DPP legislators Wang Hseuh-fung (
Fifteen non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on Tuesday appealed to local governments to file suit against five US tobacco makers for compensation for the cost of treating smoking-related diseases. They said that avoiding using the name "Republic Of China" could circumvent disputes about Taiwan's status that might hinder the proceedings.
The local NGOs plan to file lawsuits against five US-based tobacco companies for at least US$24 billion in the name of Taipei City Hall by May 31, international non-smoking day. Targeted companies include RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp, Lorillard Tobacco Co, Liggett Group Inc and Philip Morris Co, the largest tobacco supplier worldwide.
"Since the government has placed so much emphasis on human rights diplomacy, we should no longer limit ourselves with political concerns when coping with anti-tobacco issues," she said.
Moreover, Wang said, by suing these companies in the name of public health, Taiwan could promote its image on the international stage, "to receive greater publicity for Taiwan's effort to promote public health will be helpful in the country's effort to join the World Health Organization," she said.
Wang also said that the lawsuits served a mainly symbolic purpose of demonstrating Taiwan's determination to fight the dangers of tobacco rather than to win compensation, as most cases take some time to be completed and will not necessarily be won. "Since we may not win anyway, why don't we just try increasing the impact of our suits by using the authority of the central government?" Wang added.
Wang said the tobacco industry would lobby local government officials and councilors to obstruct their anti-tobacco efforts.
"They will pressure lawmakers too if we pressure the central government to fight them. But at least what happens in the legislature is more open to public scrutiny than what goes on in the smaller local councils," she added. She also said local governments do not necessarily have the resources to prepare for such lawsuits.
The John Tung Foundation (
"If there were not much possibility for them to win the suit, why would all these central or local governments of these countries try to sue the cigarette suppliers?" the foundation asked.
The foundation added that many countries which had put their names to suits against the tobacco industry had encountered great political and economic pressure from the US.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
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