> No. TW can not pursue independence before mainland China is free.
>
> It is TW's responsibility to help mainland people to kill CCP. ROC
> gov collected 1949-1979 tax from mainland in 1949. This tax was used
> to support TW defense.
>
> TW can pursue independence only after all CCP are killed.
>
>
>
>
> . wrote:
>> Is there any hope in fighting China for Taiwanese?
>> Can the Taiwanese fight without USA, in which case
>> is Taiwan still self governmenting?
>>
>>
>> Enter your search terms Submit search form Taipei Times
>>
>> Military left red-faced by mishaps during exercise
>>
>> FIRING BLANKS? : Some misseles failed to destroy their targets, one
>> disappeared and another landed in a cemetery without exploding during
>> yesterday's Han Kuang exercise
>> By Jimmy Chuang
>> STAFF REPORTER, , IN SUAO, ILAN COUNTY
>> Thursday, May 17, 2007, Page 2
>>
>> F-16 fighter jets release flares during the Han Kuang 23 exercise in
>> Suao,
>> Ilan County, yesterday. The military tested its defense readiness in a
>> live-fire drill simulating an invasion by China as part of Taiwan's
>> biggest-ever war games, the defense ministry said.
>> PHOTO: AFP
>>
>> Taiwan's military was left red-faced after problems with missiles
>> afflicted
>> an exercise in Suao Township (??), Ilan County, yesterday.
>>
>> The exercise, part of the Han Kuang 23 annual exercise, involved 2,163
>> military personnel, and took place on the coast at the Navy's Suao Base.
>>
>> It simulated a scenario where Chinese forces had crossed the Taiwan
>> Strait
>> and were ready to land.
>> The Air Force, the Navy, the Army and the Marines established a defense
>> network in Ilan to repulse the invaders from the sea, land and air.
>> The exercise commenced when the Perry-class frigate PFG-1105 launched a
>> Standard Missile I Block I.
>>
>> The commander of yesterday's exercise reported through speakers that the
>> missile had destroyed a target plane 35km away from the vessel.
>>
>> Weather conditions were foggy yesterday, leaving spectators unable to
>> see
>> the frigate clearly.
>>
>> The Navy rarely launches the Standard Missile I Block I during exercises
>> due
>> to its high cost. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said one Standa
>> rd
>> Missile I Block I costs US$1.13 million.
>> Immediately after the launch of the missile, the Army launched two HAWK
>> missiles.
>>
>> One of them hit a target plane but the other lost control and landed in
>> a
>> cemetery. The missile was damaged but did not detonate and Army
>> personnel
>> retrieved the failed ordnance.
>> After the HAWK missiles, the Kidd-class destroyer DDG-1802 launched a
>> Standard Missile II Block I and two Mirage-2000-5s launched Arcane
>> air-to-air missiles. Both the destroyer and the jetfighters destroyed
>> their
>> target planes.
>>
>> However, when two IDF aircraft approached in order to launch AIM-9
>> missiles,
>> the pilots were forced to abort their mission because the target plane
>> was
>> missing.
>>
>> Next, two AH-1W helicopters approached and launched Hellfire missiles
>> and
>> AIM-9 missiles, hovering above where visitors were viewing the exercise
>> as
>> they launched.
>>
>> After that, the Marines launched two MGM-51 Shillelagh missiles, one of
>> which hit its target, but failed to destroy, it while the other one lost
>> control and fell into the sea.
>>
>> The Army then launched two Revenger missiles and two FIM-92 Stinger
>> missiles. One Revenger and one Stinger hit their targets but also failed
>> to
>> destroy them. The other Revenger fell into the sea and the other Stinger
>> disappeared after its launch.
>>
>> The Army's Sixth Legion Commander, Lieutenant General Cheng Shih-yu
>> (???),
>> expressed frustration over the missile failures during yesterday's
>> exercise.
>> "Honestly, I do not know what went wrong," he said. "Maybe these
>> missiles
>> are too old."
>> A parachute drill is scheduled for the Army's Hukou Base today.
>>
>>
>>
gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:1181594357.043334.283730@z28g2000prd.googlegroups.com...>>>> One Chinese man was so angry at the claim that he threw two plastic
>>>> bottles at Mr. Lee at the airport as he prepared to end his private
>>>> trip to Japan.
>>>>
>>>>
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-06-09-voa5.cfm
>>>>
>>>> Former Taiwan Leader Defends Visit to Japan's Controversial Shrine
>>>> By Catherine Makino
>>>> Tokyo
>>>> 09 June 2007
>>>>
>>>> Makino report (mp3) - Download 497k
>>>> Listen to Makino report (mp3)
>>>>
>>>> Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui has concluded a controversial
>>>> trip to Japan by claiming Taiwan is already independent from China,
>>>> and rejecting Beijing's criticism of his visit to Japan's Yasukuni
>>>> Shrine. Catherine Makino reports from Tokyo.
>>>>
>>>> Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui gestures during a lecture in
>>>> Tokyo, 7 June 2007
>>>> Taiwan's former President Lee Teng-hui told reporters on Saturday
>>>> that
>>>> Taiwan is effectively already independent, and should not worry about
>>>> anything China said on the matter.
>>>>
>>>> "Taiwan is already an independent country," he said. "It is natural
>>>> that the Taiwanese people clearly assert that Taiwan is theirs, and
>>>> that Taiwan is an independent county based on peace and democracy."
>>>>
>>>> One Chinese man was so angry at the claim that he threw two plastic
>>>> bottles at Mr. Lee at the airport as he prepared to end his private
>>>> trip to Japan. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has
>>>> threatened
>>>> war if Taiwan ever seeks to formalize its status.
>>>>
>>>> Beijing also criticized Mr. Lee and his Japanese hosts for his visit
>>>> to the Yasukuni Shrine. The presence there of 14 war criminals, among
>>>> more than 2.5 million war dead, angers China, South Korea, and other
>>>> countries who see the shrine as glorifying Japan's militaristic past.
>>>>
>>>> Mr. Lee says he went to the shrine to pay respects to his brother who
>>>> was killed during World War II while serving with Japan's navy in the
>>>> Philippines.
>>>>
>>>> "The visit to pay respects to my brother is a private affair," he
>>>> said. "I had a longing to visit my brother since we do not have
>>>> single locket of his hair or a bone. I am very grateful to Yasukuni
>>>> shrine."
>>>>
>>>> He says it is an experience he will never forget and that it is the
>>>> right of countries to honor the souls of young soldiers who died
>>>> serving their countries.
>>>>
>>>> He rejected China's criticism of his visit, saying he believed the
>>>> Chinese and Koreans invented the Yasukuni problem, because they could
>>>> not deal with problems in their own countries.
>>>>
>>>> Mr. Lee was president of Taiwan from 1988-2000, and has long been a
>>>> harsh critic of Beijing.
>>>>
>>>> During his speech on Saturday Mr. Lee also said the United States is
>>>> now paralyzed because of the war in Iraq. He said decisions made by
>>>> President Bush had weakened the U.S. so that it had lost its
>>>> leadership role in Asia and respect in the world.
