Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian's plan of holding the so-called "referendum" has further deteriorated cross-Straits relations and pushed local peoples' lives to a risky brink, a delegate of the overseas Chinese world conference said in Bangkok Tuesday.

Boonsong Srifuengfung, president of the Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said at the opening ceremony that the Chinese Government's basic principles on peaceful reunification, especially the "one country, two systems" principle for settling the Taiwan issue, have gained more and more understanding and recognition from Taiwan compatriots.

It is the common desire of Taiwan compatriots to pursue peace, stability and development, said Boonsong, whose organization sponsored the meeting.

However, with the support of Taiwan authorities, pro-independence forces on the island have repeatedly hindered and challenged such a historical trend by pursuing "incremental independence," which has gravely harmed cross-Straits relations.

Chen has pushed forward the "referendum" despite the opposition of local people and that of members of the international community, including the United States, the European Union and Japan, said Amorn Apithanakoon, chief of the Thai Chinese Ancestor Association, at the first-day meeting of the conference, which aims to coordinate global Chinese's efforts to promote peaceful reunification of China.

"Chen's real motives for the so-called referendum are clear," said Amorn.

"With nothing to prove his four-year term's achievement and curb the mafia's influence infiltrating into Taiwan's politics, he's tried to play a pathetic image by wreaking chaos for the current situation so as to win people's sympathy and gain votes."

Doing so, he not only went against the mainstream wishes for peace, stability and economic development in Taiwan, but also aggravate the political turbulence there, which would finally threaten Taiwan people's welfare, said Amorn.

The Chinese people across the Taiwan Straits have witnessed improved cultural and economic exchanges and annual trade volume across the straits has reached US$50 billion.

"There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China," Amorn said.

"We overseas Chinese strongly call for peace rather than war, for stability rather than turbulence, for reunification rather than separation," he said at the end of his speech.

The two-day oversees Chinese world conference for promoting peaceful reunification of China opened in Bangkok Tuesday morning.

More than 1,000 delegates from some 20 countries and regions around the world gathered at the conference.

(China Daily March 3, 2004)