Ma Ying-jeou talks of Olympic boycott over China crackdown in Tibet

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The statement by Ma, who faces the ruling party's Frank Hsieh in Saturday's elections, stands in sharp contrast to his overall campaign theme of improving Taiwan's economic and political ties with China, from which it split amid civil war in 1949.

Speaking at a campaign event in the northern county of Miaoli, Ma said that if he is elected on Saturday, he would be watching the Tibetan situation closely.

"If the Chinese communists continue their crackdown and this leads to a worsening of the Tibetan situation, I do not rule out boycotting the Beijing Olympics if I am elected president," he said. "The crackdown by force has been savage and foolish, and we condemn it severely and demand an immediate halt of it."

In the past week Chinese forces in the Himalayan territory have been cracking down on protests, which began peacefully on the anniversary of a failed uprising in 1959 against Chinese rule.

Both of Taiwan's presidential candidates say they favor closer, more stable relations with China. But Ma has offered a policy with more specifics and scope. One of his boldest ideas is to create a common economic market with China.

Reacting to Ma's statement, Hsieh said it didn't go far enough, because Ma continues to support the Chinese common market proposal.

"If he gives up ... his one China common market, it would then exert the most pressure on China," Hsieh said.

Ma, the 57-year-old former Taipei mayor, has been on the defensive over Hsieh's allegations that his policy for a common market with the communist colossus would open the floodgates for cheap Chinese labor that would steal away jobs from Taiwanese.

On Tuesday, Hsieh ran full-page newspaper adds with pictures of scruffy Chinese migrant workers ready to invade the island. "Taiwan's cooks, technicians, hair stylists, nurses, pharmacists and tour guides and even taxi drivers will all become unemployed," the ad says.

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