Su Ih-jen scores small victory at SARS talks

The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday put "Taiwan" in front of Center for Disease Control Director Su Ih-jen's (蘇益仁) official title on his badge for the organization's Global Conference on SARS in Kuala Lumpur.

Su addressed as "Dr. Su Ih-jen, Director of Center for Disease Control, Taiwan" on his badge, whereas the other two Taiwanese invited to the meeting only had their names and institutions on their badges.

Su Taiwan's delegation to the two-day SARS conference in Malaysia. The conference begins today.

Prior the conference, government sources said the WHO might not put Taiwan on any of the delegates' badges in order to prevent sovereignty disputes between China and Taiwan.

When asked whether there were any implications of the WHO's gesture, Su said: "I don't want to think too much about this."

The other two Taiwanese experts are Ho Mei-shang (何美鄉), an Academia Sinica researcher, and PFP Legislator Kao Ming-chien (高明見).

Registration the conference began yesterday. Su, Ho and Kao obtained their badges after registration.

The Taiwanese delegation, however, does not recognize Kao as a member of their team.

WHO contradicted each other yesterday when they commented on the agency's decision to invite Taiwanese experts to the conference.

Hitoshi Oshitani, a WHO adviser on communicable diseases for the Western Pacific Region, told the Associated Press that the organization invited Taiwanese experts with China's agreement.

However, Dick Thompson, spokesman for the WHO, told reporters the organization's decision to invite Taiwanese experts was completely "unaffected" by China.

Kao, identified as a professor from National Taiwan University on his badge, said he will be joining today's morning session entitled "National Response." China has been invited to speak at the session, but not Taiwan.

Kao speculation that China may introduce him as one of its delegates to the session.

"So far I have not seen any of the delegates from China," he added.

When asked how he would respond if his seat in the conference is arranged among the Chinese delegates, Kao said the conference did not arrange seats for participants.

Noting is not a speaker but an invited participant, Kao said he will be joining group discussion but will not report at the conference.

Meanwhile, Su and the Taiwanese delegation held a press conference yesterday afternoon at the conference venue, the Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel, to explain developments in the nation's SARS outbreak.

At the press conference, Su explained the country's measures to contain SARS and said the WHO's invitation of Taiwanese experts to attend the conference is a big step in Taiwan's bid to join the WHO.

A half-page advertisement for Taiwan's bid to join the WHO, with the caption "Who is not in the WHO," appeared yesterday in the New Straits Times, Malaysia's second-largest English newspaper.

The Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan, a lobby group for the country's WHHO bid, placed the advertisement.

The group's efforts to place advertisements met opposition from China, according to Lin Shih-chia (林世嘉), executive director of the foundation.

Star, another English-language newspaper in Malaysia, refused to accept the advertisement due to pressure from China, Lin said.