China's ambassador to Ireland is to be asked to appear before an all-party parliamentary committee to discuss claims his country's authorities have been harvesting human organs from prisoners. The committee is also asking Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern to raise the issue with his Chinese counterpart at a meeting of the ongoing EU-China dialogue on human rights.
The moves came after the Oireachtas (Gaelic for parliamentary) Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs heard the findings of a report investigating the possible organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners.
The report alleged that "the Chinese Government has over the past half decade put to death a large but unknown number of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience" and "simultaneously seized their vital organs for sale at high prices."
PHOTO: EPA
The committee had been addressed by former Canadian Secretary of State for the Asia Pacific region David Kilgour who co-wrote the report with David Matas, an international human rights lawyer.
Kilgour told the committee that those responsible for these deeds, including the doctors involved, should face the International Criminal Court as quickly as possible.
"We have a new form of evil in the world," he said. "These practices make crimes against humanity as defined by the Treaty of Rome and the International Criminal Court look more like misdemeanours." A misdemanour is a minor offence.
Committee chairman Dr Michael Woods of Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's Fianna Fail ruling party said Kilgour's report "made for compelling reading" and China should permit an independent investigation. (AFP)
中共駐愛爾蘭大使被要求出席跨黨派國會委員會，討論對於中國官方活體摘取囚犯器官的指控。委員會亦要求愛爾蘭外交部長德莫特．埃亨於中國歐盟人權對話會議上，向中國代表提出此項議題。
國會聯合委員會在聽取有關法輪功學員被活體摘除器官的調查發現後，提出這項要求。
這份報告宣稱「中國政府過去五年來處死大量(實際數字未知)的法輪功學員」並且「摘除他們的重要器官以高價賣出」。
加拿大前亞太司司長大衛?喬高，和共同撰寫此份報告的國際人權律師大衛．麥塔斯已在委員會上發表聲明。
喬高對委員會表示，該對這些行為負責的人，包括醫生在內，應該儘速接受國際刑事法庭的審判。
他表示︰「這世界存在著一種新型態的邪惡，這些行為讓羅馬條約和國際刑事法庭所定義的違反人道罪行相形之下如輕罪一般」。輕罪是指不嚴重的罪行。
委員會主席麥可．伍茲博士隸屬愛爾蘭總理博提．阿亨所領導執政的共和黨，他表示喬高的報告「不容忽視」，中國應准許進行獨立調查。（法新社╱翻譯︰鄭湘儀）
A: Brazilian jiu-jitsu, known as “BJJ,” has become more and more popular. Even Hollywood stars like Halle Berry and Tom Hardy are obsessed with it. B: Some Asian stars, such as Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng and South Korean actor Lee Joon-gi, have also practiced this martial art. A: BJJ is not just a martial art, but also a combat sport. B: I’ve always wanted to try it, but I’m worried about getting injured. A: Diana Wang, a US doctor of physical therapy, is holding a BJJ seminar at PMA Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Taipei Friday night. Let’s go check out how we
Picture a 45-foot-long animal with a 5-foot-long skull and 3-foot-long arms. It may not seem strange until you realize that a human with those proportions would be 6 feet tall with 5-inch arms. Although the Tyrannosaurus rex went extinct 65 million years ago, the mystery of its unusual body __1__ has fascinated scientists for over a century. Barnum Brown, the paleontologist who first discovered T. rex fossils, initially found it hard to believe that the tiny arms belonged to such a __2__ creature. One of his colleagues speculated that the short forelimbs might have been used to hold the
A: Actually, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is particularly good for small people like you. B: Really? How so? A: According to Diana Wang, a US doctor of physical therapy, the BJJ’s purpose is to help smaller, weaker people defend themselves by using various techniques, such as leverage. B: That sounds interesting. What time does Dr Wang’s BJJ seminar begin tonight? A: The event is scheduled for 7:30pm at PMA Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Taipei. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. A: 其實你的個子比較小，很適合練巴西柔術呢。 B: 真的嗎？為什麼？ A: 據美國理療醫師王幼瑞博士說，巴西柔術的概念是讓弱小的人，也能利用槓桿作用等技巧防身。 B: 真有趣，王醫師的巴柔研討會幾點開始？ A: 今晚7點半在「台北巴柔運動館」，免費入場自由樂捐唷！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
Dogs’ noses are incredibly keen. They can even detect changes in cortisol levels in human sweat and breath. Known as the “stress hormone,” cortisol increases when humans are under pressure. Recent research indicates that the smell of human stress can influence a dog’s behavior and emotions. In the study, human volunteers were exposed to the stressful tasks of preparing and delivering a speech on the spot and then solving math problems. __1__ Researchers collected sweat and breath samples from the volunteers on pieces of cloth during both their stressful and restful states. Meanwhile, other researchers worked with 18
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