The 59th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was on Monday, which was also the 28th anniversary of the Kaohsiung Incident. Taiwan has evolved from being ruled by a dictatorial regime that declared martial law and violated human rights into a democratic state that protects human rights.
But there is still the threat that Taiwan's human rights will be violated by China. The public must come to realize the importance of establishing Taiwan's status as a sovereign country for the protection of the human rights of Taiwanese.
Sovereignty means that a country has absolute and unlimited power within its own borders and that other countries cannot interfere with its national affairs. In democratic countries, that power rests with the people. Hence, there is a close relationship between sovereignty and human rights.
If sovereignty over a territory falls into the hands of a dictatorial or a foreign regime, human rights are no longer protected by democracy and lose their foothold. If the sovereignty of a country is not firmly established, or is threatened, the fate of the public can easily become dominated by other countries. Loss of sovereignty is a grave threat to human rights.
Sovereignty is the fundamental right of a country, and other countries must respect this right. This means national sovereignty should include the right to exist, the right to independence and the right to equality, as laid down in the Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Nations that the American Institute of International Law adopted in 1916. These rights are closely related to the individual rights of every citizen of a country.
If a country loses its sovereignty, it can become a colony or tributary to another country. When the inhabitants of a country lose their voting rights, their human rights disappear.
Taiwan used to be a colony of the Netherlands and it has also been occupied by Japan. During these periods Taiwan had no national sovereignty, and therefore no human rights to speak of. The Taiwanese have had their fill of not having national sovereignty and having their human rights infringed upon.
Because the national sovereignty of Taiwan is not yet formal, it does not have the recognition and respect of other countries. Abroad, Taiwanese people are often not respected.
Taiwanese fishing boat crews are sometimes detained when they come too close to Southeast Asian countries and are subjected to unfair punishment because the Taiwanese government does not have the power to come to their rescue. This shows once more that if the national sovereignty of a country is not recognized or respected, this can result in human rights violations.
Taiwan's sovereignty has not yet gained international recognition and respect. Our sovereignty -- including the rights to exist, independence, equality, jurisdiction over its own territory and self-defense -- is being threatened, and the human rights of Taiwan's citizens are suffering from the consequences.
China is using all means possible to strip Taiwan of what national sovereignty it now has and to achieve its goal of annexing Taiwan.
This would be an even greater disaster for the human rights of the Taiwanese. Hence, establishing Taiwan's independence and full sovereignty is extremely important for the protection of the human rights of the Taiwanese.
It would be an important step for the protection of human rights in Taiwan, and a great contribution to international human rights, if Taiwan could become a member of the UN and be established as a normal state.
Lee Sheng-hsiung is chairman of Amnesty International Taiwan.
Translated by Anna Stiggelbout
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
RSS