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Show I D A I V M ( ft A I Al D China bans live Olympic broadcasts at Tiananmen Taiwanese voters look for quiet spell Annie Huang boom to restore the island of 23 million people to its f ormer place as one of Asia's four TAIPEI. Taiwan -- Ma economic tigers, together with Ying-jeoisnt a charismatic Singapore. Sout h Korea and figure. He calms rather than Hong Kong inspires. He's a Independence is anathema administrator who promises to to some leaders in his Nationalist Party who favor reunificagovern by consultation. And he's just what many tion with China. Ma has made Taiwanese seem to want in it clearthough, that he is not a new president after eight willing to discuss eventual union with Beijing. years of tempestuous domes- tic politics and butting heads Rival Hsieh, represent ing with China on the international Chen's Democratic Progres-- . front. sive Party, says Ma lacks the If he wins today's election, toughness to confront China. there's sure to be a sigh of reThe party accuses Ma of relief in Washington, which usupeatedly buckling under pressure from his own party. For ally finds itself caught in the crossfire whenever tensions example, it says, he approved flare between China and Taia newspaper advertisement in - 2006 wan. Ma is promising to imacknowledging that Taiprove relations with China and wanese independence was a albeit impractical stop pushing independence for legitimate Taiwan something China option, only to back off that angrily rejects, claiming the position within a week. island as its own province. Ma has another weapon Ma is the in his armory a Mr. Clean but his lead in opinion reputation. After Chen's polls has dropped into single and allegedly corrupt rule, digits as opponent Frank e Hsieh mounts a fierce Ma, who has a docrally. On Friday, Hsieh's torate in law from Harvard, is campaign unveiled a new TV presenting himself as an exemad snowing Tibetan monks plar of integrity with a track "record of fighting corruption staging a candlelight vigil to even in his own party. protest the Chinese clamp-dow- n in their homeland. "He is an honest, upright, "When China is cracking man, and we need a change afdown on Tibet ... the Ma camp ter eight years of bad governis drawing ever closer to ment," said Katherine Huang, a China," the ad says. marketing . Hsieh warns that China's manager in Taipei, Taiwan's crackdown in Tibet could be capital. Taiwan, 100 miles off replicated in Taiwan, which China's east coast, split from split from the mainland amid civil war in 1949. Beijing still the mainland in 1949 but it has considers the island to be never declared itself a separate nation. Chen never sought part of its territory and has threatened to attack if Taiwan any declaration of outright inrejects unification and seeks a dependence, but he tried various ways of asserting a sepa- - ; permanent break. Ma has accused Hsieh of ex- rate Taiwanese identity, and ploiting Tibet for political gain, pushed for Taiwan's admission but he himself has threatened to the United Nations policies all guaranteed to annoy to boycott the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing if the TiBeijing's communist masters. He restricted Taiwanese betan situation worsens. There have been tensions investment in China to try to reduce the island's dependence aplenty during outgoing s President Chen two on its huge neighbor, a step that would likely be reversed terms, chiefly over his push for Taiwanese independence. under a Ma presidency. Ma says he will "minimize The question on many is whether Ma threats and maximize opportunities" in his dealings with has the backbone to stand up to China, to conservatives Beijing. Just as important to many in his Nationalist Party, or votershe says he'll get 's Kuomintang, and to the presonce vibrant high-tecsures for independence from Chen's party. economy out of the doldrums. "Ma would want to usher in He advocates wedding Taiwan's high-tec- h expertise with an era of dialogue with China," said Yang economic China's white-ho- t a politi- THl Charles Hutlet AOGAUp.WUS rxvt u n front-runne- Tilx-tan- j n - - r, d jrr final-stag- Tai-wanh s joint-ventu- 4 nt Shui-bian'- m the vast pl,ia Out remains a ilctinmg image lot many lor-- f igncrs. " Tiananmen is t he face of iVn't lo HriJlN( i China, the face of Beijing, so turn on your IV during t he many broadcasters would like Beijing Olympics and mv live. sIhHs of Tiananmen Square,' to do live or mwded coverage where Chinese ti Kps crushed of the square. " said Yosuke protests nearly jiwara, the head of broadcast relations for the Beijing Olymtwo decades ago. Apparently unnerved bv pic Broadcasting Co., or BOB. a between Beijing recent unrest among and fearful of protests in the Olympic organizers and an heart of the capital. China has 1()C subsidiary. BOB coorditold broadcast officials it will nates and provides technical services for the TV networks bar live television shots from the vast square during the with rights to broadcast the Olympics, such as NBC. games. A ban on live broadcasts Earlier this week, however, would wreck the plans of NBC officials with the Beijing Olymand other major international pics Organizing Committee, networks, who have paid hun- or BOCOG. told execut ives at BOB that the live shots were dreds of millions of dollars to broadcast the Aug. games canceled, according to three and are counting on people familiar with the matter live shots from the iconic , who requested anonymity because they were not authorized square. The rethinking of Beijing's to speak to the media. "We learned that standup earlier promise to broadcasters comes as the government positions would be canceled," has poured troops into Tibetan one of these people said, "No areas wracked by explanation was given for the change." protests this month and Sun Weijia, the BOCOG stepped up security in cities, official in charge of dealing airports and entertainment venues far from the unrest. with BOB, declined comment, In another sign of the govreferring the matter to press ernment's unease, 400 Ameriofficers, three of whom also can Boy Scouts wlio had been declined to comment, IOC offices were closed Friday for promised they could go onto the field following a March 15 the Easter holiday; two spokesexhibition game between the women did not immediately Los Angeles Dodgers and San and phone calls return Diego Padres were prevented seeking comment. The decision by BOCOG may doing so by police. not be final. The change was "It was never specifically mentioned to me it was berelayed verbally, one person cause of Tibet that there were said. All three hoped that IOC extra controls, but there were President Jacques Rogge and all these changes at the last other leading IOC officials, minute," said a person involved expected in Beijing next month in the Major League Baseball for regularly scheduled meetevent who asked for anonymings, may be able to prevail on BOCOG to change its mind. ity because he was not authoIf the decision stands, it rized to speak to the media. The communist govern- would be a blow to the TV ment's resorting to heavy-hande- d networks whose money to measures runs the buy the right to broadcast risk of undermining Beijing's the games accounts for more than half the IOC's revenues. pledge to the International The biggest spender is NBC. It Olympic Committee that the games would promote greater paid $2.3 billion for the rights openness in what a generation for three Olympics from 2004 ago was still an isolated China. to 2008 Athens, Turin and If still in place by the games, Beijing. Officials at NBC refused to they could alienate the half foreigners expected at the comment. which broke The unrest games. Like the Olympics, live out March 10 in the Tibetan broadcasts from Tiananmen capital of Lhasa and has since Square were meant to showspread across western China case a friendly, confident Chiand the government's harsh na one that had put behind it response underscores the comthe deadly 1989 military assault munist leaders' unease as the on democracy demonstrators Olympics approach. ,. Associated Press CHIANG Taiwan opposition Nationalist Party presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeo- u delivers a speech during a presidential election campaign rally Tuesday in Hsinchu, Taiwan. cal scientist at Hualien's National Dong Hwa University. "But if he should face mounting internal opposition ... I'm afraid he might back off." Ma, a jogger and sometime triathlete, is the son of a Nationalist official and mid-lev- was groomed for government from an early age. He has served as justice minister and as mayor of Taipei. Another political scientist, g of Taipei's Chang National Taiwan University, !' says Ma has proved himself as an administrator, but may have problems coping in a democracy that often descends into brawling on the floor of Parliament. He "can govern an already state, not one at times of disorder or anarchy," Chang said. Ma insists he's ready for the top job. "I am by no means an indecisive person," he wrote in "Governance," a book on his presidential plans. "But I will consult with more people to avoid acting in a precarious or Ling-chen- d arbitrary way." As justice minister under Nationalist President Lee in 1993-9he was reas Taiwan's chief corrugarded so much so that ption-buster, he was transferred to another post after party officials objected to his targeting some of their candidates in a campaign against He was elected Taipei mayor in 1998.; He opposed his own party's leaders when they urged supporters to protest alleged vote fraud after Chen narrowly in 2004. In won Teng-hu- i vote-buyin- 2005, Nationalist Party members selected him as their chairman,' positioning him as their 2008 presidential candi- date. Hsieh, a former prime minister under Chen, has a razor-shar- p wit and an ability to connect with voters. He accepts Chen's policies in principle, but without the vehement enthusiasm of the outgoing leader. 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