Taiwan tells UN, `Stop `discriminating'

To keep a democracy of 23 million people outside of the UN is an act of discrimination by the world body against the citizens of Taiwan, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (高英茂) said yesterday.

"We sincerely call on the UN to heed the issue of the lack of representation of the 23 million people of Taiwan in the UN system," said Kau at a press conference yesterday afternoon that detailed Taiwan's 10th bid to open the door of the UN.

Taiwan, as a vibrant economy and democracy, should deserve certain representation in the world body, Kau said.

"Such a big entity of 23 million people has been excluded from the UN. How can the UN justify this fact morally and intellectually?" Kau questioned, terming Taiwan's exclusion as the world body's discrimination against the people of Taiwan.

In an unusually low-profile manner, Taiwan has started its UN bid this year, with 12 of its diplomatic allies having pledged to ask the UN to consider the issue of Taipei's representation in the world body.

Twelve of Taiwan's allies sent a joint letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan last Friday, demanding that the 57th UN General Assembly put the issue on the agenda as a "supplementary item," an official with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.

These countries are Gambia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Grenada, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, St. Vincent, Swaziland, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Chad as well as Sao Tome and Principe.

The controversy over President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) remarks on Aug. 3, when he said there's "one country on each side" of the Taiwan Strait, has prompted officials to continue the nation's UN bid in a muted way, fearing any high-profile move would be interpreted by critics as an intent toward independence, officials have said.