A plan to expand Taiwan’s international space and win it observer status in the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) was boosted on Thursday.
The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations unanimously passed a bill directing US President Barack Obama and the US Department of State to develop a strategy to assist in the goal.
“Taiwan’s inclusion in appropriate international organizations is important for Taiwan, important for the United States and important for the entire international community,” said Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the committee.
The bill has already been passed by the US House of Representatives and is expected to win unanimous Senate approval in the coming weeks.
Washington sources said that the bill was welcomed by the State Department, where diplomats are to work to gain support for Taiwan among other Interpol members.
“The State Department supports Taiwan as an observer at Interpol and I believe quick Senate action is warranted,” Cardin said.
House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific Chairman Matt Salmon said earlier that the bill would help Taiwan to protect the safety of its citizens by combating criminal activity through access to Interpol’s global police communications systems.
Interpol has 190 member nations and is the world’s largest police organization.
“With the rise of terrorism throughout the globe, not allowing Taiwan independent and easy access to Interpol is an unnecessary and dangerous risk,” a recent opinion piece in the Washington newspaper The Hill said.
Taiwan was a full member of Interpol starting in 1964, but lost its place in 1984 when China became a member.
It is not known how China will react to the US effort to gain observer status for Taiwan in Interpol, but it is possible that Beijing might try to block it.
In other developments, the State Department on Thursday announced that special envoy for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people Randy Berry would visit Taipei next week for talks with government and other officials.
“He will discuss efforts to strengthen the global commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of LGBTI people,” the department said.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
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PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
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