One would think that the possibility of six Nobel peace prize winners attending a conference would be an event that a diplomatically isolated country like Taiwan would long for.
However, as the scheduled date approaches, Vice President Annette Lu (
According to the vice president's office, six Nobel peace laureates, including former South African president Frederik Willem de Klerk, Poland's former president Lech Walesa, the former president of Costa Rica Oscar Arias Sanchez, Northern Ireland peace advocate Betty Williams, British anti-nuclear activist Joseph Rotblat and American anti-land mine activist Jody Williams have accepted invitations to attend this meeting.
The 2001 Global Peace Assembly is scheduled to be held in Taipei on Aug. 15 and 16.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), however, has yet to promise funds for the convention, despite official and private requests for financial and personnel assistance from Lu's office.
According to a ministry official from the Research and Planning Board, which is in charge of the convention, the ministry has promised only administrative assistance, such as extending invitations and collecting information.
"First of all, the government, including the Presidential Office, the Vice President's office and the foreign ministry, have all defined this convention as an NGO gathering organized by the private sector. The foreign ministry would find it very embarrassing to be a major financier of this meeting," said a ministry official in charge of the matter.
"The foreign ministry is not the private sector. Secondly, such a large-scale convention will cost tens of thousands of NT dollars, our budget is limited and has been shrunk by the depreciation of the NT dollar.
"The ministry cannot afford to finance this meeting initiated by the vice president. One or two million will be our limit for funding this event,'' the official said.
The official also complained that Lu's office did not make its request through proper channels, saying that his office had only received personal phone calls from Kuo Ta-wen (
But according to a high level official of the Presidential Office, the ministry's explanation was just a pretext to avoid involvement with one of the vice president's pet projects.
According to the official, due to past unpleasantries, the ministry fears interacting with Lu.
Tsai Ming-hua (
"First, the vice president made an oral report to President Chen Shui-bian (
"As far as the budget is concerned, we don't organize activities one year in advance like the bureaucracy does. The vice president is just trying to help Taiwan break out of its isolation by inviting internationally influential figures like the Nobel prize winners,'' Tsai said.
Being the personal contact for the vice president with MOFA, Kuo also rebutted the ministry's complaints.
"Due process has been followed. When the vice president presented her oral report to the president, she was received by the president with the Secretary-General to the Presidential Office Yu Shyi-kun. When the vice president presented her `paper of initiation' to the president, he give a written answer by instructing the secretary-general to inform the Cabinet to study the feasibility of the convention. The Cabinet thereby deliver an official note, dated July 17, to MOFA to evaluate the possibility of sponsorship.'' Kuo said.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from