Dissident-aid documents 'are forged'

Melody Chen

Dissident-aid documents `are forged'

The Presidential Office and the National Security Bureau (NSB) yesterday categorically denied media reports that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government has systematically provided financial aid for overseas Chinese dissidents over the past four years.

NSB Deputy Director Huang Lai held a press conference to dismiss as fake the three "classified documents" Beijing claimed to have obtained from his agency and the Military Intelligence Bureau.

"I urge our people not to be misled by these documents and reports," Huang said.

Photo images of the three documents, which allegedly record details of when and how the DPP government gave money to overseas Chinese democracy activists, appeared in the Chinese-language China Times newspaper yesterday.

The newspaper said the documents were provided by China's Ministry of State Security, which accused President Chen Shui-bian's administration of recruiting Chinese dissidents and their relatives to collect intelligence for Taiwan.

"Apparently Beijing wants to portray all overseas Chinese democracy activists as spies for Taiwan."

Wang Dan, former Tiananmen democracy activist

Accusing the Beijing authorities of using Taiwan's media outlets to smear the NSB, Huang said China has been attempting to link overseas Chinese dissidents with Taiwan's pro-independence activists in order to reduce the dissidents' influence at home.

According to the documents, overseas Chinese activists sponsored by the DPP government included Wang Dan , a student leader in the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations, Wang Juntao, Wen Jingsheng and Yang Jianli.

Government Information Office Director-General and former Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung, Straits Exchange Foundation Deputy Secretary-General Yen Wan-ching and former NSB Director Ting Yu-chou were among the Taiwanese officials involved in the financial aid program, according to the documents.

One document said Yen met with Wang Dan and Wang Juntao in Boston in 2001 to discuss the aid. After the meeting, Yen allegedly sent a report to the NSB on Sept. 11, 2001, which was signed by Ting.

Ting, responding to the media reports, said he became the secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC) in August 2001.

"As NSC head, it is impossible for me to sign any letters presented to the NSB," Ting said, adding he was in an emergency meeting at the Presidential Office on Sept. 11, 2001, to discuss how to react to the terrorist attacks in the US.

"The authenticity of the documents is highly questionable," Ting said.

Yen insisted yesterday the documents were "absolutely manufactured" and questioned Beijing's motives in publicizing them.

One characteristic of the documents suggested it is possible the papers might be faked: The papers contained simplified Chinese characters, which are not used in government correspondence in Taiwan. Official letters here use traditional Chinese characters.

Wang Dan, who is now in Canada, questioned Beijing's motivations in releasing the documents just a week ahead of the 15th anniversary of the Tiananment Square bloodshed.

Wang Dan dismissed Beijing's allegations of Taiwan's financial aid for him and his friends as "completely groundless."

"Apparently Beijing wants to portray all overseas Chinese democracy activists as spies for Taiwan," he added.

Secretary-General of the Presidential Office Su Tseng-chang said China wanted to create chaos by publicizing the papers.

--------------------------
Source: "Taipei Times".