Taiwan Independence

Re “The Historical Basis for a Free Taiwan,” Opinion, March 26: Although I agree that there is a strong case to be made for a free Taiwan, I disagree with Maurice Meisner’s line of reasoning, which is echoed by Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party.

Meisner gives historical reasons for Taiwan’s independence. We don’t need to go beyond 1949 to argue for Taiwan’s independence. At the point when the Kuomintang forces retreated to Taiwan, a de facto truce held and, subsequently, two virtual countries emerged.

It can be compared to the situation between the two Germanys and two Koreas--in both cases, both sides were recognized as independent countries. To use a historical case, it would be akin to saying that Lithuania has been part of the Soviet Union; therefore it should remain so. The fact is, the people of Lithuania do not want to be a part of Russia, their history notwithstanding.

Even if China had controlled Taiwan between 1895 and 1949, and not Japan, the will of the people of Taiwan should be held in higher consideration, not history.

Also, I would argue that it wasn’t necessarily the harsh rule of the Japanese or the KMT that gave rise to “popular democratic consciousness,” however warm and fuzzy that may sound. The Taiwanese were basically fighting against tyranny and for their survival. As Meisner stated, Taiwan was isolated from the democratic movements in China, and really, concepts of democracy are a relatively new thing for any Taiwanese political party.

ANDY HSIUNG

Santa Monica

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All the historical facts stated in the article are quite correct, in particular on the Taiwanese national consciousness developed during the imperial Japanese occupation between 1895 and 1945 and the present-day Taiwan independence movement. Unfortunately, when it comes to the analysis of cause and effect, the author has drawn a horse’s mouth to a cow’s head. The fact is that the former nationalists under the Japanese occupation are all gung-ho one-China-policy believers today. Ironically, the independence believers depend for their support on foreign powers, such as their former ruler Japan and the United States.

PAUL CHOW

Northridge