Minister of Culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) recently expressed hope that Taiwan and China can make joint World Heritage site status applications to UNESCO and that this could be placed on the cross-strait talks agenda. As Taiwan is currently not a UN member state, it cannot apply to UNESCO independently.
In 2009, the Losheng (Happy Life) Sanatorium was listed by the Bureau of Cultural Heritage, part of the Ministry of Culture (MOC) — then known as the Council of Cultural Affairs (CCA) — as one of its Potential World Heritage Sites in Taiwan.
Yukio Nishimura was formerly vice president of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, the UNESCO consultative body that evaluates World Cultural Heritage nominations.
The MOC’s Web page for this list explains that Nishimura — during a meeting of the International Workshop and Symposium Regarding Hansen’s Disease/Leprosy held by several NGOs, including the Taiwan Leprosy Patients’ Self-help Organization (樂生保留自救會) that same year — mentioned the sanatorium’s potential for nomination.
He said that it meets many of the nomination criteria as listed in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, and in particular the sixth item, the only criterion related to human rights. Thus, the possibility was there for the nation to make an international application, supported by an international organization.
Hansen’s disease is one of the major human rights issues of the 20th century, and yet this nomination would be rejected outright because of a question of national status. Taiwan’s international participation has long been suffocated by China.
The MOC knows that the Losheng Sanatorium, steeped as it is with cultural and human rights significance, is Taiwan’s chance to make a cross-border joint application for World Heritage status. Three years on, not only has the ministry done little about it, but it has also proposed that Taiwan and China apply for heritage status together.
In giving up this opportunity to promote international connections in favor of catering to China, to which country is Lung actually loyal to?
While the application for World Heritage status may well be linked to international recognition, the designation of historic sites is possible as long as the government is willing.
In December 2005, the CCA listed Losheng as a temporary historic site, the first example of a site being accorded such status in Taiwan. However, because of plans to build a maintenance depot for the Sinjhuang MRT line, this designation was never finalized. The then-Taipei County Government Cultural Affairs Bureau (CAB) even went against Article 30 of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法), which embodies the idea that cultural preservation should be given priority over construction and development projects.
In the end, the CAB refused to accord Losheng legal status as a historic site, as it should have, and merely registered it as part of a “cultural landscape” (文化景) and a “historical building” (歷史建築).
The MRT already runs to Hueilong (迴龍), so it is no longer possible to use the excuse of pressure to get the line operational to reject Losheng’s designation as a historic site.
If the MOC is of a mind to preserve our cultural heritage, it should not look to China for help, and thus debase the nation’s status.
It should deal with the issue internally — by designating Losheng as a historic site — and externally — by linking up with Hansen’s disease sanatoria around the world, to make an international application to UNESCO. This would also get Taiwan more international recognition.
Tsai Ya-ying is a lawyer affiliated with the Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association.
Translated by Paul Cooper
Many foreigners, particularly Germans, are struck by the efficiency of Taiwan’s administration in routine matters. Driver’s licenses, household registrations and similar procedures are handled swiftly, often decided on the spot, and occasionally even accompanied by preferential treatment. However, this efficiency does not extend to all areas of government. Any foreigner with long-term residency in Taiwan — just like any Taiwanese — would have encountered the opposite: agencies, most notably the police, refusing to accept complaints and sending applicants away at the counter without consideration. This kind of behavior, although less common in other agencies, still occurs far too often. Two cases
In a summer of intense political maneuvering, Taiwanese, whose democratic vibrancy is a constant rebuke to Beijing’s authoritarianism, delivered a powerful verdict not on China, but on their own political leaders. Two high-profile recall campaigns, driven by the ruling party against its opposition, collapsed in failure. It was a clear signal that after months of bitter confrontation, the Taiwanese public is demanding a shift from perpetual campaign mode to the hard work of governing. For Washington and other world capitals, this is more than a distant political drama. The stability of Taiwan is vital, as it serves as a key player
Yesterday’s recall and referendum votes garnered mixed results for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). All seven of the KMT lawmakers up for a recall survived the vote, and by a convincing margin of, on average, 35 percent agreeing versus 65 percent disagreeing. However, the referendum sponsored by the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on restarting the operation of the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County failed. Despite three times more “yes” votes than “no,” voter turnout fell short of the threshold. The nation needs energy stability, especially with the complex international security situation and significant challenges regarding
Most countries are commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with condemnations of militarism and imperialism, and commemoration of the global catastrophe wrought by the war. On the other hand, China is to hold a military parade. According to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, Beijing is conducting the military parade in Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3 to “mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.” However, during World War II, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) had not yet been established. It
RSS