Ten non-governmental organizations (NGOs) announced yesterday that they have joined the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), an international civic movement aimed at promoting peace.
"GPPAC is perhaps the largest peace-building organization in the world. Wars are usually initiated by a nation's government, which the people have no control over. How-ever, being the global citizens we are today, civilians should have a voice about wars," said Chien Hsi-chieh, executive director of Peacetime Foundation of Taiwan.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The anti-Iraqi war movement in 2003, Chien pointed out, was a good example of an anti-war movement that lacked in overall organization and structure, as most of the activities occurred online.
As a result, although the anti-war voices of civilians were strong, they had little impact on a government's decision to wage war.
GPPAC was formed in response to the call by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2003 for a worldwide conflict-prevention community.
Other groups that joined GPPAC include the Awakening Foundation, Taiwan Security Research Center, Taiwan Labor Front, Taiwan Environmental Protection Union, Alliance for Peace Homeland and Youth Rights Alliance.
Philip Yang (
"GPPAC operates according to the concept of `human security,' where the ultimate goal is not the security of a country, but the safety of individuals," he said.
According to Yang, one example of a successful security movement promoted by NGOs was the anti-landmine campaign in 1997. Every country in the Northeast Asia region, with the exception of North Korea, has joined this movement.
This region alone, the 10 groups said, makes up one-quarter of world's population and encompasses several sensitive military issues and post-war problems such as the conflicts between the two Koreas, Pyongyang's nuclear threat, cross-strait relations, Japan-Russia territorial issues and the Tiaoyutai Islands dispute between Taiwan and Japan.
Akira Kawasaki, a member of the executive committee of Japan's Peace Boat and a representative of GPPAC Northeast Asia region, said the security of one country affected the rest of the region.
"It is like a chain reaction. For instance, if North Korea decides to ratchet up its military armament, then Japan is going to follow suit," he said.
GPPAC representatives from Northeast Asia are scheduled to meet in Tokyo next month to set a regional agenda. According to Chien, cross-strait relations has been an off-limits topic at previous meetings with China's GPPAC members, but it might be brought up in future conferences.
"We look forward to having a sit-down dialogue with China's civic groups to resolve cross-strait conflicts by peaceful measures," Chien said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
RSS