A plan to expand Taiwan’s international space and win it observer status in the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) was boosted on Thursday.
The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations unanimously passed a bill directing US President Barack Obama and the US Department of State to develop a strategy to assist in the goal.
“Taiwan’s inclusion in appropriate international organizations is important for Taiwan, important for the United States and important for the entire international community,” said Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the committee.
The bill has already been passed by the US House of Representatives and is expected to win unanimous Senate approval in the coming weeks.
Washington sources said that the bill was welcomed by the State Department, where diplomats are to work to gain support for Taiwan among other Interpol members.
“The State Department supports Taiwan as an observer at Interpol and I believe quick Senate action is warranted,” Cardin said.
House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific Chairman Matt Salmon said earlier that the bill would help Taiwan to protect the safety of its citizens by combating criminal activity through access to Interpol’s global police communications systems.
Interpol has 190 member nations and is the world’s largest police organization.
“With the rise of terrorism throughout the globe, not allowing Taiwan independent and easy access to Interpol is an unnecessary and dangerous risk,” a recent opinion piece in the Washington newspaper The Hill said.
Taiwan was a full member of Interpol starting in 1964, but lost its place in 1984 when China became a member.
It is not known how China will react to the US effort to gain observer status for Taiwan in Interpol, but it is possible that Beijing might try to block it.
In other developments, the State Department on Thursday announced that special envoy for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people Randy Berry would visit Taipei next week for talks with government and other officials.
“He will discuss efforts to strengthen the global commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of LGBTI people,” the department said.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
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