The organizers of the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally yesterday held hands once again along with several non-governmental organizations to call on the World Health Organization (WHO) to grant Taiwan observer status in the health body.
Meanwhile, the WHO stated that the new accreditation procedures which will bar Taiwanese reporters from the upcoming World Health Assembly (WHA) were not created under Chinese influence.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
accreditation
While the office responsible for the accreditation process, the UN Department of Public Information, stated on Tuesday that reporters holding Taiwanese passports would not be granted press passes to the WHA, department official Katherine Segli yesterday further said that the newspaper also had to be headquartered in a UN member state for accreditation.
According to Segli, if the journalist seeking accreditation holds a passport from a UN member state but writes for a newspaper headquartered in Taiwan, then accreditation could not be granted.
At the same time, a Taiwanese passport is grounds for the rejection of accreditation application, no matter which publication the journalists work for.
In light of the new policies, several political leaders cautioned that excluding Taiwan from the WHO was "health apartheid."
"Infectious diseases will not stop at Taiwan's borders, nor will infectious diseases be confined to Taiwan," chief organizer Ng Chiau-tong (
The Feb. 28 Hand-in-Hand Rally saw the formation of a 500km human chain to symbolize the protection of Taiwan from Chinese missiles.
"Many people say that gaining observer status for Taiwan is a `mission impossible,' but the 228 rally was mission impossible as well. But it was accomplished in the end," said Lin Shih-chia (
Ng said that Taiwan's population surpassed that of at least three-fourths of the WHO members.
Linking hands
Raising linked hands, the 228 Hand in Hand Rally planners said in unison, "Say Yes to Taiwan, Say No to China."
According to the Medical Professionals' Alliance, a total of 71 people representing at least 10 organizations will be heading for Geneva to support Taiwan's bid.
Representatives including Presidential advisor Chen Lung-chu (陳隆志) and General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan Reverend William J.K. Lo (羅榮光), departed for Europe yesterday in a last-minute effort to garner support for Taiwan's application for observer status.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) also said yesterday that several media groups, including the Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU), said they support the accreditation of Taiwanese reporters.
policy changes
Recent policy changes made public on Tuesday by the UN Department of Public Information on the accreditation process to obtain press passes for covering the WHA will bar Taiwanese passport holders from entry into the assembly building.
While WHO spokesman Iain Simpson yesterday said that China had not had a hand in creating the new regulations, MOFA spokesman Richard Shih (
Shih also said that it does not bode well for Taiwan that this year's WHA president hails from Pakistan, a country that has traditionally been supportive of China's policies and that could turn the vote against Taiwan.
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