Tsai supports US-Japan alliance to protect Asia-Pacific security - Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) Opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen said Wednesday that when dealing with Asia-Pacific regional issues, Taiwan should support the regional order led by the United States-Japan alliance and solve regional disputes according to international norms.

Tsai made the remarks in a keynote speech she delivered at an international symposium funded by Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) titled "The Regional Security of Asia-Pacific and Peace in the Taiwan Strait."

The event was hosted in Taipei by the Taiwan National Security Institute and attended by former Japanese and U.S. ministers as well as defense officials and high-ranking local officials.

China's 2010 Defense White Paper published in March this year continues to view "military struggle" and reunifying Taiwan as its main missions and is preparing for large-scale war, according to Tsai.

When handling cross-strait issues, Taiwan needs to consider the interests of the U.S., Japan and the international community to achieve equilibrium in the region, and achieve stability through consistent talks, Tsai noted.

The DPP supports relations with China based on the concepts of reciprocity through multi-layer dialogues to create a stable and peaceful cross-strait framework, she added.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who also gave a keynote speech, said that over the last two decades, China's military budget has increased sharply, especially for its naval forces, as the country attempts to control the East China Sea and the Western Pacific.

Since 1980, China has continued to apply the dangerous logic of "Strategic Frontier Theory,"which uses force to determine borders and exclusive economic zones, said Abe.

The U.S.-Japan alliance and Japan's national security policies underwent significant changes in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in March, in which the U.S. and Japan deployed more than 120,000 troops to take part in rescue operations, the largest mission since the establishment of the alliance, Abe added.

Speaking on the same occasion, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), who is also chairman of TFD, noted that the U.S. once said peaceful cross-Taiwan Strait ties are of a great significance to the security in the Northeast Asia region and that to ensure sustainable development in the face of rapid changes in China, it is important for the island to establish communication mechanisms and become an important stabilizing influence in the East Asia region.

He also asked the U.S. to sell defensive weapons to Taiwan such as F-16 C/D fighter jets to ensure the military balance in the region.

Taiwan also needs to be more actively involved in international organizations to protect its people's rights such as the World Health Assembly (WHA), in which it has observer status, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which it is scheduled to join in 2012, Wang said. (By Sunrise Lin and C.J. Lin) ENDITEM/J

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Thaksin visits Japan - Channel News Asia

TOKYO: Thailand's fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra is due to give two speeches in Japan on Tuesday as part of a visit that has stoked widespread controversy in his home country.

The one-time business tycoon, toppled in a 2006 coup, is visiting Japan just a fortnight after his sister Yingluck Shinawatra took power as Thailand's prime minister, raising questions about his influence over her government.

Thaksin, who is living in exile in Dubai to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption, has angered his critics with his Japan visit -- until August 28 -- which many see as an attempt to make a return to the international stage.

His visit will include a tour of northeastern areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. On Tuesday he was due to give two speeches in Tokyo.

In a recent interview with Japan's Kyodo News agency, he said he wanted to assess what Thailand could do to help Japan.

"My intention is to visit the tsunami site to see whether we can render any kind of cooperation or assistance," he was quoted as saying.

He said help from Bangkok could possibly include assisting disaster-hit Japanese companies relocate to Thailand, or to issue long-stay visas to tsunami victims who want to recuperate in Thailand.

Thaksin reportedly insisted he is not officially involved with the new government led by Yingluck, telling Kyodo: "Leadership lies with the prime minister. I just give advice when needed. I don't give advice every day."

Thaksin, who served as Thai prime minister between 2001 and 2006, is loved by many poor Thais but seen by the Bangkok-based elite as authoritarian and a threat to the monarchy.

His removal from power by royalist generals heralded five years of political crises, both in the Thai parliament and on the streets, where his foes and supporters have held crippling rival protests.

They culminated in rallies by "Red Shirts" loyal to Thaksin last year, in which more than 90 people died in clashes between the army and demonstrators.

Yingluck, a political novice who her brother has described as his "clone", has raised the idea of an amnesty for convicted politicians.

While Yingluck's government denied making a specific visa request for Thaksin, Tokyo said Bangkok had asked it to allow in the former leader, making an exception to its normal entry rules concerning criminal convictions.

The previous Democrat-led government accused the fugitive of bankrolling the 2010 Red Shirt rallies and inciting unrest, and a Thai court last year approved an arrest warrant for him on terrorism charges.

An opinion poll published on Monday indicated most Thais want Thaksin to stay out of politics.

Almost 69 per cent said he should allow Yingluck to run the country by herself, compared with 20.5 per cent who said he should have a role, according to Assumption University of Thailand, which surveyed almost 2,200 people.

-AFP/wk

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