A group of Taiwanese university students has set up a Nazi political movement advocating national unity, strength and curbing immigration, the group’s co-founder said Wednesday. The National Socialism Association currently has 20 paid-up members, with another 800 who have used the group’s Web site to indicate an interest in joining, co-founder Chao Lahn, 24, said.The site is emblazoned with a Nazi swastika and says the group’s ranks are reserved for people “who do not dislike Hitler.”

But Chao, studying for his Masters in political science at Taipei’s prestigious National Chengchi University, denied he was anti-Jewish, and maintained his intention was to foster greater nationalism in Taiwan, an island of 23 million people off China’s southeastern coast.

“My main goal is to develop Taiwan’s strength and to foster national unity,” Chao said. “I think we have to work hard to restore traditional Chinese values like Confucianism.”

Rafi Gamzou, director of the Israeli representative office in Taipei, deplored the emergence of the Nazi movement in Taiwan.

“This is an upsetting and worrisome phenomenon,” he said. “I believe the educational sector of Taiwan should question itself about how come a group of young people, some with academic backgrounds, decided to worship the monstrous Adolf Hitler.”

MFNY