TAIPEI -- Politicians with Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and other parties condemned former leader Lee Teng-hui's recent remarks on the Diaoyu Islandsand Japanese colonization of the island.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu on Tuesday refuted Lee's words that "Taiwan is grateful for being ruled by Japan", saying the island suffered misfortune under the Japanese colonial rule and is by no means "grateful".
Lin Yi-hua, chair of the KMT's Culture and Communications Committee, said Lee deliberately ignored the Taiwan people's courageous resistance against Japanese aggression, which was clearly documented in history.
During the trip, Lee claimed that "the Senkaku Islands belong to Japan" and even refused to call them "Diaoyutai Islands" as Taiwan people usually do.
Lin said the Diaoyu Islands and their adjacent islets are attached to Yilan County in Taiwan and stressed that the KMT's position on this issue has never changed.
The KMT policy committee chief executive Lai Shyh-bao said KMT will try every effort to deprive Lee of his retirement benefits for his remarks that "humiliate the nation and forfeit its sovereignty".
Lee Teng-hui, former Taiwan leader and Kuomintang chairman, is known for his pro-Japan stance. He served as the island's leader from 1988 to 2000.
New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming on Monday filed a complaint against Lee at the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office, accompanied by lawyers and supporters, accusing Lee of treason.
"With all the special treatment and pension people have bestowed on you (referring to Lee), you sell your soul instead," Yok said.
