Taipei, July 31 (CNA) Ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh took time out Tuesday to talk on one of his favorite topics -- sports -- saying that good sport performances naturally bring out identification with Taiwan.
"When I was in New York last year for Chien-ming Wang's Major League baseball games and saw all those Taiwanese waving flags and chanting in the stands, I didn't see green, blue, orange or yellow on their faces. It was a non-partisan passion, " Hsieh said, referring colors representing Taiwan's political parties, speaking during a biennial summit on Taiwanese sports.
Hsieh, a former gymnast who won a gold medal in a provincial high school sports competition, said that sports competition is a form of modern day warfare as there have not been that many military wars nowadays, and that sports is a new way to showcase national prowess.
He also mentioned his experience of attending the World Baseball Classic in Japan last year, saying that "a good performance on the field brings out the Taiwanese identity naturally."
Hsieh further pointed out that annual sport budgets, which now stand at NT$4.7 billion, should take up at least one percent of the annual national budget, which stands at NT$16 billion.
Budgets and venues will be two of the most important factors in the development and promotion of sports, he said, adding that Taiwan should also do everything it can to host as many international competitions as possible.
Sports is a good way to teach the youngsters to do their best in pursuit of victory, and at the same time learn how to deal with defeat, he said.
"The experience of participating in sport has taught me many life lessons. I have been, and will always be proud of having been an athlete, " he said.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Taiwan to establish Austronesian Forum with allies
Taipei, July 31 (CNA) Taiwan will establish an Austronesian Forum with its six South Pacific allies and the Philippines to share, preserve and promote Austronesian cultures that the eight countries have in common, as well as strengthening relations, Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) officials said Tuesday.
The forum, which includes Taiwan, the Philippines, Nauru, Kiribati, Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands, aims to hold academic conferences, increase Austronesian participation in Asia-Pacific and international organizations, and demonstrate commitment in indigenous development, said CIP Minister Icyang Parod in a preparatory committee meeting.
One of the forum's priorities is to stop China's attempt to include Austronesian cultures on the list of its World Cultural Heritage in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) , said Awi Mona, an indigenous Taiwanese law professor.
As Taiwan has stepped up its efforts to preserve and promote its Austronesian culture and ethnicity in recent years, China came to realize that this will further alienate and distance Taiwan from China, Mona said.
This is why China is said to be planning to submit an application to UNESCO next year to list Austronesian culture as its own cultural heritage, even though Austronesian culture was never a part of Chinese culture, Mona said.
"If China succeeds, it will be not only a devastating blow to Taiwan but also to every country that shares the culture, " he claimed.
The idea of building up stronger ties among Austronesian nations was mentioned as early as 2002, when an assembly of Austronesian leaders was held in Taipei and began to materialize as a regional forum last year in the first Taiwan-Pacific Allies summit in Palau, during which President Chen Shui-bian signed the Palau Declaration with various allies, Parod said.
Chen will unveil the preparatory office of the forum Wednesday and the secretariat of the forum is expected to be established next year in Taiwan, which will provide the majority of funding for the forum, said Parod.
The forum is hoping to invite more countries, such as New Zealand, to be members and it welcomes the participation of government officials as well as academics and non-government organization workers, he added.
The forum, which includes Taiwan, the Philippines, Nauru, Kiribati, Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands, aims to hold academic conferences, increase Austronesian participation in Asia-Pacific and international organizations, and demonstrate commitment in indigenous development, said CIP Minister Icyang Parod in a preparatory committee meeting.
One of the forum's priorities is to stop China's attempt to include Austronesian cultures on the list of its World Cultural Heritage in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) , said Awi Mona, an indigenous Taiwanese law professor.
As Taiwan has stepped up its efforts to preserve and promote its Austronesian culture and ethnicity in recent years, China came to realize that this will further alienate and distance Taiwan from China, Mona said.
This is why China is said to be planning to submit an application to UNESCO next year to list Austronesian culture as its own cultural heritage, even though Austronesian culture was never a part of Chinese culture, Mona said.
"If China succeeds, it will be not only a devastating blow to Taiwan but also to every country that shares the culture, " he claimed.
The idea of building up stronger ties among Austronesian nations was mentioned as early as 2002, when an assembly of Austronesian leaders was held in Taipei and began to materialize as a regional forum last year in the first Taiwan-Pacific Allies summit in Palau, during which President Chen Shui-bian signed the Palau Declaration with various allies, Parod said.
Chen will unveil the preparatory office of the forum Wednesday and the secretariat of the forum is expected to be established next year in Taiwan, which will provide the majority of funding for the forum, said Parod.
The forum is hoping to invite more countries, such as New Zealand, to be members and it welcomes the participation of government officials as well as academics and non-government organization workers, he added.
Taiwan returns to final eight in Asian Men's Basketball Championship
Taipei, July 30 (CNA) Taiwan Men's basketball national team defeated Hong Kong 98-81 Monday to wrap up the preliminary round of the 2007 Asian Men's Basketball Championship and advance to the quarterfinal round for the first time in six years.
Taiwan finished with two wins and one loss in the round-robin Group D preliminaries, which was led by undefeated South Korea. Taiwan and South Korea advanced to the quarterfinal stage of the biennial tournament, which is being held in Tokushima, Japan.
It was not easy for Taiwan to make it this far, playing without injured starters Tien Lei and Tsun Wen-ting.
This is the first time since 2001, when Taiwan ranked 7th place, that Taiwan men's basketball team made it past the first round. Taiwan fell to 11th place in 2003 and had a 9th place finish in 2005.
In the quarterfinal round that also adopts a single round-robin format, Taiwan was placed in the same bracket with three West Asia teams: Iran, Qatar and Lebanon. South Korea, Japan, Jordan and Kazakhstan were in the other bracket.
The 2007 Asian Men's Basketball Championship is the qualifying tournament of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The winner of the tournament will win the lone Asian seat in the 12-team men's basketball event. Host country China is automatically guaranteed a spot in every event.
In the victory over Hong Kong, center Wu Tai-hao had a game-high 24 points. Forward Lin Chih-chieh followed with 23 points and Chen Hsin-an added 17 points and 7 rebounds.
Taiwan beat Syria, 90-66, and lost to South Korea, 85-70, in the first two preliminary games.
China opted to send its second national team to Tokushima since it did not need to play for a seat in the Olympics. However the Chinese embarrassingly crashed out of the tournament with three straight losses, which has been the biggest surprise of the tournament so far.
Taiwan finished with two wins and one loss in the round-robin Group D preliminaries, which was led by undefeated South Korea. Taiwan and South Korea advanced to the quarterfinal stage of the biennial tournament, which is being held in Tokushima, Japan.
It was not easy for Taiwan to make it this far, playing without injured starters Tien Lei and Tsun Wen-ting.
This is the first time since 2001, when Taiwan ranked 7th place, that Taiwan men's basketball team made it past the first round. Taiwan fell to 11th place in 2003 and had a 9th place finish in 2005.
In the quarterfinal round that also adopts a single round-robin format, Taiwan was placed in the same bracket with three West Asia teams: Iran, Qatar and Lebanon. South Korea, Japan, Jordan and Kazakhstan were in the other bracket.
The 2007 Asian Men's Basketball Championship is the qualifying tournament of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The winner of the tournament will win the lone Asian seat in the 12-team men's basketball event. Host country China is automatically guaranteed a spot in every event.
In the victory over Hong Kong, center Wu Tai-hao had a game-high 24 points. Forward Lin Chih-chieh followed with 23 points and Chen Hsin-an added 17 points and 7 rebounds.
Taiwan beat Syria, 90-66, and lost to South Korea, 85-70, in the first two preliminary games.
China opted to send its second national team to Tokushima since it did not need to play for a seat in the Olympics. However the Chinese embarrassingly crashed out of the tournament with three straight losses, which has been the biggest surprise of the tournament so far.
NTU, III set up research center to work on ICT innovation
Taipei, July 30 (CNA) The Institute for Information Industry (III) and the National Taiwan University (NTU), one of Taiwan's top universities, set up a jointly-operated research center Monday to collaborate on innovation in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector aimed at creating "a second Google".
In a time of fierce global competition among the ICT industry, it's important for academia and business sector to work hand in hand to bring out the cutting-edge technologies and innovations, said Chen Ming-syan, chief executive officer (CEO) of III, one of the most important think tanks for government's ICT policy-making, speaking on the sidelines of the ceremony.
The founders of Google started innovating in university, Chen pointed out, adding that the NTU is also capable of achieving the same success in ICT innovation.
"NTU ranked around 30th in the global university ranking in terms of electrical engineering and computer science. The placing was considerably higher than the overall ranking of the university, which was somewhere between 100th to 150th in the world, " Chen said.
The III will mainly work with NTU's College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, which is regarded as Taiwan's best talent pool of more than 200 professors and 2,500 students, in fields such as digital contents, multimedia, wireless sensor networks, data-mining, long-distance medical care, chip design and user interface development, among others.
Both sides have started working on a number of projects, including internet television and interface design, Chen said, half-jokingly adding that "So someday everyone will get to watch [Taiwanese pitcher in the U.S. Major League] Wang Chien-ming pitch on the internet, probably using their cell phones".
With NTU's rich talent, resource and research performance, the university is confident that it will achieve great success in the future, said NTU President Lee Si-chen.
"For example, we have students from the Department of Drama and Theatre and Department of Psychology on an interface design team, because the team needed to study the human facial, emotional expression and psychology, " Lee said.
The NTU is the fourth university to collaborate with the III, which has established research centers with the National Cheng Kung University, National Chiao Tung University and the National Tsing Hua University.
In a time of fierce global competition among the ICT industry, it's important for academia and business sector to work hand in hand to bring out the cutting-edge technologies and innovations, said Chen Ming-syan, chief executive officer (CEO) of III, one of the most important think tanks for government's ICT policy-making, speaking on the sidelines of the ceremony.
The founders of Google started innovating in university, Chen pointed out, adding that the NTU is also capable of achieving the same success in ICT innovation.
"NTU ranked around 30th in the global university ranking in terms of electrical engineering and computer science. The placing was considerably higher than the overall ranking of the university, which was somewhere between 100th to 150th in the world, " Chen said.
The III will mainly work with NTU's College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, which is regarded as Taiwan's best talent pool of more than 200 professors and 2,500 students, in fields such as digital contents, multimedia, wireless sensor networks, data-mining, long-distance medical care, chip design and user interface development, among others.
Both sides have started working on a number of projects, including internet television and interface design, Chen said, half-jokingly adding that "So someday everyone will get to watch [Taiwanese pitcher in the U.S. Major League] Wang Chien-ming pitch on the internet, probably using their cell phones".
With NTU's rich talent, resource and research performance, the university is confident that it will achieve great success in the future, said NTU President Lee Si-chen.
"For example, we have students from the Department of Drama and Theatre and Department of Psychology on an interface design team, because the team needed to study the human facial, emotional expression and psychology, " Lee said.
The NTU is the fourth university to collaborate with the III, which has established research centers with the National Cheng Kung University, National Chiao Tung University and the National Tsing Hua University.
Different cases of transitional justice examples for Taiwan
Taipei, July 28 (CNA) Scholars and officials from various countries shared their experience in advancing transitional justice, which became a popular term in Taiwan in recent years, with their counterparts from Taiwan in an international conference Saturday.
The "International Conference on the Comparative Studies of Transitional Justice" gathered participants from Germany, Hungary, Mongolia and Hungary, including former Prime Minister of East Germany Lother de Maiziere with a focus on the handling of illegally-gained party assets.
Maiziere explained in his speech how former East Germany worked on a full-scale transformation on various fronts after overcoming the communist dictatorship and the unification of Germany. One of the most important steps was the liquidation of the assets of the Socialist Unity Party (SED), former East Germany ruling party.
Transitional justice is more than handling party assets, he said. Maziere also went on details about how Germany re-established traditional provinces, which were abolished during the communist era, worked on judiciary transformation, reviewed the criminal and civil law, reviewed the sentences of all prisoners, and re-organized the police force.
The same effort could also be found in Poland, said Lo Chih-cheng, a professor at Soochow University. The success of transitional justice in a number of Eastern European countries came from positive dialogues between the opposition and the ruling parties, he said.
The transition in Poland was initiated by a compromise, negotiated in a round table by members of the state party PZPR and the democratic opposition, said Andrea Genest, a research fellow at the Center for Research of Contemporary History Potsdam.
The handling off the former Hungarian communist ruling party HSWP (Hugarian Socialist Workers' and Peasants' Party) has not been very successful as there was no overall settlement, said Krisztian Ungvary, advisor of Hungarian Ministry for Culture and Education.
In Mongolia, a country that has been trying to walk out of the shadow from the former Soviet Union since it declared independence, the focus has been placed on the privatization of state properties, said Nemekhbayar Dashbaljir, an officer of Mongolia's State Property Committee.
The one-day conference, which was organized by Taiwan Thinktank, discussed the theme of transitional justice in three sessions on the global experience in dealing with party assets and the interdependent relationship between transitional justice and democratization.
The "International Conference on the Comparative Studies of Transitional Justice" gathered participants from Germany, Hungary, Mongolia and Hungary, including former Prime Minister of East Germany Lother de Maiziere with a focus on the handling of illegally-gained party assets.
Maiziere explained in his speech how former East Germany worked on a full-scale transformation on various fronts after overcoming the communist dictatorship and the unification of Germany. One of the most important steps was the liquidation of the assets of the Socialist Unity Party (SED), former East Germany ruling party.
Transitional justice is more than handling party assets, he said. Maziere also went on details about how Germany re-established traditional provinces, which were abolished during the communist era, worked on judiciary transformation, reviewed the criminal and civil law, reviewed the sentences of all prisoners, and re-organized the police force.
The same effort could also be found in Poland, said Lo Chih-cheng, a professor at Soochow University. The success of transitional justice in a number of Eastern European countries came from positive dialogues between the opposition and the ruling parties, he said.
The transition in Poland was initiated by a compromise, negotiated in a round table by members of the state party PZPR and the democratic opposition, said Andrea Genest, a research fellow at the Center for Research of Contemporary History Potsdam.
The handling off the former Hungarian communist ruling party HSWP (Hugarian Socialist Workers' and Peasants' Party) has not been very successful as there was no overall settlement, said Krisztian Ungvary, advisor of Hungarian Ministry for Culture and Education.
In Mongolia, a country that has been trying to walk out of the shadow from the former Soviet Union since it declared independence, the focus has been placed on the privatization of state properties, said Nemekhbayar Dashbaljir, an officer of Mongolia's State Property Committee.
The one-day conference, which was organized by Taiwan Thinktank, discussed the theme of transitional justice in three sessions on the global experience in dealing with party assets and the interdependent relationship between transitional justice and democratization.
Legislative majority key to handling KMT 'ill-gotten' assets: Chen
Taipei, July 28 (CNA) Winning a legislative majority is the key to effectively handling the issue of the main opposition Koumintang's (KMT's) "illegally-acquired" assets, President Chen Shui-bian said Saturday.
Addressing the International Conference on Comparative Studies of Transitional Justice held in Taipei City, Chen said that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) gaining a majority in the legislature in the next legislative elections is essential for related bills to be passed.
The president called the issue of the KMT's "illegally-acquired" assets "the biggest cause for regret" on Taiwan's road to democratization and normalization as a country.
"The issue of the ill-gotten assets is not an internal KMT matter, but instead a national issue" Chen said.
Noting that the DPP has not been able to deal with the issue since coming to power in 2000 due to the KMT's ability to consistently block related bills in the legislature because of the slim majority that it holds with its "pan-blue" ally, the People First Party, Chen said that an alternative way, namely a referendum on "ill-gotten" party assets, has to be worked out to force the KMT to return the assets to the national coffers.
In 1994, the KMT listed the total value of its assets at NT$38.5 billion (US$1.16 billion), with the figure skyrocketing to NT$80.8 billion in 2000 before slipping to NT$25.5 billion as of July of this year, Chen pointed out.
"Where has the other NT$55.4 billion gone?" Chen asked.
The president claimed that Ma Ying-jeou had stepped up efforts in selling off part of the assets through secret deals during his time as KMT chairman between 2005 and 2007, adding that Lien Chan, who is now an honorary KMT chairman, has not fulfilled his promise made when running for the presidency in 2000 and 2004 to return the assets to the national coffers.
The one-day conference, which was organized by Taiwan Thinktank, brought together scholars and officials from Germany, Mongolia, Hungary and Lithuania to discuss the experiences of countries around the world in dealing with transitional justice, with the focus being on handling party assets.
Addressing the International Conference on Comparative Studies of Transitional Justice held in Taipei City, Chen said that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) gaining a majority in the legislature in the next legislative elections is essential for related bills to be passed.
The president called the issue of the KMT's "illegally-acquired" assets "the biggest cause for regret" on Taiwan's road to democratization and normalization as a country.
"The issue of the ill-gotten assets is not an internal KMT matter, but instead a national issue" Chen said.
Noting that the DPP has not been able to deal with the issue since coming to power in 2000 due to the KMT's ability to consistently block related bills in the legislature because of the slim majority that it holds with its "pan-blue" ally, the People First Party, Chen said that an alternative way, namely a referendum on "ill-gotten" party assets, has to be worked out to force the KMT to return the assets to the national coffers.
In 1994, the KMT listed the total value of its assets at NT$38.5 billion (US$1.16 billion), with the figure skyrocketing to NT$80.8 billion in 2000 before slipping to NT$25.5 billion as of July of this year, Chen pointed out.
"Where has the other NT$55.4 billion gone?" Chen asked.
The president claimed that Ma Ying-jeou had stepped up efforts in selling off part of the assets through secret deals during his time as KMT chairman between 2005 and 2007, adding that Lien Chan, who is now an honorary KMT chairman, has not fulfilled his promise made when running for the presidency in 2000 and 2004 to return the assets to the national coffers.
The one-day conference, which was organized by Taiwan Thinktank, brought together scholars and officials from Germany, Mongolia, Hungary and Lithuania to discuss the experiences of countries around the world in dealing with transitional justice, with the focus being on handling party assets.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Civic groups launch campaign to protest rejection of U.N. bid
Taipei, July 27 (CNA) Civic groups in Taiwan launched a "Mail U.N. (United Nations) " campaign Friday to encourage Taiwanese people to send protest letters to the world body in protest over its rejection of Taiwan's application for U.N. membership.
"To express Taiwan's earnest will to join the global community, people can download a protest letter from our Web site, sign it, and mail it back to our office, " said Lo Chih-cheng, secretary-general of the Taiwan Society.
Taiwan applied for U.N. membership under the name of Taiwan for the first time this year. Earlier in the week, the U.N. Office of Legal Affairs rejected the application based on U.N. Resolution 2758 adopted in 1971, which replaced the Republic of China with the People's Republic of China as the sole representative of China in the United Nations.
The Taiwan Society, a pro-independence group that collaborated with Taiwan Society North, Taiwan Central Society and other groups in the campaign, hopes to collect more than 100,000 letters and send them to the U.N. Secretariat before the opening of the U.N. General Assembly in September, said Lo.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon did not abide by the U.N. Charter in rejecting Taiwan's application without referring it to the Security Council or the General Assembly, according to Wu Shuh-min, president of the Taiwan Society.
Wu said Taiwan's voice should be heard in the international community so the world will know what the country wants.
"U.N. membership under the name of Taiwan is an important issue. Should Taiwan gain a U.N. seat, it should be allowed to participate in most international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, " he noted.
"It is understandable that the U.N. is facing considerable pressure from China. Still, it is a shame that an international organization advocating the principles of universality, fairness, democracy, freedom, human rights and dignity, would take the side of an authoritarian and abusive regime, " the groups said in a written statement.
The groups plan to keep advancing the idea of a U.N. referendum and to call for the people of Taiwan to voice their protest against the U.N. decision.
"To express Taiwan's earnest will to join the global community, people can download a protest letter from our Web site, sign it, and mail it back to our office, " said Lo Chih-cheng, secretary-general of the Taiwan Society.
Taiwan applied for U.N. membership under the name of Taiwan for the first time this year. Earlier in the week, the U.N. Office of Legal Affairs rejected the application based on U.N. Resolution 2758 adopted in 1971, which replaced the Republic of China with the People's Republic of China as the sole representative of China in the United Nations.
The Taiwan Society, a pro-independence group that collaborated with Taiwan Society North, Taiwan Central Society and other groups in the campaign, hopes to collect more than 100,000 letters and send them to the U.N. Secretariat before the opening of the U.N. General Assembly in September, said Lo.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon did not abide by the U.N. Charter in rejecting Taiwan's application without referring it to the Security Council or the General Assembly, according to Wu Shuh-min, president of the Taiwan Society.
Wu said Taiwan's voice should be heard in the international community so the world will know what the country wants.
"U.N. membership under the name of Taiwan is an important issue. Should Taiwan gain a U.N. seat, it should be allowed to participate in most international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, " he noted.
"It is understandable that the U.N. is facing considerable pressure from China. Still, it is a shame that an international organization advocating the principles of universality, fairness, democracy, freedom, human rights and dignity, would take the side of an authoritarian and abusive regime, " the groups said in a written statement.
The groups plan to keep advancing the idea of a U.N. referendum and to call for the people of Taiwan to voice their protest against the U.N. decision.
Taiwan aims to repeat World University Games success
Taipei, July 26 (CNA) Riding high on the success of two years ago, the Taiwanese delegation is confident of a repeat performance in the upcoming biennial World University Games (WUG) , which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, a spokesman for the Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation (CTUSF) said Thursday.
In 2005, Taiwan won six gold, two silvers and three bronzes -- its best performance in WUG history -- in Izmir, Turkey, CTUSF Secretary-General Wei Shiang-ming said, adding that not many expected the delegation to do so well prior to the games.
Taiwan is sending 16 men's and women's teams and a total of almost 200 university athletes to participate in 14 categories of sport in the WUG, which will be held from August 8 - 18, in various venues throughout the Greater Bangkok area.
Women's softball, table tennis, badminton and tennis are among the categories in which Taiwan is hopeful of winning medals, Wei said.
"Two thirds of the women's softball team members came from the national team. They are experienced. And most of the top local tennis, table tennis and badminton players are included in the delegation this year. That's why we're optimistic, " he said.
This year, for the first time, the biennial meet has introduced an age limit of 25 years-old on all participating athletes. The new rule is expected to benefit Taiwan, Wei said, as most Taiwanese athletes peak during their college career.
In 2005, Taiwan won six gold, two silvers and three bronzes -- its best performance in WUG history -- in Izmir, Turkey, CTUSF Secretary-General Wei Shiang-ming said, adding that not many expected the delegation to do so well prior to the games.
Taiwan is sending 16 men's and women's teams and a total of almost 200 university athletes to participate in 14 categories of sport in the WUG, which will be held from August 8 - 18, in various venues throughout the Greater Bangkok area.
Women's softball, table tennis, badminton and tennis are among the categories in which Taiwan is hopeful of winning medals, Wei said.
"Two thirds of the women's softball team members came from the national team. They are experienced. And most of the top local tennis, table tennis and badminton players are included in the delegation this year. That's why we're optimistic, " he said.
This year, for the first time, the biennial meet has introduced an age limit of 25 years-old on all participating athletes. The new rule is expected to benefit Taiwan, Wei said, as most Taiwanese athletes peak during their college career.
Civil groups team up to advance Taiwan's U.N. bid
Taipei, July 26 (CNA) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun and five former advisors to the president, civil groups and individual advocates teamed up Thursday to establish an alliance which aims to support Taiwan's U.N. membership bid.
"The government is now doing the right thing. The objective of this alliance is to assemble groups that support Taiwan's U.N. bid and tell the world what the people of Taiwan want, " said Chen Lung-chu, one of the 15 co-founders of the "Taiwan for U.N. Alliance."
The alliance will waste no time, but devote itself to planning a series of events in support of Taiwan's U.N. bid, including a rally expected to draw a million participants, collecting signatures in support of a referendum on the U.N. bid, and organizing promotional events in Taiwan and overseas, Chen said.
"Nothing that is impossible. The lifting of Martial Law and direct presidential elections were once considered impossible to achieve, but look at what we have accomplished now, " he said in reference to making a bid for the U.N. under the name of Taiwan.
The attitude of the U.S. is critical to Taiwan's U.N. bid, said former advisor to President Chen Shui-bian Koo Kwang-min, who also questioned the U.S.'s reasoning and right to oppose Taiwan's bid.
The U.S. is now trying to persuade Taiwan's president to give up on a task which over 70 percent of Taiwanese support, Koo said. If the president turns his back on the people under U.S. pressure, Koo warned, an anti-U.S. sentiment in Taiwanese society will probably prove inevitable.
"We are aware that there will be many legal disputes and different opinions on the issue. We hope that the people of Taiwan and the international community will be able to face this issue together," said DPP Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung, who attended the ceremony on behalf of party chairman Yu Shyi-kun.
The U.N. bid is key for Taiwan's survival and recognition on the international stage, former advisor to the president Wu Li-pei said, adding that Taiwan has relied too much on the support of foreign governments in the past and "it is now time to voice our own opinion."
Co-founders of the alliance also lambasted U.N. Secretariat and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for failing to follow the U.N. Charter in dealing with President Chen Shui-bian's letter to join the world body, describing Ban as one "who sees no people in Taiwan and operates without the U.N. Charter in his heart."
Co-founders of the alliance include Chen Lung-chu, Koo Kwang-min, Wu Li-pei, Chen Chi-sheng, Reverend Kao Jun-ming, Peng Ming-min, Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen, Lee Hong-si, Yu Shyi-kun, Huang Chiau-tong, Reverend William Lo, Wu Shu-min, Chen Bo-chih, Tsai Ting-kuei and Allen Houng.
Groups that have signed up to the alliance included the DPP, Peng Foundation for Culture and Education, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, the Taiwan United Nations Alliance, Constitution Reform Alliance, Taiwan New Century Foundation, and Taiwan Association of University Professors, among others.
"The government is now doing the right thing. The objective of this alliance is to assemble groups that support Taiwan's U.N. bid and tell the world what the people of Taiwan want, " said Chen Lung-chu, one of the 15 co-founders of the "Taiwan for U.N. Alliance."
The alliance will waste no time, but devote itself to planning a series of events in support of Taiwan's U.N. bid, including a rally expected to draw a million participants, collecting signatures in support of a referendum on the U.N. bid, and organizing promotional events in Taiwan and overseas, Chen said.
"Nothing that is impossible. The lifting of Martial Law and direct presidential elections were once considered impossible to achieve, but look at what we have accomplished now, " he said in reference to making a bid for the U.N. under the name of Taiwan.
The attitude of the U.S. is critical to Taiwan's U.N. bid, said former advisor to President Chen Shui-bian Koo Kwang-min, who also questioned the U.S.'s reasoning and right to oppose Taiwan's bid.
The U.S. is now trying to persuade Taiwan's president to give up on a task which over 70 percent of Taiwanese support, Koo said. If the president turns his back on the people under U.S. pressure, Koo warned, an anti-U.S. sentiment in Taiwanese society will probably prove inevitable.
"We are aware that there will be many legal disputes and different opinions on the issue. We hope that the people of Taiwan and the international community will be able to face this issue together," said DPP Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung, who attended the ceremony on behalf of party chairman Yu Shyi-kun.
The U.N. bid is key for Taiwan's survival and recognition on the international stage, former advisor to the president Wu Li-pei said, adding that Taiwan has relied too much on the support of foreign governments in the past and "it is now time to voice our own opinion."
Co-founders of the alliance also lambasted U.N. Secretariat and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for failing to follow the U.N. Charter in dealing with President Chen Shui-bian's letter to join the world body, describing Ban as one "who sees no people in Taiwan and operates without the U.N. Charter in his heart."
Co-founders of the alliance include Chen Lung-chu, Koo Kwang-min, Wu Li-pei, Chen Chi-sheng, Reverend Kao Jun-ming, Peng Ming-min, Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen, Lee Hong-si, Yu Shyi-kun, Huang Chiau-tong, Reverend William Lo, Wu Shu-min, Chen Bo-chih, Tsai Ting-kuei and Allen Houng.
Groups that have signed up to the alliance included the DPP, Peng Foundation for Culture and Education, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, the Taiwan United Nations Alliance, Constitution Reform Alliance, Taiwan New Century Foundation, and Taiwan Association of University Professors, among others.
Indulgence of communism beyond imagination: ex-Bulgarian president
Taipei, July 25 (CNA) Former Bulgarian President Zhelyu Zhelev, who is visiting Taiwan for the launch of a Chinese translation of his book, said Wednesday that fascism and communism are "uterine but not identical twins" and that people's indulgence toward communism was beyond his imagination.
"It has always struck me that our attitude toward communism has been more indulgent and benign than that toward fascism. In the past fascism was condemned morally, legally and politically... However, no such thing happened to communism, " he said in a speech at the book launch ceremony.
The Chinese edition of Fascism, which was written by Zhelev in 1967 and has been translated into various languages, was published by Taiwan Foundation for Democracy in June. The book is a comparative analysis of three classic fascist states -- Hitler's Germany, Mussolini's Italy and Franco's Spain.
Fascism and communism are two varieties of totalitarianism, as the former is the less complete and less perfect form of totalitarianism, said Zhelev, who served as the first democratically elected president of Bulgaria from 1992 until 1997.
During communism the monopoly of the party-state was spread out over the economy and civic society was completely eliminated, he said, adding that it was for this reason that communism survived much longer than fascism, which allowed private ownership.
Communism should be condemned because it elevated terror against its own people, Zhelev said. Because of the younger generation's lack of personal impressions and experience of either fascism or communism and the memory of the tens of millions of victims that perished for political reasons, it should be condemned, he added.
In his speech, Zhelev also said that Taiwan should be accepted as a member of the United Nations (U.N.) and be recognized by other countries.
"Taiwan should be a U.N. member and it should be recognized by many countries, " Zhelev said, offering his opinion on the fact that many countries have severed ties with Taiwan in recent years and established relations with China to exchange for economic welfare.
"Good politics should adhere to a set of strict principles rather than being guided solely by national interests... And there's no logic allowing countries to deprive Taiwan of its rightful position in the international community, " Zhelev said in a speech titled "Fascism and Communism: Fraternal but Not Identical Twins."
Zhele also offered his observations on China, saying that "Communism in China is undergoing a revolution in a way that resembles the development of the former Soviet Union."
China's economic reforms have reduced domestic tensions, he said, but the difference between its economic and political status may lead to an explosion.
"China so far has been a unique case of communism and an exception in history, " he said, adding that it's possible for China to develop "an alternative way" forward.
Zhelev, 72, was Bulgaria's first democratically elected president after winning the 1992 presidential election. He served his full five-year term and left office in 1997. He gained a reputation as a dissident before entering politics.
Speaking on the same occasion, Wu Yu-shan, director of Academia Sinica's Institute of Political Science, said that if the current Chinese regime can be described as fascists, so was the Kuomintang (KMT) regime in Taiwan up to the end of the 1980s.
China has moved into a historical phase from which Taiwan has moved out, Wu went on. The KMT regime was able to lead Taiwan to economic prosperity, like the fascists did, while the logic of democratic competition eventually led to the transfer of power in 2000, he said.
The question of whether the current party-state developmental regime in China can evolve into multi-party democracy remains, Wu added.
"It has always struck me that our attitude toward communism has been more indulgent and benign than that toward fascism. In the past fascism was condemned morally, legally and politically... However, no such thing happened to communism, " he said in a speech at the book launch ceremony.
The Chinese edition of Fascism, which was written by Zhelev in 1967 and has been translated into various languages, was published by Taiwan Foundation for Democracy in June. The book is a comparative analysis of three classic fascist states -- Hitler's Germany, Mussolini's Italy and Franco's Spain.
Fascism and communism are two varieties of totalitarianism, as the former is the less complete and less perfect form of totalitarianism, said Zhelev, who served as the first democratically elected president of Bulgaria from 1992 until 1997.
During communism the monopoly of the party-state was spread out over the economy and civic society was completely eliminated, he said, adding that it was for this reason that communism survived much longer than fascism, which allowed private ownership.
Communism should be condemned because it elevated terror against its own people, Zhelev said. Because of the younger generation's lack of personal impressions and experience of either fascism or communism and the memory of the tens of millions of victims that perished for political reasons, it should be condemned, he added.
In his speech, Zhelev also said that Taiwan should be accepted as a member of the United Nations (U.N.) and be recognized by other countries.
"Taiwan should be a U.N. member and it should be recognized by many countries, " Zhelev said, offering his opinion on the fact that many countries have severed ties with Taiwan in recent years and established relations with China to exchange for economic welfare.
"Good politics should adhere to a set of strict principles rather than being guided solely by national interests... And there's no logic allowing countries to deprive Taiwan of its rightful position in the international community, " Zhelev said in a speech titled "Fascism and Communism: Fraternal but Not Identical Twins."
Zhele also offered his observations on China, saying that "Communism in China is undergoing a revolution in a way that resembles the development of the former Soviet Union."
China's economic reforms have reduced domestic tensions, he said, but the difference between its economic and political status may lead to an explosion.
"China so far has been a unique case of communism and an exception in history, " he said, adding that it's possible for China to develop "an alternative way" forward.
Zhelev, 72, was Bulgaria's first democratically elected president after winning the 1992 presidential election. He served his full five-year term and left office in 1997. He gained a reputation as a dissident before entering politics.
Speaking on the same occasion, Wu Yu-shan, director of Academia Sinica's Institute of Political Science, said that if the current Chinese regime can be described as fascists, so was the Kuomintang (KMT) regime in Taiwan up to the end of the 1980s.
China has moved into a historical phase from which Taiwan has moved out, Wu went on. The KMT regime was able to lead Taiwan to economic prosperity, like the fascists did, while the logic of democratic competition eventually led to the transfer of power in 2000, he said.
The question of whether the current party-state developmental regime in China can evolve into multi-party democracy remains, Wu added.
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