KMT visit stirs the cauldron at home

Winding up his emotion-packed mainland tour, Lien Chan, leader of the Nationalist Kuomintang opposition, urged Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party to ready for peace talks with Beijing. Since the KMT and Beijing had committed to peace, "we hope that the Taiwan government will make active preparations," Lien said in a reference to a joint communique issued after his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao Friday. Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian responded, saying he was ready for talks any time, but appeared to be in trouble with his own independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party. After his own DPP initially hinted Lien risked being charged with treason if he signed any agreements with Beijing, Chen noted the KMT leader had kept his promise not to sign any pact. The South China Morning Post quoted one angry DPP caucus member complaining, "he made us play the bad guy and he plays the good guy."