In an article published in the Washington Post on May 9, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) called on the world to help Taiwan combat SARS, and indicated his hope that this country would be invited to attend the World Health Assembly (WHA), which convenes tomorrow, as an observer.
Chen pointed out that Taiwan has responsibilities toward the world, too. After all, Taiwan not only has a 23-million-strong population, but it is also an important center of trade. Therefore, what happens in Taiwan impacts millions and millions of people around the world.
When the SARS epidemic broke out in Taiwan, the nation immediately asked the World Health Organization (WHO) for help in fighting the disease. Unfortunately, Taiwan's pleas were rejected. It wasn't until a major surge in the number of infections that the health body finally dispatched two experts to Taiwan.
This, in itself, indicates that Taiwan is an indispensable link in the world's health system. At the same time, this also indicates that cooperation between Taiwan and the WHO should not be affected by political factors.
The spread of SARS is still serious. After Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital and Jen Chi Hospital were sealed off as a result of infections within the hospitals, Huachang Public Housing Complex was also sealed off as a result of suspected community transmission.
The WHO has elevated the ranking of Taiwan's level of infection from mid-level to high-level -- placing the country in the same category as Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai and Hong Kong -- and issued an advisory about travel to Taiwan.
Therefore, on the eve of the WHA convention, Chen submitted a letter to the Washington Post expressing his hope that the WHA would invite Taiwan to participate as an observer.
He also called for world attention with respect to the ethical rectitude of excluding Taiwan from the organization, which violates the basic human rights of the people in Taiwan.
When the SARS epidemic first hit the nation, the government took the initiative and contacted the WHO. Yet the WHO did not respond to any requests for assistance.
Not only that, for political reasons the WHO lumped updates on the outbreak of the disease in Taiwan with those in China. China also demanded that the WHO request its permission before offering assistance to Taiwan.
As stated by Chen Tzay-jinn (
It was only after infections broke out within the Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital that the WHO finally sent over two experts on May 3. By then, the outbreak of the disease had become extensive.
The belated gesture of the WHO caused Taiwan to needlessly sacrifice many precious lives and pay an incalculable social cost. As Chen Tzay-jinn spoke about the exclusion of Taiwan from the international health-care community and the political meddling of China in the disease-control efforts, he became emotional and was choked with tears. The heartache and melancholy felt by Chen Tzay-jinn are representative of the sentiments of the people of Taiwan.
China deliberately concealed the existence and extent of the epidemic, causing a major calamity for all humanity. Then, like the bully it is, it went on to block WHO assistance to Taiwan. In contrast, Taiwan has made disease prevention and control efforts completely transparent, as well as indicating its willingness to cooperate with the international community. Yet, it continues to be shut out of the WHO.
This is indeed an absurd phenomenon in a civilized world.
The cold-blooded talk of the Chinese government officials further made the blood of Taiwan's people boil: China even claimed that the WHO's dispatching of experts to Taiwan was made with its permission.
Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi (吳儀), who is also the minister of health, then claimed that China is very concerned about the spread of SARS in Taiwan. Wu also said that the channels through which Taiwan can access health-care information were open and unimpeded.Wu went on to stress that Taiwan is part of China and therefore is not qualified for entry into the WHO, which is open only to independent sovereign countries.
On May 8, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue (
As an independent sovereign country, Taiwan is entitled to join the WHO. To keep the sovereignty issue from leaving 23 million Taiwanese a major loophole in the global disease prevention network, the government has already compromised its own position by asking to merely become an observer of the WHO. However, China opposes even this humble request.
On the other hand, the WHO's lack of moral courage has been disappointing as well. The director of the WHO's communicable diseases division recently emphasized and promised that so long as Taiwan makes the request, the WHO will offer all the technical assistances needed.
But at the same time he also implied that while the WHA will deal with the question of Taiwan's attendance at the assembly, if the technical and political issues are mixed together, then the spread of SARS will spin out of control.
Such statements have only superficial truth. In reality, Taiwan wants to become an observer at the WHO simply because it hopes that its people, just like all other people of the world, can enjoy basic human rights to health care. There is no political agenda. In fact, it is China, which strongly opposes Taiwan's entry, that is politically meddling with an issue that is purely about public health. China is the one that should be condemned.
In particular, when the WHO's observers include even the Vatican, Palestine and the International Commitee of the Red Cross, the world must ask why Taiwan is not qualified to become an observer at the WHO.
SARS is spreading all over the world. This will necessarily be the theme of the WHA meeting. If Taiwan, which has been classified as an area with high level of infections, cannot participate and exchange with other countries of the world research and disease prevention data on SARS, it would be absurd.
To fight against SARS, the entire nation has become mobilized. The people here are in no mood to either fight a war of words with China or engage in meaningless political debates.
All that the people here ask is to become an observer at the WHO, and enjoy protection of fundamental rights to health care. They hope for more helping hands from the international community in the fight against SARS.
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