Canada needs to press for Suu Kyi release

Okay, this post has nothing to do with Taiwan, but is entirely consistent with this blog's pro-democracy, pro-human rights, pro-freedom stance.

Democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest by Myanmar's disgusting military dictatorship for 10 of the last 16 years. Even UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is pleading for her release to the Myanmar military junta. As Myanmar has official diplomatic relations with Canada, Mr. MacKay can signal Canada's strong support for democracy and its opposition to this brutal dictatorship. The Conservatives have shown that they are capable of making principled choices. These principles need to be applied to all parts of the world.

China's tactics endangering the world

With the H5N1 avain flu virus causing large concern in the global health community, the WHO has raised alarm at China's ability to contain this virus. As in the SARS outbreak of 2003, China is a weak link in combating such potential pandemics.

However, it is not only China's medical logistics that are threatening the world, but the political tactics that China keeps insisting upon. In the SARS outbreak, China deliberately obstructed WHO officials from investigating the seriousness of the virus in Southeast China, with government officials covering up the number of SARS cases. China still continues to obscure its health data, denying international organizations full access to the festering H5N1 avain flu outbreaks in rural areas.

In addition, China managed to exclude Taiwan once again from the WHO as an observer. With Taiwan being a large trading nation, such exclusion creates a loophole in the global response system to epidemics and viruses. This also inhibits Taiwan's well-established medical community from contributing to global efforts to fight the spread of diseases, and denies Taiwan crucial access to WHO resources. During the SARS outbreak, China's political obstruction blocked WHO experts from assessing the situation in Taiwan for 7 whole weeks, despite Taiwan's prompt request for aid.

With the scope of globalization increasing daily, the world cannot afford to have China's political games sabatoge international efforts to fight the spread of these deadly diseases.

MPs of the month

This month's honours (May) go to two MPs who made a motion in the Foreign Affairs parliamentary committee to support Taiwan's entry to the World Health Organization.

This motion was passed unanimously!


















MPs for the month of May

• Bernard Patry, Liberal, member for Pierrefonds-Dollard
• Dean Allison, Conservative, member for Niagara West-Glanbrook
  

WHO contradicts its own constitution

The WHO Constitution states:

• The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being
• The health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security and is dependent upon the fullest cooperation of individuals and states

By excluding Taiwan from WHO ranks, the WHO is contradicting its own constitution. Taiwan remains outside the international health community, unable to access WHO resources in a timely fashion.

You would think that the 2003 SARS outbreak would convince people that pandemics are a serious matter in a world of increasing globalization, with the spread of diseases not respecting any national boundries. But still, due to some countries kowtowing to China's political games (like Pakistan and Cuba), Taiwan cannot access or be a part of response mechanisms or emergency alerts to epidemics.

Sad to see that China makes the health of 23 million Taiwanese citizens into a political issue.

L'Union de la Solidarité Taiwanaise

Si vous êtes vraiment déçu par le Parti Democrate Progressiste (PDP), ce n'est pas necessaire de soutenir le Parti Nationaliste. Le Parti Nationaliste n'est pas une opposition responsable. Il toujours empêche les initiatives du gouvernement qui ont de sens. Il oppose avec aucun but que l'opposition.

Alors, si vous voulez soutenir un parti autrement que le PDP, pensez à l'Union de la Solidarité Taïwanaise. Elle ne compromet pas la securité et la souverainété de Taïwan. Elle est vraiment une opposition responsable!

Conservative Government moving towards more principled foreign policy

Thus far, I'm quite impressed with the Conservative government foreign policy. In contrast to the Liberals, it seems to able to make foreign policy decisions based on principles of democracy, human rights, and freedom. Chretien and Martin, all too often, shied away from tough policy choices, for fear of alienating a political base, or kowtowing to larger powers. But we're seeing a nice shift towards doing the right thing under Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Foreign Minister Peter MacKay.



Amongst the welcome new shifts include:

• a ban on the Tamil Tigers as a terrorist organization
• end to funding for the Hamas-led Palestinian government
• concern for Chinese espionage on Canadian soil infringing upon Canadian sovereignty
  

But the Conservative party pledged to: articulate Canada's core values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and compassion for the less fortunate on the international stage. Harper himself pledged in his acceptance speech to promote Canada's democratic ideals.

For the Conservatives to live up to their promises, its necessary for them to support Taiwan, a thriving demcracy which is under threat by the Chinese dictatorship. The first such test will be during the WHA this week. We will see if Canada supports Taiwan's bid for entry to the World Health Organization. If this government truly values freedom, democracy, human rights, health, and inclusiveness, then there is no choice but to support Taiwan, a democratic ally and fight for its entry to the WHO. This government has shown that it can make principled decisions. Its time for it to ignore the irrational objections of China, and stand up for what is right. It's time for Canada to fully support Taiwan's entry to the WHO.

UN hypocrisy just saddening

Well, the UN is just hopeless sometimes when it comes to doing the right thing. Taiwanese journalists seeking to cover the World Health Assembly starting May 22 were denied accreditation by the UN office in Geneva.

But UN itself states in its declaration of universal rights:
Everyone has the right … to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Apparently, the UN violates its own declaration. Its truly unfortunate when the UN itself is the obstacle to allowing freedom of the press and information to occur. It's policy of non-discrimination is actually actively discriminating against Taiwan. When will the UN acquire some backbone and stand up to the irrational objections of the brutal Chinese dictatorship?

UN fails human rights again

The United Nations is becoming a joke. Nations like China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Cuba are admitted onto the human rights council. Ha ha ha, how can we take the UN seriously?

And of course, a democratic nation like Taiwan can't even participate in the UN due to objections from China. Talk about hypocrisy! No wonder so many are losing faith in the UN. A nation that respects human rights like Taiwan remains excluded despite its annual attempts to gain membership. Of course China, with its destruction of Tibetan and Uyghur culture, its refusal to allow democracy to take hold in Hong Kong, its constant censureship of the internet and its torturing of Falun Dafa adherents should be on the UN human rights council? Come on, give me a break....

And the UN loses credibility yet again...

Pourquoi la France veut-elle s'incliner devant la Chine?

Le président de la France, Jacques Chirac toujours s'incline devant la Chine? C'est très dommage, parce que la France avait été un pays dont on associe avec la démocratie. Mais maintenant, monsieur Chirac aime les dictateurs brutals. Il aime Hu Jintao, et il aime Robert Mugabe aussi.

Alors, il obséde à enlever l'embargo d'armes sur la Chine. Mais il oublie la raison pour cet embargo. L'embargo est établi en 1989 parce que la Chine a tué beaucoup de pauvres étudiants qui a manifesté pour la démocratie et la liberté. Monsieur Chirac doit se souvenir que la Chine ne s'est pas améliorer, mais elle continue à être un régime brutal.

Alors Monsieur Chirac, ne fait pas s'incliner la France devant la Chine....si vous le continuez, la France perdra sa dignité.

Aren't Communists supposed to be Atheists?

So guess what....the Chinese dictatorship wants to pick its Catholic bishops. But isn't the Communist party officially atheist? Why does China want a say over the Catholic religion then? Shouldn't an officially atheist organization wash its hands of religion?

Good for the Vatican, excommunicating these two phony bishops who are just going to be Communist mouthpieces. But the Vatican needs to go further and stop trying to establish ties with such a brutal dictatorship.

Doesn't the Vatican, as the head of the Catholic church value human rights and oppose oppression from ruthless regimes? Then keep your ties with democratic Taiwan and just forget about establishing ties with communist China.

KMT blocks human rights progress yet again

For those that say that Ma Ying-jeou is different from the KMT authoritarian regime, they need to look again. Once again, the KMT has blocked a human rights initiative in the legislature.

A legislative motion that would have asked the UN and other organizations to investigate China's brutal treatment of Falun Dafa practicioners has been blocked by the KMT. In fact, even the PFP threw its support behind this motion.

Why is the KMT bending over backwards to spare the dictatorship in Beijing its due scrutiny? Why is the KMT so intent on embarassing the DPP, but yet not willing to oppose the terrible human rights record of the Chinese government?

Mr. Ma, if you truly do believe in human rights, its certainly hard to tell.....after all, you did oppose the constitutional reforms in the 1990s that gave Taiwanese the right to directly elect their president.