Enough is enough. On top of a series of discriminatory and insulting efforts to block Taiwan's participation in the global campaign against SARS, even the attendance of Taiwanese medical experts at an international conference on SARS hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) is subject to Beijing's meddling. Under the circumstances, as much as this country is eager to contribute to the worldwide efforts against the disease, this may be the place to draw the line. There is only so much any country or any government can and should sacrifice in terms of integrity and self-respect.
The WHO has reportedly invited four local experts -- Center for Disease Control Director Su Ih-jen (蘇益仁), Academia Sinica researcher Ho Mei-shang (何美鄉) and two doctors, Chang Shang-chwen (張上淳) and Chen Pei-jer (陳陪哲) -- to attend a conference in Kuala Lumpur next week.
Among the four, only Su holds government office. However, it would not be surprising if, just like the other three experts, Su is invited in his private capacity, rather than as an official of the Department of Health. So, there is really no need for such meddling.
After all, in a conference session entitled "National Response," five countries and Hong Kong are scheduled to give a 15-minute presentation each highlighting lessons they have learned from the epidemic. Taiwan, strangely enough, is not one of the presenters.
And then, Department of Health Director-General Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) was refused even an opportunity to report on the development of SARS in Taiwan to a technical meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA) last month in Geneva. Chen was only able to sit in the audience and hear reports from other countries on how they were coping with SARS. China's respresentative naturally did not forget to reiterate the lie about Beijing taking good care of Taiwan. How could it be taking care of this nation when China couldn't possibly have even given a real report on the situation on SARS here?
Of course, the ones who have much to lose from all this are other countries who have every reason and right to hear reports on the situation in Taiwan, which could have a real and substantial impact on them in today's global village.
This time around, things have gone from bad to worse. The WHO has reportedly decided to send the invitations to the four Taiwanese via Beijing. As of Thursday, the invitations were still in the hands of the Chinese Medical Association in Beijing. The association is reportedly inserting a written statement permitting the four to attend the conference. One cannot help but wonder in what capacity is the association or even Beijing, extending permission? None of the four are members of the association.
There is very little reason to question whether Beijing would do such a thing -- it has played this kind of trick before. If the WHO wants the four to participate, then it should have sent the invitations directly to Taipei. Since it didn't, Taipei should RSVP with a "thanks, but no thanks." There is more than enough work to keep the four experts busy here at home.
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