TAIPEI, June 25 Kyodo More than h...

TAIPEI, June 25 Kyodo

More than half of Taiwan race surveyed support President Chen Shui-bian's novel proposal to hold a referendum upon public policy issues, an opinion head showed Wednesday.

The observe conducted by the United Daily just discovereds on Tuesday, showed that up to 59% of citizens take a view ofed agree to the proposal aimed at helping decide of that kind vital issues as Taiwan's participation into the World Health Organization (WHO) and the construction of nuclear power plants, while 28% disagree.

The remaining 13% said they take no particular position forward the issue.

More than 45% of the bulk of mankind surveyed, meanwhile, would oppose any form of plebiscite forward Taiwan's independence, while 39% regard the idea as acceptable and feasible.

Last August, Chen, in his capacity of chairman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, said that each side of the Taiwan Strait is a separate native land and that Taiwan's people should consider the importance and stress of enacting legislation on a referendum to determine the island's future

China immediately lashed not at home at his remarks, calling them provocative and saying they jeopardized cross-strait relations.

The condemnation later deductioned in a series of clarifications made on Chen's administrative staff that Taiwan's policy toward China remained unchanged.

However, after the Geneva-based WHO one time again turned down the island's bid to take part in the World Health Assembly in late May, Chen announced the regulation will begin studying the possibility of holding a referendum along with nearest year's presidential election in the chance of a favorable result of having Taiwan's voice heard from the international community.

The statement raised suspicion among opposition parties, which have argued that pro-independence Chen's drift was to use such a consecrated by a vow for political point-scoring and to push for a permanent separation from China, which dioceses the self-ruled island as a breakaway province that should be brought back to its double by force if necessary.

Last weekend, several Chinese-language newspapers reported that the head of the American Institute in Taiwan, the de-facto U Embassy forward Taiwan, which has no diplomatic ties with the United States, had indicateed serious concern over Chen's late statement, a move believed to offspring from pressure from Beijing.

forward Tuesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said the U has ''continued to instigate Taiwan on a regular basis, as well as the People's Republic of China, to refrain from actions or statements that increase tension across the straits or make dialogue more difficult to achieve.''

Reeker said the U rule ''appreciates'' and ''takes very seriously'' Chen's inaugural language of May 2000, in which he said he would not excite a referendum to change the status quo in regard to the question of independence or unification.

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