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Local Kiwanis club applies to have Taiwan in its name

Executive officials of the Republic of China District of the association Kiwanis International yesterday applied to have the group's formal name changed to the Taiwan District of Kiwanis International.

District Governor Chou Hsiu-chen (周繡珍) and Secretary-General Wu Wen-liang (吳文樑), who will be sworn in as the next governor in October, called on Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) to make known the group's intention to have its designation changed to reflect reality and cope with international situations.

According to Chou, Kiwanis International has been pushing the chapter to change its name under pressure from Beijing, which asked that the Republic of China District of Kiwanis International be changed to "Taiwan, China District of Kiwanis International."

Kiwanis International headquarters told the Taiwan club that it had better change its name by itself. This prompted Chou and other executive officers to change the district organization's name, but not to the name that Beijing had ordered, Chou said.

There have been various noises about the name change since the executives began to talk about the issue in March this year, Chou said, adding that Taiwan Kiwanis members finally reached a consensus on the issue recently, after the recent launch of the "Call Taiwan Taiwan" movement nationwide.

Kiwanis was founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1915. The name Kiwanis comes from an old American Indian term meaning "we make ourselves known." The club's motto is "We Build."

Kiwanis is an international organization of 86 district clubs for professional men and women who are interested in community service. Kiwanis members support community projects and are active in public affairs and work to promote international understanding. They also give career guidance and sponsor youth activities.

The Kiwanis Taipei club was founded in 1967.
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