Lion's Club fights for ROC

A Taiwanese branch of the Lion's Club International called on the organization's headquarters to assure Taiwan's right to use the country's official name -- the Republic of China -- and raise its national flag at a global gathering next month. "The headquarters should not yield to Beijing's pressure and ask a loyal member to suddenly change its name," Multiple District 300 representative S. M. Lee said, adding that his office even received an "unreasonable hint" from the host country, Japan, earlier that the ROC Lion's Club would have to change its name to Chinese Taiwan Lion's Club to remain in the international body. Multiple District 300 has used the ROC name for more than 50 years. It has about 35,000 members. "Desperate to invite the potential 500,000 members from mainland China to join in the worldwide social club," Lee said, "the Lion's Club International decided to bow to Beijing and downgrade the ROC's name to `China, Taiwan,' which is completely unacceptable." Furious at the club's decision, Lee said members in Taiwan will fight for the branch's basic right.