Taipei to launch United Nations bid at 61st session of General Assembly

The 61st Session of the United Nations General Assembly will convene Sept. 12, and the ROC's diplomatic allies will present two proposals for inclusion on the agenda. One involves security issues in East Asia, focusing on the potential flash point of the Taiwan Strait in the period following North Korea's provocative test firing of missiles in July, while the other involves the right of the Taiwanese people to be represented in the United Nations. This latest bid for acceptance is the 14th year in a row that Taiwan has tried to regain its lost U.N. seat.

The bid for U.N. membership will be a continuous effort, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Michel Lu said at an Aug. 11 press conference. Taiwan has failed in its previous 13 consecutive attempts to enter the United Nations, owing largely to deliberate obstruction from the People's Republic of China.

A feature of this year's bid causing differences of opinion on the island is the use of the name "Taiwan" on the formal application documentation. The name, to which Beijing is extremely sensitive, will be used almost exclusively in the text of the two proposals after a first reference to the nation by its formal name, the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the first paragraph. This is according to John Chen, director-general of MOFA's Department of International Organizations. Chen, speaking at the press conference, added that this is in direct contrast to past proposals.

Sixteen countries that recognize the ROC have already signed a joint letter on the issue of U.N. representation for and participation by the people of Taiwan. This "participation proposal" was sent to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the afternoon of Aug. 10, requesting that the General Assembly acknowledge the rights of Taiwanese people and invite the duly elected representatives of Taiwan to participate in meetings and activities conducted by the United Nations and its subsidiary agencies, according to a MOFA press release.

The establishment of the new U.N. Human Rights Council last year reflects the extent to which the United Nations values human rights, the press release points out. In the letter on Taiwan's participation, the nation's allies stress that U.N. representation is a basic right of Taiwan's 23 million people. The continued exclusion of Taiwan from the United Nations violates basic human rights and harms the dignity of the people of Taiwan, it adds.

In addition, the representatives of 14 ROC allies with seats in the United Nations have also sent a joint letter to Annan urging that the world body adopt a proactive role in maintaining peace and security in East Asia. This proposal, referred to as the "peace proposal," calls on the U.N. leader to face up the responsibilities of keeping peace in East Asia, especially in the volatile Taiwan Strait area, by taking concrete action. The proposal directs the United Nations to urge East Asian countries to resolve their disputes through peaceful means and improve military transparency and confidence-building mechanisms, according to the MOFA press release.

The press release also hints that the peace proposal has been affirmed by nations that do not maintain diplomatic ties with the ROC. Those nations, which it does not name, believe that the United Nations is obligated to act to reduce tensions across the Taiwan Strait, and it cannot continue to ignore China's threat to use force against Taiwan.

Lu explained that the scope of the security motion had been expanded beyond last year's focus on the Taiwan Strait alone, this time appealing for a more active U.N. role in ensuring peace and security in the entire East Asian region. With China's military budget showing double-digit growth for the 18th consecutive year, and the latest North Korean missile test sending shockwaves throughout the region, security in East Asia is becoming a major issue in global politics.

Meanwhile, Andrew Hsia, director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, said Aug. 10 that the public relations campaign to support this year's U.N. bid would focus on the keyword "UN-Human," which is meant to underscore the world body's inhuman treatment of the people of Taiwan. He added that the recent breaking off of diplomatic ties between Chad and the ROC would not affect the U.N. bid, and that the government would keep reminding the United Nations of the country's determination to be a meaningful part of the world body, said Hsia.

Two years ago, the ROC's U.N. campaign focused on the keyword "UN-Fair," to highlight the unfairness of Taiwan's exclusion. Last year, the campaign suggested the world body's 60th birthday would be "UN-Happy" with one member of the global family absent.

Kaohsiung acting mayor travels Down Under with delegates to woo Australian investment

 

Acting Kaohsiung Mayor Yeh Chu-lan led a delegation to Australia Aug. 2-9 to solicit investment in Taiwan's second largest city.

On 3 August, Acting Mayor Yeh attended a spectacular concert of the Kaohsiung Municipal Chinese Orchestra at Sydney’s landmark Opera House, entitled “When East Meets West”. The Orchestra gave a wonderful display of classical Chinese music, before a full house of over 2000 guests, including 300 VIPs such as political figures, diplomatic officials and others. The Orchestra was joined in its performance by one of Australia’s most admired and respected classical performers – Kamahl.

Yeh's delegation met in Sydney Aug. 4 with representatives of the Australian Trade Commission, or Austrade. Its managing director, Peter O'Byrne, made a brief presentation on Australia's infrastructure and investment projects at the meeting.

Yeh provided information about some of the construction projects taking place in Kaohsiung and invited Australian businessmen and architects to take part in the bidding. These include a project to move a section of railway underground and to build a stadium for the World Games, which Kaohsiung will be hosting in 2009. According to Lin Chin-jung, director of City Hall's Bureau of Public Works and another member of Yeh's delegation, 80 percent of the electricity used in the main stadium for World Games should be supplied by solar energy.

Yeh said that the city also welcomes investment in other projects, including a wharf renovation, the development of broadband services, a new container zone in Kaohsiung Harbor and development of the urban waterfront area. Yeh expressed her hope that Austrade could help people and companies go to visit, invest and do business in Kaohsiung, which the acting mayor described as "a city full of potential."

O'Byrne promised to travel to Kaohsiung from Taipei once Taiwan's high-speed railway is operational. He added that Australian engineers have participated in testing the rail link, and that he was familiar with the system.

After this successful visit, Yeh flew on to Brisbane, where the Kaohsiung delegation were warmly welcomed by Lord Mayor Campbell Newman. On the day of her arrival in the city, Yeh was the guest of honour at the opening of Kaohsiung Park in the Brisbane suburb of South Bank.

On 7 August, an exhibition was held in Brisbane showcasing Kaohsiung to prospective Australian investors, and over 200 business people attended this event. As was the case during their stay in Sydney, Yeh’s delegation was able to visit many of Brisbane’s most important infrastructure sites, including being given a tour of the city’s new bus way and its tram system.

Finally, to mark the conclusion of Yeh’s highly productive visit to Australia, a concert was held in Brisbane, entitled “The Night of Kaohsiung”. The Kaohsiung municipal orchestra were once again invited to perform at this concert.

Security measures follow UK arrests

 

Government agencies in Taiwan scrambled to react after news that police in the United Kingdom had thwarted a terrorist plot to blow-up transatlantic flights in mid-air using liquid binary explosives hidden in their hand luggage.

Edgar Lin, head of the Taipei Representative Office in the United Kingdom, informed the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aug. 10 of the measures adopted by British security authorities to protect air commuters from similar risks to those being planned by the band terrorists, reported to have been linked to al Qaeda.

The arrests were made, and the ensuing restrictions on carry-on items at British airports were imposed, just as some 14,000 Taiwanese students in Britain were planning to return to Taiwan, according to the TRO. The office has promised to offer round-the-clock information services to ROC nationals in Britain or heading there.

Lin warned ROC citizens bound for Britain to be mindful of their personal safety at all times. At the TRO's recommendation, the Foreign Ministry placed a yellow-level alert travel advisory on the United Kingdom, urging ROC citizens to remain vigilant while traveling in that country. Currently, there are only about 400 Taiwanese tourists traveling in Britain, including transit passengers, according to Roger Hsu, who is the secretary-general of the Travel Agent Association of ROC, Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the ROC Civil Aeronautics Administration announced Aug. 11 that the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, the main gateway to Taiwan, had already adopted heightened security measures in response to the elevated security alerts in the United States and Britain. Passengers found to be carrying liquid and gel products in their hand luggage will have to discard those items before being allowed to board their planes. These items include, but are not restricted to, shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, contact lens solution, water and alcohol.

Baby formula and prescription medicines such as insulin will be allowed on board, subject to approval by security staff, according to the CAA. Moreover, all U.S.- or U.K.-bound passengers will have to remove their shoes and have them screened by X-ray.

Special areas have been cordoned off at CKS airport and reserved for flights bound for the United States and the United Kingdom to facilitate inspections requiring the added level of security.

Taiwan-Philippines ties flourishing

Twenty-one doctors, pharmacists, medical technologists, pastors and volunteers from the Chia-Yi Christian Hospital in southern Taiwan arrived in the Philippines on July 24. Led by Dr. David Redhelm Weng, the medical mission then proceeded to Sorsogon, an economically depressed province around 500 kilometers south of Manila. There, the team treated hundreds of patients suffering from a variety of diseases, including malnutrition, respiratory ailments and parasitic infections. They also handed out medicines to the mostly indigent patients, and donated US$20,000 worth of medical equipment to the Dr. Fernando N. Duran Sr. Memorial Hospital in Sorsogon City.

This was the Chiayi hospital's second such medical mission: between October 24-30, 2005, the mission treated a total of 1,688 patients and distributed free medicines. It also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sorsogon hospital to establish sister relationship between the two institutions. Based on this agreement and funded by the ROC Department of Health, the Taiwanese hospital has sponsored seven doctors, one hospital administrator, one medical technologist and two nurses to receive further training in Taiwan.

The medical mission is organized by Dr. Danny Liao, a Filipino-Chinese born in Sorsogon who, after graduating from the University of Santo Tomas University in Manila, went to Taiwan, where he works at the Chiayi hospital. In an emotional homecoming last year, Liao told his compatriots "I come back with my Taiwanese friends to help you out and I promise you I will come back to serve you every year."

The medical mission's visit was coordinated by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila.

In February, TECO donated US$2 million in humanitarian assistance to the victims of the landslide at Guinsaugon in Southern Leyte Province, 800 kilometers south of Manila, that claimed around 1,800 lives.

Taiwan was among the first countries to respond to the Philippine government's appeals for assistance. Knowing that there would be almost no chance of finding survivors after the first 48 hours, the ROC immediately dispatched a 32-member well-equipped search-and-rescue team to the site, an act that elicited a personal message of appreciation from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the Taiwan government for its humanitarian concern and compassion.

Taiwan subsequently donated another US$100,000 to build 12 classrooms in two school buildings so that pupils displaced by the landslide could resume their education. TECO Representative Wu Hsin-hsing attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the school buildings, which will be known as the Taiwan School of San Francisco, Southern Leyte, when completed in three to four months.

Taiwan's offers of humanitarian assistance to the Philippines demonstrates the longstanding friendship between the two neighboring countries.

Other recent events also point to positive developments in the two countries' relations. Bilateral investment opportunities were enhanced in December 2005, for example, when the Philippines and Taiwan signed an agreement on the proposed Subic-Clark-Kaohsiung economic corridor. Five Taiwanese companies immediately concluded lease agreements to establish manufacturing facilities at the Subic Bay Industrial Park and committed investments totaling US$8 million. These join the more than 50 Taiwanese companies which to date have invested almost US$400 million in the freeport zone.

The corridor scheme is expected to attract more Taiwanese companies to locate in the country by facilitating preferential tariff arrangements, harmonizing customs clearance procedures and implementing cooperation measures in regard to movement of personnel, financial services, maritime trade, investments in utilities and investment registration.

On March 29, Taiwan's Council of Labor Affairs Minister Lee Ying-yuan arrived in Manila to participate in the first Taiwan-Philippines labor conference, which targeted problems of Filipino workers in Taiwan--who currently number almost 110,000--and made progress on the issue of direct hiring of Filipinos to work in Taiwan.

Then, in mid-April, Director General of the Philippine National Police Arturo Lomibao flew to Taipei to discuss cooperation in combating terrorism, trafficking in illegal drugs and human trafficking, as well as the issue of fishing vessels encroaching into each other's territorial waters. These talks were particularly significant given the Philippine government's official adherence to Beijing's hard-line political and diplomatic "one-China" policy.

Indeed, whether it be the selfless acts of humanitarian assistance, or the mutually beneficial trade, labor or crime discussions, Taiwan is finding increasing ways to engage with countries such as the Philippines, and to fulfill its rightful role in the international community. This is, of course, to be welcomed, as are the Philippine government's efforts in response.

--Ernesto Hilario is a free-lance journalist based in Manila, the Philippines--

DGBAS reports 0.7-percent rise in family income

 

The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics released Aug. 17 a report on Taiwan's GDP and GNP for the first half of 2006, which also included average household earnings in 2005. These indices provide insight into changes in Taiwanese people's livelihoods.

According to the report, average annual household income in 2005 was US$33,190, which represented a 0.7-percent increase over 2004. At 58.1 percent, the majority of family earnings derived from wages, with other significant sources including transfer receipts, business activities and property incomes.

The DGBAS statistics also revealed that average disposable household income amounted to US$ 27,453 in 2005, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.4 percent. When divided into five subgroups, the data showed that the top 20 percent, with an average of US$55,123, have incomes 6.04 times greater than the US$9,141-average of the bottom 20 percent, which represents a slight increase over the equivalent 2004 figure of 6.03.

This widening gap between rich and poor is in line with economic changes in countries around the world, said DGBAS Minister Hsu Jan-yau at a press briefing. Nevertheless, Hsu claimed the figures showed that government welfare policies--such as those targeting low-income households, the elderly, farmers, the sick, and victims of accidents and emergencies--had helped reduce the gap which, otherwise, could have been as high as 7.45 fold.

With regard to annual household expenses, the average figure of US$27,270 represents a growth of 1.4 percent. Consumption costs accounted for US$21,503, while non-consumption costs, such as payments for interest, taxes, fines, donations, weddings and funerals, totaled US$5,777, year-on-year increases of 1.2 and 2.3 percent, respectively.

In detail, expenses on food accounted for 23.6 percent of all consumption expenditure and represented a 9.3-percent rise over the last decade, a figure that is attributed to people eating a greater proportion of their food outside the home. The report also identified increasing medical and health expenses, which is attributed to the graying of Taiwan's population.

In related news, the DGBAS released Aug. 18 a statistical report on the number of doctors in Taiwan. This showed a nationwide average of 1.7 doctors per 1,000 population, which, although lower than the U.S. figure of 2.56 and Japan figure of 1.98, is higher than those of South Korea, Singapore and China.

Environmental activists return from journey circumnavigating Taiwan using foot power

In June, a group of activists set out to walk around the island of Taiwan as part of a publicity campaign to raise awareness of the need for environmental protection. On Aug. 9, they reached the finish line, which was also their starting line: the campus of Providence University in Taichung County.

Braving the scorching summer sun, oppressive humidity, heavy rains and two typhoons, and surviving a section of the eastern highway where gravel trucks are known to race past at breakneck speeds, the 36 activists, ranging in age from 13 years old to 80, completed their 1,100-kilometer trip in 45 days.

The activity was organized by Providence's Ecology Department, with help from the Taiwan Academy of Ecology. Kuo Yen-jen, who is studying ecology, is the original planner of the event, which snowballed around him. He said that his original goal was simple: to amble around the island over the summer holiday and gain a better understanding of the environment of the country of his birth, and where he plans to spend his life. As it turned out, the Taiwanese trekker was joined by several people, and his solo activity ballooned into a media event.

Chung Ting-mao, a professor of environmental studies at Providence, noted that the aim was to call people's attention to their environment. They got a better understanding of Taiwan's environment by walking through it, Chung said. Issues such as water conservation, preservation of historic sites, the dangers of nuclear energy, industrialization of the east coast, overdevelopment and various kinds of pollution caused by heavy industry were all highlighted by the trip.

Chung said the most tasking part of the journey was not the physical fatigue, but seeing the polluted land and spoiled scenery, while not being able to do anything about it.

He urged the government to refrain from promoting industries that contribute to the production of greenhouse gases. He also urged the general public to pay more attention to the fast-deteriorating environment of Taiwan, and hold back the relentless drive toward development.

Meanwhile, a more upbeat round-island trip was promoted in July, 2005, in which tourists were invited to learn more about the 319 towns of Taiwan. Sponsored by the local magazine Commonwealth, an estimated 595 people completed the whole tour of Taiwanese towns over the past year, with tens of thousands taking partial tours.

Last week, the former group received souvenir certificates from none other than Premier Su Tseng-chang, who praised the tourists for their passion and persistence in completing the journey and expressed his hope that "all will come to love the land with their feet."

The magazine asked the people who visited each and every town about their favorites, and Changhua County's Lugang was voted the friendliest and most idiosyncratic town of the 319 visited. This was followed by Suao in Yilan, Danshuei in Taipei, Cyonglin in Hsinchu and Dajia in Taichung.

228 museum celebrates musician's 100th

 

When in 2000, the third Taipei Arts Festival held a poll in coordination with a local newspaper to find the most popular songs in Taiwan over the previous 100 years, it was no surprise that the highest number of votes were cast for the Holo Taiwanese song "Bang Chun Hong" by Deng Yu-sian.

Meaning "longing for the spring breeze," the song narrates the story of a young girl waiting for the boy she loves, even though she is too shy to ask his name. As her expectation grows, her thoughts transform into poignant reveries bathed in the moonlight and the gentle breeze.

Although many people in Taiwan may have forgotten the lyrics, there must only be a few who cannot hum the tune, which is typical of Deng's style in particular and of interwar Taiwanese music in general, but which has been rerecorded and readapted over subsequent decades. The inspiration and history behind the song now form the focus of an exhibition launched to mark the 100th anniversary of the songwriter's birth in 1906. Running through Sept. 10 at the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum in the 228 Peace Park near Taipei Railway Station, Fluttering Flowers on a Rainy Night: Bang Chun Hong displays original records of Deng's songs, rare manuscripts and photos that chronicle the development of popular music in Taiwan during the 1930s and 1940s before Deng's death in 1944 at the age of 37.

There are also five antique vinyl records of Deng's songs on display, four of which were released by subsidiaries of Japanese record labels, including one issued by the Japanese subsidiary of the U.S. company Columbia. Spinning at 78 rpm, records of that time had room for just one song on each side.

Much of the exhibition space is dimly lit, generating an atmosphere of nostalgia and forcing visitors to rely on their sense of hearing rather than vision. A large model of an old gramophone is placed at the center of the museum, and Deng's melodies take to the air one after another.

Although Taiwan has changed beyond all recognition since "Longing for the Spring Breeze" was written in 1933, and these melodies and the scenes of old Taiwan may be quite alien to younger generations, they still bring a tear to the eye of many of the island's elders.

One such visitor to the exhibition, Wang Chao-jhih, recalled listening to Deng's songs played by his father when he was an elementary school student. "It was a rare chance to enjoy the music transmitted from the gramophone at home, because not everyone at that time could afford it," he said sentimentally. Indeed, in the 1930s, very few people could afford records, which might cost up to one-third of a government employee's average monthly salary. While recordings of Deng's songs could be bought at record stores, like those in the Dadaocheng theater district north of Taipei Railway Station, there were no such shops until the 1930s. According to Huang Huei-jyun, the curator of this exhibition, people had previously purchased records from pharmacies, beauty parlors, grocery stores and other outlets.

Despite the high price of records, Huang argues that Deng's songs were not really targeted at bourgeois audiences. In fact, she says, he believed that all works of art, including paintings and music, should not be luxury goods within the limited reach of white-collar workers but should belong to and have deeper connections with the general public. Without wide-scale ownership of gramophones, it was through radios that most people enjoyed Deng's music in the 1930s. By coincidence, the 228 Memorial Museum is housed in a building that was home to the Taipei Broadcasting Bureau during the period of Japanese rule.

In a recent interview with the Taiwan Journal, Jhuang Yong-ming, a local historian, described another scene that was typical during Deng's lifetime, in which a watch seller would play newly released records on a gramophone in his store, writing out the lyrics and pasting them outside to attract passersby. "Whenever a new song was released, people would gather at these stores to listen and learn to sing," said Jhuang. This kind of musical appreciation forms an unforgettable memory for many of Taiwan's older generation who lived through a time when even basic necessities were often in short supply and who certainly lacked the means for luxuries such as records.

In broader, historical terms, Deng made two major contributions which, at first sight, might seem contradictory: the incorporation of Western musical concepts and instruments and the preservation of traditional folksongs.

The score for one of his Holo Taiwanese songs "Sigh of a Lonely Flower," for example, which is also on display, includes notations for various musical instruments such as the violin, alto saxophone and guitar, thus showing Deng's endeavors to bring new sounds to popular music. Deng was himself adept at a number of instruments, including the piano and guitar, having learned them first at a teacher training school in Taipei and subsequently at a music college in Japan. His accomplishments can be further seen in his organization of the Jhudong Symphony Orchestra sometime after 1940 while he taught in an elementary school in Hsinchu County.

Deng's collection and transcription of Hakka, aboriginal and Holo Taiwanese folksongs, many of which had been transmitted orally for decades if not centuries, placed him among the pioneers of musical preservation. For this effort he used Western musical notation, and examples are included in the current exhibition.

Deng's own creative contribution has been similarly treasured by subsequent generations, and has continued to inspire composers and singers to the present day. "Longing for the Spring Breeze," for example, was adapted into an R&B version by David Tao, winner of the best Mandarin Chinese pop record of the year at the 17th Golden Melody Awards, and is still sung by him on TV shows.

Described by local writer Jhong Jhao-jheng--one of whose novels is also called "Longing for the Spring Breeze"--as the composer of "tunes that touch Taiwanese people's hearts" and best known for his classic renditions of popular songs, Deng is in fact a much more complex figure in Taiwan's musical history, as this exhibition shows.