ˇ@Since 1624, Taiwan has been colonized by one foreign power after another.ˇ@From the Dutch Eastern Indian Company to Koxinga regime to the Ching Dynasty to the Republic of Formosa to the Japanese Empire to the Chiang Regime.ˇ@Of these six regimes, one is European, another Japanese, and the remainders, Chinese.

ˇ@ Because the Chiang regime is still competing with the Peoples's Republic of China ("PRC") in their territorial claims of Taiwan, Taiwan remains to this day under the yoke of foreign rules.ˇ@Doubtless to say, foreign rulers take more interest in pursuing their own interest than listening to the voice of the Taiwanese people for self-determination.

ˇ@ Before July 15, 1987 when the martial law was lifted by the Chiang regime, for the Taiwanese, democracy in Taiwan was like a streamlet meandering through the thick rain forest, largely going stifled by Kuomingtang, the ruling party in Taiwan.ˇ@After the liftling of the martial law, the democratic movement reached its watershed, flowing down to the vast expanse of plains.

ˇ@ Ever since the lifting of the martial law, the Taiwanese cry for democracy, in the wake of the economic takeoff, could no longer be stifled and ignored.ˇ@Thanks to the time and effort as well as the sacrifice of dissidents, law and order came into play by and large.ˇ@But while the worst ˘w authoritarian rule ˘w is over, the best ˘w when Taiwan is recognized as a de jure independent nation, rather than a "renegade province of China" ˘w is yet to come.

ˇ@ More specifically, KMT still refuses to take to its heart the rights and interests of all the Taiwanese people and to part with the name "Republic of China".ˇ@Worse still, it is continuing to preach to the people that KMT wishes to recover or reunify with mainland China, fearing that change in its such national policy would invoke the invasion of the People's Republic of China into Taiwan.

ˇ@ The question is that the PRC is ready to exterminate KMT at any cost regardless of whether the latter wants to reunify with China or to declare independence.

ˇ@ This is why even to this day, some peolpe on Taiwan consider themselves as Chinese and "Taiwan a part of China" which echoes the claim of the PRC government because they have been so indoctrinated since their school years, let alone our foreign friends who have little knowledge of the historical Taiwan.ˇ@No wonder the PRC is fixing its eyes on Taiwan too as to them Taiwan is a "hen that can lay golden eggs."ˇ@In fact, the PRC has never ruled Taiwan any single day, nor has any Taiwanese paid any single cent of taxes to the PRC government.

ˇ@To promote Taiwan as an independent nation, whether on a de facto or de jure basis, Care Taiwan Association was founded in 1992, with members consiting of businessmen, scholars, lawyers and civil servants. ˇ@ The main purposes for which the association was established is to educate Taiwanese people that Taiwan is entitled to full U.N. membership because it is an independent sovereign nation, with permanent land, population, stable economy and a functioning government, separate from PRC.ˇ@So far, we have collected signatures from at least 100,000 people on Taiwan for Taiwan's bid for U.N. membership, in adition to the half a million Christmas cards, postcards and in-bus advertisements disseminated or published over the last three years.



ˇ@ By introducing this English Homepage, we wish to woo the moral support of our foreign friends by telling them that Taiwanese people is peace-loving and has each and every right to international representation like the world's other peoples have.ˇ@A democratic Taiwan should not be thrown into the burning firewood of the repressive PRC government.

ˇ@ If Tibetans in China, Ouigurs in Sinkiang, Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East, Bosnians and Serbians in the Republic of Yugoslavis, Maoris in New Zealand, and Singaporeans (like Taiwanese, a majority of which are ethnic Chinese) in Southeast Asia are entitled to self-determination, why should the wishes of the people on Taiwan for self-determination be ignored and denied?ˇ@What would you do if you were in our shoes?

ˇ@ To begin with, a brief account of the history of Taiwan is provided below to enable our readers to better understand Taiwan and its pathetic past.ˇ@An introduction of how Taiwan has fought for U.N. membershop in the last five years and how unique Taiwanese culture is will follow as soon as possible if sufficient financial support is available from all walks of life, including our readers.

ˇ@For your ready reference, the article below falls into eight sections, to wit:

1. Taiwan changing hands like a dancing girl;
2. Prehistoric Taiwan, an uclaimed island vulnerable to looting and invastion;
3. Taiwan as a "milking cow" of the Dutch Eastern Indian Company;
4. Taiwan as a recovering base for Defunct Ming;
5. Taiwan as a deserted territory of the Ching Dynasty;
6. Republic of Formosa, the phony, though the first, "domocratic" nation in Asia;
7. Taiwan as an industrial base of Japan in its "Southward Adventure";
8. Taiwan as KMT's military base for recovery of its mainland China; and
9. Taiwan is throwing its fetters of its shoulders.



ˇ@ Any question or comments on the article would be appreciated through commucation with Charles Ng, CTA's existing president, by the E-mail address: "mauro@ms3.hinet.net "

Best wishes,

Care Taiwan Association

ˇ@By Charles Ng

	CARE TAIWAN ASSOCIATION
	5 Floor, #10 Alley 9, Lane 23, Sec. 5, Nanking East Road, Taipei, TAIWAN
	TEL:886-2-715-7205 FAX:886-2-7128292

& LOAHUNZUU making up Home Page on 23 Mar. 1997.

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