Taiwan has launched a new drive this year to be recognized as an observer at the World Health Organization (WHO) on the eve of the organization's annual assembly in Geneva from May 14 to 22. This is the fifth year in a row that Taiwan has lobbied for WHO observer status with the assistance of its allies and concerted efforts from the government and the private medical sector in Taiwan.
Under the banner of "Dare to Care, Taiwan Cares," the Taiwan group, led by Lee Ming-liang (
According to officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the WHO steering committee is scheduled today to discuss a proposal submitted by six allies who support Taiwan's bid to become an observer and have asked that the issue be put on this year's agenda.
The six allies are Panama, Palau, Sao Tome and Principe, El Salvador, Honduras and Senegal.
The WHO assembly is expected to make a decision this afternoon on whether to include the proposal in the assembly agenda, foreign ministry officials said
Despite the fact that all similar proposals in the four previous years have been shot down by Beijing, a WHO member, Tai-wan's voice is beginning to be heard. More and more international organizations have been made aware of Taiwan's willingness to cooperate with health officials around the world for equal access to medical-related information and resources, health department officials said.
Taiwan has been barred from attending any WHO activities since it was forced out of the organization in 1972, a year after mainland China took over Taiwan's seat in the UN.
The WHO is a UN affiliate dedicated to upgrading world health standards and technology.
Under President Chen Shui-bian's (
The task force included participants from the public and private sectors.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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