Taipei: Taiwan's main Opposition Nationalist Party (KMT) on Wednesday called for a boycott of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) UN referendum, all but ensuring that the controversial plebiscite will fail to pass the legal turnout threshold.

The pro-independence DPP's referendum, to be held simultaneously with the March 22 presidential poll, will ask voters whether Taiwan should enter the United Nations under the title "Taiwan" instead of its official title -- "the Republic of China."

"(President) Chen Shui-bian's goal in pushing the referendum is not to enter the UN, nor is it for the sake of holding a referendum on an important issue.

Rather, his goal is to influence the election," KMT chairman Wu Po-hsiung said.

"So, we ve decided to boycott that referendum."

He referred to the KMT's view that the DPP is holding the referendum on Election Day as a way to draw pro-independence voters to polls.

Wu made the announcement at KMT headquarters in Taipei after convening a meeting of the party's central standing committee.

According to a KMT press release, the party views the DPP's referendum as a bid to change Taiwan's title and the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

"Even our most important ally, the US, has turned on us because of this (referendum)," Wu told a press conference, referring to staunch opposition from Washington, which has chided Taipei for "unnecessarily provoking" Beijing with the plebiscite.
Source : PTI