“It’s very difficult for me to judge [the status of human rights] from outside the country, but I think everybody would recognize that Taiwan is much freer than most countries in Asia,” he said. “[As is the case with other democratic counties,] students are often in the vanguard of movements for civil freedom, [and] you have a vibrant democracy here.”
“If governments do not respond to public concern, in the end they are voted out of office. And that must be [Ma’s] choice how far he responds,” he said.
Watson said the delegation also talked with local politicians about opening up of government procurement policy to European countries, the issue of death penalty and the issue of visa waiver.



