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LETTERS: The fight begins now

Do you remember? Do your memories need to be refreshed?

Does everyone in Taiwan have Alzheimer's disease or what?

Just before the presidential election, our respected Harvard candidate (you know who I mean) suggested Taiwanese might boycott the Beijing Olympic games in response to the violation of human rights by China in their suppression of the Tibetan protests.

And now?

We're eagerly expressing our dearest concerns about -- about what?

About two pandas that this very same China is offering us.

The China Post is one of the most flagrant examples of what is being called the "watermelon effect."

News reports in Taiwan sway under the most favorable wind -- and a very greedy wind, I must say.

In the Tuesday edition of that venerable newspaper, a front-page article by Reuters mentioned "unidentified demonstrators" protesting during the Olympic torch lighting ceremony in Greece.

Not only is this article coming from a foreign and biased source, but an important fact is also being missed.

One of the main protesters was Robert Menard, general secretary of Reporters Without Borders, a French-born, now international group that fights for human rights and press freedom. It even has consultant status at the UN.

For those who want to know more about the organization, you can visit their Web site at www.rsf.org.

You don't need to worry about language issues -- they have French, English, Arabic, Spanish and simplified Chinese versions available.

If they dared to take such action in Greece, risking a year in prison for defying the International Olympic Committee, it is because of their motto: "Don't wait to be deprived of news to stand up and fight for it."

We must fight for it, too.

Sylvie Allassonniere

Taipei
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