Beijing's behavior is beneath contempt

`Diseases see no national boundaries, and neither should medicine and public health.'

As a result of China's unreasonable obstruction, Taiwan failed to gain observer status at the World Health Assembly (WHA) on May 19. Chinese leaders have no conscience and are inhumane. They play with politics, preventing the Taiwanese people from getting help from the World Health Organization (WHO). This in turn has caused more than 80 Taiwan-ese to lose their lives.

I made it clear to the international media in Geneva that SARS was not invented by Taiwan. The virus was produced in China and imported to this country, inflicting great damage on Taiwanese people. Illegal Chinese migrants are still entering Taiwan, posing a threat to people's health -- so the government has to fight both SARS and illegal migrants.

Chinese Premier Wu Yi (吳儀) told a whopping lie at the WHA May 19, saying that Taiwan did not need the WHO's help because China had been helping it. Such a brazen and ridiculous lie was like the Iraqi information minister claiming loudly that Iraq had overwhelmed the US Army.

The head of the Department of Health and Taiwanese experts should attend SARS prevention conferences held by the WHO to provide first-hand information. If Taiwan becomes a loophole in the WHO's anti-SARS network, not only its 23 million people but the whole world will be at risk. Diseases see no national boundaries, and neither should medicine and public health.

UN Kofi Annan was quoted by his spokesperson at the WHA as saying that to save one life is to save humankind. If the WHO believes in this idea, it should not allow China to lead it by the nose because Tai-wan's accession into the WHO is not a political problem, but one related to health. It also involves humanitarianism and human rights.

Taiwan the WHO to dispatch more experts here to help contain the epidemic. But so far, the two visiting WHO professionals seem to have acted only as observers and collected information. They avoided contact with health authorities. We hope that WHO experts in the future can participate in anti-SARS efforts, rather than observing from the sidelines.

We were gratified that this time the US finally voiced its support for Taiwan's participation in the WHA and SARS prevention conferences. Japan also took the floor, but their statements were indirect and devious. If Japan had truly cared about people's health in East Asia, it should have confidently supported Taiwan's WHO bid and participation in the SARS prevention work.

Some EU member countries opposed Taiwan's participation at the WHA last year. Slight progress was seen this year as they did not express their opinions. We hope that EU countries can step forward and show their support next year.

The SARS outbreak may continue to escalate in China. Since the Chinese government continues to cover up the epidemic, the WHO, the US and other countries will find it difficult to offer their help. Taiwan is the victim and so is the rest of the world.

Therefore, we appeal to the international community: to help Taiwan's WHO bid is to help themselves because health truly transcends national boundaries.

Parris Chang is a DPP legislator.

Translated by Jackie Lin