Taipei, May 16 (CNA) Representatives of civic groups who attended the World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting in Geneva said Wednesday that it boosted their morale to hold their heads high calling for support from the international community on Taiwan's new bid proposal to enter the World Health Organization (WHO) as a full member.
"This has been my 11th trip to Geneva for the WHA but it felt like the first time because we arrived with the name of Taiwan on our chests, " said Wu Shu-min, president of the Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan (FMPAT), which has been one of the most active civic groups in supporting Taiwan's WHO bid.
Taiwan has failed time and again in its WHO bid -- whether as a "health entity" or bidding for WHA observer status -- because of China's oppression, said Tu Shiing-jer, vice president of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance (TAIUNA) who also once served as health minister.
More than 100 overseas Taiwanese, most of them doctors and physicians from Europe and North America, volunteered to promote Taiwan's bid in Geneva, Wu said.
"If you were there, you could feel the difference. The morale was high. The passion and love for Taiwan was extraordinary. It was something I have never felt before during my past 10 trips to Geneva, " Wu said.
"And it was all because we finally shouted out to the world about who we are and what we want. This is a difficult road, but we'll keep coming back, " Wu said, claiming that constitutional re-engineering and referendum will make Taiwan's entry into the WHO easier.