The ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of Taiwan has made it abundantly clear that foreign activists devoted to the cause of human rights in China are NOT WELCOME in the island nation. First, there was the sorry case of the Dalai Lama last month, who was originally told not to visit, and finally slapped with a government-issued gag order when he was grudgingly permitted to enter the country. Then to top things off, only a few weeks later the KMT placed the head of the World Uigher Congress, Rebiya Kadeer, also on their rapidly-growing blacklist.
Contrast that with the KMT's treatment of PRC zoo animals with annexation-oriented propagandistic names. Why, those are hailed and welcomed by the current Taiwanese government with open arms. Because THEY'RE not political !
Tiananmen Square demonstrators, can you take the hint? In Ma Ying-jeou's Taiwan, Orwell's dictum now applies. Four legs good, two legs bad.
On September 25th, Taiwan's Chinese Nationalist Party attempted to rationalize their blacklist in this way:
KMT spokesman Lee Chien-jung (李建榮) said US President Barack Obama had recently decided not to meet the Dalai Lama during his trip to the US to protect the country’s national interests. Japan had also prevented visits by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) for the same reason.
“The decision made by the government today [to bar Rebiya Kadeer] is based on national and public interests,” he said.
Gee, only three days before Confucius' birthday, and the KMT demonstrates that it has a firm handle on the ethics of eight-year olds:
"Chinaaa hit me in the hallway! But he was too BIG for me to hit back, so that's why I hit little Rebiya instead!"
Perhaps though, they were merely following the Confucian Silver Rule. For who among us is unfamiliar with the Great Sage's moral imperative:
"Do unto others, as the Chinese Communist Party would do unto you."
Or something like that. The Analects tend to lose a little in the Chinese Nationalist translation.
UPDATE: LOL. Taiwan's Mainland Affair Council (MAC) announces, "Taiwan can help accelerate democratic development in China."
Left unexplained is how this is to happen when the KMT MUZZLES Chinese democracy advocates. But I'm sure somebody smart can explain it to me.
I don’t get your thing about the ethics of an eight year old. Surely you don’t mean that the KMT was taking out its anger at Beijing by barring Kadeer? If I am being very slow, can you explain.
The real story is Barak and the Dalai Lama. If the US isn’t willing to take a stand against China, in even that limited way, then Taiwan has lost a friend.
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You’re right — I certainly DON’T mean that the KMT is taking out its anger at Beijing by barring Kadeer. If I have time later, I may edit that to avoid giving that impression.
The KMT does however, emulate the eight-year old (or the sociopath, if you prefer) who proudly announces to the world, “Someone has harmed me wrongly in the past, therefore I shouldn’t be blamed when I harm innocents in the future.”
Taiwan heaps discredit upon itself by aping Beijing’s behavior towards innocent third parties. When, as Michael Turton has pointed out, it really ought to know better.