Tsai promotes animal protection

EDUCATING THE PUBLIC:：Tsai Ing-wen said the most important thing was to teach people respect for animals, while rights groups said more resources were needed
By Chris Wang and Lee I-chia  /  Staff Reporters
Tue, Nov 15, 2011 - Page 2

Source management, more government support on resources and education are all important elements in promoting animal protection, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.

During a meeting with animal welfare advocates, Tsai said that if she were elected president in January, her administration would allocate more funding and personnel, establish a comprehensive system of animal rescue, shelter and adoption, implement strict management on illegal breeders and animal abandonment, as well as promote life education for citizens and schoolchildren.

Activists protest political repression in Malaysia

By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter

Human rights advocates yesterday protested at the Malaysian representative office in Taiwan and submitted a letter demanding an end to what they called the mass repression of pro-reform activists in the Southeast Asian country.

Led by Amnesty International (AI) Taiwan and the Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR), the protesters urged the Malaysian government to release detained activists and respect freedom of speech and assembly for Malaysians.

Since June 24, more than 100 activists have been arrested or questioned by police over their support of an election reform rally, which was initially scheduled for Saturday by the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, also known as “Bersih 2.0,” or “clean” in Malay.

“People in Malaysia are witnessing what Taiwanese experienced 30 years ago during the White Terror period, when a democratic system did not exist and civil rights were not respected. This is why we are here today to voice out our support,” TAHR secretary-general Tsai Chi-hsun (蔡季勳) said.

The civil rights advocates particularly focused on the Internal Security Act (ISA), which they said has been used as a tool for the Malaysian government to oppress activists, allowing police to detain anyone suspected of threatening national security for as long as 60 days.

“The ISA in Malaysia is like the martial law in Taiwan. Both law legalize state violence against the people, which is not right,” AI Taiwan deputy director Tony Yang (楊宗澧) said.

Under the watchful eye of dozens of Taipei police, protesters condemned the Malaysian government’s detention of activists accused of “waging war against the king” and shouted the slogans of “Shame on you, Malaysian government” and “Abolish ISA” in front of the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Center building.

Rohayu binti Md Saad, personal assistant of the office’s president, was sent to accept the letter and said the message would be relayed back to Kuala Lumpur as soon as possible.

However, she said there was no guarantee of an immediate response.

Unexpectedly attending the rally was Chua Tian-chang, a member of the Malaysian parliament and the vice president of the People’s Justice Party — the largest opposition party in Malaysia.

It has been very difficult for opposition parties and reformists to participate in politics in Malaysia, where unfair elections and dirty tactics against the opposition are the norm, the 46-year-old Chua said.

Pro-independence groups voice their support for Lee

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter
Mon, Jul 04, 2011 - Page 1

Pro-Taiwan independence groups yesterday expressed their belief in former president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) innocence after he was indicted on a charge of embezzling state funds, saying that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was behind the charge. The groups also said the indictment was politically motivated.

Justice has to be served in the indictment of Lee, scores of pro-Taiwan independence groups said at a joint press conference held in Taipei.

Lee was indicted on Thursday on charges of embezzling NT$7.8 million (US$271,000) in national security funds during his tenure in office from 1988 to 2000. The following day, Ma held an impromptu press conference denying accusations that the indictment of Lee was politically motivated.

Unconvinced, Taiwan Association of University Professors (TAUP) president Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲) yesterday said it was hard to believe that Ma was not involved in the case.

Chang said that since Ma took office in 2008, opposition politicians, including former Chiayi County commissioner Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) and Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬), have been falsely prosecuted.

Lee’s support of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and his proposed campaign of “voting against Ma to protect Taiwan” were the reasons why Ma decided to go after the former president, Chang said.

Examining the development of the case chronologically, “you will realize that this is a calculated maneuver,” he said.

“Lee was indicted by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Panel on June 30. Ma held a press conference the next day and said the case was by no means an act of political oppression. On July 2, Ma announced at the party congress of his Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] that the main theme of his re-election campaign will be ‘fighting corruption,’” Chang said.

Lo Fu-chen (羅福全), Taiwan’s former representative to Japan, said Ma’s recent comments on the case suggested that Taiwan’s judicial system did not function independently.

“As the president, the top official of the administrative branch, Ma should not ‘instruct’ what should be done on any judicial case. If he does so, it’s an infringement of the judicial system,” Lo said.

Central Taiwan Society (台灣中社) secretary-general Lee Chuan-hsin (李川信) said the indictment did not make sense because “it was not necessary for Lee to steal money from the state fund for his own business because he doubled as KMT chairman at the time, and the KMT is one of the richest -parties in the world.”

“Lee could have gotten the money from his own party [if he wanted to steal money], which would have been easier,” Lee Chuan-hsin said.

Tsai on Friday called the timing of the former president’s indictment “suspicious,” adding that judicial cases “should not be used as tools to serve political interests or for election purposes.”

Coming to Ma’s defense, Lee Chia-fei (李佳霏), a spokeswoman for the president’s campaign office, yesterday accused Tsai of -criticizing the judiciary through a political lens.

Lee Chia-fei said that when KMT members were indicted, the DPP did not accuse the courts of being selective in their rulings, and accuse Tsai of favoring a partisan judiciary in which “people from the pan-blue camp can be indicted and people from the pan-green camp cannot.”

Additional reporting by Staff Writer

Filipino-Taiwanese workers demand labor rights

Two groups -- Filipino workers and Filipino- Taiwanese -- stood out among labor protesters on International Workers' Day Sunday because they had extra grievances to air against the government.

While domestic labor rights groups still dominated the agenda of the protests, which were held to demand Taiwan's government carry out immediate reforms to the labor law, these two groups simply wanted to change the fact that they are not even protected by that law.

The first group, Filipino migrant workers, are denied coverage because of profession.

Despite some improvements, those who work as home caretakers, many of whom are from the Philippines, are still being exploited and receive unfair treatment, said Dave Chang, Chairman of the 2,000-member strong Migrante International Taiwan Chapter, a local organization that supports the rights of migrant workers.

To come to Taiwan, migrant caretakers must go through a broker system that absorbs most of their monthly wages, demands long working hours without overtime pay, and provides no off-days, he said. Caretakers usually have to work for 24 hours a day.

In addition, Chang said these caretakers receive a monthly salary of NT$15,840, far below the minimum monthly wage of NT$17,880 set by the government, because these workers are not covered by the Labor Standards Act.

"And 99 percent of migrant workers' passports are kept by the employers or brokerage agencies to prevent them from escaping (Taiwan)," Chang said.

According to him, both political parties -- the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) -- have failed to address the issue, but the KMT "at least has been more willing to have dialogue with us, " which was not the case during the DPP administration in 2000-2008.

Another group that turned out en masse were those who have Republic of China (ROC) passports, but not full-fledged rights as citizens. These are overseas Taiwanese who grew up in other countries, and as a result, do not carry the identification card that most Taiwan citizens have, the prerequisite to registering for national labor and health insurance. The government has denied this group an identification card since 1991, when it instituted tighter border controls.

Even after moving to Taiwan, they must stay for at least six years before they can apply for permanent residency and gain the benefits of public insurance programs.

Dozens of members of the Concern Alliance for Filipino Chinese (CAFC) turned out on Sunday, carrying signs with slogans, such as "stateless," to voice their dissatisfaction.

The alliance said many of its members have to leave Taiwan once every six months to maintain their legal residence status in Taiwan.

"These people have been labeled by the immigration law as 'ROC nationals without citizenship', " said Lorna Kung, Chief Executive Officer of Scalabrini International Migration Network Taiwan and a CAFC consultant. "I don't think you can legitimately explain what a 'national without citizenship' is. It is ridiculous."

A report conducted by the Control Yuan in January stated that out of the more than 60,000 ROC nationals without citizenship, more than 2,000 are Filipino-Taiwanese. The report recommended a national panel on human rights be convened to tackle this issue.

There are about 800 Filipino-Taiwanese in our membership, said a core CAFC member surnamed Tsai.

Tsai, who obtained his identification card prior to 1991, said he joined the organization because he wants to speak out for other Filipino-Taiwanese so that everyone can enjoy the same rights. By Chris Wang CNA Staff Reporter enditem/ly

Protesters demand instant reform of labor conditions in Taiwan

Taipei, May 1 (CNA) Thousands of labor rights activists marched through the streets of downtown Taipei on International Workers' Day Sunday, criticizing the country's labor policies and calling for immediate improvement of working conditions.

Local unions and non-government organizations (NGOs) representing labor and the underprivileged staged separate protests in front of the Executive Yuan in the morning, expressing their anger over what they said were worsening working conditions in Taiwan.

Another demonstration was staged by local unions in the afternoon, with the protestors making similar appeals.

The demonstrators said the past and current administrations had chosen to side with employers and to alienate the working class. The administrations failed to solve the issues of unemployment, stagnant wages, overtime work, income inequality, tax injustice and poor protection of labor rights, the protesters said.

The "peace dividend" created by President Ma Ying-jeou's detente with China since he took office in 2008 has benefited only employers, said Wu Rong-yuan, chairman of the Taiwan Labor Party, in the first protest.

The working class has been suffering as a result of increasing income inequality over the past two years, Wu said.

Under the watchful eyes of around 100 police deployed to guard the gate of the Executive Yuan, a protester surnamed Ho said in the protest that young people have to endure a working environment of long working hours, low wages and temporary employment opportunities.

The minimum monthly wage in Taiwan has risen by only NT$600 (US$21) since 2007, he noted.

"It is impossible to take care of your parents when you have to live hand to mouth, " Ho said.

The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which was in power from 2000-2008, have to share the blame, said Ke Yi-min, founder of the local NGO Raging Citizen Act Now (RCAN).

"The DPP started the temporary employment policy and the KMT has followed suit, " he said. "Both parties have increased labor exploitation in Taiwan."

Along with RCAN, several NGOs and unions said they have suffered enough betrayal at the hands of politicians and they are considering nominating candidates of their own choice for the January 2012 legislative elections.

"Now is the time to take political rights into our own hands, " " Ke said.

During the afternoon, union members from various cities across the country continued to blast both major political parties.

In front of the DPP headquarters in Taipei, protesters threw plastic bags of dung at a huge banner that read "Incompetent DPP."

Hours later, they did the same thing in front of the KMT headquarters.

Labor Day protests have become an annual event in Taiwan, but Sunday was the second consecutive day that thousands of protesters hit the streets of Taipei City.

On Saturday, over 16,000 demonstrators took to the streets to protest against nuclear energy, urging the government to scrap its plans for the construction of the country's fourth nuclear power plant, amid fears sparked by the recent nuclear disaster in Japan. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Taiwan's international aid programs now more consistent: ICDF

Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) Improved cross-Taiwan Strait relations have helped Taiwan maintain consistency in its international assistance programs, despite China's continued interference in United Nations-affiliated organizations, an official said Wednesday.

"The diplomatic truce that President Ma Ying-jeou advocated has made a difference. We don't have to worry about losing diplomatic allies now, so we are able to focus on long-term development of our international assistance programs, " said Lee Pai-po, Deputy Secretary-General of Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF).

Established in 1996, the ICDF is the principal administrator of Taiwan's development projects abroad, providing assistance to partner countries to develop human resources and achieve socio-economic growth.

The organization has sent medical, agricultural and technical missions to more than 30 countries, including Taiwan's 23 official diplomatic allies, and provides assistance in lending and investment, technical cooperation, humanitarian assistance, and international education and training.

Taiwan has said that the effort is its way of paying back the international community for its humanitarian aid and cash relief to Taiwan from the end of the World War II to 1975.

Because of Taiwan and China's diplomatic war in the past, Taiwan's overseas missions had to worry about the stability of the country's foreign relations all the time, Lee said on the sidelines of a ceremony to launch the book "Endless Love. " The publication documents the ICDF's development programs in various countries.

"Once Taiwan severs diplomatic ties with a country, we have to completely pull out of that country, " Lee said.

The current administration's focus on transparency also makes the ICDF's job easier, according to Lee. In the past, cash donations, particularly to developing countries, caused a lot of trouble such as corruption, he said.

Under Taiwan's new policy, a "program-oriented" approach has been adopted in international assistance, and direct investments in infrastructure are no longer made, he said.

The previous policy was open to corruption and management problems but the new approach has helped the ICDF to better manage its annual budget of NT$3 billion, he said.

However, Lee said, Taiwan is still facing difficulties with multilateral aid, especially with those programs that involve U.N.-affiliated organizations, due to the sensitive political issue of the "one China principle" that China insists on.

He said there has been more room for Taiwan to maneuver in international and regional organizations in which both Taiwan and China have membership, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) , European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD) , Asian Development Bank (APB) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). (By Chris Wang) Enditem /pc

President, premier laud Taiwan's diplomatic achievements

Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou and Premier Wu Den-yih lauded Taiwan's diplomatic achievements on New Year's Day, saying that the government's policy of flexible diplomacy has won Taiwan the respect of the international community.

"You don't often see a country with as few diplomatic allies as Taiwan -- we have only 23 -- being so active and energetic internationally, " the president said at an exhibition organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Taipei Guest House.

Ma cited the increase in the number of countries or regions granting Taiwan visa-waiver privileges since he took office in May 2008 -- from 53 to 96 -- as an example of the country's diplomatic advances.

He attributed the increase not only to those countries' respect and trust of Taiwanese passport holders but also to recognition of Taiwan's efforts in relaxing cross-Taiwan Strait tensions.

Taiwan's pragmatism and flexible approach in its diplomacy has won praise around the world and stopped a diplomatic war with China to entice each other's allies -- often with cash -- to change their allegiances.

Taiwan has also repeatedly shown that it could contribute to the international community, evidenced by the humanitarian relief effort after its Caribbean ally of Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake last January, Ma said.

He also lauded the charitable works abroad of such nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) as the well-known Tsu Chi Foundation, World Vision Taiwan, and Taiwan Foundation for Children and Families.

These efforts have demonstrated the soft power that Taiwan has been able to utilize in participating in the international community, he said.

Ma acknowledged, however, the importance of regular diplomacy, saying that he still remembered how "uncomfortable" he felt as a New York University law student in the mid-1970s when he first read about the United States Court for China, which existed from 1906 to 1943 and had extraterritorial jurisdiction over U.S. citizens in China.

Speaking at the same occasion, Premier Wu highlighted the European Union (EU) visa-waiver program, which is scheduled to take effect Jan. 11 and give Taiwanese passport holders visa-free exemption to 35 European countries.

He described it as one of the most important diplomatic achievements of the past year and as a signal that the EU "completely respects, trusts and accepts the 23 million people of Taiwan."

Wu said Taiwan's diplomatic achievements were reflected by two numbers: inbound arrivals surpassed 5 million for the first time ever in a single year in 2010 and the growth rate of cargo and passenger volume at Taoyuan International Airport in 2010 both ranked ahead of those of the other Asian Tigers -- Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Taiwan offers funds, sends rescue team to quake-hit Haiti (roundup)

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) The Taiwan government has offered an immediate donation of US$200,000 to Haiti and is sending a rescue team to the Caribbean country that was hit Tuesday by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Wednesday.

A rescue team from the National Fire Agency (NFA), which consists of 23 workers and two search and rescue dogs, will take an 11: 40 p.m. China Airlines flight to Haiti via Los Angeles, Miami and the Dominican Republic, carrying 2,000 kilograms of equipment, the MOFA said in a press release.

The Taiwan government is closely monitoring the situation and will offer more donations, humanitarian aid and rescue squads to its ally if necessary, the MOFA said.

Taiwan's ambassador to Haiti was injured but was in stable condition and one Taiwanese businessman was unaccounted for after the quake hit Haiti, MOFA spokesman James Chang said.

Hsu Mien-sheng, Taiwan's ambassador to the Caribbean country, sustained a broken bone, and an embassy employee suffered a minor back injury but was in good condition, Chang said. All Taiwan nationals in Haiti are safe except for the businessman who was reported missing, he added.

With communications erratic in some regions, the MOFA is still trying to get in touch with the missing businessman, he said.

Chang said Wednesday afternoon that an inter-agency task force has been set up to coordinate relief and rescue efforts, as the Taiwan government planned to send rescue teams and humanitarian supplies to Haiti as soon as possible.

President Ma Ying-jeou and Premier Wu Den-yih have extended condolences to victims of the earthquake, Chang said.

There are currently around 30 Taiwanese nationals in Haiti, including four or five businessmen, 13 members of a technical mission and diplomats, Chang said.

The two-story building of Taiwan's embassy in Port-au-Prince was partially damaged in the quake, he added.

Mario Chouloute, Haiti's ambassador to Taiwan, told the media that Haiti is looking to Taiwan's for assistance with camping equipment, rescue teams and medical services.

The MOFA has requested Taiwan's embassy in the Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti, to obtain information on the damage and offer as much assistance as possible, Chang said.

Officials at the Taipei City Fire Department said that a rescue team from the city is ready to depart for Haiti whenever necessary.

Meanwhile, the MOFA is coordinating a collaborative rescue effort with several non-governmental organizations, including World Vision Taiwan, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation and Dharmaa Drum Mountain Foundation.

World Vision Taiwan, which currently provides aid to 7,500 children in four regional programs in Haiti, said it is still gathering information on damage and casualties and is in close contact with the MOFA, the Red Cross Society and World Vision Haiti.

The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation said that Tzu Chi's U.S.

headquarters has set up an emergency coordination center to respond to the needs in Haiti. A meeting will be held Thursday with other humanitarian organizations to discuss how to collaborate to provide aid.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake that hit the Caribbean country at 4: 53 p.m. local time Tuesday had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 and was centered about 15 kilometers west of Port-au-Prince at a depth of only eight kilometers.

Amb. injured, one Taiwanese unaccounted for in quake-hit Haiti

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) Taiwan's ambassador to Haiti was injured but was in stable condition and one Taiwanese businessman was unaccounted for after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman said Wednesday.

Hsu Mien-sheng, Taiwan's ambassador to the Caribbean country, sustained a broken bone and an embassy employee suffered a minor back injury, but was in good condition while all Taiwan nationals in Haiti are safe except for one businessman who was reported missing, said MOFA spokesman James Chang.

Chang said an inter-agency task force has been established to coordinate rescue effort and donations as Taiwan's government plans to send out rescue teams and humanitarian supplies as soon as possible, with the first rescue team scheduled to leave for Haiti Wednesday night.

President Ma Ying-jeou and Premier Wu Den-yih extended condolences to victims in the Caribbean ally, Chang said.

There are currently around 30 Taiwanese nationals in Haiti, including four or five businessmen, 13 members of a technical mission and diplomats, Chang said.

With communications erratic in some regions, the MOFA is still trying to get in touch with the missing businessman, he said.

The two-story building of Taiwan's Embassy in Port-au-Prince collapsed in the quake, he added.

Mario Chouloute, Haiti's Ambassador to Taiwan, told the media that Haiti is looking for Taiwan's help to provide camping equipment, rescue teams and medical assistance.

MOFA has requested Taiwan's Embassy in the Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti, collect information on damage and offer as much assistance as possible, Chang said.

Officials at the Taipei City Fire Department said that a rescue team from the city is ready to depart for Haiti whenever necessary to help with earthquake response efforts.

Meanwhile, World Vision Taiwan, a non-governmental organization currently providing aid for 7,500 children in four regional programs in Haiti, said it is still gathering information of damage and casualty and is in close contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Red Cross Society and World Vision Haiti.

Taiwan NGOs still facing obstructions from China

Taipei, Dec. 31 (CNA) Taiwan's nongovernmental organizations are still facing China's obstruction internationally with more than a dozen NGOs being requested to change their names this year, but the trend was unrelated to the new flexible diplomatic approach of Taiwan's government, according to a foreign ministry official.

"Around a dozen Taiwan NGOs were requested to change names by respective international NGOs this year. The number is slightly down from last year, " said David Wu, vice chairman of the NGO Affairs Committee.

Due to political differences, China has been blocking Taiwan's representation in the international organizations -- governmental or non-governmental -- for years. In most cases, Taiwan NGOs are asked to change their names to "Taiwan, China", "Chinese Taipei" or other names.

"There are still incidents of Beijing blocking Taiwan NGOs' representation in the international community, " President Ma Ying-jeou said on Dec. 18, adding that his administration hopes China would move away from that trend of interference "to avoid giving Taiwan's people a bad impression of Chinese authorities." For example, the Internet Society requested its Taiwan chapter to change its membership name to "Taiwan, China" this year, a case which is still being negotiated bilaterally, Wu said.

The Internet Society Taiwan Chapter, YWCA and Taiwan Nurses Association (TNA) are only among a handful of NGOs that face problems each year. Wu noted that there are 2,162 Taiwanese NGOs that are members of INGOs.

The most important thing in such cases is whether the NGO will retain its full rights as a member, regardless of whether its name is eventually changed or not, Wu said.

Answering reporters' questions, Wu said the number of such cases is "unrelated to the flexible diplomacy" Taiwan government is now implementing to ease cross-Taiwan Strait tensions.

Sometimes it is the INGOs who take the initiative to ask Taiwanese NGOs to change their names because those INGOs want to recruit Chinese NGOs, Wu added.

Citing the 70,000-member strong TNA, whose executive director Teresa Yin served as the second vice president of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), as an example, Wu encouraged Taiwan NGOs to increase their participation in the INGOs, because those with high-level representation in international organizations are more likely to be able to fend off China's interference.

Government agencies and NGOs are doing everything they can to relay their message to China, hoping that the long-time rival would relax its interference on Taiwan's international civic participation, he said.

The NGO Affairs Committee asked the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) to add the issue to the cross-strait negotiation agenda, Wu said, but the proposal was turned down.