beginning Sept. 1, 2003
TAIPEI TIMES
Wed, Sep 03, 2003 - Page 8
|
. . . . . Being residents of Taiwan, we must understand that the KMT's long-running claim that the ROC's territory includes Taiwan is a blatant lie. The ROC Constitution promulgated by Chiang Kai-shek in Nanjing on January 1, 1947, does not state what areas the country's territory includes. Besides, Taiwan never sent any representatives to participate in the amending of that constitution. The imposition of this constitution on Taiwan was simply the result of the Chiang regime's despotic rule. This constitution has nothing to do with Taiwan and its people. We need to take a look back at the earlier basis of that constitution, namely the 1936 draft constitution written by the KMT according to Sun Yat-sen's ideas. That version of the constitution clearly stipulated the ROC's territory. It included Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Mongolia and Tibet, for example, but not Taiwan, which was a Japanese colony at the time. The best explanation of Taiwan's status is to be found in the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which clearly shows that Taiwan does not belong to China, Japan or any other country. In other words, Taiwan's status remains undetermined. In light of this, former president Lee Teng-hui was correct to claim that the ROC no longer exists. The ROC as defined by that 1936 draft constitution disappeared into the dust of history just like all other Chinese dynasties. The claim that Taiwan belongs to China is a myth created by the KMT government after losing the Chinese Civil War to the Communists and beating a retreat to Taiwan. There is no official document whatsoever to prove this claim. . . . . . EXCERPTED FROM: |