TT: Will the US and Japan take supportive action for Taiwan at the WHA?
Twu: This is a diplomatic matter. The answer will not come until the last moment.
TT: How much help have the WHO experts actually contributed to the control of SARS?
Twu: Personally, I am very happy they have come to help us. Their arrival highlighted the WHO'S mistake of not coming to Taiwan earlier to help us. The WHO has no duty to help Taiwan because we are not one of its members.
On the other hand, as we are not one of its members, we have no duty to report our SARS cases to it, either.
But it would be very dangerous if we did not report our cases to the WHO. If we did not report to the WHO, wouldn't the world have cause for serious concern?
TT: Many countries suffered from China's cover-up of its SARS outbreak. In recent years, southern China seems to have become a breeding ground for diseases, such as the bird flu and SARS. Should the WHO make regulations to force countries to cooperate on disease control so as to prevent similar situations?
Twu: The question has been hotly debated. But the truth is, the WHO does not have any power over a sovereign country.
RSS