Chinese man fined for hurling bottles to ex-Taiwan president at Narita

CHIBA, Japan, June 20 Kyodo

A 34-year-old Chinese man paid a 200,000 yen fine Wednesday on orders from the Chiba Summary Court for hurling plastic bottles at former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui at Japan's Narita airport earlier this month.

Xue Yi, an office worker in Chiba, says he hurled the objects, which did not reach Lee, simply because he personally dislikes him, and Japanese public prosecutors said they do not see any organized background to the case.

The summary court issued the order for the fine after the prosecutors filed a summary indictment on an assault charge against him earlier in the day.

On June 9, Xue hurled two plastic bottles containing liquid at Lee at the airport shortly before Lee left for home wrapping up an 11-day trip to Japan.

Police earlier quoted Xue as saying he was upset at seeing in the airport a placard about independence for Taiwan.

Lee blasted China at a press conference earlier that day for making a fuss over Japanese leaders' visits to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo which is seen by China and other countries as a symbol of Japanese militarism before and during World War II.

Just after Lee's visit to Yasukuni, China expressed its ''strong dissatisfaction'' with Japan for allowing him to visit the country.

Beijing regards Taiwan as an inseparable part of its territory to be reunited with the mainland, by military force if necessary. Beijing sees Lee as a key pro-independence activist. Japan switched diplomatic ties from Taipei to Beijing in 1972.

The visit to Japan by Lee, who led Taiwan from 1988 to 2000, was his third since stepping down as Taiwan's president in 2000. He describes them as private visits.

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