President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was heckled at the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award ceremony in Taipei yesterday as pro-Tibetan and Lo Sheng preservation activists staged a surprise protest.
As Ma was being introduced to the audience, Taiwan Friends of Tibet (TFOT) members Tsai Chi-hsun (蔡季勳) and Yang Tsung-li (楊宗澧) took off their shirts and jackets to display T-shirts of the organization.
A Tibetan flag and the slogan “free Tibet” in English and “independence for Tibet” in Chinese were printed on the front of the shirts.
PHOTO: CNA
Not long after Ma began his speech, Yang held up a Tibetan flag, while Tsai displayed a photo of the Dalai Lama.
Bodyguards immediately rushed toward the two, asking them to put away the flag and the photo, but Yang and Tsai refused.
Security agents left them alone as they sat down and protested silently.
Ma ignored the protest and delivered a speech about Taiwan’s human rights achievements.
However, in the middle of Ma’s speech, a man from the audience suddenly pulled out a banner and shouted “the government intrudes upon the human rights of patients at the Lo Sheng Sanatorium.”
He was immediately escorted away by security personnel.
The Lo Sheng Sanatorium was built in 1930 by the Japanese colonial authority to house lepers.
Part of the compound was demolished last week to make way for the construction of a Mass Rapid Transport maintenance deport.
Ma regained his composure and said the unexpected episode only proved that Taiwan was a true democracy.
He said, however, that all parades or assemblies must be conducted in a legal manner with respect for other people’s freedoms.
“We support legal activities, but we crack down on illegal ones,” he said.
“Taiwan must enter a new stage. Elections are only a form of democracy. A true democracy is one that protects the people’s freedom, rights and the rule of law,” Ma said.
During his speech, Ma said that he would sign two UN human rights declarations and send them to the legislature for approval.
Ma said the UN General Assembly adopted the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1966, which were both signed by the Republic of China, but were never approved by the legislature.
They have been sent to the legislature for approval four times since 2001, Ma said, but the attempts were never successful.
He said he discussed the matter with Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) yesterday morning and told him he would like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit the two conventions to the Executive Yuan for approval and then to the legislature.
“Once the legislature gives its endorsement, I will proclaim the two conventions and send them to the UN in accordance with international practice,” he said.
“We hope to apply international standards of human rights in the country,” he said.
The Ma administration has been harshly criticized over alleged human rights violations since Ma took office in May.
Many domestic and foreign human rights and media watch groups have expressed concern over alleged rights violations and restrictions on civil liberties since the visit of Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) early last month.
Ma said yesterday that during the 38-year Martial Law era, civil liberties were restricted and political persecution was rife. The situation improved when he was minister of justice in 1993, he said, whereupon Taiwan was upgraded to a free country by international human rights organizations.
Since he took office in May, Ma said his efforts to protect human rights had never flagged.
Following the ceremony, Yang and Tsai told reporters they were curious to know when an “appropriate time” for the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan would be.
“Ma said earlier [last week] that the timing is not appropriate for the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan. I’d like to ask him: ‘When would be an appropriate time?’” Yang told reporters after leaving the ceremony.
“Anyone who supports the idea of peace and freedom should be able to visit the free country of Taiwan,” Tsai said.
The Tibetan religious leader should be allowed a visit at any time as long as he has a legal status, they said.
Ma’s rejection of the Dalai Lama’s proposed visit has received much criticism.
Ma said during an interview with FTV on Tuesday that his decision had nothing to do Beijing and that the “appropriate time” would be a time “that is convenient for both of them.”
At a separate event later yesterday, Ma offered an apology to the victims and family members of the 228 Incident, promising to bring ethnic harmony in Taiwan.
“Mistakes can be forgiven, but history cannot be forgotten. We should learn the lessons from history and prevent any violations of human rights in future,” Ma said while addressing the opening ceremony of an exhibition at the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum.
The 228 Incident refers to the KMT government’s bloody crackdown on demonstrators and the local elite under the administration of dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).
The exhibition featured a video series created by 29-year-old Ho Hsin-yi (何欣怡), 228 victim Wang Tien-teng’s (王添燈) great-granddaughter.
Her works portray the life of her grandmother and other family members and told the history of the 228 Incident through the eyes of the family members of a 228 victim.
Ma, who offered an apology to the victims and their family members when he was Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, promised to institutionalize the protection of human rights in Taiwan.
The Cabinet is expected to approve the two treaties today and send them to the legislature for final approval, the president said.
A middle-aged man shouted at police outside the venue after being prevented from approaching while Ma was addressing the ceremony.
The man condemned the government for ignoring his rights.
Ma did not respond to the protest.
The exhibition at the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum ends on Jan. 31.
Also See: EDITORIAL: Ma's ironic Human Rights Day
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