Taiwan is taking the lead to protect civil liberties and promote democracy across Asia, organizers of an international conference on the Asian Human Rights Court Simulation (AHRCS) said yesterday.
The aim is to establish a supra-national mechanism composed of judges from participating nations in a human rights court for Asia, which would have the authority to try cases, organizers said at the opening of the conference, which runs through Sunday.
Such bodies are operating in Europe, the Americas and Africa, organizers said.
“It is symbolic that this process is taking place in Taiwan, as it promotes the value of human rights across the region and will help set up judicial bodies to uphold international standards on human rights in Asia,” said Lu Yeh-chung (盧業中), vice president of Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, the main organizer.
Former Council of Grand Justice member Hsu Yu-hsiu (許玉秀) said that Taiwan can play a leading role in a regional justice system focused on human rights in Asia, as the project can bring together civic groups across international borders to develop mutual understanding on concepts of human rights and protection of civil liberties.
Asia has about 60 percent of the world population and now is the right time for this vast region to have a supra-national justice mechanism, as every person deserves protection from abuse and oppression as nations progress toward democracy and the opening up of society, Hsu said.
Hsu has advocated that an Asian human rights court be based in Taiwan, as the nation has an open society, with high degrees of freedom and democracy.
Baik Tae-ung, vice chairperson of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, said that people face abuse and political persecution in several Asian countries and need the protection of international support, which an international court for human rights could provide.
Baik, a South Korean who is a professor of law at the University of Hawaii, said that other South Korean judges are interested in the process to develop the body and would attend the meeting in Taipei, as there are efforts to establish a human rights court in his nation.
Organizers in Taipei said they have invited representatives from local and overseas civil groups, with sessions conducted by 13 judges from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Hong Kong.
Dato Mah Weng-Kwai, a former judge at the Malaysian Court of Appeals, is to be president of the Asian Human Rights Court Simulation, and National Taiwan University professor of law Chang Wen-chen (張文貞) is to be vice president.
Hsu and Hungarian judge Andras Sajo, who served on the European Court of Human Rights, are to be advisers.
Among the organizers and supporters of the effort are law schools from leading universities in Taiwan, the Judicial Reform Foundation, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Covenants Watch, the Legal Aid Foundation, the Taiwan Jury Association and the Awakening Foundation.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
RSS