AIDS still a major concern
A recent report said more than 450 grandmothers from 12 African countries were compelled to raise their grandchildren alone because the children’s parents had died of HIV/AIDS. (“Grandmothers from all over Africa hold summit on AIDS,” May 5, page 6).
AIDS in South Africa is a matter of great concern. A BBC report mentioned that “AIDS has now reached epidemic levels in South Africa; one in five of the population is living with HIV. In the townships, it’s thought the figure is far higher; possibly as high as 70 percent in some areas.”
A large number of African people are HIV-positive and most of them eventually die of AIDS, especially in South Africa. More than half of females are infected with AIDS when they are about 25. The severest sadness is many African babies and children die of AIDS before the age of five.
“Every day almost 10,000 Africans are infected with HIV/AIDS,” the BBC report said.
As the South African government has come under criticism for the high death rate of babies and young children, the government has begun to focus on the AIDS crisis. AIDS is a major public health concern for the whole world. We should bring love to Africa just like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been doing. Love is important; African people need love from people worldwide.
More importantly, what Africa truly needs is proper education for all. Governments worldwide should help African governments educate their people about sexual attitudes, correct behavior and AIDS-related knowledge.
As the 63rd World Health Assembly is in session in Geneva this month, it is imperative that the WHO focus its agenda on the AIDS crisis. Failure to successfully cope with this epidemic might spark another global health crisis in the future.
MELODY WU
Taipei
Misguided priorities
An article in Wednesday’s paper clearly revealed the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) political priorities (“Legislators approve laws on trade and environment,” May 19, page 3).
The newly passed Environmental Education Act (環境教育法) obliges government officials and staff to take four hours of environmental protection classes each year.
Four hours? If this almost-nothing commitment is not evidence enough, a series of recent environmentally disastrous decisions, including the development of one of Taipei’s last green areas (the 202 Munitions Works), shows the environment is at the bottom of the KMT’s priorities.
High on its priority list, however, is the increasing use of draconian laws, including the suggestion by KMT Legislator Yang Li-huan (楊麗環) to keep offenders convicted of sexually assaulting children behind bars for a minimum of 20 years without parole or sentence them to life or the death penalty without the possibility of a pardon. This is inexcusable pandering to public opinion.
First, it would extend the death penalty to a crime in which nobody died. Second, sexual assault lends itself to wrongful convictions even more easily than other crimes (“When death penalties go wrong,” May 19, page 8), because, unless convictions are based on hard physical evidence, testimony by outraged parents and suggestible children can easily convict someone who is innocent.
Finally, Yang’s comment that she “would rather put aside the offenders’ human rights to protect children’s human rights” shows a regrettable misunderstanding, because human rights belong to all, not just those deemed good and virtuous. Such ill-advised statements reveal a dangerous attitude whereby human rights can all too easily be “put aside” for offenders and troublemakers, including political ones.
Yang should take a few introductory classes on human rights in addition to her four hours of environmental education.
BRUNO WALTHER
Taipei
In an article published in Newsweek on Monday last week, President William Lai (賴清德) challenged China to retake territories it lost to Russia in the 19th century rather than invade Taiwan. “If it is really for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t China take back Russia?” Lai asked, referring to territories lost in 1858 and 1860. The territories once made up the two flanks of northern Manchuria. Once ceded to Russia, they became part of the Russian far east. Claims since then have been made that China and Russia settled the disputes in the 1990s through the 2000s and that “China
China has successfully held its Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, with 53 of 55 countries from the African Union (AU) participating. The two countries that did not participate were Eswatini and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, which have no diplomatic relations with China. Twenty-four leaders were reported to have participated. Despite African countries complaining about summit fatigue, with recent summits held with Russia, Italy, South Korea, the US and Indonesia, as well as Japan next month, they still turned up in large numbers in Beijing. China’s ability to attract most of the African leaders to a summit demonstrates that it is still being
Trips to the Kenting Peninsula in Pingtung County have dredged up a lot of public debate and furor, with many complaints about how expensive and unreasonable lodging is. Some people even call it a tourist “butchering ground.” Many local business owners stake claims to beach areas by setting up parasols and driving away people who do not rent them. The managing authority for the area — Kenting National Park — has long ignored the issue. Ultimately, this has affected the willingness of domestic travelers to go there, causing tourist numbers to plummet. In 2008, Taiwan opened the door to Chinese tourists and in
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Thursday was handcuffed and escorted by police to the Taipei Detention Center, after the Taipei District Court ordered that he be detained and held incommunicado for suspected corruption during his tenure as Taipei mayor. The ruling reversed an earlier decision by the same court on Monday last week that ordered Ko’s release without bail. That decision was appealed by prosecutors on Wednesday, leading the High Court to conclude that Ko had been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and it ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Video clips
RSS