Dear Sirs,

  We here in Taiwan thank you very much for your effort in 
bringing Taiwan under the international limelight by the 
coverage of our President Chen Shui-bian in the May 20 issue.

Yet, we would appreciate your setting the records straight.

  If your cover story's labeling of Taiwan's President Chen 
Shui-bian as "the Chinese" democrat is correct, then it is 
tantamount to admit that American freedom fighters like 
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin 
are all English democrats. Likewise, the Irish revolutionary 
Patrick H. Pearse shall be referred to as an English democrat. 
I do not think that you would accept this kind of twist and 
insult. The truth is: Taiwanese is Taiwanese, not Chinese, 
both ethnically and politically. The same should apply to 
Singaporeans, too. Nobody can claim that Singaporean is 
Chinese either.

  The people on Taiwan have been denied the right to 
participate in meetings, to share resources, or to work 
together with members of the United Nations in every 
direction since 1972, when the delegation of Chiang 
Kai-shek's regime was expelled from that international 
organization. The 23 million people on Taiwan now do not 
have to bear the consequences of a civil war waged between 
the Nationalists and the Communists on Mainland China, 
which we Taiwanese played no part at all. Nor do we have 
any animosity towards Chinese people, as long as we are 
good neighbors. If the Chinese despots on Mainland China 
are so eager to "bring our compatriots on Taiwan to unite 
with the great Motherland," why their delegation to the 
WHO in Geneva recently opted for a blatant obstruction 
on our application for observership by unabashedly 
declaring that the health problems on Taiwan are being 
taken care of by China and there is no justification 
for such an application. This is a gross lie. Yet, 
no national delegates ever dared to challenge this 
outright baloney.

  With Newsweek enjoying reputation as an international 
big media, will you please set the records straight so 
that henceforth this island nation. Taiwan in the 
future deserves a role to play in the world arena in 
whatever respect. We urge you to stand up and not join 
the hordes of those appeasing to the ugly Chinese for 
commercial benefits, thus sacrificing the universal 
principle that all men are created equal. 

  As a longtime reader of this cherished Magazine for more 
than three decades, I sincerely hope that your belief in 
media integrity still prevails in this time of illusions 
and bewilderment.    

  Thank you.

  Yours sincerely,

  Lim Chheng Siang
  
  Associate Professor
  Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering
  Tunghai University

  Taitiong 407, TAIWAN

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