The Interpol on Wednesday said it does not support Taiwan’s efforts to participate in its activities.
In an e-mail to the Central News Agency, Interpol said it considers China to be the sole Chinese representative to the organization.
The group did not directly respond to a question on its stance on Taiwan’s efforts to participate as an observer at Interpol’s general assembly, which starts on Nov. 16 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Photo: AP
“In 1984, the Interpol General Assembly decided that the government of the People’s Republic of China will be the sole representative to Interpol,” the Lyon-headquartered organization said in the e-mail.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) on Monday issued a statement saying that CIB Commissioner Tsai Tsan-po (蔡蒼柏) had last month sent a letter to Interpol requesting that the bureau be allowed to participate as an observer in next month’s meeting and its other activities, as well as use its I-24/7 criminal database.
Every Interpol member has its own national central bureau, which is responsible for communicating with the group to facilitate international cooperation in fighting crime.
Interpol said any expansion of access to each other’s criminal databases via the I-24/7 system beyond a national central bureau is a “matter for the member country concerned.”
Interpol has 192 member states.
Taiwan used to be a member, but resigned after China was admitted in 1984 and Interpol planned to change the nation’s name to “China, Taiwan.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked friendly nations who are members of the organization’s executive committee to speak up for Taiwan at a committee meeting to be held early next month, Department of International Organizations Director-General Bob Chen (陳龍錦) said.
The US has repeatedly voiced its support for Taiwan’s “meaningful” participation in international organizations, including Interpol.
Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) on Wednesday reiterated the government’s desire to participate in Interpol, stressing the need for international cooperation in fighting drug smuggling.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday expressed its regret and discontent over the Interpol’s citation of its 1984 decision to reject Taiwan’s participation.
“Its reply completely contravenes the founding principle of Interpol to ‘enable police around the world to work together to make the world a safer place.’ Taiwan’s bid to participate at the organization is legitmate and necessary, and has received the backing of its diplomatic allies and many like-minded countries, including the US,” the ministry said, urging Interpol to make swift, practical arrangments to ensure Taiwan’s participation to close a gap in the global crime prevention system.
Additional reporting by staff writer
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
AFTERMATH: The Taipei City Government said it received 39 minor incident reports including gas leaks, water leaks and outages, and a damaged traffic signal A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Taiwan’s northeastern coast late on Saturday, producing only two major aftershocks as of yesterday noon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The limited aftershocks contrast with last year’s major earthquake in Hualien County, as Saturday’s earthquake occurred at a greater depth in a subduction zone. Saturday’s earthquake struck at 11:05pm, with its hypocenter about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km. Shaking was felt in 17 administrative regions north of Tainan and in eastern Taiwan, reaching intensity level 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier seismic scale, the CWA said. In Hualien, the
RSS