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Mob jostling of mainland scholar in Taiwan condemned

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-22 09:50

Mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) on Tuesday condemned the treatment of a mainland scholar at the hands of an angry mob in Taiwan.

In a letter to Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), the ARATS expressed "strong indignation" over the incident which happened at a Confucius temple in the south of the island on Tuesday morning.

Dean of Journalism in Xiamen University, Zhang Mingqing, delivers a speech in this file photo.

A Taiwan legislator of Democratic Progressive Party representing Tainan city, allegedly incited a mob to close in on Zhang Mingqing, dean of journalism at Xiamen University. He was shoved to ground during a tour of the site.

Then when Zhang was in his car leaving the temple, a rioter jumped onto the vehicle's roof. Others beat the car with flag poles.

Zhang was visiting the island at the invitation of the Taiwan National University of the Arts.

The ARATS asked the SEF to convey its message to the Taiwan authority that Zhang's safety should be assured.

The Taiwan authority should seriously punish the culprits and take measures to prevent such acts from occurring in the future, the letter said.

The SEF held a press conference at noon expressing strong regret and denouncing of the incident. The group also pledged to respect and protect every mainland visitor, for business or tourism, allowed in by the normal application process.

Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of the SEF said the incident would not affect his upcoming second meeting with the ARATS chief Chen Yunlin.

Chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation Chiang Pin-kun holds a press conference on Tuesday, October 21, 2008, condemning the serious offense of Taiwan pro-independence activists to the Dean of Journalism at Xiamen University, Zhang Mingqing. [CFP]

Wu Poh-hsiung, chairman of Taiwan's ruling party Kuomintang (KMT), has sent his delegate to see Zhang Mingqing, who is also ARATS deputy chief.

The KMT's honorary chairman Lien Chan asked Taiwan's police department to investigate the incident and bring the criminals to justice.

Spokesman of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office said it was a common aspiration of people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits to improve and develop the across-Straits relationship.

Such destructive acts by a few people could not block the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and the exchange and cooperation of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits