Sat, May 31, 2003 page8

• Letters

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  Declare reality

  Taiwan doesn't need to declare independence. Anyone who thinks for himself will know that Taiwan is a de facto independent country and has been for more than 50 years. But, I think an international declaration of reality would definitely be in order. Just stick to the facts and declare the situation to be as it truly is, two separate nations, independent of each other.

  This could be a two step process. First, declare a reality check. Then, once all the smoke has cleared away, after China has settled down, then change the country name, flag and national anthem, if desired.

  Declare reality, and then take it to the world through whatever means or forum necessary.

  Shervin Marsh

  Ilan County

  Call it like it is

  I read your editorial ("Beijing plays the bully at the WTO," May 27, page 8) regarding China pressuring the WTO to downgrade Taiwan in their membership and news coming from Taiwan and other sources.

  I think this is the time for the government to consider changing the name of the country from the Republic of China to "Taiwan" or "Formosa," whatever is acceptable to the people of Taiwan. Remove any reference to "China," since this is the source of troubles between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait It is so funny and rather strange that Taiwan still has China in its name. If China is declaring only "one China," Taiwan can also declare that there is only one Taiwan. Let us settle this matter once and for all.

  To change the name would imply so many political issues, but Taiwan is a sovereign country, so its people should not be afraid to stand on principle and declare the country's official name to be "Taiwan," not China, not the ROC, nor any other name. Please wake up the people of Taiwan. Be brave and go this route. This is the time to say so.

  Yoshiko Tio

  Houston, Texas

  Referendum, yes

  Surely, if East Timor can hold a referendum, Taiwan can too ("Let's make room for a referendum on the WHO," May 25, page 8). Beijing will oppose the idea -- as Indonesia did -- but that did not keep the UN from recognizing the will of the people of East Timor.

  Invite the UN to Taiwan's referendum, as an observer or supervisor, whichever role it wants to play. If the UN rejects taking a role, then it will have plenty to explain. Can China, with its seat on the UN Security Council, trample the human rights of its own citizens and those of neighbors? Or perhaps it is that the only thing the UN respects is power and those with power can determine who deserves human rights? Or perhaps they want to deny certain people such as the Taiwanese the right to self-determination? Is the UN Charter only for those "selected" or "privileged?"

  Health, security or food, the Taiwanese have the same rights as citizens of other countries to all those. China can't deny it, the UN can't deny it. The most important thing is that Taiwan-ese do not deny themselves these rights.

  Chen Ming-Chung

  Chicago

  Don't panic

  The SARS epidemic rampaging through Taiwan has not only caused the loss of life but the decline of the economy. Those who live in Taiwan should do their best to curb the spread of the disease. Unfortunately, the deterioration of SARS epidemic frustrated the people.

  One may ask why did these things happen? The situation was the result of a combination of bureaucratic mentality and inefficient policy-making by the government.

  There were some SARS cases in Taipei Hoping Municipal Hospital in early April, but some upper-ranking medical personnel didn't report the cases to Taipei's Bureau of Health due to their concern about keeping the hospital operating. That fueled the outbreak of SARS.

  The government underestimated the number of masks and protective gear needed by hospitals, leading to a large number of medical personnel becoming cross-infected. Many of these people were not trained to fight SARS.

  The government didn't take immediate steps to cut ties with China when SARS initially appeared.

  The government allocated its anti-SARS effort to several hospitals rather than send all SARS patients to dedicated and well-equipped facilities. This policy was inefficient and hazardous because there was not enough negative-pressure wards in most hospitals. That was also why SARS couldn't be well contained.

  SARS is not the plague, which caused millions of deaths during the Middle Ages. We shouldn't overly panic about it. What is important for us is to have an optimistic attitude while facing it and to take positive measure to curb it.

  Edward Chu

  Taipei
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