November 22, 2008 • 9:22 pm 4
mi dispiace che in questi giorni non scrivo niente in italiano, perche’ ho visto e letto tante cose ingiuste che sono successi nel mio paese. sono arrabiata ma il mio italiano non è abastanza bene di scrivere tutto qui, quindi ci metto le informazioni in inglese che le ho trovate.
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• 9:16 pm 0
2008 Nov 19
Press Release from International Federation of Journalist
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• 9:08 pm 0
http://taiwanstudentmovement2008.blogspot.com/
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November 13, 2008 • 1:17 pm 2
Open letter on erosion of justice in Taiwan
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2008/11/06/2003427918
Thursday, Nov 06, 2008,
The undersigned, scholars and writers from the US, Europe and Australia, wish to express their deep concern about the recent series of detentions in Taiwan of present and former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government officials. To date there have been at least seven such cases.
It is obvious that there have been cases of corruption in Taiwan, but these have occurred in both political camps. The political neutrality of the judicial system is an essential element in a democracy. It is also essential that any accused are considered innocent until proven guilty in the court of law.
We also believe that the procedures followed by the prosecutor’s offices are severely flawed: while one or two of the accused have been formally charged, the majority is being held incommunicado without being charged. This is a severe contravention of the writ of habeas corpus and a basic violation of due process, justice and the rule of law.
In the meantime, the prosecutor’s offices evidently leak detrimental information to the press. This kind of “trial by press” is a violation of the basic standards of judicial procedures. It also gives the distinct impression that the Kuomintang (KMT) authorities are using the judicial system to get even with members of the former DPP government.
In addition, the people who are being held incommunicado are of course unable to defend themselves against the misreporting and the leaks in the news media.
We do firmly believe that any alleged wrongdoings must be dealt with in a fair and open manner in an impartial court. Justice through the rule of law is essential to Taiwan’s efforts to consolidate democracy and protect fundamental human rights.
We do not want to see Taiwan’s hard-earned democracy jeopardized in this manner. Taiwan can justifiably be proud of its transition to democracy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It would be sad for Taiwan and detrimental to its international image if the progress which was made during the past 20 years would be erased. Taiwan needs to move forward, not backwards to the unfair and unjust procedures as practiced during the dark days of Martial Law (1947-1987).
Signed:
Julian Baum
Former Far Eastern Economic Review bureau chief
Nat Bellocchi
Former American Institute in Taiwan chairman
Coen Blaauw
Formosan Association for Public Affairs, Washington
David Prager Branner
Director at large (East Asia),
American Oriental Society
Gordon G. Chang
Author of
The Coming Collapse of China
PROF. June Teufel Dreyer
University of Miami
PROF. Edward Friedman
University of Wisconsin
PROF. Bruce Jacobs
Monash University
Richard C. Kagan
Professor emeritus,
Hamline University
Jerome Keating
Author and former associate professor, National Taipei University
ASSOC. PROF. Daniel Lynch
School of International Relations, University of Southern California
PROF. Victor H. Mair
University of Pennsylvania
ASSOC. PROF. Donald Rodgers
Austin College
PROF. Terence Russell
University of Manitoba
PROF. Scott Simon
University of Ottawa
John J. Tkacik Jr
Senior research fellow,
The Heritage Foundation
Gerrit van der Wees
Editor, Taiwan Communique PROF. Arthur Waldron
University of Pennsylvania
PROF. Vincent Wei-cheng Wang
University of Richmond
Stephen Yates
President of DC Asia Advisory and former deputy assistant to the vice president for national security affairs.
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November 6, 2008 • 2:15 pm 0
Visto che in questi giorni i polizziotti taiwanesi hanno attaccato il popolo taiwanese durante la visita di un impiegatore della Cina, hanno violentato i diritti civile, i taiwanese siamo molto arrabiatti.
Ecco un ‘articolo da Taiwan Sovereignty Watch e il news.
Coordinator: Taiwan Sovereignty Watch/ 台灣主權觀測站
Contact Info: Billy Pan 0968-718673、Michael 0935-156396、Luna 0917-228-367
Contact Email: ocotTaiwan@gmail.com
Who we are?
There are lots of bloggers and volunteers in Taiwan and overseas concern current Taiwan Police Violates Civil Rights When Maintaining Order during the Meeting of Taiwan’s and China’s Top Negotiators.
Due to most appeals and protests are blocked and distorted seriously on the mainstream media in Taiwan. Therefore, we set up the website and blogs delivering our press release, reports and so on. We continue watching these matters and offering different materials in other languages.
Please further visit our website or contact us directly. We really need you to help us to speak our voice out at this key moment. If you have any further questions, please be free leave your messages on our website or reply to us. We will try to reply to you soon. Thank you so much.
Official website: That will be free to use or cite the documents or photos.
http://ocot.tw/ (一中一台 / One China, One Taiwan)
http://www.ocot.tw/blog/ (Taiwan Sovereignty Watch)
**More photos or news in Chinese，you may visit Billy Pan’s Blog: http://www.wretch.cc/blog/billypan101/14367606
【Press Release】(English Version)
2008.11.5
Chen Yunlin, the chief of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, landed at Taiwan on November 3rd. He signed agreements on passenger-cargo flight, maritime shipping, mail service and food safety related issues with Chiang Pin-kung, the chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation. These agreements made Taiwan and China enter an age of three direct links. He would also meet President Ma Ying-Jeou of Taiwan.
For a long time, China has repressed any opportunities of Taiwan to participate international events. China neither recognizes Taiwan as a sovereign nation nor gives up its plan of making martial intrusion into Taiwan. Many Taiwanese people, including Taiwan’s biggest opposition party, Democratic Progressive Party, were worried that Kuomintang government would not be able to defend for Taiwan’s sovereignty during the negotiation. They also questioned that this meeting was not put under public examination. They are holding protests throughout Chen Yunlin’s visit to Taiwan, expressing their claims, such as “One Taiwan, One China”. Those people against China’s forceful repression of Tibet’s independence activities also joined the protests, holding “Free Tibet” slogan.
For Chen Yunlin’s Taiwan visit, the Kuomingtang administration has specifically deployed some seven thousand policemen and special agents to cordon off the venues where Chen would appear in an attempt to prevent the public from raising protests. Measures employed by the police to guard Chen these days have, however, gone beyond the bounds of the law and the Constitution and seriously infringed on citizens’ personal liberties and civil rights. Following are some instances:
1. The policy confiscated and damaged personal belongings of flags and balloons held by people at protest venues.
2. In the evening of November 2, four Taichung City Councilors, Chen Shu-hua (陳淑華), Chiu Su-chen (邱素貞), Chi Li-yu (紀麗玉) and Lai Chia-wei (賴佳微), checked in the Grand Hotel where Chen Yulin would stay during his visit. The next morning, they displayed protest banners from the balcony of their room. Within one minute, special agents broke in the balcony and entered their room, without their consent, to remove banners and restrain their actions.
3. Three bloggers with national flags of Taiwan and Tibet in hand were forcefully taken away by the police when walking southbound along Chung Shan North Rd and passing by the Taiwan Cement Building, where Chen Yunlin visited Cecilia Koo Yen, widow of the former chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation. The arrest caused the dislocation of fingers of one of the bloggers, but police refused to send her for medical treatment until she provided personal information.
4. Chen Yu-ching (陳育青), a photographer who visited friends near the Grand Hotel, was arrested and sent to the police station for interrogation for shooting the video of the banned area with hand-held camera.
5. Hung Chien-yi (洪建益), a Taipei councilman, entered the Ambassador Hotel, where Chen Yunlin’s dinner reception was held, in the afternoon. When leaving by himself in the evening, he was dragged away on the ground for tens of yards by several police officers at the front gate of the hotel. He did not shout derogatory slogans or carry any dangerous items but only wore a T-shirt with the mark of “No Conspiracy with China” on it.
6. On November 4th, while Chen Yunlin was at the dinner reception hosted by KMT leaders at the Ambassador Hotel, a nearby record store was playing some Taiwanese song out loud. The police thought the song would stir up the feelings of the protesters on the scene, so they, in uniform or plainclothes, led by Beitou Police District Chief Lee Han Ching, broke into that record store, asked the store owner to stop the music, and shut the door.
7. On November 3rd, the Association of Taiwan Journalist issued that Cheng Chieh-wen (鄭傑文), a photojournalist from the Central News Agency, was dragged by the security police for 10 meters while he was doing his job at the Grand Hotel, and that an inappropriate press coverage area plan had caused quarrels between the press and the officials. ATJ declared that press freedom was under severe attack in Taiwan. Meanwhile, the government imposed such strict control over press coverage for this event that several reporters from Hong Kong said they failed to get press passes and had limited rights for coverage.
Protests are continuing, so are actions that invade human rights, actions that do harm to freedom of speech and personal liberty. These actions not only violated both Taiwan’s criminal and civil laws but also contradicted the Constitution that should have protected the rights of people. We will be watching these events, and we want to raise our severe objections to the police in Taiwan.
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November 5, 2008 • 6:12 pm 0
La gente di Taiwan hanno lavorato per tanti anni di aver un Paese democratico e aperto. Ora con questo nuovo governo tutti sembrano differente. Questa notizia non ci credo ma è vero. Ieri i poliziotti a capitale di Taiwan hanno vietato un negozio di trasmettere una canzone taiwanese durante la visita di un impiegato della Cina.
Queste sono le canzone che la polizia non vuole la gente di tramettere, che descrive la bella isola dove i taiwanesi vivono.
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November 4, 2008 • 6:24 pm 0
Sono arrabbiata con questo governo di Ma ying-jeou. Ha violentato la democrazia di Taiwan solo per la Cina!
da TAIPEI TIMES
By Rich Chang, Mo Yan-chih, Meggie Lu and J. Michael Cole
STAFF REPORTERS
Tuesday, Nov 04, 2008, Page 1
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| Taipei City councilors of the Democratic Progressive Party protest against Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin’s visit yesterday by hanging banners that read ‘‘Get out, Bandit Chen Yunlin,’’ and ‘‘Taiwan is Taiwan’’ from the Grand Hotel’s sixth floor. PHOTO: CNA |
A heavy police presence and strong protests against Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) clouded the top Chinese negotiator’s first visit to Taiwan yesterday.
Police stationed themselves along the route between the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and the Grand Hotel in Taipei, setting up a number of checkpoints. Vehicles heading to the airport were stopped by police who checked driver and passenger IDs and asked why they were heading to the airport. Several vehicles decorated with Republic of China (ROC) flags, anti-Chen or anti-China banners were not allowed to enter the airport.
The measures disrupted traffic in Taoyuan City, Dayuan Township (大園) and Bade Township (八德) during rush hour yesterday morning.
Aviation Police Office Chief Diao Chien-sheng (刁建生) told reporters that because of security concerns, people who could not prove they were taking flights or failed to prove they were picking up somebody from the airport were not allowed to enter.
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| A policeman grabs a Tibetan flag from demonstrators as they protest against the visit of Chen Yunlin in Taipei yesterday. PHOTO: AFP |
Holding colorful flags, some 70 Tibetans boarded a coach in Taipei with plans to “welcome” Chen at the airport, but were stopped by police who detained those not carrying IDs.
When former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taoyuan County councilor Wu Pao-yu (吳寶玉) entered the arrival hall at 8:50am waving an ROC flag, police officers immediately asked Wu to put the flag in her bag.
“The national flag is our county’s flag. Please tell me why I can’t carry a national flag in my country. Give me a reason,” Wu said.
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| A man displays a yellow ribbon reading “Taiwan Is My Country” in Taipei yesterday to protest the visit by China’s top cross-strait negotiator, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin. PHOTO: DAVID CHANG, EPA |
Police officers later removed her from the arrival hall.
Around 11am, former independent Taoyuan County councilor Huang Te-long (黃德隆), who was sitting in a chair in the arrival hall, was asked by police officers why he was there.
Huang said he was picking somebody up, but because he failed to come up with a flight number, police asked him to leave. He then shouted “Taiwan must become an independent country! Taiwan is not part of China!” before he was carried out of the arrival hall.
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| Police officers look on as a woman paints words on her friend during a demonstration in Taipei against visiting Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin yesterday. Both women were later arrested, with the woman on the right alleging the police broke her finger when they tried to take away a Tibetan flag she was carrying. PHOTO: J MICHAEL COLE, TAIPEI TIMES |
Some 2,000 police officers were dispatched to escort Chen and members of his delegation from the airport to the Grand Hotel.
Several people waving national flags on a bridge above the freeway in Linkou (林口), Taipei County, when Chen’s motorcade passed the area were robbed of their flags by police officers.
“I don’t know if it’s good luck or bad, but I happened to have two clients this morning — one who went to the airport, and one to the Grand Hotel,” said Sun Chun-chien (孫俊建), a taxi driver in Taipei. “The government has stooped extremely low. It was as if the martial law had been reimposed. When we were on [Freeway No. 2], my passenger was asked to produce his passport and booking receipt to prove that he was traveling today, and when I drove my other passenger to the hotel, he was asked to show the police his room key card.”
Barbed wire was installed around the hotel to ward off trespassers, Sun said.
“Many grandpas and grandmas go exercise on the hill where the Grand Hotel is, who’s this Chen Yunlin?” Sun asked. “Even the US president doesn’t get such treatment.”
He said that although taxicabs bearing the Taiwanese flag on their taxi lights on the roof usually line up in front of the Jiantan MRT station — in close proximity to the Grand Hotel — yesterday police asked them to leave.
With the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and the Grand Hotel as a backdrop, a few dozen demonstrators gathered at about 11am under the watchful eyes of the hundreds of police officers who had lined up on both sides of the road.
Nearby, approximately 100 pro-unification demonstrators carrying red banners and the Chinese flag also gathered, engaging in a shouting match with a lone woman on her motorcycle who heckled them from the other side of the street, making the “thumbs down” sign. A handful of yellow ribbons bearing the words “Taiwan is my country” were tied to the motorcycle handles.
One young woman carrying a UN flag was initially stopped by a police officer who asked her to remove a red banner she wore across her shoulder that read “Anti-China; we will definitely win; Taiwan will become an independent country.” The woman refused, however, and the police officer let her continue on her way.
Four DPP Taipei City councilors and some 50 supporters tried to set free colorful balloons printed with the words “tainted products” — representing melamine-contaminated food products from China — and broke into physical clashes with the police.
“What is happening here? Are we under curfew right now? You can’t just steal my stuff,” DPP Taipei City Councilor Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) shouted at police who seized boxes of balloons and pumps.
Chuang and the other three councilors — Huang Hsiang-chun (黃向群), Wang Hsiao-wei (王孝維) and Liu Yao-ren (劉耀仁) — later tried to enter the hotel from a small path, but were blocked by dozens of police officers.
During the ensuing scuffle, Wang ended up on the ground and accused the police of pushing him over, pledging to file a lawsuit against them.
Chuang said they had informed the Taipei City Government about their plan to “inspect” the traffic situation today and accused the police of violating local councilors’ rights to inspect problems in the city.
Before Chen’s arrival at the hotel, four DPP Taichung City councilors led another demonstration and unfurled two banners reading “Taiwan is Taiwan” and “Get out, Bandit Chen Yunlin” from the hotel’s sixth floor.
Within a few minutes, police confiscated the banners, sparking another round of clashes as the councilors protested against police using forced entry to get into the room.
The four councilors were later led by hotel staffers to the basement as Chen Yunlin arrived at the lobby. Among various protests against Chen Yunlin, a small group of Chinese spouses waved red ribbons in front of Taipei Fine Arts Museum to welcome the Chinese official’s visit.
“Taiwan is our home, but China is where we are from. We want to see the two sides reconcile as soon as possible,” a woman said.
Around 2:30pm, a human rights activist was arrested and injured by the police, who allegedly dislocated her right middle finger and detained her for almost two hours without access to medical attention.
The woman, who identified herself as the blogger “Lina,” was walking in front of the Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC) building near the Grand Hotel carrying a Tibetan flag. “Lina” and two other young women – holding ROC, UN and Tibetan flags — were allegedly pushed by police who were securing the area.
“I was holding the Tibetan flag up on my back with the fabric wrapped around my middle fingers on both hands,” said Lina, who was decorated in body paint reading “liberty,” “peace” and “freedom.”
Saying she had not violated the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法) because she was merely passing by, Lina added that she was originally walking on the road with a friend when they saw the third woman, who was also wearing flags, so they decided to walk together.
“A group of police began to gather and push us … More and more police came and my flag was ripped from my hands and my finger was pulled,” she said. “Like protesters in the US, we had body painting and elaborate masks on … We want to voice our concern for Taiwan’s already diminishing freedom of speech, as well as China’s neglect of human rights — our pursuit is for peace.”
After they were arrested, Lina used her cellphone to get on real-time online journal Plurk.com to ask for help, spurring fellow bloggers to summon a lawyer who came to her rescue.
“This is the first time that a protester has been injured by the police for activities like this. It is not illegal in Taiwan for one to wave flags … The police completely refused to offer any explanation as to what crime my client had committed,” said Vincent Lin (林育辰), Lina’s lawyer.
“[What’s more], the police kept following them and saying that they were there to ‘protect’ the women … Soon we will have no right to privacy,” a blogger named “Hands” said on Plurk.com.
DPP caucus deputy whip Pan Meng-an (潘孟安) said yesterday that it was unreasonable for the government to spend NT$ 700 million (US$21.2 million) on security measures for Chen. It had turned Taiwan into a police state and returned it to the period of martial law, he said.
KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) said the government had no choice but to tighten security measures to protect Chen because of the DPP’s planned protest.
KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), head of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, also defended the government’s measures.
“If Chen were attacked or assaulted in Taipei, Taiwan would make international headlines as a violent country. To prevent Taiwan from losing face, we had no choice but to raise security levels for him,” Lin said.
Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said yesterday that the government was duty bound to respect and protect legal assemblies, but that such activities must be conducted in a peaceful and legal manner.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG, KO SHU-LING AND AGENCIES
Also See: EDITORIAL:Fear and loathing in Taipei
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