Taiwan president tells China democracy "no disaster"
Ma said China ought to learn from Taiwan's own experiences, and that as an important member of the international community the Chinese government had an obligation to face up to the events of June 4, 1989.
"Taiwan's experience in transitioning from an authoritarian state to a democracy shows that reform, while not painless, is certainly no disaster. Rather, it is a new beginning. It brings stability and progress, and builds trust in the government," Ma said in a statement.
"As we look back upon the June 4th Incident, we urgently hope the mainland Chinese authorities will have the courage to undertake political reforms and promote the development of freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law," he added.
"The ongoing failure of the mainland authorities to redress the wrongs of the June 4th Incident ... impede the mainland's integration into the international community, and make it difficult for the country to emerge as a leader on the international stage."
China has this year jailed, detained or placed in secretive informal custody dozens of dissidents, human rights lawyers and protesters it fears will challenge Communist Party rule.
Ma said that he had personally apologised to family members of dissidents persecuted during the heavy-handed rule of the Kuomintang in the years after it fled to Taiwan after loosing a civil war on the mainland to the Chinese Communists.
"Precisely because we have had these unfortunate episodes in our own past, we are more than willing as ethnic Chinese to share our experiences and remind the mainland Chinese authorities of the need to be accepting of dissidents, and to appreciate their value to society," he said.
"When they are locked up and prevented from speaking, the true victims are not just the dissidents themselves. All of society suffers when mistaken policies go uncorrected."
A first step towards political reform would be to treat dissidents with leniency.
"I call upon the mainland authorities to do just that by acting soon to release Liu Xiaobo, Ai Weiwei, and other dissidents. This would greatly enhance the mainland's international image," he said.
"And more importantly, it would also help reduce the psychological distance between the people of the two sides."
Since being elected in 2008, Ma has signed a series of landmark trade and tourism agreements with China. But suspicions remain deep, and democratic Taiwan has shown little inclination of wanting political talks with China.
Copyright Reuters, 2011