Several more of Taiwan's diplomatic allies voiced their support for the country's bid to join the UN on Thursday during the annual session of the UN General Assembly.
Nauru, Gambia and Palau threw their weight behind Taiwan on the third day of the general debate, following similar moves by El Salvador, Honduras, Paraguay, Sao Tome and Principe and Swaziland over the previous two days.
Nauruan President Ludwig Scotty said during the debate that it was against UN rules for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to have returned Taiwan's membership application letters last month based on 1971's UN Resolution 2758, which recognized the People's Republic of China (PRC) as the sole legitimate representative of China at the UN.
Scotty urged Ban to accept Taiwan's application immediately and submit it to the UN Security Council for review.
Accusing Ban of misinterpreting the resolution by claiming that it recognized Taiwan as part of the PRC, Scotty said that the resolution does not state that Taiwan is part of China, nor does it deny that Taiwan has the right to obtain representation in the UN.
Scotty said that Taiwan and China have long been governed separately and that Taiwan's popularly elected government is the nation's sole legitimate ruler, adding that Taiwan had no intention of challenging China's representation in the world body.
Meanwhile, Gambian Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy called the UN's attention to the problem of the increasing militarization of the Taiwan Strait, describing the region as one where immediate security measures are required.
As an economic powerhouse with a pluralistic society and a high-tech environment, Taiwan should not be excluded from the UN, Njie-Saidy said.
Also speaking during the debate, Palauan Vice President Elias Camsek Chin expressed his disappointment at Taiwan's exclusion from the world body and criticized Ban for failing to abide by UN rules in handling Taiwan's membership applications.
The general debate is scheduled to last through Oct. 13 and more allies of Taiwan are expected to take the floor during the next few days, during which they are likely to bring up the issue of Taiwan's UN bid.
While Taiwan has tried without success to have the UN consider the issue of its representation since 1993, this year marked the first time that it applied to join the world body under the name "Taiwan" and not its official title, the "Republic of China."
However, following the return of Taiwan's application by the UN Secretariat last month, a request endorsed by 16 of the nation's allies asking the UN to address the nation's membership application was also excluded from last week's UN General Assembly agenda.
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