.S. and U.K., Tsai came across as a highly intelligent woman, all the more puzzling to us then as to why she was so thickheaded over any interest in warming the relations with the mainland, which ostensibly was her portfolio.
In retrospect, of course, it was obvious that she was following her boss' orders. But today she is the head of DPP and Chen has been drummed out of the party upon his conviction. Tsai has ample justification to distant herself and her party from Chen and thus disavow any connection to the corrupt practices of Chen's regime.
Why Tsai would continue to come to Chen's defense is open to speculation. A PhD recipient from London School of Economics, she surely has to appreciate the economic basket case that Taiwan became because of Chen's malfeasance. Surely it could not be admiration as cause of her continued loyalty.
Is it her desire not to offend the small group of Chen's adherents who continue to protest his innocence? Is it, heavens forbid, some linkage from Chen's hidden millions and to possible future financing of DPP activities? Perhaps time will tell us.
Chen desperately wanted to be out of jail. In order to help his own defense, he claimed. But while in jail, he had done all he can to impede his own attorney preparation of his defense. Realizing that he had no legitimate defense, it seemed his gambit then was to be as theatrically ludicrous as possible. Filing a lawsuit against the United States is his latest attempt along these lines.
In the meantime, prosecution is continuing to press new charges on Chen. This circus is not going to fold its big tent for years to come.
4 comments:
Let's see, the man who supposedly dedicated his career to the independence of Taiwan now claims his beloved island is actually part of US just to save his butt from prison.
I think it’s time for someone to discover Chen’s comedic talent. Perhaps he can star in a mockumentary, kind of like Prison Break meets Coyote and Road Runner meets The Office. A self proclaimed super genius who repeatedly fails to break out of prison, yet continues to try valiantly. I smell a hit!
SC said:Let's see, the man who supposedly dedicated his career to the independence of Taiwan now claims his beloved island is actually part of US just to save his butt from prison.
Excuse me, but where did you get the idea that "occupied territory" becomes part of the country of the principal occupying power??
Did Iraq become part of the US when it was under US military occupation? Did Iwo Jima become part of the US when it was under US military occupation??
So many people criticize Mr. Chen's lawsuit, when in fact they are not really able to understand what he is saying.
Significantly, the international community does not recognize that the territorial sovereignty of Taiwan belongs to the Republic of China. Most people can understand this legal logic better by reading the post-war San Francisco Peace Treaty, where Japan renounced all claims over Taiwan, but no receiving country was designated.
Of course the Chinese like to claim that the surrender of Japanese troops on Oct. 25, 1945, in Taipei resulted in the territorial sovereignty of Taiwan being transferred to China . . . . but under international law there is no precedent for such a assertion. Such an assertion also fails to recognize the existence of a body of knowledge and rules in the world community which go collectively under the name of "the laws of war." In summary, with the surrender of enemy troops, Taiwan has become occupied territory, nothing more nothing less.
Up to today, the military occupation of Taiwan has not ended, hence (a) Taiwan is not a part of any other sovereign nation, (b) nor is Taiwan a sovereign nation in its own right.
For more details on all of this, please see the documentation involved with Mr. Chen's lawsuit against the USA, available at -- http://www.taiwanbasic.com/court/
and the other articles on that website which give Background Information on the international legal status of Taiwan.
It's not often a comment on my blog has elicited such an expansive and thoroughly prepared response. I hope SC would choose to respond in kind.
I would simply point out that most (but not all) of the territories torn from China during the Qing dynasty by imperialism have been returned to China. Hong Kong and Macau are most notable examples that despite worst fears from the West have thrived after their return to China.
I believe the people living in Taiwan will see that being part of China will mean (1) long term security for them and future generations, (2) participation in the prosperity of a huge growing economy, and (3) enjoying unambiguous ethnic pride of being Chinese.
People not living in Taiwan cannot be legitimate stakeholders in the future of Taiwan. If they hope to wrestle some sort of self respect by pleading to the courts of the United States, they are surely pandering to people that do not have the interests of the people on Taiwan at heart.
Many of you are not aware of this, but Chen Shui Bian is actually a ninja politician who specializes in the art of stealth (and bullets dodging with somewhat less success). Unlike conventional politicians who openly express their viewpoints, a ninja politician strives to conceal his fundamental belief from his supporters for as long as possible. That’s exactly why the crap I mean the fact United States has the legitimate ruling power over Taiwan was never ever mentioned even once during his entire political career.
Now seriously, you don’t need a political science degree to figure out this is all part of Chen Shui Bian’s escalating antics to weasel out of an inevitable lengthy (if not life) sentence.
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