-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ Click Here: <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- Taiwan vs. China Taiwan Votes for Freedom from China Is Clinton preparing to help China protect itself from "terrorists"? DEFYING China's threats of war, Taiwan ended more than a half century of Nationalist Party rule yesterday by electing the opposition leader Chen Shui-bian, a pro-independence politician, to the presidency. Mr Chen of the Democratic Progressive Party defeated the Nationalist Vice-President Lien Chan and populist independent James Soong as the people of Taiwan gave the clear signal that they will not be intimidated by China. President-elect Chen had rejected Beijing's long-standing "one country, two systems" formula for reunification, saying the island would not follow the path of Hong Kong and Macau. Mr Chen, 49, had 39 per cent of the votes, with the Kuomintang rebel, Mr Soong, 58, coming in second with 37 per cent of the vote. The official party candidate, Mr Chan, 64, trailed with 23 per cent. Mr Chen will assume the presidency from the incumbent Kuomintang leader, Lee Teng-hui on May 20. Tens of thousands of people swarmed on to the streets of Taipei last night to celebrate the rejection of the Kuomintang (Chinese for the Nationalist Party), which has dominated politics on the island since Generalisimo Chiang Kai-shek was driven from mainland China by Communist forces in 1949. The demise of its ancient foe is a devastating development for the current Communist party leadership in Beijing because it is the first time that a Chinese electorate has throw out its head of state through the ballot box. Mr Chen's bid for the island's top office has been opposed by Beijing, which has threatened to attack Taiwan if its new leader supports independence. In recent weeks Mr Chen has pulled back from advocating a declaration of Taiwanese independence, but he continues to reject all the conditions that Beijing has laid down for talks on reunification. Voters were shocked last week when Zhu Rongji, China's prime minister, warned that Beijing would give the island no second chances if it chose the wrong candidate. He said: "Let me advise all these people in Taiwan: do not just act on impulse at this juncture which will decide the future course that China and Taiwan will follow. Otherwise I'm afraid you won't get another opportunity to regret." Initial jitters in Taiwan after Mr Zhu's harsh remarks gave way to defiance. One woman at a polling station in Taipei said she could not capitulate to Chinese pressure: "They are just trying to scare us. It won't work because Taiwan is free." Speaking after the result was announced, Mr Chen said that his election would send a message to Chinese people everywhere that corrupt politics could be overturned at the ballot box and that democracy and human rights were a sacred right. He said: "This is a historical moment for Taiwan. The people of Taiwan have used their love and hope to overcome darkness and fear. We have used our sacred vote to build democracy. This is a victory for all Chinese people." Chinese-backed newspapers in Hong Kong yesterday said the People's Liberation Army was ready to strike after the election. The Wen Wei Bao said: "To tackle any sudden results of the elections, the People's Liberation Army, air force and navy is on high alert and ready to take measures according to the existing situation." Joseph Bosco, an American scholar of the Taiwanese relationship with China at Georgetown University, said: "If electing Chen is tantamount to a declaration of independence, China could rationalise the result in this way." The Chinese warnings and a saturation advertising campaign by the Kuomintang equating a vote for Chen with a vote for war were not sufficient to quell a groundswell of support for Mr Chen who has successfully projected an image as the candidate closest to the Taiwanese grassroots. Lee Shu-hsien, who made a six-hour round trip to vote, said Chen would deliver the reforms that Taiwan needed to strengthen its democracy. He said: "He is the candidate that best reflects the needs of Taiwan's people and the one who will end corruption. This election has been fought on domestic issues. The Kuomintang will be destroyed by it. There will have to be much more reform of the party," said Peter Ferdinand, of the Centre for Democratisation at Warwick University. A former mayor of the Taiwan capital, Mr Chen has built a following nationwide as the voice of the Taiwanese little man. A marine lawyer who was born to a labourer in the south of the country, Mr Chen's life story is one of triumph over massive odds. Among his achievements are: winning a place in university, topping his year, surviving intact a car crash in which his wife was paralysed, and taking the mayoralty of the capital. Prevailing in yesterday's election is the biggest victory of all for Mr Chen, whose DPP was unable to main a permanent office in Taipei just seven years ago. Hsiao Bi-Khim, a DPP aide, said: "We have made history. The people of Taiwan have spoken. We have achieved our dream." The London Telegraph, March 19, 2000 Spy vs. Spy British-born Head of Mossad, Halevy, to Keep Post The house on the hill. THE British-born head of Israel's spy agency Mossad has had his term of office unexpectedly extended following a bitter fall-out between the prime minister, Ehud Barak, and Mossad's deputy director and heir apparent, Amiram Levine. Efraim Halevy, who was born in England and is a nephew of the late Oxford philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin, was appointed as Mossad's stop-gap head in February 1998. Halevy, whose intellectual capacity is said to recall that of his distinguished uncle, was brought out of retirement by the then-prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to put the organisation back on track after the previous head was forced to resign following a string of failures. These included a botched assassination attempt on the Hamas leader Khalid Mashal in Amman in 1997. The plan was for Mr Halevy to train Mr Levine so that he could succeed him as the permanent Mossad chief within one to two years. But last week Mr Barak decided to extend Mr Halevy's term of office. This followed a furious row between Mr Barak and Mr Levine on Tuesday evening. Mr Levine stormed out of Mr Barak's office shortly after midnight and on Wednesday morning announced he was quitting the intelligence agency. He is believed to have already vacated his office at Mossad's headquarters in a secret location north of Tel Aviv. Mr Halevy will now stay in the post for at least another year. Although he first joined Mossad in 1965, he has little experience of the daring operations for which the agency has become famous. Mr Levine has a reputation as a hands-on operations man. On several occasions in the last year Mr Halevy has refused to authorise operations initiated and planned by Mr Levine, claiming they were over-adventurous. It is not known precisely what the row was about. But one Mossad insider said that in today's increasingly complex and technologically oriented world, Mr Levine was not the best candidate for the job. The London Telegraph, March 19, 2000 ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, All My Relations. Omnia Bona Bonis, Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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