Candidates condemn suppression in Tibet

Kuomintang candidate Ma Ying-jeou called the suppression by force an "extremely savage and stupid act." "I call on all the people of Taiwan to join in with people of the world to condemn the Chinese Communists," he said in Miaoli.

Ma also urged authorities in Beijing to stop the suppression and to start dialogue with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet.

"In my capacity as presidential candidate," Ma went on, "I have cabled to leaders of friendly countries to give moral support to the people of Tibet and the Dalai Lama. Let all of us condemn China and urge China to cease to use force to suppress the Tibetan people."

Frank Hsieh, Ma's Democratic Progressive Party rival, tongue-lashed China just as harshly at a press conference in Taipei.

He went further by calling for a rally at Taan Forest Park in Taipei in support of the oppressed Tibetan people today. "Let the world know the people of Taiwan stand behind the Tibetans," he said.

Hsieh then went on to criticize his election rival.

Ma described all those who care about the future of Tibet as "trying to take advantage of (the suppression in) Tibet" to call for more voter support, Hsieh said.

"That is a smear of those people," Hsieh said, "and anyone who is making that allegation is morally bankrupt, just like a dictator at the time of the Formosa Island Incident."

The incident, which occurred on Human Rights Day on December 10, 1979, pitted pro-independence demonstrators against riot police in Kaohsiung. All leaders of the protest march were arrested, tried and convicted of sedition. Among them were Vice President Annette Lu and Shih Ming-teh.

Shih led a March of One Million on Double Tenth National Day in 2006, demanding that President Chen Shui-bian step down to take responsibility for a spate of scandals involving himself, his family and top aides.

The DPP standard-bearer didn't forget to attack Ma's campaign proposal to form a common market across the Taiwan Strait. He called the proposed organization as the "one China common market."

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