WHO Director-General Margaret Chan’s (陳馮富珍) opening address to the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday was marred by protesters complaining about the WHO’s designation of Taiwan, one day after Department of Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) was heckled by Taiwanese students who accused him of “selling out Taiwan.”
Shortly after Chan addressed the WHA, several people in the public gallery on the second floor of the assembly hall in the UN’s Geneva headquarters shouted “Taiwan is not part of China.”
The protesters were quickly removed by UN security guards.
PHOTO: EPA
During a break in the meeting following Chan’s speech, Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu (陳竺) intercepted Yeh as he was preparing to leave the assembly hall. The two men shook hands and chatted briefly.
Taiwan was invited to attend this year’s WHA meeting as an observer under the designation “Chinese Taipei” following 12 failed attempts to join the WHO because of Beijing’s interference. The Republic of China (ROC) left the UN in 1971.
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius welcomed Taiwan’s presence at the WHA session, saying its participation was worth celebrating.
During her speech to the assembly, Czech Health Minister Dana Juraskova also welcomed Taiwan’s participation on behalf of all EU member states.
Meanwhile, Yeh told Taipei-based reporters in a phone interview yesterday that he was doing the right thing for Taiwan by participating in the WHA meeting.
“We shared our experiences with fellow allies and we learned something from them at the same time. This is the most important thing,” Yeh said.
“We also received lots of attention from the international press. This is something we could not imagine before,” he said. “I am proud of my country. I am proud of Taiwan.”
When asked about his confrontation on Sunday night with two Taiwanese students and his threat to file lawsuits against them when he returns home, Yeh said he did not want to discuss the incident.
“Everybody has the right to speak out. I endorse the rights of the two students to speak out. But, when you do [protest], you need to make sure what you do is legal and show proper respect to others,” Yeh said.
Judicial Reform Foundation executive director Lin Feng-jeng (林峰正) said Yeh could file the lawsuits against the students even though the incident did not take place in Taiwan.
“If they have ROC nationality, they are under the jurisdiction of the courts in Taiwan,” he said, but if they were not Taiwanese, Yeh could not press charges.
Chief Prosecutor Huang Mo-hsin (黃謀信) of the Taipei District Court said that articles 5 to 7 of the Criminal Code state that, under certain conditions, the code would apply to any ROC citizen committing a criminal offense outside the territory of the ROC.
“Prosecutors still have to investigate the case to decide whether or not to indict, but [Yeh] has the right to file a lawsuit,” Huang said.
The student protesters issued a press release accusing Yeh of losing control when confronted by demonstrators on Sunday night.
“The minister lost control and became emotional. This showed that he has difficulty managing crises,” the release said.
“During the protest, the protest was reported to Swiss police. Taiwanese officials and diplomats watched a female Taiwanese being violently pinned down on the ground by Swiss police officers and even sneered at the student protesters,” the release said.
Video footage of the confrontation showed the students heckling Yeh after the Taiwanese delegation’s dinner for Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, not during the dinner as some local Chinese-language media reported.
The students urged Yeh to apologize for his “mishap.”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday condemned the protesters and backed Yeh.
KMT spokesman Lee Chien-rong (李建榮) said Taiwan’s participation in the WHA was a big breakthrough and an achievement to be cherished but the protesters’ actions had damaged the nation’s international image.
Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池), a KMT caucus deputy secretary-general, urged the protesters not to let political wrangling overshadow participation in the WHA.
KMT legislators Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) and Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) said the students should have protested to China and the WHO for not allowing Taiwan to participate in the WHA under the name “Republic of China.”
“They protested [to Yeh] only because they were jealous [that Taiwan was able to attend the WHA]. If they wanted to heckle someone, they should heckle China,” Lee Ching-hua said.
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