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No Enterovirus-71 cases found in Singapore Singapore Trade Office in Taipei ¡@ We refer to the article entitled ¡§Enterovirus season under way: CDC experts¡¨ published in The China Post on May 18, 2005, which contained the following references to Singapore: ¡§Enterovirus infections are assuming epidemic proportions in Singapore, CDC doctors said. Visitors to that Southeast Asian city are urged to take precautions lest their young children should be infected.¡¨ In response to queries from readers of The China Post, the Singapore Ministry of health has confirmed that the above allegations are not true. No Enterovirus-71 cases have been found among the Hand Foot Mouth Disease (HFMD) cases in Singapore this year. HFMD is a common and mild, self-limiting disease in children.
Traffic chaos requires law enforcement in Taichung I am currently living in Taichung City. I have been here for a number of years. I have watched the traffic situation here in Taichung go from bad to worse. I have been riding motorcycles and scooters for 20 plus years. Needless to say, after so many years of riding a scooter here in Taiwan and living to tell about it shows that I am a careful rider. On the other hand, I have seen trucks, cars and scooters do some amazingly crazy stunts. I have seen more deaths caused by traffic accidents here in Taiwan than I have seen my entire 46 years. I would like to know when the Taichung Mayor and the city police are going to start enforcing traffic laws. Shi Tzuen Road and Chung Gong Road, near Tung Hai University are good examples of chaotic traffic situations. Double parking, triple parking, riding against the traffic, making U-turns anywhere that is convenient for the drivers create a dangerous environment for everyone. Every year, a number of university students are killed in traffic accidents. The universities should be raising hell instead of covering up or hushing up the statistics . I saw more police issuing traffic tickets in Koahsiung in a two-day period than I have seen in more than 10 years here in Taichung. I wish I were exaggerating. My hats off to the Mayor and police of Koahsiung. This is a plea to the Taichung Mayor and the city police to start enforcing traffic laws. If they want to promote Taichung as a city with a high quality of life, then start making the quality of life in Taichung better.
China visits mount pressure on president to
Recent visits to China by two opposition leaders have put heavy pressure on President Chen Shui-bian to ease cross-strait tensions. One can debate the politics of the unfortunate animosity between Taiwan and the mainland all one wants, but the fact remains that Taiwan can not live forever in thanks to the United States and would never be a real winner once war broke out. For China, democracy should be developed as a home-grown development. It cannot be imported from Taiwan. One does not expect changes to happen overnight. The opposition leaders did their best to pave the way for peace and democracy. But Chen's recent TV interview, in which he furiously criticized everybody from his colleagues to political rivals, only revealed that he's too confused to be up to the task. In his campaign speeches, Chen repeatedly said: ¡§Vote for me because I love Taiwan.¡¨ He urged voters to give him a majority so that he would have less chance of obstruction from opposition. The best way to show his love to Taiwan is to bring peace and prosperity to the region. If he is not able, people will not hesitate to change things at the ballot box again. 11 Cale Jackson The DPP needs to think through the consequences of achieving an independent Taiwan. First of all this goal may never be realized. The DPP has to be open and honest with their supporters by telling them that achieving the goal of an ¡§Independent Republic of Taiwan¡¨ it will come at a huge cost.
Let's start with the destruction of the economy, the
destruction of Taiwan's major cities and major loss of
lives both to Taiwan's fighting forces and innocent
civilians. Are the people of Taiwan willing to fight to the death for this cause? Are they willing to sacrifice their current way of life and their beloved sons and daughters for the cause of an independent Taiwan? It's big news when someone dies in an accident but what about when hundreds of thousands are killed in action? How will the reality of such a loss be handled then? It seems when confronting the whole truth about the stance of Taiwan Independence this as the reality never seems to get mentioned to party supporters ¡X no one wants to bring it up.
Given this scenario, the only option is to negotiate
with Beijing. The DPP may have to reconsider this platform of an ¡§Independent Taiwan¡¨ (the R.O.C. is alive and well) and choose to move towards a platform of peace, making these overtures known to Beijing and the residents of China. Its worth noting that the Chinese Communist Party has opened its doors to Taiwan's opposition parties, planting the seeds of democracy which may yield a harvest in years to come if and when China moves in that direction. The DPP has much to gain and much to lose.
Taiwan, China are not one; Beijing shouldn't meddle The increasingly rich and well-schooled Taiwanese aren't like the mainland's 700 million, little-educated peasants whom the communist leaders usually manipulate. Yet last week Beijing treated the people of Taiwan like dupes by meddling in their politics in a foolhardy way. China rolled out the red carpet, literally, for a visit by Taiwan's opposition leader, Lien Chan. He, like China, opposes formal independence for the island nation and favors eventual reunification. In treating him as a head of state, and even signing an agreement of common objectives with him, China hopes to isolate Taiwan's current president, Chen Shui-bian, who talks of officially accepting the reality of an independent Taiwan. China's autocrats can't seem to accept that Taiwan is a democracy in which the people have voted for Mr. Chen twice, and against Mr. Lien. They also must think they can act kindly toward Taiwanese politicians they favor while aiming hundreds of missiles at the island and recently passing a law that threatens war if Taiwan moves toward formal statehood. These crude good-cop bad-cop antics by China only further Taiwan's steady drift away from the mainland in everything but business ties. Lien's visit, however, did carry some historic symbolism. He's head of the KMT party, or Nationalists, who lost China to the communists in 1949 and fled to Taiwan. He's the first KMT leader to return to the mainland since the civil war ended with Mao Tse-tung's victory. His party still controls Taiwan's legislature.
But Beijing
wins no point by pretending to put the civil war
memories aside and welcoming Lien as an equal. He's not
Taiwan's duly elected leader. Unlike in China, Taiwan's
leaders reflect the will of voters, who prefer that
their leaders keep their independence of Beijing's
manipulative ways. China will need to talk to Taiwan's
president, no conditions attached, if it wants to be
taken seriously by Taiwan.
New organization
on horizon in Asia for travel by people with
disabilities For most of my 50 years I have been able to look out my window and watch the sun bring a close to the day ¡X and the start of a new day in Asia. It is with this same serene hopefulness that I approach the 2005 International Accessible Tourism Conference that will be held from May 5-8 in Taipei. On the horizon is something new. From this conference a new organization will arise, the Asia Pacific Accessible Tourism League (APATL). The phenomenon of people with disabilities traveling is not new. Author Maria Antonia Lopez-Burgos del Barrio has recently completed an article on this topic that draws from the travel journals of visitors to Spain during the Industrial Revolution, which was the era when tourism as we now know it came into existence. What is new is the response to travelers with disabilities. At the 2005 International Accessible Tourism Conference, Ms. Etsuko Ueno will deliver a paper on the Inclusive Destination Development project in Takayama city, Japan. As the human centered principles of Universal Design become the standard measure in construction and a synonym for ¡§good design,¡¨ it is becoming more common to discover the strategy of comprehensive planning for accessibility as a central technique in tourist sites (Inclusive Destination Development). Japan is not the only example, the barrier-free circuit of lodgings known as ¡§The Devil's Playground¡¨ in Tasmania is unique in combining the concept of total access to an entire island with low-cost innovative approaches to building and a private accessible transportation system. In the U.S. Virgin Island, Estate Concordia is under development by Multi: Design for People. Estate Concordia features inclusive design rendering the hill terrain accessible while offering visitors with disabilities an eco-lodge experience. In Brazil, an Inclusive Destination project is underway through a tour operator specializing in accessible tourism, Aventura Especial. The Inclusive Cities Canada project pursues Inclusive Destination on an even larger scale and offers promising models for Asian metropolitan areas. These examples deal with receptive tourism, an economic sector of importance throughout Asia. An agenda for accessible receptive tourism in Asia was laid out in the United Nations report (UNESCAP) subtitled, ¡§Promotion of Barrier-free Tourism for People with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region.¡¨ The Biwako Millennial Framework addressed the first need presented in the report which was Disability Rights in Asia. The Asia-Pacific Conference on Tourism for People with Disabilities, held at Bali in Indonesia, in September 2000 took further practical steps and mobilized persons with disabilities to speak on their own behalf. The 2005 International Accessible Tourism Conference and the Asia Pacific Accessible Tourism League (APATL) hope to consolidate the progress made to date. But another question remains, ¡§Where do these travelers with such a broad range of needs come from?¡¨ ¡§Is this a temporary fad or a permanent feature for the travel industry?¡¨ It is often reported that the percentage of citizens with disabilities is around 10%. The figure may be double, 20%, outside those regions. However, a significant portion of the world's population is aging. In 2020, it is estimated that about 18% of population will be older than 65 in the developed countries. Here again it is Asia ¡X Japan specifically ¡X that is demonstrating foresight by planning for this change. Dr. Satoshi Kose of Shizuoka University of Art and Culture in Japan is a renowned promoter of the concept of Universal Design at the level of basic social infrastructure in order to accommodate this transformation. This inversion from a larger a youth population to a larger senior population requires the combined resources of all stakeholders; governments, business, seniors, and people with disability. What is significant is that this represents a significant business opportunity for the tourism industry. In September and October of 2002 the Open Doors Organization commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a quantitative study among Americans with disabilities (aged 18 and older) to identify the basic travel habits and patterns of adults with disabilities. Open Doors reports that, The 2002 study revealed disabled travelers take 31.7 million trips per year in the U.S., and spend US$13.6 billion annually. Major areas of spending include US$3.3 billion on airfare, US$4.2 billion on hotel accommodations, and US$2.7 billion on food and beverage. In addition, adults with disabilities patronize restaurants about once a week, and they account for US$35 billion in annual revenue for restaurants. These travel behaviors confirm studies done by Simon Darcy in Australia such as, ¡§From Anxiety to Access¡¨ and by Keroul in Canada, ¡§A Growth Market : Behaviors of Tourists with Restricted Physical Abilities in Canada,¡¨ and ¡§Best Practices in Tourism Accessibility for Travelers with Restricted Physical Ability.¡¨ And these figures may be added together with those related to senior travelers who will benefit from accessible accommodations adhering to the principles of Universal Design.
Following the Taipei Conference, the
Asia Pacific Accessible Tourism League will be ready to
replicate travel behavior studies on the Asian market
for travelers with disabilities, promote and provide
technical assistance on Universal Design and Inclusive
Destination Development, and provide training ¡X both
academic and professional ¡X throughout Asia. Gangsters are not for protests 2005/04/29 Marshall Sheen Tamsui It is reasonable in any democratic country to see people protesting against whatever they disagree about. In fact, it is a good thing to see Taiwanese voicing their wishes on Tuesday no matter if it's pro-independence or pro-China. Both sides should have the right to express whatever they feel. Unfortunately, gangsters were involved in the Tuesday protest. They should not have been there in the first place. Since they were all dressed in black and well prepared, I couldn't understand how the police could possibly miss those people. Taiwanese ¡X you should be proud of yourselves but be ashamed of those who introduced gangsters into the protest! ¡X Lily Bradberry Must a corrupt and irrelevant DPP give up Taiwan, just as KMT gave up China? Sentimentality aside, before reading the letter ¡§Taiwan, Land of the Lawless¡¨ on April 23, I thought I was the only crazy foreigner who felt that way. As a follow-up, I'd like to offer this thought: In 1994, an American journalist asked President Bill Clinton, ¡§Mr. President, have you become irrelevant?¡¨ Maybe someone here in the Taiwan press ought to pose the same question to President Chen Shui-bian. It's not far-fetched given the various controversies surrounding his presidency, and of late, the outburst of violence, vulgarity and lawlessness of the DPP and ¡¥pan-green' members toward KMT Chairman Lien Chan ¡X coupled with the feckless police ¡X as he departed for his historic trip to China. Chiang Kai-shek's KMT was corrupt and became irrelevant, hence, the Nationalists were forced to give up the Mainland. Has the ¡¥pan-green' along with the DPP become just as corrupt and irrelevant, hence must give up Taiwan? Japan should pay Taiwan victims 2005/04/28 Julian Wang Chiayi, Taiwan The Japanese foreign minister finally apologized to the Chinese for the atrocities it committed during World War II. Japanese right-ring politicians have made repeated visits to the shrine where convicted World War II criminals are buried, while the German government has long since apologized to the Jewish people. Do they really think it is alright to downplay the evil role Japan once played? If they were to be allowed to get away with this, very soon Japanese textbooks might even say that Japan was the victim. Imagine the uproar if the German chancellor were to make visits to shrines dedicated to Hitler's fellow Nazi henchmen! On the other hand, the atrocities by the Japanese soldiers on innocent Taiwanese civilians were no less heinous, but the Taiwan government has failed to address this issue. I think Japan should not be given a permanent Security Council seat in the United Nations until it pays compensation to the families of the innocent Taiwanese victims. Authorities should let people do more constructive activities 2005/04/07 Bernald Shaw Taichung I recently had a toothache and saw a dentist and I would like to associate my visit to the hospital with the recent street demonstrations in Taiwan. In the hospital the dentist first checked my tooth that ached and tortured me while I was lying on the operation chair. He asked so many questions, including my eating habits, reactions after taking medicines, way of brushing teeth, the condition of my stomach and if I drink lots of alcohol, among others. I felt unusual to be bombarded with such questions while the dentist worked on my little mouth. The dentist said the questions were important and necessary to know about a patient before carrying out an operation. My point here is that one has to consider lots of things just to get a small tooth cured. Now take a close look at the recent street demonstrations in Taiwan ¡X they involved lots of money, obstructed daily lives of people, made traffic go haywire and even increased the workload of the police force and others. I even heard a bus driver telling journalists that he drove for over ten hours just to come to Taipei from Taichung to take part in the demonstration. I am wondering what did the driver and his passengers gain after having spent so much time and money. I am also wondering why our authorities can't teach and engage people to do more meaningful and constructive activities instead of wasting time on things like demonstrations. The China Post should publish more articles about interesting activities that people can do on holidays and ask them to avoid attending useless demonstrations. From now on let it be no more demonstrations but more outdoors activities. Pope John Paul helped defend and promote culture of life 2005/04/06 Paul Kokoski Hamilton, Ontario. Canada Pope John Paul II, a man of deep faith, will one day be proclaimed a saint by the Catholic Church! The Holy Father was an inspiration and a model witness to the life of Christ; a Shepherd of Truth immersed in profound humility and immense love for both God and man. His many writings and tireless, world-wide pilgrimages of faith have been a source of strength, encouragement, confidence, optimism and enlightenment not only to Catholics but to all men of good will. A champion of the poor and ardent exponent of Christian unity, the Polish Pontiff was in many and such capacities as teaching, governing and sanctifying, both a beacon of light and salt of the earth. Alongside his historic role in the fall of Communism, John Paul II was the world's most influential and uncompromising defender of the dignity of human life. His tenacious pleas for the development of a ¡§culture of life¡¨ and parallel denunciations of the ¡§culture of death¡¨ have been instrumental in rallying opposition to war, terrorism, abortion, euthanasia, contraception, and embryonic tissue research. I pray for his well-deserved heavenly reward that is promised by the Giver of every gift to his good and faithful servants. Why does the Taiwan media give so much coverage to ¡¥irrelevant' news? 2005/04/05 Marty Wolff Taipei County Suppose a delegation of the U.S. Communist Party, http://www.cpusa.org, or any other of the many political parties that are active in the U.S., without any diplomatic credentials or other authorization to speak for the United States government, went to Beijing and signed an agreement with the PRC authorities, including terms that differ from the foreign policy of the U.S., it would be so irrelevant that it would appear in the news as a sidebar ¡§curiosity¡¨ item ¡X if it were given any news coverage at all. Why do the Taiwan newspapers and other media give such an agreement made by such a delegation the extensive news coverage that has been given to the KMT delegation recently led by P.K. Chiang, and its agreement with the PRC authorities? Yes, Taiwan is not the U.S. But irrelevant is still irrelevant. It looks like the extensive media coverage just plays up an old and ongoing KMT strategy seeking to undermine and embarrass the DPP government. That was news five years ago, but not news today. If that game still excites the public, and still sells Taiwan newspapers and TV time, then it is so because the game has become a spectator sport. Let's be honest about it, and place the coverage in the sports section. Recreational reading helps improve English proficiency 2005/03/31 Stephen Krashen Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California I would like to comment on the March 25 editorial entitled ¡§English teaching in Taiwan needs a complete reform.¡¨ The Post is wrong when it claims that English proficiency is low based on test scores. Low scores on exams do not necessarily mean there is a problem. Exam scores are based on arbitrary levels. Committees can raise the standard and make test-takers look worse or lower the standard and make test-takers look better. But if it is demonstrated that ¡§most high school graduates, having learned English for six years or more, can hardly speak with a foreigner and are unable to write a simple letter in the language,¡¨ then there really is a problem. English proficiency can and should be improved. The Post is right when it condemns English classes that ¡§do not teach students how to use the language as a means of daily communication. Instead, the lessons are designed to help students answer multiple questions on fine points of grammar.¡¨ Study after study shows the limitations of teaching grammar, and many people have acquired high levels of proficiency without an extensive knowledge of grammar. The Post is right to recommend a more communicative approach. The Post, however, is wrong when it states that getting English teachers to use more English in class is the ¡§only way¡¨ to make classes helpful. Current research and theory says that we acquire language when we hear and read messages we understand, when we obtain ¡§comprehensible input.¡¨ The teacher is not the only source of comprehensible input. Videotapes, films and audiotapes can also provide a great deal of aural comprehensible input, and comics, magazines and books are obvious sources of written comprehensible input. The research on reading, especially recreational reading done in school in the form of ¡§sustained silent reading¡¨ is especially impressive: English students who spend a modest amount of class-time reading English books and magazines, reading material that students choose themselves, make very good progress in English, doing at least as well as students who spend the same amount of time in doing traditional instruction, and often do better. In addition, students who participate in sustained silent reading programs are more likely to continue reading on their own, and are thus more likely to continue to improve. Taiwan has become a leader in research in this area. A considerable amount of research on sustained silent reading in English as a foreign language has been done in Taiwan, including studies by James Sims (Tung Hai University), Thomas Nash and Yun-Pi Yuan (Fu Jen University), and Syying Lee (National Taipei University). China is trying to scare Taiwan into forceful submission with new law 2005/03/30 Andres Chang Taichung I n response to David Hermawan's letter to the editor on March 29, he is wrong about the 3-26 demonstration.First, he's right that ¡¥it has not scared China into annulling its anti-secession law,' but the point of the demonstration wasn't to scare anyone and nor was it to change China's law. The point was to show China and the world that the people of Taiwan are opposed to China attacking. It is China trying to scare Taiwan into forceful submission. Second, the international community has spoken out against China's new law and has not been ¡¥largely silent' as Hermawan says. The United States, Australia and Japan have all expressed disapproval of China's new law. Yes, Southeast Asian countries are dealing with secessionist issues. However, the issue of Taiwan has never been one of secession. It has been one of independence. Historically and politically, the Chinese Communist Party has never controlled Taiwan. Taiwan was part of Imperial China, then part of Japan and finally a part of the Republic of China. Chinese Communists have no claim to Taiwan. Third, it was not ¡¥ridiculous' of President Chen to attend the rally and not address the demonstrators. By not addressing the demonstrators, it further showed that this was an action of the people and not solely of their government. Fourth, ¡¥there were so many different slogans in the rally' but this did not ¡¥cause public confusion as to what the demonstration was all about.' And if he believes it did, what is his evidence? All of the English and Chinese media, both print and non-print, understood what the demonstration was about as did the demonstrators themselves (I know because I was actually there). Finally, its only achievement was not ¡¥millions of dollars have been wasted.' Anytime people gather to make their voices heard in a peaceful way, without troops and tanks shooting at them a la Tiananmen Square, it is a victory for peace and democracy everywhere. 3-26 peace march turned out to be a big ¡¥farce' 2005/03/29 David Hermawan Taipei Last Saturday's peace march in Taipei ended peacefully, but has it really achieved its stated objectives? The answer is negative. In fact, it has merely turned out to be a big farce. First, it has not scared China to annul its anti-secession law passed a week ago. In fact, the rally sponsored by pro-independent groups only strengthened China's justification in adopting the law designed to curb Taiwan secessionism. Second, the international community has largely remained silent and has no intention of getting involved in the war of nerve between China and Taiwan. As a matter of fact, Asian countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and others that are facing the threat of secessionism at home have lauded China's anti-secession law which has provided an example for them to emulate. Even Singapore has openly supported the law and criticized Taiwan secessionist movement. So don't be surprised if Southeast Asian countries will soon follow China's step by enacting similar law. Third, it was ridiculous that President Chen Shui-bian kept his mouth shut during the entire occasion. His decision to play dumb only reflects his fear of provoking Beijing as well as his lack of leadership in crisis management. Fourth, there were so many different slogans in the rally which caused public confusion as to what the demonstration was all about. As for the country folks coming down from southern Taiwan to take part in the demonstration, they did so as long as they got a free bus ride to Taipei and also a free lunch box. Finally, the only achievement is that millions of dollars have been wasted just to stage a ¡§political comedy
2005/03/29 Florida, U.S.A. My admiration for the freedom loving people of Taiwan is boundless. I hope my government (the United States) stands by our commitments to aid you in your struggle against the communist aggression. The people of Taiwan are truly a shining beacon for freedom loving people around the world. Americans see Taiwan as independent
2005/03/28 N.Y., U.S.A. Americans see Taiwan as an independent nation. As does the world. Your freedom and prosperity are viewed as a threat by China. What truly threatens them is that their people will see Taiwan's successes and want these successes in their country. Something the communists can't do for it would mean an end to their corrupt, iron fisted control. Their threat to invade you has turned the world against them. Now they are trying to stupidly claim their threat was not a threat. What I find humorous is that China thinks the world is as ignorant as their rural farmers. China has proven numerous times that violence is their first resort to solve their problems and the world knows it. Why on earth would Beijing respond to DDP-organized protests?
2005/03/26 Today Chen Shui-bian and his DDP administration will stage a rally in Taipei with 500,000 or more supporters to express their ¡§outrage and indignation¡¨ at Beijing's recent passing of the ¡§anti-secession¡¨ law. How will the ¡§undemocratic¡¨ leaders in Beijing respond to the DDP demonstration? In this regard, they can learn from our ¡§democratic¡¨ President Chen Shui-bian. Exactly one year ago, 500,000 opposition supporters loudly protested outside the Presidential Office for days demanding a full investigation into the highly suspicious shooting incident against Chen the day before the presidential election in which he was lightly injured, and the DPP's prompt and skillful manipulation of the incident to quickly gain sympathy votes. Those actions undoubted allowed him to win re-election the next day by a tiny margin when most independent polls showed he was going to lose. Chen Shui-bian's response to the mass protests was to tell the opposition to ¡§shut your mouth¡¨ (¡§bi zhuei¡¨), surround his Presidential Residence with a wall of barbed wire (which is still there) and pretend nothing happened. When our democratically elected Legislative Yuan passed a resolution to set up a Truth Commission to investigate the incident, Chen vetoed the resolution. When the Legislative Yuan overturned the veto, Chen ordered all his ministers to refuse cooperation and to withhold all funding for the investigation. With the example set by Chen Shui-bian, Beijing can see that mass protest by the people of Taiwan is meaningless as long as it is handled with an iron fist. If Chen, who claims to be elected by the people of Taiwan, can blatantly ignore the will of the masses, why on earth would Beijing respond to the DDP-organized protests? Seeing so many people ready to march together is inspiring
2005/03/22 Aletheia University Tamsui, Taipei I wanted to comment on the anti-cessation protest this Saturday in Taipei and encourage every one of all nations to attend this important event in the history of Taiwan. I also wanted to make it clear that many of us in the Aletheia University Department of Foreign Languages and Literature will be participating. As someone who has lived in Taiwan for the last five years teaching Taiwanese university students, it's very inspiring to see people on all sides of the Taiwan political divide coming together to support this important event and sending a powerful message to the world. I'm sure everyone here, Taiwan citizens and foreigners alike, appreciates the democratic freedoms we all enjoy in Taiwan and realize how important it is to exercise those freedoms to the world in the face of this sort of violent oppression and military threat from a country where those freedoms are thought of as anathema. As a foreigner who is often confused by the complex tensions of this society, everyone coming together peacefully to support this issue really leaves a strong and positive impression about this amazing and inspiring country. Nobody gives a hoot for law but we have to take a stand
2005/03/19 I recently had an argument with a woman in front of my son's school because she cut in line while we were waiting to make a U-turn to get into his school. I guess I was raving mad when she claimed that it was me at fault to not let her cut in. So we both yelled at each other and we ended up like two psychos shouting on the street. I called up my husband when I got back to my office. My hands were still shaking because of the fight. My husband told me that he noticed I've been really cranky and cynical these days. I complained a lot and became very sarcastic about what happens in this country. He said that sometimes you can't just stand up for yourself even though you think you are right. I can't help wondering if we have the right to do the right thing right? Or should we just pretend that it is something we have to live with? We see people breaking law every day and it is unfortunate to say that most of them get away without punishment. A kid's family in my son's school has three luxury cars and owns numerous electronic game stores (places considered evil and where school drop-outs always hang out) without paying a dime to the tax department. While the withholding tax keeps taken away by the tax department every month on my paycheck, people who drive on the highways built with my tax money enjoy their luxurious lives without fulfilling their civic duties. We either keep our mouth shut or get hurt by reporting the law breakers. This place is rotten and we are supposed to tell white lies our children and live ¡§happily¡¨ ever after. I know I myself am too puny to change the whole world. But I refuse to smile at those who stamp on my feet. There is a certain risk for doing so, I or my family might get harassed or punched. It's all because nobody gives a hoot about our laws. After all, it takes all kinds of people to make a world, doesn't it? Chinglan Shih Taiwan must rectify weak position in the world's media
2005/03/14 Currently most world inhabitants including the major democracies'voters know little about Taiwan, its location, or its history. Incoming mainland rockets would fix that overnight. Unfortunately, top-of-the-mind awareness gained for Taiwan that way would come too late to do any good. The simple reason is major democracies' lawmakers respond to external events only under voter pressure and after due deliberation. A fait accompli via rocketing or invasion of Taiwan would outrage voters in major democracies, but their elected representatives could only tut-tut piously and attend memorial rallies to show sympathy for Taiwan. Tough words after-the-fact from world leaders, accomplish little against most offending countries and against the PRC register not at all. Taiwan has been ineffective in making itself known to average citizens worldwide. Various analysts have spotlighted this oversight and even offered reasonable solutions to reverse it. Yet oddly Taiwan's leadership seems unaware of the problem. Do matters more important than Taiwan's security occupy them, or do their advisers, in time-honored imperial fashion, shield them from even considering unpleasant matters? In contrast, beautifully tailored and groomed PRC leaders almost weekly attend one or more high-level meetings outside the PRC, ably capturing front-page space in dailies or news spots on prime time TV outside the PRC. The PRC leaders come across as friendly, relaxed, smiling men of reason rather than as territorial expansionists. They are buying support and solidifying their WTC membership. With Asian tiger Taiwan such a mouse in world news, few outside the PRC or Taiwan itself notice PRC threats against Taiwan. In 2004 virtually none outside Korea noticed PRC scholars'claims that parts of Korea were historically part of China (Anthony Faiola The Washington Post, January 22.) If Taiwan is rocketed, possibly invaded, or blackmailed with invasion threats, the story will be a sure hit in western media for a few weeks. After incoming rockets, western journalists can board their helicopters, return to safety, collect journalism awards, and for a while earn speaking fees for showering sympathy on the ROC and condemning the PRC ¡X nice and balanced. They play no favorites and would gladly do the same if the PRC had another upheaval like the Cultural Revolution. Certain passage of the PRC's anti-secession law, will in the minds of PRC's leaders and of uninformed, legalists everywhere justify any PRC act to take Taiwan. English-speaking countries have the most liberal visa laws. The U.S. is now an exception after thugs claiming to be men of religion murdered thousands in New York City's WTC towers. The most successful applicants for such visas are those who speak English best. After Monday the 14th, when the reality of the PRC's anti-secession law sinks in, expect politicians, their families, and others to begin studying English with a will. The lucky few should remember less fortunate countrymen unable to get away from Taiwan.
Law
to restrict Taiwan is a deja vu of the revision of HK's
Basic Law China is attempting to pass a law which would allow the use of military actions on Taiwan if the island state pursued independence. This is a deja vu to me. I remember the citizens of Hong Kong protested against Basic Law Article 23 on July 1, 2003. It is a bill that would allow the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to act on subversion issues in order to protect national security. I thought China had always wanted Taiwan to remain the current status quo. But what it is doing with the new law is to break the status quo. To downgrade Taiwan to the position of Hong Kong as a SAR is normal, but to impose a law on Taiwan would be more than unfair. This new law is only to drift Taiwan's relationship further away from China. The international arena should see China's action on Taiwan as a threat to security in the Asia-Pacific Region and pressure China not to go ahead with the new law. Economic issue is the top priority today. Because China is the critical trading partner of the U.S., it automatically turns into a friend of the U.S. However, the Taiwan Strait issue and the two Koreas issue can be out of control at any time. Once a war breaks out, Japan, the U.S. and other players in the region will all be drawn into the war game. By that time, China would be the foe to all democracies. China should have no say in Taiwan's future
2005/03/09 ¡@ I was outraged at China's anti-secession law proposal. Why would they want to make such a stupid law? Taiwan has risen from an agricultural-based country (in the 1950's) to an industrialized, self-sufficient country with a highly educated work force which loves democracy and freedom. Certainly Taiwan should reap the just desserts of freedom and democracy from hard work. China should not have any say about Taiwan's future, but should look back at her own history of hegemony and poor handling of her own affairs (democracy, rights of minority, etc.). It is of course great that China has advanced greatly in business areas, but, the rights of the people still need major overhaul. As communism and socialism in the world are waning, so should China too completely rid herself of these false notions. Let's give peace a chance and forget the empty hot-air speeches by China's ¡§buffoons!¡¨
The
next Sino-Japanese war coming? Japan is moving toward a dangerous direction. Its recent aggressive behavior on the disputed Diaoyu (Senkaku) Islands as well as its intention to join the United States in protecting Taiwan's security have already invoked China's anger. Japan should know that China today is not the China of the 1930s when it was weak and became the easy prey of Japanese aggression. It should also realize that if it chooses to join the U.S. in any future military clash with China over the Taiwan issue, the catastrophe for Japan will far surpass the tragic of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. China today has the capability to wipe out Japan from the face of the earth if Tokyo is bent on a policy of military confrontation with China. Mind that even Washington, Chicago, San Francisco and other big cities in America have become vulnerable to Chinese intercontinental ballistic missiles. And Japan is just a stone's throw from China. Japan should learn to be more humble toward fellow Asians and live in peace with its neighbor.
Taiwanese
must embrace world history education Our global heritage Today Taiwan is a thriving and prosperous nation with an educated work force. Taiwanese parents stress the importance of formal education and often pull out their check books to send their kids to study abroad. But while education, in some shape or form, is permeating the island rapidly, it is troubling to observe how unknowledgeable our citizens are when it comes to understanding how the modern world in which we live in came about. Consequently, this has caused a new generation of largely apathetic individuals. The average Taiwanese cannot locate Mexico, South Africa or Egypt on the world map. They do not know who Karl Marx, Otto Von Bismarck, Sir Winston Churchill or Martin Luther King Jr. were or did. They do not know or understand The Battle for Britain during the Second World War or why it was a significant event. Indeed, the average Taiwanese doesn't even know the dates of the World Wars (WWI was from 1914 to 1918 and WWII from 1939 to 1945). They do not know that (or how) the United States became a separate nation from Britain (in 1776 after drafting the Declaration of Independence and subsequently gaining victory in the Revolutionary War) or that it was the first democratic nation state. Almost hilariously, most assume that the United States had always existed and are surprised to hear that it was formerly a British colony. Nor is the average Taiwanese aware that there was a revolution in France (the French Revolution) and another in Great Britain (the Industrial Revolution) just over two centuries ago and that they were significant to the development of modern world history. It might be scary to say that some individuals don't even know what the Cold War was about or that there even was a Cold War! No education could be complete without learning about such significant individuals and events and we wonder why our children are becoming more and more apathetic. Or why all they care about is what the latest hit CD is or what the trendiest new handbag is. Or we might wonder how some young people could believe that China is a more righteous country than the United States or Taiwan. Just as appreciation of ancestors requires an understanding of one's family history, likewise, the appreciation of cultural institutions and ideas require the appreciation of their histories. Looking to the future is important, but utilizing the hindsight of history is also crucial lest we forget how Santayana once warned that ¡§those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.¡¨ Taiwanese must become more knowledgeable about our heritage; that is, the heritage we as a part of the coalescing global village inevitably share a part in. This will help us become more effective citizens of the world. Also, this is not to say that Chinese history and Taiwanese history should not be very important to us, but rather it is to say, the history of the Taiwanese people can no longer be viewed as separate from the history of our fellow mankind.
What can Taiwan do if EU lifts arms
The European Union appears poised to lift its weapons embargo on China. This embargo has been in place since the incident at Tienanmen Square moved the West to act. I encourage Taiwanese to write to European newspapers in order to let the European people know how such weapons might be used against the people of Taiwan. I believe there is a good chance that a serious letter-writing campaign could influence public opinion in Europe.
Democracy
threatened by partisan politics Chris Chen Vancouver, Canada I find it rather appalling how partisan the current political arena is in Taiwan. With the bid for the legislative speaker of the house (Wang Jing-ping and for the pan-blues and Ker Chien-ming for the pan-greens), both the pan-blue and pan-green camps have warned their members of serious reprimands if they dissent from supporting their party's candidates. I believe that this is detrimental to the nation's democracy as democracy should promote freedom of thought rather than partisan behavior. While it usually makes sense for each party to support its own candidates and legislations ¡X they have joined the party that they have joined because they generally support the party's ideology ¡X however, this should not lead to singularity of thought within one political party. In fact, senators and congressman in the United States often dissent from their party because they, by conscience, feel that it is not in the best interests of their country and their electorate to cast a vote in a certain way despite of their party's general consensus. That is democracy in action; the present bid for legislative speaker in Taiwan is bureaucracy in action. We should demand that our politicians change their practice
Stray
dogs are horrifying indictment of Taiwan society Suzanne Thorpe. 35 Bucknall Avenue,LINCOLN NL6 OBL,ENGLAND As a person who has campaigned for many years to alleviate the suffering of stray dogs worldwide, I was horrified to see the Web site photos for the World Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of the forgotten stray dogs of Taiwan, crammed into dog pounds without food or water. What a terrible indictment on Taiwan after they even won an Oscar for a motion picture. I would therefore welcome hearing from any person or group helping stray dogs and helping those within these hell-hole and shameful municipal dog pounds, with a view to raising support for them in the U.K.
Jen
Ai doctors at fault over death D.M. McNelis The scandal as reported in your editorial a few days ago at the Jen Ai hospital does not expose flaws in the health care system. All it exposes is two doctors who should've known better not living up to their Hippocratic oath. As punishment, the doctors involved should have their licenses to practice medicine suspended for at least 3-5 years and then keep close tabs on them in the future. Should they mess up a second time, their licenses should be permanently revoked. Since the Chiu girl did not survive the ordeal, a charge of second degree manslaughter would be most apt for them both.
Martyr's death shows right to treatment lacking Mike Mathews
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