Chinese Student Extradited to the US

Tim Tse was a student studying for a Master's degree at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in January 2006, when he allegedly sexually assaulted a female student H.Y.T. from Taiwan.

Tse was arrested at a border crossing when he was traveling to mainland from Hong Kong in January 2013. The Chinese authority contacted the US when his name triggered an alarm on computer screen. Tse was sent back to Hong Kong from where he was extradited to the US. Although there was no extradition agreement between the US and China, there is such agreement between Hong Kong and the US.

According to the police, Tse, having his face covered with a ski mask, broke in the 26 years old victim's residence on S Riverwood Blvd where she was sleeping at the time and drugged her by placing a soaked rag soaked with a toxic chemical over her mouth. Tse then showered her and forced a pill down her throat. The woman was beat and raped. Tse also took photos of the naked victim.

The woman was not able to name a suspect, but Tse contacted the police one week later. Tse initially admitted to police that he was angry with the woman for a variety of reasons and wanted to take nude photos and posted them online to humiliate her. Tse then claimed he was not provided proper legal advice, and tried to suppress the confession.

Tse was arrested and charged with second degree sexual assault and burglary on Nov 14, 2006. He was assigned a public defender, being indigent; however, managed to post a bond of $100,000 in cash the same day. Tse's girlfriend posted the bond on Nov 16 with money wired by Tse's family. Tse boarded a United flight to Hong Kong at O'Hare in Chicago on Nov 19.

Wisconsin v. Tim Tse, 2006CF006108

This time, Tse's bond was set at $5 million. On Oct 22, 2013, Tse pled guilty on Burglary. The court dismissed Secual Assault charge.

Tse's next court appearance will be on Dec 6, 2013. Tse is represented by Dean A. Strang, who has extensive trial experience including in the SCOTUS.

A April 16, 2007 youtube video claimed Tim Tse was from Shanghai, China. Court record also showed Tse claimed he was a native Mandarin speaker. However, based on the way the name is spelled, the Seagull is positive that he must not be from the mainland. Hong Kong is possible, though. Charles Stone, the victim's friend and a lawyer, said Tse was a Chinese citizen. On the other hand, towards the end of the video, the news anchor said the at large Tse could be on an airplane to Hong Kong.

When Tse was apprehended and brought back to the US a few months ago, local TV station FOX6 proclaimed that regardless the result of the trial, Tse would be registered as a secual offender for the rest of his life. It did not go that way.

Update: Franklin Now has a detailed recount of the saga:

According to the 2006 criminal complaint and Franklin Police Department police reports:

The attack occurred in the woman's apartment in the 6900 block of South Riverwood Boulevard between Nov. 4 and 5, 2006. The victim, who was 26 at the time, told police she was sleeping in her bed when a man placed a rag containing some sort of chemical over her mouth, hit her and choked her several times. He pulled off her pajama bottoms and underwear and fondled her underneath her pajama top.

The woman told police that during this time she saw flashes, which led her to believe the man was taking pictures of her while she was partly nude.

The man then took her into the bathroom and placed her in the shower, where he tied her up, placed a towel over her face and attempted to force a pill down her throat. She spit the pill into the shower when she heard the man leave the room, and when he returned he dragged her by her shoulders and hair back into the bedroom, where he left her lying on the floor.

The victim stated that she was lightheaded and dizzy, and went in and out of consciousness several times during the attack.

After the man left her bedroom, the woman grabbed her cellphone and dialed 911. Officers found the woman lying on her bedroom floor, shaking uncontrollably, with a towel covering the bottom portion of her body. The Franklin Fire Department took her to the hospital for evaluation and treatment.

About a week after the incident, police received a call from the victim's boyfriend, who stated that Tse had just confessed to attacking the woman.

"I guess he was feeling some pangs of guilt after the attack," Spak said, "so he decided to tell the victim's boyfriend, who then called us."

When questioned by police, Tse, who was dating the victim's roommate at the time, told officers he was angry at the victim for a variety of reasons that he never explained and planned the attack out of revenge, according to the criminal complaint. He stated he wanted to take pictures of the victim without her clothes on and post them on the Internet to humiliate her.

Franklin detectives later searched Tse's home in the 1600 block of North Prospect Avenue in Milwaukee, where they seized all computers, hard drives, monitors, storage disks, CDs and DVDs, along with any cameras or chemicals. However, police never found any pictures or video of the victim, police reports state.

"He never actually posted the pictures on the Internet, or did anything else with them," Spak said. "To our knowledge he destroyed the camera, and all the photos along with it."

Tse admitted to entering the woman's home using her roommate's key, and using a chemical-soaked rag to render her unconscious. He also admitted to groping the victim because he wanted to scare her and "make her believe she was going to be sexually assaulted," and to taking pictures of her in various stages of undress, according to the complaint.

It goes on to state that Tse told police he stole several items before leaving the apartment because he believed it would be better for him if he made the incident look more like a burglary.

Samsung's Interns

Taiwan's 'Apple Daily', a regional newspaper, revealed how Samsung used a network army comprised of most student interns to attack competitors (including HTC, when they were caught).

The Pay is hard to earn: a student need to register at gender oriented forums with IDs in each gender, and post or reply every day; add 20 random friends on Facebook, replying 100 posts per month, and reply to 10 designated posts per week in disguise of totally stranger. Having completed all above worth NTD 1500 ($50).

The reporter, who worked two months undercover for this report, also obtained a detailed price list on original posts on top of basic monthly load:

$11: Positive opinion of a product over 30 words, with self reply;
• $200-$260: Sharing positive opinion with more than 6 pictures and over 600 words, attracting over 10 replies;
• $130-$160: Text with over 600 words, attracting over 5 replies;
• $600 per month: Maintaining a Facebook group on a product; need 60 posts; 4 bonuses per month;
• $$: blogs are negotiated base by case;

Update: Oct 24, 2013. Taiwan Trade Commision fined Samsung $350,000 and its hired commentators $100,000 for deceptive advertisement. The commission found Samsung had contracted people to make false comments since 2007.

DPP Lost Election, but Conquered the Mainland

President Ma Ying Jeou of the Kuomintang Party won the re-election in a closely tied election last weekend.

The pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost the election in Taiwan, however, unexpectedly conquered the online community of people from the mainland. The DPP had long been equated to evils who played with narrow minded village idiots who can't see anything beyond their nose. The greedy former DPP president Chen Shui-bian who was serving jail time for broad corruptions charges did not help DPP's image. And of course, the dirty tricks they played to steal the elections in 2000 was still fresh on tape.

Mainland people who was able to 'climb over the (Great Fire) Wall' was shocked when watching the presidential debate among the three candidates this time. They were surprised to find the main focus of each and everyone of them was on people's well being, instead of ideology or politics. One online post commented, after watching the debate, he had no problem if any one of them turn out ruling China.

Many walked over the red line to express support to the DPP candidate Ms. Tsai Ing-wen, who earned extra bonus points for her conceding speech in which she gracefully accepted the defeat but encourage people to keep on the fighting as 'Taiwan needs different voices'. 'Different voice' is something you do not see in the mainland. Even the 'trouble-maker' James Soong Chu-yu of the People First Party, a member of the pan-Blue Coalition who almost sabotaged Ma's slim edges received applause for making different voices. One thing is for sure, people on the mainland abandoned the independence issue as the sole criteria between right and wrong.

A long time Communism Party member commented after observing the election online: we would not be 'liberating' them if we launched war against Taiwan.

Chinese Captain to Return Home

Chinese fishing boat captain Zhan Qixiong will be released to go home, announced Japanese prosecutors, citing consideration of the dispute between China and Japan on diplomatic level.

This is a rebuttal of the argument of the Japanese government that the original decision to detain the captain was based on Japan's domestic law with the decision had been made by local prosecutors. Japanese government claimed they could do nothing despite repeatedly protest from Chinese officials. It is an admission of guilt that politics does play the leading role in the ending of the incident. At the same time, it is an admission of guilt that politics could have played an equally important role in the motivation at the beginning.

There might be under the table bargaining and trading that we don't know. From the face value, it's hard to tell which side scores higher in the proactive incident which almost triggered a war which involves not only China and Japan, but also Taiwan and the US. According to the US/Japan Security Treaty, the US is obliged to step in on any land 'administered' by Japan. Putting aside all the disputes with the mainland China, Taiwan's President sent 11 armed coast guard ships to a standoff with Japanese official ships to protest the detaining of Chinese captain. The two sides, although armed with live ammo, exchanged attacks with means of flash lights and loud speakers. Taiwan claimed the Islands belong to Republic of China, the official title of Taiwan. The mainland claimed sovereign of the Islands, while placing it under the Taiwan Province according to traditional boundaries. In this sense, the two China found a common ground to fence off Japan's aggression.

Both China and Japan had hoped to let the issue settle down in time. Japan has the actual control of the island, and hope when time goes by, the rest of the world, including China and Taiwan, will get used to the reality that it is under Japan's actual control. China, on the other end, do not want to challenge Japan's superior military power in the water and air and wish the current dispute could be prolonged to the moment when its influence catch up with the economics growth.

The incident, in a way, broke the wishes from both sides. Both Japan and China will have to take a serious look at Diaoyu Islands and prepare for the next conflict which could happen at any time.

There is no doubt, though, that Japanese authorities provoked the incident. Chinese fishing boats have been fishing in the water for hundreds of years, especially in most recent years, when its near shore resources mostly exhausted by over fishing. It is believed that there was a common understanding between the two sides that China does not publicly challenge Japan's control of the Islands, but Japan allow China's fishing boats to fish in the area. At any given time, it is said around 300 Chinese fishing boats would be found in the area. Why suddenly Japanese government made a big deal of it, by chasing after a small fishing boat?

The current Japanese government started with an agenda to outgrow the US occupancy and strengthen ties with China. That plot didn't work well, and had already cost one Premier's job. The second Premier from the same Party, assumed much of the fame and debt from his predecessor, and was facing a challenge from a competitor in a primary election on September 14. By demonstrating a strong face towards China, the Premier scored a solid win, much in the similar way in the US when politicians always show strong face towards potential threats, but often adopt a more pragmatic approach after taking office. In this sense, Premier Naoto Kan won.

A New York Times article on the Islands:

Look Out for the Diaoyu Islands
By NICHOLAS KRISTOF

Tensions have erupted over some barren rocks in the Pacific that you may never have heard of, but stay tuned – this is a boundary dispute that could get ugly and some day have far-reaching consequences for China, Japan, Taiwan and the United States.

The islands in question are called the Senkaku chain by Japan, the Diaoyu islands by China, and the Diaoyutai by Taiwan. All three claim the islands, which are really just five islets and three barren rocks northeast of Taiwan, 200 miles off the Chinese coast. The latest confrontation occurred when a Chinese fishing boat collided with two Japanese naval vessels trying to intercept it near the islands. The Japanese detained the Chinese captain for questioning and the two countries have been exchanging indignant protests.

The reason to worry is that nationalists in both China and Taiwan see the islands as unquestionably theirs and think that their government has been weak in asserting this authority. So far, wiser heads have generally prevailed on each side, but at some point a weakened Chinese leader might try to gain legitimacy with the public by pushing the issue and recovering the islands. It would be a dangerous game and would have a disastrous impact on China-Japan relations, but if successful it would raise the popularity of the Chinese government and would also be a way of putting pressure on Taiwan.

The other problem is that, technically, the U.S. would be obliged to bail Japan out if there were a fight over the Senkakus. The U.S. doesn’t take a position on who owns the islands, but the Japan-U.S. security treaty specifies that the U.S. will help defend areas that Japan administers. And in 1972, when the U.S. handed Okinawa back to Japan, it agreed that Japan should administer the Senkakus. So we’re in the absurd position of being committed to help Japan fight a war over islands, even though we don’t agree that they are necessarily Japanese.

In reality, of course, there is zero chance that the U.S. will honor its treaty obligation over a few barren rocks. We’re not going to risk a nuclear confrontation with China over some islands that may well be China’s. But if we don’t help, our security relationship with Japan will be stretched to the breaking point.

So which country has a better claim to the islands? My feeling is that it’s China, although the answer isn’t clearcut. Chinese navigational records show the islands as Chinese for many centuries, and a 1783 Japanese map shows them as Chinese as well. Japan purported to “discover” the islands only in 1884 and annexed them only in 1895 when it also grabbed Taiwan. (You can also make a case that they are terra nullis, belonging to no nation.)

The best approach would be for China and Japan to agree to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice, but realistically that won’t happen. And since some believe that the area is rich with oil and gas reserves, the claims from each side have become more insistent.

As Chinese nationalism grows, as China’s navy and ability to project power in the ocean gains, we could see some military jostling over the islands. You read it here first.

Why the Hell Are You so Soft?

Chinese, Japanese and Koreans and Russians around the world are amazed at the CCP's soft stance against Japan's aggression in Diaoyu Island.

Diaoyu Island is historically an offshore island under Taiwan's jurisdiction. It was took over by Japan, and at the end of WWII was transferred to the US military, and had been used as a targeting proof ground. Although the US had promised to return it to China, which means ROC or Taiwan at the time, they instead transferred jurisdiction of the island to Japan in 1972, without transferring ownership. In the past 40 years or so, both Taiwan and Japan claimed ownership, and it had been handled as a disputed territory by both. Although pro trolling the area with fishery agencies, Japan had refrained itself from actual landing on the island of 6.7 square miles, and prohibited any Japanese private citizen to access the island. The government of Taiwan also avoided confrontation with Japanese officials, but claimed full territorial claim on the island. The current ROC/Taiwan President, Mr. Ma Ying-jeou was an activist of campaign of Keeping Diaoyutai Island. In 2008, when a Taiwan fishery boat was sunk after a coalition with Japanese official ships, he ordered Taiwan official ships to a standoff with Japanese official ships.

The Communism China, on the other hand, had been absent from the scene for a large part of the dispute until recently. Prior to the handover in 1972, the CCP government was afraid US would return the island to Taiwan, its political rival. Therefore, the CCP argued extensively that the island should belong to Japan, a rare sympathizer of the regime at the time. Entering 21 century, with increasing naval and air military strength and growing economics appetite, Beijing quietly joined the choir of claiming sovereignty over the island. Indeed, without the island, China will loose hundreds of thousands square miles of water territory. Equally important, Chinese navy, submarines in particular will loose the only path to the Pacific. Not willing to make a scene, China also restraint itself from alerting the Japanese by actual accessing the island. The Chinese government counts on the dispute could be dragged on to the next millennium and resolved by itself by then with China's ever growing military might.

While all government imposed self constraint, the water around the island had been relative clam in the past, until the climax of last week, when Japanese officials arrested a Chinese fishing boat captain on criminal charges. And this is seen a no-return point. The captain was sentenced to a 10 days jail time, but the significance is that or the first time in history, Japanese government applied civil code and claimed sovereignty in addition to jurisdiction rights.

As expected by the Japan government, CCP backed off.

What many Chinese people around the globe do not understand is that CCP has always placed the interest of the Party on top of everything else, including the sovereignty of the country and welfare being of the people. When the Chinese government (ROC by then) took over the Middle-East Railroad from USSR in 1929, CCP announced its military and political forces would 'defend USSR by force', even though it was USSR who occupied Chinese territory in Northeast. While the Communist Party leader of North Korea begged for a couple of mountains on the Chinese-Korea border for propaganda purpose, the CCP redrew the border to Korea's satisfaction in a matter of days. When KMT troops hided out in a disputed area along China and Burma, CCP disavowed the area so that Burma military could attack the Chinese troops.

For CCP, the Party's interest is the No. 1 priority and the only essential interest. Everything else could be sacrificed for the sake of the survival of the Party. Knowing this helps to understand why the CCP is avoiding any serious conflict internationally at all cost.

In other country, a mishandling of a potentially explosive evident may leads to the crash of a government. In China, it could threaten the ruling of the Party. That's why the CCP has been soft on not only Japan, but also Korea, and Vietnam, Philippine, etc., etc.

For the interest of the Chinese, and of the country, CCP must go, one way or another.

China Never Short of Talents

Xiong Dazhen, 1913-1939, joined the Communism military to defend motherland against Japan after the war broke out. He was named the Equipment Chief of the Central-North District. Xiong recruited over 100 students and faculty of Qinghua University to design and build weapons and ammunitions. One year later, all of them were charged as spies. Xiong was sentenced to death. To save a bullet, a piece stone was used repeatedly to crack open Xiong's head.

Xiong took an infrared panorama picture (of the city of Beijing) when he was a student at Qinghua University. It was the first infrared picture of China. After graduated in 1935, he stayed at Qinghua University to continue his research in infrared photography. He was awarded a scholarship to pursue graduate degree in Germany in 1937, when Beijing fell to Japanese military. Xiong canceled his trip to Europe to fight the Japs.

The CCP never hesitated in killing talents, regardless talents in science, literature, military, or, Communism.

In contrary, the KMT often put talents above ideology. Many known Communism believers work in the central of KMT regime. Many top KMT officials were later revealed as CCP spies. Most of them were let go (abroad) even after their true identities had been discovered. In the end, KMT lost the mainland, and fled to the Island of Taiwan.

As a side note, almost all Chinese Nobel Laureates were educated under the KMT system; none of them came out of the mainland education system. But does it matter? Mainland is a mighty power in Eastern Asia. Taiwan is only to keep its independent status due to the US's military support.

Universities in Taiwan to recruit students from the mainland

Vice Education Minister Lin Chung-ming announced 40 mainland universities from the mainland were put on a list that students of which can apply to Taiwan Universities.

The effectives of the measure will be yet to see. Usually in mainland, students with highest grades go to the US; second tiers go to the other western countries such as Canada and England; third tier students go to Hong Kong and Japan; fourth tiers go to south eastern Asian countries and Pacific countries. Taiwan universities will have a hard time competing with counterparts in Hong Kong, a prosperous and energetic city connected to the mainland by land.

To easy local concerns of political influence and employment pressure, the Education Ministry of Taiwan set strict limits on the project. Only students from 40 pre-approved mainland universities are allowed to apply, and the total annual inflow is set to 2,000. These students will not be allowed to stay after their graduation.

Some locals have expectation for the mainland students to shake up the Taiwan college education system, "you only hae to put a few students from Beijing or Qinghua University in classrooms to deter local students from dozing off or snacking," said a local writer Kao Hsi-chun.

The Taiwan Education Ministry is also considering recognizing diplomas from the above 40 (some sources use the number of 41) mainland universities. While more Taiwan students go to college in mainland, they have been placing higher pressure on the Taiwan government to recognize their degrees obtained from mainland universities. The number '41' is set by including 39 '985 project' universities, with the only exception of the National University of Defense Technology, plus Beijing Sports University, Central Conservatory of Music and China Central Academy of Fine Arts. It is not clear about the composition of '40'.

Asian Corruption Index

1. Singapore 0.92
   
2. Hong Kong 1.74
   
3. Japan 2.63
   
4. Macao 3.75
   
5. South Korea 4.97
   
6. Taiwan 5.85
   
7. India 6.5
   
8. Thailand 6.76
   
9. Malaysia 7.0
   
10. China (Mainland) 7.3
    
11. Vietnam 7.4
    
12. Philippine 7.68
    
13. Indonesia 7.69
    
14. Cambodia 8.1
    

From: 澳门日报：《政經風險評估》發表貪污趨勢年報, base on a survey of more than 1,700 expatriate business executives by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC).

A Changing Landscape in Taiwan Residents' Self Identity

According to a recent survey conducted in Taiwan, comparing to 12 years ago, more people in Taiwan consider themselves Taiwanese, rather than Chinese.

The items in the chart are, from top to bottom:

You consider yourself a Taiwanese;

You consider yourself a Taiwanese and a Chinese;

You consider yourself a Chinese;

A Taiwanese is a Chinese

The orange bar represents numbers in 1997 while the blue bars represents numbers in 2009. Taiwan calendar starts in 1911, when the Republic of China (ROC) was founded in Nanjing. It is noted that 'Chinese' as quoted is not the same as citizen of the People's Republic of China.

The rapid changing self identity landscape can be read as a result of political wrangling between two parties. The KMD who historically rely on people originally from the mainland, while the PPD who make itself known by pushing towards an independent country detached from the mainland. Taiwan is one of few places in the world that in very recent years to create an ethic group purely by residency. Both parties count on votes of people who do not agree on the other party's ethnic policy. During the ruling of PPD from 2000 to 2008, more Taiwan people are steered by the politics towards labeling themselves mainstream, Taiwanese.

On the other hand, for many years since the overturn of ROC in 1949 in mainland, people in Taiwan has been fed of the idea that people in the mainland are suffering from the communist ruling, and that people in Taiwan had the moral obligation to rescue folks in mainland. Taiwan had been actively pursuing military assault of mainland until it's obviously that the mainland gained upper hand. Subsequently Taiwan has been worried about being invaded by the mainland, and increasingly sees the mainland a threat. Declaring independence leaves the mainland with one less reason to pursue the unification by force.

The population composition is changing too. Many people originally from mainland before 1949 are dying. In general people from mainland have better education as well as means and ways. Their offspring are more likely to have left Taiwan to US or Japan.

France to Sell Leclerc MTB to Taiwan

French just announced it would sell Leclerc MTB (main battle tank) to Taiwan, partially as compensation for the scandal entangled La Fayette frigates deal back in 1992.


Leclerc is acclaimed the most advanced western MTB today. It is light, fast, equipped with most advanced information system, and is capable of quick reloading and precise targeting. It is especially well suit for the road condition in Taiwan, where most of the land is hilly and the rest full of swamps lakes and rivers.

For mainland China, the move is no different than how British sees a foreign country selling tanks to Irish Republican Army. The Sino-France tie has already been soured after French President Sarkozy met exile Dalai Lama a few months ago. The Chinese premier Wen Jiabao is on his way visiting a range of European countries, with the notable omission of France.


France sold Taiwan six La Fayette class frigates in 1992. Shortly after, the body of a navy colonel who had been close to the negotiation was washed up shore in Taiwan. A subsequent investigation showed $120 million dollars kickback was paid by the French party to state holders, including politicians in Taiwan, Taiwan naval officers, international brokers. In addition, and to the world's surprise, $366 million dollars was paid to French officials and communist higher-ups in Beijing. Disgraced France had proposed selling minehunter ship, Mirage fighters, and upgrading the La Fayette frigates in 2006 as a compensation. But the project was exposed and killed by public outcry in Taiwan.

Tianjin Connected to Taiwan

For the first time in 60 years, ship left Tianjin New Port to Kaohsiung, a southern seaport of Taiwan on Dec 15, 2008. The Dayangzhou (Oceania) is one of the largest container carrier in the world, launched in April 2008, capable of carrying 10,000 standard containers. At the same time, another 68,000 tons containers ship 'New Yantai' is leaving Tianjin for Keelung, a northern seaport of Taiwan.

The new route connected 63 ports on the mainland to 11 ports in Taiwan directly without going through a third destination as Taiwan's policy used to required. At the same time, air travel and postal service are connected directly from this day. Thanks to treaties signed last month, the island is linked "directly", officially.

Despite the ongoing economy crisis, Taiwan businesses will invest $3 billion in Tianjin in 22 major joint projects in sectors of electronics, chemical industry and environmental protections. As of October this year, Tianjin has attracted 2,014 Taiwan businesses bringing in an investment of $8 billion.

Patriotic Chinese and Patriotic American

With the global depression looming around, the world factory's economy was hit hard as demand dwindles. Patriotic American at this time are those who save, but patriotic Chinese at this time are those who spend. Knowing just that, immediately after the Chinese Premier expressed China's willingness to help the US stabilize its finance (new media obtained a price tag of $200 Billion in new US treasury bonds), the DoD announced a $6 Billion arm sale to Taiwan, the separate province of China. This is a big slap on the face to the Chinese Premier.

The next day, the Chinese central bank went ahead with a global coordinated rate cuts.

How is a Great Depression look like? China apparently is already scared. Is the United States scared?

A War Lost

Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Straits lost in battles against Japanese's aggression.

Taiwan canceled a planned protesting trip of its navy fleet in the disputed Diaoyutai area. Both Beijing and Taipei recognize Taipei is directly in charge of the islands. The president Ma Ying-Jeou explained that what he meant the other day that he would launch a war against Japan's aggressions was a war in the international court, rather than on the open sea.


Beijing signed a treaty with Japan, and basically agreed with all Japanese claims on Chinese territory. Any opposing opinions were prohibited from appearing on any media or the Internet. There's no apparent reason to explain why did the communism government made the deal, other than to make Japanese leaders a happy guest in the summer Olympic to be held in a couple of months in Beijing.

That Dame Olympic Game!

Defending Diaoyutai

Japanese warships sank a Taiwan fishing boat near Diaoyutai Islands. Taiwan Coast Guard sent in two ships to examine the situation, but was later ordered by Taiwan Foreign Ministry to back down from a standoff engagement with Japanese ships.

The islands were traditionally a Chinese territory, a fact supported by historical evidents and recognized by Sino-Okinawa treaties and treaties between Okinawa and Japanese before it merged into Japan. During WWII and the civil war between Communism and Nationalism, the Islands were under US's control. When US turned the administration of Okinawa to Japan, it also hand over the Diaoyutai Island to Japan, though without recognizing ownership or attachment of the Islands. For a while neither Japan nor Taiwan was enthusiastic over the Islands. Although students and grassroots movements had been protesting the handover in Taiwan, the Taiwan government did not do anything to bring up the issue. At the time, Beijing was happy to see it a sign of declining US influence in the region. To an extent, it's something to celebrate. The Diaoyu Island became an increased focus of conflict between China and Japan in the recent years amid the change in the political environment. While Beijing becomes more confident in handling foreign affairs, one of the student activist became the President of Taipei in 2008.

Beijing expressed regret and disappointment over the incident, while the president of Taiwan reaffirmed his stance that Diaoyutai is sovereign territory of Taiwan (Republic of China). Both Beijing (The People's Republic of China) and Taipei (Republic of China) recognize Diaoyutai as part of China, and both sides agreed that the islands part of Taiwan Province.

The Progressive Party, Taiwan's minority party that just lost its 8 years holding on the President's position in the election, strongly criticized current government's slow and confusing respond to the incident.

Many Taiwan fish men protested at Taiwan Foreign Ministry, and painted Japan's flag black. The wife of the captain of the sunk fishing boat told the press that had her husband raised the five star (Beijing) flag, the ship would be ok, complaining lack of protection by Taiwan government.

A Newsless Day

For MITBBS, the 'largest' Chinese oversea website and the site with probably the most concentration of elite subscribers with most readers being oversea Chinese holding at least a graduate degrees, it seems there's no real news today, on March 22, 2008.

The 'hottest' topic based on user clicking is discussion on a faked account made by the Dalia Lama's office regarding police's involvement in the recent riot in Tibet. The top suggested (by the site administrators) reading is about men and women and dating. The 'A1' news selected by editors is about the US presidential election.

It seems nobody knows, or cares, an incident that almost ignited the third world war, almost.

It was the election day of Taiwan, an island of 22 million people. A province of China for now, Taiwan residents are trying to figure out whether they wanted to make an immediate declaration of independence with two referendums to be held the same time as the regional 'presidential' election. As of today, Taiwan is still a province of the Republic of China (ROC). ROC is still overseeing the entire and some, in theory. For example, the ROC still claims Mongolia is part of China, so as some of the territory changes made by the Beijing government after 1949 in treaties with neighboring countries.

The Beijing authority has threatened to re-unite Taiwan with military force, if the island dares to hold the referendum, a right Beijing sees only the entire country, of course that will include the mainland) is entitled to. Taiwan went ahead with the referendums. Beijing was relived to see the referendums did not pass, just another godsend excuse so that it does not have to start a war.

The looming of war had been taken seriously. The chief of staff of Russian military visited China days before the election. The US sent three aircraft carriers to the region, including one visits Hong Kong.

The only thing we know at this time is there will not be an immediate war, but nothing further, in a newsless day.

What Matters (China) ?

What matters for China? The Summer Olympic Game to be held in Beijing on August 8, 2008.

The first ever Summer Olympic to be held in Beijing is the Achilles' heel of the Beijing government, and everyone in the world are seeing that and take advantage that.

Last week, an Eastern Turkestan terrorist attempted burning down a flight from Urumqi to Beijing. At this time, police and military force in Tibet bounded by strict order of no arm could be used, have to watch behind shields when shops are burning down, and innocent people killed on the street by Tibetan mobs. Next week, the Taiwan is going to test a referendum towards declaring independence, a step the Beijing government opposes and has vowed military reaction.

What if, let's say forget about the Olympic? National Security First!

Taiwan Defense Minister Vowed to Crush Congress

At a congressional defense committee hearing, General Lee Tien-yu, the Defense Minister of Republic of China (ROC) told the legislators that Taiwan military is only loyal to the president. The issue at stake is a possible constitutional showdown between the president and the congress amid next year's presidential election. The legislators are worried that the president may declare martial law to suppress the election, possibly using military pressure from the mainland as an excuse. General Li agreed with the congress's assessment that Taiwan would not be under military pressure from the mainland at the time. However he also said, if the president declared the martial law regardless, and if the legislation vetoed the president's order, the Taiwan military would only be loyal to the president personally.

The military has been traditional a stronghold of the pro-reunion KMT party. In the seven years since Mr. Chen Shui-bian assumed the presidency of the ROC, all military ranks were replaced with people loyal to Mr. Chen.

Chen Jingjun Named Chairman of Fujian Province

Chen Jingjun was announced as the Chairman of the Fujian Province by Republic of China (ROC), effective on Nov 28, 2007. Although Taiwan authority does not have actual control over the mainland, it still sees mainland China, plus Mongolia and some lost border areas its territory, as stated in its constitution.

The governor of Fujian Province named by the People's Republic of China (PRC) is Huang Xiaojing.

UN FOR TAIWAN

Blogger Yugan reported his private letters sent to overseas were stamped 'UN FOR TAIWAN', a political propaganda slogan sponsored by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The slogan is not backed by the government. Actually, it is prohibited from displaying at many government installations, although the ruling party is pushing hard. Yugan thought it's a violation of his rights by throwing words into his mouth (stamping opinion on his letters).

Eastern Asia countries are rich in history and culture, but new to ideas of modern democracy. With it's economic success and political freedom, Taiwan has been an exemplar of democracy for its neighbors. However, often an opposite example. Rulers of areas that are still under communism or dictatorship are able to ask their people the question: Do you want a democracy as demonstrated in Taiwan? The answer is often 'never'.

With all the political freedom and transparency, people have been able to watch the 24/7 soap operas of cat fight in Taiwan parliament where legislatures beating each one with chairs, tables and even tear gas grenades. People have been watch the elected president cursing, swearing and lying. By all means, a democratic Taiwan has done more harm than goods for the democratic movement in its neighbor countries, especially its motherland the mainland China.

Cell Paper Retracted

Professor Ban-Yang Chang of the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan, China retracted a paper published in Cell. It was the first time a Taiwan based research group had paper published on the privileged journal.

A Russian Biology student noticed some of the figures of this paper were obviously photo-shopped, including repetitive pattern of copy & paste and clear edge looks like a result of drawing. A discussion on the Unknown Space (MITBBS), an oversea Chinese students online community revealed many of the group's previous publication on varies journals questionable. Cell requested the original test image, but the group failed to provide. After a committee recommend the retraction of the paper, Yu-Chan Chao, the Dean of the College of Life Sciences of National Chung Hsing University called the episode an "unfortunate case" and added that "the university will take this as a serious lesson for ethics education at all the colleges in the future." Professor Chang insisted on the conclusion of the paper.

Professor Chang set two No. 1 record among Taiwan based research groups in this incident: the first paper published in Cell, and the first paper retracted from Cell. The incident is also a rare case in the academic world when a well acclaimed study was taken down not by contest from established groups, but by questions raised anonymously on an online forum.

The paper in question was published by Cell on Oct 20, 2006. Hsin-Hsien Hsu, Kuei-Min Chung, Tsung-Ching Chen and Ban-Yang Chang, Role of the Sigma Factor in Transcription Initiation in the Absence of Core RNA Polymerase, Cell.

A time line of the incident assembled by ID 'sanger' of the MITBBS:
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10/20/2006 The paper was published by Cell;
11/16/2006 ID 'yuuli' posted on MITBBS alleging academic fraud after his Russian lab-mate noticed the forgery of a key test image Figure 2C was doctored;
11/18/2006 ID 'motif' posted on MITBBS alleging another paper published by the group in JBC also used a doctored photos; ID 'tataat' alleged another paper published by the group in J Gen Virol (87, 1357-67, 2006) faked test data;
11/21/2006 Professor Chang denied the allegations, and accused mainland students lack of ethics and integrity education, which agonized the situation. Oversea mainland students frequent MITBBS 'Biology Board' called Cell for an investigation;
11/22/2006 Kuei-Min Chung, the first author of JBC paper published a rebuttal, in which he claimed the questioned photo was a result of compression, not forgery;
12/3/2006 Kuei-Min Chung acknowledged doctoring of photos;
12/13/2006 ScienceNow Daily News revealed the retraction of Cell paper