Here's a roundup of today's news on the frigate fiasco.

Via the Taipei Times:

* Wang leads charge in Diaoyutais show
* KMT exploiting fishing dispute, premier says
* Greens slam pan-blues' ocean voyage
* Alliance cautions against playing Beijing's game
* PFP digs in its heels on arms bill (Yes, this is related. See "boycott" in previous post.)
* Editorial: Wang's campaigning harms Taiwan
* Talks needed on fishing disputes

Via the Taiwan News:

* Lawmakers visit disputed waters
* 'Pan-greens' urge KMT to support U.S. arms deal

Via the Taiwan-based China Post:

* Speaker Wang becomes focus in fishing dispute
* Taiwan sends frigate to aid fishermen
* Gunboat diplomacy useful (Editorial)

Via the China-based China Daily (Xinhua):

* Japan harassment on islands protested

Via the UK Financial Times:

* Taiwan frigates sent into disputed waters

Via the New Zealand Herald:

* Taiwan sends warship to islands claimed by Japan

Now go read some of those items.

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Tags: Taiwan, China, Japan, pan-blues, politics

Care for a game of thermonuclear war?

Taiwan's pan-blues seem to keep outdoing themselves. Earlier today, a Taiwanese Navy frigate with Minister of National Defense Lee Jye, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, and 13 or 15 legislators aboard traveled 100 km off Taiwan's coast with the purported mission of "protecting Taiwan's fisherman" from Japan.

First of all, recent problems related to Taiwan-Japan fishing disputes that have been in the news were caused by a Taiwanese fisherman who admitted being in Japanese waters. Was this accidental? Was it done on purpose due to profit motives? Or was it done merely to provoke Japan? I think that remains to be seen, but read on, and you'll see where my thoughts on this are leaning.

Second, it's not the Navy's job to be involved at this stage -- it's the Coast Guard's.

Third, talks with Japan regarding long-existing fishing disputes with Taiwan are only about two weeks away.

Despite these upcoming talks, the frigate, carrying advanced Standard-I missiles, left port this morning for "waters near a disputed part of the East China Sea."

Stop hurting Taiwan!
This is already a huge mistake. What the fuck are they thinking? The slightest escalation of this situation will most certainly bring disaster, and I'm speaking about disaster of a specific kind.

China. That's what they're thinking.

The pan-blues aren't just trying to paint Taiwan as the "bellicose" one in this equation. They also know that China would use any escalation of this situation as an excuse to "defend" Taiwan and would both attack Japan and take over Taiwan in the process. In fact, I would be shocked -- shocked! -- if this weren't the pan-blues' precise plan.

Note this abbreviated progression of events over the past few days:

* According to the June 16, 2005 Taipei Times, fishermen plan to fly China's flag to "avoid trouble with Japanese patrols" but are reminded that it's a completely brainless idea because not only are they flying the flag of Taiwan's enemy, but because "Japan has chased away or confiscated more fishing boats from China than from Taiwan" -- in fact, by a 38:11 ratio. Ridiculous motherfuckers!
* The Taipei Times reports on the same day that the People First Party (PFP) wants to use Taiwan's military to "retake [the] Diaoyutais" (a group of small islands whose control is disputed by Taiwan, China, Japan, and others), threatening to "boycott the special arms budget and also try to cut the [Ministry of National Defense]'s annual budget." The MND says it has "no intention of getting involved in the fishing dispute with Japan."
* A report the very next day says that the MND "cave[s] in to pressure from the PFP" -- a minority opposition party -- and says that they "will waste no time rushing to the area to let the fishermen see [their] presence."
* Four days later, a group of mostly pan-blue politicians (along with 3 traitorous DPP members) board a warship.

Note also the caption of this photo which says that the protesters shown are "accusing Japan of encroaching on Taiwan's fishing grounds" without telling readers about the Chinese-language signs which are visible. They read: "Oppose U.S.-Japan Security Alliance" and "Protest Japan's revisionist history textbooks." It can't possibly be merely a coincidence that these echo the sentiments of the Chinese government in Beijing.

The strangest thing that occurred today were problems caused by reporters that were aboard the ship. TV reports on FTV showed them arguing with the ship's personnel about using their satellite uplink while on board. Reporters from CTI-TV also whined about being under "house arrest" because of limits imposed on what they could photograph -- on a Navy ship!

Despite no military escalation having occurred, the whole thing was just wrong. I can only ask, "Why do these politicians hate Taiwan?" and "Shouldn't they be put in jail for what they did today?"

PFP lawmaker makes a huge ass of himself for all to see!

I've had my eye on this one for a few days, and finally the truth is revealed. Taipei City councilor Wang Yu-cheng began making claims last week that several restaurants in the vicinity of Taiwan Normal University had been serving "recycled" food which had been used as funeral offerings -- food which is placed on tables with burning incense and left there for at least half a day while people pay their respects to the recently deceased.

According to an article in Sunday's China Post, Wang turned over a list of six restaurant names to the Taipei health bureau after making such broad and unsubstantiated allegations about restaurants in the Gongguan area. Upon investigation by the health bureau, three of the restaurants on the list were found to be out of business, and nothing suspicious was uncovered at the other three.

According to the China Post article, Wang became "furious" at restaurant owners' threats to protest his allegations. The article goes on to say of Wang that "He stated that, just because the health bureau could not find evidence does not mean that he lied."

At the time, I was already wondering why he couldn't provide any real evidence to back up his charges.

Well, he did have video footage of a guy riding around on a motorcycle and carrying some boxes, but even the KMT didn't fall for it.

Finally, police discovered that the man on the motorcycle was Wang's assistant, Shao Li-da, AKA "A-da." Because they didn't have "real evidence," the conspirators explained, they had to make shit up to "prove" that "somebody" was doing something "bad." They sure did a helluva job of that, with all those damn fingers pointing back at themselves.

Copy this
For many years, Wang has hosted a "Hard Copy"-type TV show which focused on Taiwan's seedy side. I often wondered how much of the footage on that show was real and how much was "reenacted," despite never being labeled as such. I won't have to wonder about that any longer. ETTV has canceled the show effective immediately, and the PFP has kicked him out.


Wang Yu-cheng
(image by ETToday News)
From now on, I think we'll have to refer to the Wang-ker as "the king of making shit up." Go cry, ya big fuckin' crybaby!