Saturday, September 20, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
So tell me What is wrong with this picture?
As we listen to the interminable election coverage and hear less and less about real topics like health care reform, we wonder why the great fear of National Health Insurance? If we first get it firmly in our heads that paying health insurance premiums is in effect a tax which supports those who cannot afford to pay the premiums, And get beyond equating anything that supports "the masses" as being a giant stride towards communism And if we can get beyond the belief that insurance companies (AIG) are there to protect us, THEN we might find great and wonderful benefits in a system like we have in Taiwan.
Three examples: I have been suffering with a summer cold for three weeks. When I decided to go to a Dr., I walked into the Dr of my choice, waited 15 minutes, consulted with him and received three meds including antibiotics and paid a total of $6.75 USD. (2) Although the meds helped the cold, I developed a middle ear infection so I walked into the ENT Dr of my choice w/o an appointment, waited 10 minutes, consulted, had a minor surgical procedure, and left with Amoxycillin, Augmenten antibiotics and a powerful decongestant and paid a total of $6 USD. (3) As most of you know Carol had rather major surgery last May. We chose to go to a state of the art cancer research hospital (NO CAROL DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING LIKE CANCER) and we had to pay out of our own pocket $2100 USD for 4 days in the hospital, all meds, all Dr.s including the surgeon and anesthesiologist, EVERYTHING included.....Care to guess what all that would be in the states? The Dr.s were US trained and certified, the facilities completely modern and hygienic and the care tender.
Asian countries are running a Huge medico-tourist business to bring patients for advanced medical diagnosis and treatment.
I think we do not have as much to fear from a change in medical system as those who benefit from status quo would like us to believe.
Just an observation.....
Three examples: I have been suffering with a summer cold for three weeks. When I decided to go to a Dr., I walked into the Dr of my choice, waited 15 minutes, consulted with him and received three meds including antibiotics and paid a total of $6.75 USD. (2) Although the meds helped the cold, I developed a middle ear infection so I walked into the ENT Dr of my choice w/o an appointment, waited 10 minutes, consulted, had a minor surgical procedure, and left with Amoxycillin, Augmenten antibiotics and a powerful decongestant and paid a total of $6 USD. (3) As most of you know Carol had rather major surgery last May. We chose to go to a state of the art cancer research hospital (NO CAROL DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING LIKE CANCER) and we had to pay out of our own pocket $2100 USD for 4 days in the hospital, all meds, all Dr.s including the surgeon and anesthesiologist, EVERYTHING included.....Care to guess what all that would be in the states? The Dr.s were US trained and certified, the facilities completely modern and hygienic and the care tender.
Asian countries are running a Huge medico-tourist business to bring patients for advanced medical diagnosis and treatment.
I think we do not have as much to fear from a change in medical system as those who benefit from status quo would like us to believe.
Just an observation.....
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Hello for Year 3 of the adventure
Well here we are back in Taiwan. Sorry it has taken so long to update the blog but life moves very fast here. We have already put in a month of school time and are charging towards the middle of the first quarter. Wow.
We are currently on a “Typhoon day” due to typhoon Sinlaku which stretches from Hong Kong all the way into Japan and from East of the Philippines to Mainland China. It is moving very slowly so we will have this with us for at least another 1 ½ days. We are expecting 50 inches of rain here. Right now the wind is just a pest but it is going to be around Cat 2-4 range tonight.
Addendum: The rains have come all night and all day and there is talk of school closing Monday . A 100’ tree with a 9’ girth came down across our walkway taking out many scooters and completely blocking our exit from the building. Very dramatic and impressive!!. Huge chunks of roadway have washed away and there is major flooding around town. We had 31 inches of rain yesterday and night and it is still coming down hard. CNN finally acknowledged that there might be something other than IKE to note on the weather news.
US media really makes isolationism and cultural insensitivity possible: US citizens just do not get access to information beyond USA, Iran, Iraq etc. I was appalled at the Green Bay Press Gazette this summer when all the world news fit on the upper left hand quarter of page of page 5 and the rest of the life important info on Brett Farve was on every page.
Notes in short order on the typhoon:
1. the major department stores are closed
2. most store windows have X tape to protect from flying glass
3. Pizza Hut, Dominos and McDonalds are all still delivering food on scooters
4. Wellcome (our local grocery store) is open a people are stocking up like crazy
5. We are organizing a roast chicken dinner with our building mates
6. Carol is baking snickerdoodles and chocolate chip cookies so Gary and Rick our neighbors and fellow teachers, will be very happy.
7. It is Moon festival when all Chinese want to be together under the full moon to BBQ….Not going to happen!!!!
8. Camp Taiwan, the Middle school camp, is still on for Monday except for the poor 8th grade kids that tent camp in the north of Taiwan….they leave Tuesday so as not to start the week in a typhoon UPDATE: Camps are cancelled!
9. Scooters are lying on their sides littering the streets and sidewalks
10. Our porch trees are blowing over
11. The cable line to our appt has been flying around so TV is questionable.
12. We all gather at an apartment in our building for impromptu tacos or movie sharing.
13. THE IS FUN!!!!
……………….
I love my kids here! My IB (international baccalaureate) classes are so very smart and musically astute that I am challenged. I have so many resources to choose from that I have finally decided I must get organized (Please do not Faint) and am filling up a 500 gigabyte external drive station with all the movies, music and lecture notes so I can be lazier next year. The students have gone crazy with creativity when I asked them to make power points of their class and reading notes. I will try to embed one so you might see it.
And the performance level of most of the kids is out of sight with a repertoire that is broad and deep. In class I wanted a demonstration of a Chopin Polonaise so I just asked, “James go play that so we can hear Chopin.” And James goes to the piano and starts. I tell him to jump to the second theme. He does. I tell him to jump to the coda. He does. And then there is Annie who plays Liszt like she breaths the music daily. And the same goes for all of them. Wow!
I have had a cold for about 2 weeks and finally went to the Dr. and …….(all you who might have an opinion about national health, take note) I walked in on a Friday afternoon, waited 15 minutes, saw the Dr I wanted, received 3 medications including an antibiotic and paid NT$ 220 or about $6 USD. We waited to have our physicals here because they are so inexpensive (max about 600 USD) for a full day of exams, tests, and procedures, breakfast and lunch, and a complimentary track suit to take home along with a CD with all the records for you as well as hard copy print outs of X-rays, sonograms, etc. There are those who are starting businesses to bring folks from overseas to Taiwan for medical care and diagnosis.
We are so happy to be back. We loved our Door County friends and the time we spent there (and NO we are not giving it up) but this is also our home. Carol will tell you of her incredible adventures with Taiwan World Tai-Chi Competition and her All Asia champion private coach, her Shaolin Master teacher and her class of Chinese ladies who think our apt. has great feng shui so they like to have “Family Lunch” in our apt.
Our travel plans for this year include:
1. Green Island Taiwan south coast for 10/10 celebrations (diving)
2. Luang Prabang, Laos for Thanksgiving
3. Bangkok, the river Kwai, and the island of Koh Chang, Thailand for Christmas
4. Ubud Bali (again) for Chinese New Year
5. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for choir fesival
6. Langkayan, Borneo Malaysia for Spring Break
7. For our return to US we may go the other way round the world and see Greece,
Turkey, Spain before we get to the East coast and Door County. More on this
later. Just good to have a goal.
For now I will close and attach some pictures of various sights. I will do better at keeping up with the blog. Sorry for those who might have waited
Love to all,
Bill
We are currently on a “Typhoon day” due to typhoon Sinlaku which stretches from Hong Kong all the way into Japan and from East of the Philippines to Mainland China. It is moving very slowly so we will have this with us for at least another 1 ½ days. We are expecting 50 inches of rain here. Right now the wind is just a pest but it is going to be around Cat 2-4 range tonight.
Addendum: The rains have come all night and all day and there is talk of school closing Monday . A 100’ tree with a 9’ girth came down across our walkway taking out many scooters and completely blocking our exit from the building. Very dramatic and impressive!!. Huge chunks of roadway have washed away and there is major flooding around town. We had 31 inches of rain yesterday and night and it is still coming down hard. CNN finally acknowledged that there might be something other than IKE to note on the weather news.
US media really makes isolationism and cultural insensitivity possible: US citizens just do not get access to information beyond USA, Iran, Iraq etc. I was appalled at the Green Bay Press Gazette this summer when all the world news fit on the upper left hand quarter of page of page 5 and the rest of the life important info on Brett Farve was on every page.
Notes in short order on the typhoon:
1. the major department stores are closed
2. most store windows have X tape to protect from flying glass
3. Pizza Hut, Dominos and McDonalds are all still delivering food on scooters
4. Wellcome (our local grocery store) is open a people are stocking up like crazy
5. We are organizing a roast chicken dinner with our building mates
6. Carol is baking snickerdoodles and chocolate chip cookies so Gary and Rick our neighbors and fellow teachers, will be very happy.
7. It is Moon festival when all Chinese want to be together under the full moon to BBQ….Not going to happen!!!!
8. Camp Taiwan, the Middle school camp, is still on for Monday except for the poor 8th grade kids that tent camp in the north of Taiwan….they leave Tuesday so as not to start the week in a typhoon UPDATE: Camps are cancelled!
9. Scooters are lying on their sides littering the streets and sidewalks
10. Our porch trees are blowing over
11. The cable line to our appt has been flying around so TV is questionable.
12. We all gather at an apartment in our building for impromptu tacos or movie sharing.
13. THE IS FUN!!!!
……………….
I love my kids here! My IB (international baccalaureate) classes are so very smart and musically astute that I am challenged. I have so many resources to choose from that I have finally decided I must get organized (Please do not Faint) and am filling up a 500 gigabyte external drive station with all the movies, music and lecture notes so I can be lazier next year. The students have gone crazy with creativity when I asked them to make power points of their class and reading notes. I will try to embed one so you might see it.
And the performance level of most of the kids is out of sight with a repertoire that is broad and deep. In class I wanted a demonstration of a Chopin Polonaise so I just asked, “James go play that so we can hear Chopin.” And James goes to the piano and starts. I tell him to jump to the second theme. He does. I tell him to jump to the coda. He does. And then there is Annie who plays Liszt like she breaths the music daily. And the same goes for all of them. Wow!
I have had a cold for about 2 weeks and finally went to the Dr. and …….(all you who might have an opinion about national health, take note) I walked in on a Friday afternoon, waited 15 minutes, saw the Dr I wanted, received 3 medications including an antibiotic and paid NT$ 220 or about $6 USD. We waited to have our physicals here because they are so inexpensive (max about 600 USD) for a full day of exams, tests, and procedures, breakfast and lunch, and a complimentary track suit to take home along with a CD with all the records for you as well as hard copy print outs of X-rays, sonograms, etc. There are those who are starting businesses to bring folks from overseas to Taiwan for medical care and diagnosis.
We are so happy to be back. We loved our Door County friends and the time we spent there (and NO we are not giving it up) but this is also our home. Carol will tell you of her incredible adventures with Taiwan World Tai-Chi Competition and her All Asia champion private coach, her Shaolin Master teacher and her class of Chinese ladies who think our apt. has great feng shui so they like to have “Family Lunch” in our apt.
Our travel plans for this year include:
1. Green Island Taiwan south coast for 10/10 celebrations (diving)
2. Luang Prabang, Laos for Thanksgiving
3. Bangkok, the river Kwai, and the island of Koh Chang, Thailand for Christmas
4. Ubud Bali (again) for Chinese New Year
5. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for choir fesival
6. Langkayan, Borneo Malaysia for Spring Break
7. For our return to US we may go the other way round the world and see Greece,
Turkey, Spain before we get to the East coast and Door County. More on this
later. Just good to have a goal.
For now I will close and attach some pictures of various sights. I will do better at keeping up with the blog. Sorry for those who might have waited
Love to all,
Bill
New Slide Show and Buddha Statues
I have added a new slide show to the right.It is of some of the most adorable asian kids we have seen on our travels...so unbelievable cute and precious. I know I sound like a doting father, but children here are dressed like dolls with all the accessories and cared for by their parents in ways that are different from those in US.
Please click on the picture in the slideshow to go to big versions of the pictures. Also, when you are at the Picassa Web Albums, click on the upper left PICASSA WEB ALBUMS, I have another album of extraordinary carved statues of monks.
The album is titled "The Monks of Lane 190". Above our apartment, a good LONG walk up the mountain, and out in a field is a buddhist temple, a very plain sort of temple. In the field in front and to the side is a huge collection of several hundred statues of Buddha in every guise. I have no idea why they are there or who carved them. They just are...rather Zen like don't you think. Please enjoy them.
bill
Please click on the picture in the slideshow to go to big versions of the pictures. Also, when you are at the Picassa Web Albums, click on the upper left PICASSA WEB ALBUMS, I have another album of extraordinary carved statues of monks.
The album is titled "The Monks of Lane 190". Above our apartment, a good LONG walk up the mountain, and out in a field is a buddhist temple, a very plain sort of temple. In the field in front and to the side is a huge collection of several hundred statues of Buddha in every guise. I have no idea why they are there or who carved them. They just are...rather Zen like don't you think. Please enjoy them.
bill
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Sunday, June 01, 2008
NO PROBLEM NOW
Some of you may have seen the news about an earthquake in Taiwan and wondered about what it was like given the tragedy on Mainland China.
Although everyone in my office felt it,I was sound asleep and felt absolutely nothing!!! No Problem so far. One person in our office said it was like a big truck hitting the house and another person said the bed shook so much and she was so afraid after the quake that she did not sleep all night. Actually, there were two substantial quakes yesterday..the one to the southeast and the one 44 miles from Taipei in the ocean.As the article states below, we have lots of little tremors and recognize them only because the pictures are askew. Luckily we have not really felt any, although if I had been awake, I think I would have felt this one.
Just thought I would let you know.
Strong earthquake hits northern Taiwan
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Officials say a 6.0 magnitude earthquake has struck northern Taiwan, rattling buildings, but causing no damage or casualties.
The Central Weather Bureau says the quake struck 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of the northeastern city of Ilan at 12:59 a.m. Monday.
Ilan is about 44 miles east of the capital of Taipei.
The CWS says this latest quake is not related to the 6.4 magnitude temblor that struck in the Pacific Ocean off of southern Taiwan on Sunday.
Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little damage. A 7.6-magnitude quake in central Taiwan in September 1999 killed more than 2,300 people.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
International Herald Tribune
Major earthquake strikes at sea off eastern Taiwan; no damage or injuries reported
The Associated Press
Sunday, June 1, 2008
TAIPEI, Taiwan: A powerful earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean off southeastern Taiwan on Sunday, but no damage or injuries were reported.
Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said the magnitude 6.8 quake hit at around 9:57 a.m. (0157 GMT). It was faintly felt in Taiwan.
The bureau said the epicenter was located in the Pacific Ocean about 340 miles (560 kilometers) southeast of Taiwan's capital of Taipei, near the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan and the Philippines.
The epicenter was as deep as 29 miles (46 kilometers) below the ocean surface.
In Manila, Renato Solidum Jr., head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, gave the quake magnitude at 6.3.
He said the tremor was felt in the Philippines' northernmost province of Batanes but was too deep to cause any major damage or casualties.
No tsunami warning was issued because of the depth of the quake, and seismologists are still determining which fault line caused the temblor, he said.
Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little or no damage.
However, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in central Taiwan in September 1999 killed more than 2,300 people, and in December 2006 a 6.7-magnitude offshore tremor south of the city of Kaohsiung severed two undersea cables and disrupted telephone and Internet service to millions of users throughout Asia.
Although everyone in my office felt it,I was sound asleep and felt absolutely nothing!!! No Problem so far. One person in our office said it was like a big truck hitting the house and another person said the bed shook so much and she was so afraid after the quake that she did not sleep all night. Actually, there were two substantial quakes yesterday..the one to the southeast and the one 44 miles from Taipei in the ocean.As the article states below, we have lots of little tremors and recognize them only because the pictures are askew. Luckily we have not really felt any, although if I had been awake, I think I would have felt this one.
Just thought I would let you know.
Strong earthquake hits northern Taiwan
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Officials say a 6.0 magnitude earthquake has struck northern Taiwan, rattling buildings, but causing no damage or casualties.
The Central Weather Bureau says the quake struck 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of the northeastern city of Ilan at 12:59 a.m. Monday.
Ilan is about 44 miles east of the capital of Taipei.
The CWS says this latest quake is not related to the 6.4 magnitude temblor that struck in the Pacific Ocean off of southern Taiwan on Sunday.
Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little damage. A 7.6-magnitude quake in central Taiwan in September 1999 killed more than 2,300 people.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
International Herald Tribune
Major earthquake strikes at sea off eastern Taiwan; no damage or injuries reported
The Associated Press
Sunday, June 1, 2008
TAIPEI, Taiwan: A powerful earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean off southeastern Taiwan on Sunday, but no damage or injuries were reported.
Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said the magnitude 6.8 quake hit at around 9:57 a.m. (0157 GMT). It was faintly felt in Taiwan.
The bureau said the epicenter was located in the Pacific Ocean about 340 miles (560 kilometers) southeast of Taiwan's capital of Taipei, near the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan and the Philippines.
The epicenter was as deep as 29 miles (46 kilometers) below the ocean surface.
In Manila, Renato Solidum Jr., head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, gave the quake magnitude at 6.3.
He said the tremor was felt in the Philippines' northernmost province of Batanes but was too deep to cause any major damage or casualties.
No tsunami warning was issued because of the depth of the quake, and seismologists are still determining which fault line caused the temblor, he said.
Earthquakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little or no damage.
However, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in central Taiwan in September 1999 killed more than 2,300 people, and in December 2006 a 6.7-magnitude offshore tremor south of the city of Kaohsiung severed two undersea cables and disrupted telephone and Internet service to millions of users throughout Asia.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Changes and returns to US
Hello all, we are sorry we have taken so long to do anything on the blog. My heavens we are busy! I have changed our slideshow to a web album of my spring break diving expedition on the tiny island of Langkayan which is located 1 1/2 hours by very high speed boat north of NE Borneo. It is only 40 acres big but it is currently featured on the Malaysia tourism TV ad. Truly a paradise. While I was communing with the fish and turtles, Carol was chaperoning HS students on a tour of Stratford and London theaters. She will post photos of her tour there.
We will be returning in June but will immediately head off for a snorkel/dive vacation to Bonaire near Venezuela for a week. With a stop in Indy we will be in DC near the end of June and ready to see folks and sniff a lot of campfire smoke. We will post more here before we leave but this must do for now.
Love to all
We will be returning in June but will immediately head off for a snorkel/dive vacation to Bonaire near Venezuela for a week. With a stop in Indy we will be in DC near the end of June and ready to see folks and sniff a lot of campfire smoke. We will post more here before we leave but this must do for now.
Love to all
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Election time
Well it is going to get interesting here. The KMT the conservative party who says they want eventual reunification with mainland China won a 75 % of the lawmakers and now the country votes for a president. We have been advised to stay home Sat and Sun during the elections as it may get tough here as people battle it out. This is serious stuff! As a little 9 year old boy friend of Carol and I said, 'China has many missles pointed at Taiwan and the United States will not help us." This from a kid...Wow!. Many here feel that the China reaction to the Tibetan revolt is a warning to Taiwan not to press for UN membership. They still have time and determination to attack even with the Olympics and revolts. When they say they will never give up their claim to Taiwan, they really mean it ... it is just a matter of time or a weakness on the part of the US.
Here is a newspaper article relative to this:
Please know we are not afraid just careful and we deeply love the Taiwanese people. They are kind, loving, family people who will smile and help and care about foreigners. They are not "the Other" as I have been describing myself. I will write more about this later. here is the article.
">China's Actions Against Tibet Overshadow Taiwan Elections
By Stephanie Ho
Beijing
20 March 2008
Taiwan's 17 million voters are expected go to the polls Saturday to elect a new president. The issue of a Chinese crackdown on rioters in Tibet may alter the outcome of an increasingly close election. Stephanie Ho reports from Beijing.
The people of Taiwan go to the polls Saturday for the fourth presidential election in its short democratic history.
Taiwan's opposition Nationalist Party presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou is greeted by supporters during a campaign rally Thursday, 20 March 2008, in Taiwan
Taiwan's opposition Nationalist Party presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou is greeted by supporters during a campaign rally Thursday, 20 March 2008, in Taiwan
The front runner is 57-year-old Ma Ying-jeou, a Harvard-trained lawyer who recently served as mayor of Taipei. Ma heads the Nationalist Party, which ruled Taiwan for five decades after it lost a civil war to Chinese communists in 1949 and fled to the island.
The Nationalists won Taiwan's first-ever presidential election in 1996, but have lost the last two.
His challenger is 61-year-old Frank Hsieh, a former human rights lawyer who hopes to consolidate his Democratic Progressive Party's hold on power, following its first president, incumbent Chen Shui-bian.
The main issue is Taiwan's relationship with Beijing, which regards the island as an inseparable part of the Chinese nation.
Both candidates say they favor closer and more stable relations with China. But Nationalist candidate Ma has offered a policy with more specifics and scope. The DPP's Hsieh also has to deal with Beijing's dislike of President Chen, who has been widely seen as pushing for Taiwan independence.
Polls had initially given Ma a comfortable lead over Hsieh, but that gap is shrinking.
Screen capture taken from China State television March 16, 2008 shows boy being taken by force along street in Tibetan capital, Lhasa
Screen capture taken from China State television March 16, 2008 shows boy being taken by force along street in Tibetan capital, Lhasa
Chong-Pin Lin, president of the Taipei-based Foundation on International and Cross-Straits Studies, says the main thing narrowing the gap is Taiwanese voters reaction to China's recent crackdown in Tibet.
"Both contending parties are trying to make the most of this, to their own benefit," Lin said. "However, in my observation, the DPP seems to be ahead. They reacted very fast."
China claims both Tibet and Taiwan and accuses opposition forces of having separatist intentions.
However, Lin says Beijing's approaches to Taiwan and Tibet have been different. He says he believes the Chinese government is trying to take what he describes as a "soft approach" toward the island, to try to woo it into accepting reunification.
"Beijing plans to let Taiwan fall into Beijing's hand, as a ripened fruit, by other than military instruments -- economic, social, cultural, you name it," Lin said.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao speaks at a press conference after the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, 18 Mar 2008
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao,18 Mar 2008
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao recently told reporters Beijing has a more conciliatory attitude toward Taiwan. He began his comments by reciting lines from a 700-year-old poem.
"We remain brothers, after all the vicissitudes," Mr. Wen said. "Let us forgo our old grudges. When smiling, we meet again. We are willing to expand the range and scope of our business ties and trade with Taiwan, including in the fields of investment, trade, tourism, banking sector."
Taiwanese investment in China is estimated at $100 billion.
Despite seeking closer economic ties, China militarily underscores its warning against Taiwan independence by pointing hundreds of missiles at the island.
In talks with foreign leaders, the Chinese government has consistently raised the issue of Taiwan as its most-important priority.
Here is a newspaper article relative to this:
Please know we are not afraid just careful and we deeply love the Taiwanese people. They are kind, loving, family people who will smile and help and care about foreigners. They are not "the Other" as I have been describing myself. I will write more about this later. here is the article.
">China's Actions Against Tibet Overshadow Taiwan Elections
By Stephanie Ho
Beijing
20 March 2008
Taiwan's 17 million voters are expected go to the polls Saturday to elect a new president. The issue of a Chinese crackdown on rioters in Tibet may alter the outcome of an increasingly close election. Stephanie Ho reports from Beijing.
The people of Taiwan go to the polls Saturday for the fourth presidential election in its short democratic history.
Taiwan's opposition Nationalist Party presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou is greeted by supporters during a campaign rally Thursday, 20 March 2008, in Taiwan
Taiwan's opposition Nationalist Party presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou is greeted by supporters during a campaign rally Thursday, 20 March 2008, in Taiwan
The front runner is 57-year-old Ma Ying-jeou, a Harvard-trained lawyer who recently served as mayor of Taipei. Ma heads the Nationalist Party, which ruled Taiwan for five decades after it lost a civil war to Chinese communists in 1949 and fled to the island.
The Nationalists won Taiwan's first-ever presidential election in 1996, but have lost the last two.
His challenger is 61-year-old Frank Hsieh, a former human rights lawyer who hopes to consolidate his Democratic Progressive Party's hold on power, following its first president, incumbent Chen Shui-bian.
The main issue is Taiwan's relationship with Beijing, which regards the island as an inseparable part of the Chinese nation.
Both candidates say they favor closer and more stable relations with China. But Nationalist candidate Ma has offered a policy with more specifics and scope. The DPP's Hsieh also has to deal with Beijing's dislike of President Chen, who has been widely seen as pushing for Taiwan independence.
Polls had initially given Ma a comfortable lead over Hsieh, but that gap is shrinking.
Screen capture taken from China State television March 16, 2008 shows boy being taken by force along street in Tibetan capital, Lhasa
Screen capture taken from China State television March 16, 2008 shows boy being taken by force along street in Tibetan capital, Lhasa
Chong-Pin Lin, president of the Taipei-based Foundation on International and Cross-Straits Studies, says the main thing narrowing the gap is Taiwanese voters reaction to China's recent crackdown in Tibet.
"Both contending parties are trying to make the most of this, to their own benefit," Lin said. "However, in my observation, the DPP seems to be ahead. They reacted very fast."
China claims both Tibet and Taiwan and accuses opposition forces of having separatist intentions.
However, Lin says Beijing's approaches to Taiwan and Tibet have been different. He says he believes the Chinese government is trying to take what he describes as a "soft approach" toward the island, to try to woo it into accepting reunification.
"Beijing plans to let Taiwan fall into Beijing's hand, as a ripened fruit, by other than military instruments -- economic, social, cultural, you name it," Lin said.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao speaks at a press conference after the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, 18 Mar 2008
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao,18 Mar 2008
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao recently told reporters Beijing has a more conciliatory attitude toward Taiwan. He began his comments by reciting lines from a 700-year-old poem.
"We remain brothers, after all the vicissitudes," Mr. Wen said. "Let us forgo our old grudges. When smiling, we meet again. We are willing to expand the range and scope of our business ties and trade with Taiwan, including in the fields of investment, trade, tourism, banking sector."
Taiwanese investment in China is estimated at $100 billion.
Despite seeking closer economic ties, China militarily underscores its warning against Taiwan independence by pointing hundreds of missiles at the island.
In talks with foreign leaders, the Chinese government has consistently raised the issue of Taiwan as its most-important priority.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
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