A key member of the government's President's Advisory Group on Human Rights (人權諮詢小組) confirmed yesterday that he had recently left the group, which is headed by Taiwan's feisty and controversial Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮).
Peter Huang (
"The group's purpose is to define the mission and status of the human rights committee [yet to be formed]. It is nothing more than an advisory group," Huang told the Taipei Times.
The 21 member advisory group was formed on Oct. 23 with the task of establishing a "National Human Rights Committee" and drafting a human rights covenant.
The establishment of the human rights committee and covenant have been long-standing ambitions of the DPP and human rights activists in Taiwan.
Huang denied, however, a local newspaper report which in addition to breaking the news of his departure claimed his letter of resignation was a "fiery and direct" missive aimed at Annette Lu, the convener of the group.
The report said that the letter was so harsh that Lu's executive officer in the advisory group was unwilling to let Lu read it.
That was an "awful piece of news reporting," Huang said, adding that the two letters which he had sent, one to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and another to Lu at the beginning of February, were "very matter of fact ... just as one colleague would send to another."
Huang did not say, however, in which specific instances his opinions differed from those of the group and its convener.
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