Scholar cancels Taiwan trip after mob assault

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-22 15:35

KAOHSIUNG -- The mainland scholar who was assaulted by a mob Tuesday in Taiwan canceled the rest of his trip and flew back to the mainland.

Zhang Mingqing, dean of Xiamen University's Journalism School, left his hotel Wednesday morning to depart from Kaohsiung airport.

He said he felt hurt and uncomfortable and wanted a medical exam in Beijing.

Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), saw Zhang off.

Zhang, also deputy chief of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), said he felt uneasy having so many policemen guarding him against possible attacks.

"It might cost a lot," Zhang said.

A Taiwan legislator of the Democratic Progressive Party representing Tainan city, allegedly incited a mob which closed in on Zhang, shoving him to the ground during a tour Tuesday morning of a Confucius temple.

"This violence would not be supported by the 23 million Taiwanese people," Zhang said, adding that any activities of sabotaging stable development of the cross-Strait relations would lead to a failure.

During his three-day stay in Tainan, Zhang said, he was quite impressed with the hospitality of people there. He was also pleased to hear local opinions condemning the assault.

Zhang recalled that after the massive earthquake on May 12 in Sichuan, he rushed to the area and helped transfer 2,848 Taiwan travelers to safer places, including 14 from Tainan.

"If any of the 14 travelers were on the spot where I was assaulted, they would have stopped the violence," Zhang said.

Zhang was invited to visit the island by a university in Taiwan.