Dozens of non-governmental organizations (NGO) yesterday called on the Chinese government to free jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波), praising the political dissident for his non-violent struggle for human rights and democracy in China.
The remarks came one day after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) publicly urged Beijing to release Liu and “solve major human rights incidents with honesty and confidence.”
Chinese dissidents should be treated with more tolerance, the Presidential Office said in a statement.
The former literature professor was given the award on Friday after the Nobel committee lauded the dissident for his “long and non--violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.”
In a joint statement, the groups wrote that the award sent a clear signal to Beijing that the “world stands in solidarity with [the] Chinese people who share Liu’s vision for a strong, prosperous and above all, democratic, China.”
Any future cross-strait exchanges, the group wrote, should abide by democratic principles and include mention of human rights and personal liberties.
Among the 48 NGOs that signed the two-page statement were groups representing lawyers, educators and doctors, as well as government watchdogs, human rights associations and an organization that monitors cross-strait exchanges.
The statement said they “shared the very same common and fundamental values [Liu] fights for.”
“Political change starts with fundamental human rights like freedom of speech,” said Lee Tien-tsai (李天財), an attorney working with the Chinese Association for Human Rights.
Taipei, he said, must play a bigger role in helping accelerate the democratic movement in China.
Pointing to recent comments by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) that the need for democracy and freedom in China was “irresistible,” Taiwan Labor Front director Chang Feng-yi (張峰益) said there was optimism that Beijing could carry out political reforms.
In a rare interview aired on CNN last Sunday, Wen talked about his belief that freedom of speech was “indispensable,” adding he would “advance political restructuring within the realm of my capabilities.”
He said there was freedom to criticize the Chinese government on the Internet.
“His comments were in the right direction, but the first step to the [necessary] reforms begins with releasing Liu,” Chang said.
Liu Chin-wen (劉敬文), a representative for Society Reform Frontline, said he wanted to thank the Nobel committee for making a decision to award the Chinese dissident. Beijing had warned that the move could hurt China-Norway relations.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS