Tough Choices Make Tough Voters

Asiaweek
March 24, 2000

(excerpt)

No matter who wins, this election more than any other since martial law was lifted in 1987 will establish Taiwan as a fully emerged democracy, warts and all. Even if the Kuomintang manages to extend its 50-year hold on power with the election of Lien Chan, its grip will have been loosened by young activists within the party demanding reform. Should either opposition candidate Chen Shui-bian or independent James Soong Chu-yu win, it will similarly show that Taiwan has a mature electorate which knows exactly who and what it is voting for. It is a stunning change, made in a short period of time and in the face of great cross-strait hostility.

AFGHANISTAN

Suspected Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden is dying of kidney failure, according to a Western intelligence source who has been tracking him. Bin Laden's kidney disease has now begun to affect his liver, and close associates are trying to obtain a dialysis machine to stabilize his condition. Bin Laden, about 45, is holed up in a secret location in Afghanistan, and remains mostly conscious and, for now, is able to talk and hold meetings. But "the man is dying," the source says. Meanwhile, bin Laden's host, Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, will continue to refuse to hand over bin Laden to the U.S. for trial on charges of terrorism. At a recent meeting of top Taliban leaders in Kandahar, Omar concluded that even if the Taliban were to give up their troublesome guest, Washington would be unlikely to improve relations, let alone recognize the Taliban as the country's legitimate government.

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