Ten non-governmental organizations (NGOs) announced yesterday that they have joined the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), an international civic movement aimed at promoting peace.
"GPPAC is perhaps the largest peace-building organization in the world. Wars are usually initiated by a nation's government, which the people have no control over. How-ever, being the global citizens we are today, civilians should have a voice about wars," said Chien Hsi-chieh, executive director of Peacetime Foundation of Taiwan.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The anti-Iraqi war movement in 2003, Chien pointed out, was a good example of an anti-war movement that lacked in overall organization and structure, as most of the activities occurred online.
As a result, although the anti-war voices of civilians were strong, they had little impact on a government's decision to wage war.
GPPAC was formed in response to the call by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2003 for a worldwide conflict-prevention community.
Other groups that joined GPPAC include the Awakening Foundation, Taiwan Security Research Center, Taiwan Labor Front, Taiwan Environmental Protection Union, Alliance for Peace Homeland and Youth Rights Alliance.
Philip Yang (
"GPPAC operates according to the concept of `human security,' where the ultimate goal is not the security of a country, but the safety of individuals," he said.
According to Yang, one example of a successful security movement promoted by NGOs was the anti-landmine campaign in 1997. Every country in the Northeast Asia region, with the exception of North Korea, has joined this movement.
This region alone, the 10 groups said, makes up one-quarter of world's population and encompasses several sensitive military issues and post-war problems such as the conflicts between the two Koreas, Pyongyang's nuclear threat, cross-strait relations, Japan-Russia territorial issues and the Tiaoyutai Islands dispute between Taiwan and Japan.
Akira Kawasaki, a member of the executive committee of Japan's Peace Boat and a representative of GPPAC Northeast Asia region, said the security of one country affected the rest of the region.
"It is like a chain reaction. For instance, if North Korea decides to ratchet up its military armament, then Japan is going to follow suit," he said.
GPPAC representatives from Northeast Asia are scheduled to meet in Tokyo next month to set a regional agenda. According to Chien, cross-strait relations has been an off-limits topic at previous meetings with China's GPPAC members, but it might be brought up in future conferences.
"We look forward to having a sit-down dialogue with China's civic groups to resolve cross-strait conflicts by peaceful measures," Chien said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS