Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

MOFA fails to defend sovereignty

Taipei Times Editorial

When Beijing, at a UN tribunal over tensions concerning sovereignty in the South China Sea, included Taiwan and Penghu as part of its territorial claims, nobody in the government reacted or uttered a single word in response. When pressed about this by the media, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) merely said: “We protested this 55 years ago.”

However, 55 years ago, the Republic of China had a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, as the sole representative of China, and the People’s Republic of China did not have a seat. Back then, nobody listened to what China had to say. Today, the situation is reversed: Now, everybody listens when China speaks, while Taiwan has no voice.

Activist calls on US voters to appeal for Chen’s release

Taipei Times

A Washington human rights organization is urging Americans to protest the continued imprisonment of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), whose medical condition is deteriorating.

In a column carried this week by the Huffington Post Web site, Human Rights Action Center founder Jack Healey called on voters to contact their US representatives and senators to press for the release of Chen, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for corruption, on health grounds.

Academics, groups call for new constitutional system

Taipei Times

Taiwan Society president Chang Yen-hsien, standing, yesterday speaks during a press conference organized by pro-independence groups in Taipei, calling for a new constitutional system.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

Opposition parties and pro-independence groups yesterday called for the elimination of the Control Yuan and the Examination Yuan, with groups advocating the drafting of a new constitution to better fit the nation’s needs.

As lawmakers are set to review the qualification standards of the nominees for the two yuans this week and next week in the extra legislative session, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said the two institutions are better off being eliminated.

Taiwan should form front with HK

Lu I-ming 呂一銘

On Wednesday, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office issued a statement saying that issues “concerning China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity should be decided by all Chinese, including [our] compatriots in Taiwan.”

The day before, China’s State Council released a “white paper” detailing its total authority over Hong Kong and reiterating that any autonomy enjoyed by the territory is subject to the Chinese central government’s authorization.

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