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TAIPEI: Taiwan’s decision to reject the Olympic
torch provoked an outcry at home Friday as the opposition and the
media accused the government of letting politics interfere with
sport.
Beijing Games organizers
announced Thursday that the flame would visit the island after
sweeping through the cities of Pyongyang and Ho Chi Minh, before
moving on to Hong Kong and Macau.
President Chen Shui-bian told
reporters on Friday that relevant authorities deemed the plan
unacceptable because “Taiwan’s status as a sovereignty country
cannot be dwarfed.”
But opposition politicians were
quick to condemn the decision.
“This is a rare opportunity to
put Taipei and Taiwan in the international stage. We really regret
losing this opportunity,” said Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin from the
main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party.
Presidential hopeful and former
KMT chief Ma Ying-jeou blamed the government for rejecting the torch
on political grounds.
“The [ruling] Democratic
Progressive Party is going to hold its primary and now comes the
decision that is against the mainstream opinions in the
international community,” Ma said.
“It shows the government has
little confidence in itself. The Republic of China [Taiwan’s
formal name] is a sovereign country and we need not be afraid of
being belittled,” he added.
KMT lawmaker Huang Chih-hsiung, a
silver medalist in tae kwon do at the 2004 Athens Olympics, said the
DPP should take the blame if the International Olympic Committee
revoke Taipei’s membership as a punishment.
“Isn’t the government going
too far in driving away the torch and denying itself in order to
manipulate the elections?” it asked.
China and Taiwan have been ruled
separately since they split in 1949 at the end of a civil war but
Beijing still considers the island part of its territory awaiting
reunification.
--AFP
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