A civic alliance formed yesterday to help the nation's UN bid criticized the UN secretary-general's rejection of Taiwan's request for membership as illegal and urged him to refrain from kowtowing to China and its "one China" policy.
The Alliance for Taiwan to Join the United Nations was initiated by Chen Lung-chu (
Speaking at the group's founding ceremony yesterday, Chen said that its mission was to launch a national and global campaign to support the government's "epoch-making" policy of joining the UN under the name "Taiwan."
PHOTO: CNA
"The government and the people must join forces at this historic moment," he said. "We shall work together toward this common goal and we shall not stop until this dream becomes a reality."
The nation had previously applied to join the UN using the name the "Republic of China," but the administration changed its approach this year.
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) sent UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon a letter on July 19 requesting UN membership using the name "Taiwan." The UN Office of Legal Affairs, however, returned the letter, citing UN Resolution 2758.
Chen Lung-chu yesterday said Ban had abused his power, criticizing the latter's handling of the matter as "illegal" and an "out-and-out violation of the UN Charter and the spirit of procedural regulations."
Resolution 2758 does not stipulate that Taiwan is part of China nor authorize the People's Republic of China to represent Taiwan and its people, he said.
"The UN secretary-general must not be a pawn of China and ignore the fact that Taiwan is a sovereign state," he said. "We condemn the UN Secretary-General Office's treatment of Taiwan's application.
"We must turn our anger into power and show the collective will and power of Taiwanese people to the world via a referendum," he added.
Reverend William Lo (
Former presidential adviser Wu Li-pei (
Koo Kwang-ming (
Hailing the new tactic as a "great and courageous deed," Reverend Kao Chun-ming (
Lee Hung-hsi (
Lee was referring to Chiang's rejection of a US proposal for "dual representation" for Taiwan and China in the UN in 1971. Chiang insisted that "gentlemen cannot stand together with thieves (漢賊不兩立)," meaning that his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) could not coexist with the Chinese communists.
Consequently, on Oct. 25, 1971, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 2758, "expelling the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the UN and in all the organizations related to it."
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