A law banning forced organ harvesting should be enacted, lawmakers across party lines said yesterday ahead of International Human Rights Day today.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) held an international news conference at the legislature in Taipei with other legislators and civic groups to propose the enactment of a law to combat and prevent forced organ harvesting, saying it continues to occur in countries such as China and Cambodia.
Taiwan should use its power to “stop the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party” by establishing stronger laws and regulations to prevent organ harvesting, which is a cruel act “despised by the whole world,” Hsu said.
Photo: CNA
Teresa Chu (朱婉琪), a lawyer and chair of the Universal Declaration on Combating and Preventing Forced Organ Harvesting Advisory Committee, said that some Taiwanese colluded with foreign crime organizations to lure people in Taiwan to Cambodia, where they were forced to undergo organ harvesting.
Many Taiwanese went to China to engage in the organ trade for fast organ transplants, she said, adding that some doctors even assisted in illegal organ transplant operations there.
A law banning forced organ harvesting is “desperately needed,” she said.
Taiwan Association for International Care of Organ Transplants Huang Chien-feng (黃千峰), a doctor, said that China lacks organ donation regulations, but has a huge stock of organs from living bodies, 90 percent of which are from death-row inmates.
It is believed that inmates’ organs would be removed without anesthesia, and they would then die from the operation, he added.
There is a huge gap between the number of people being sentenced to death and the number of liver and kidney transplants performed in China, he said.
The organs were most likely taken from Falun Gong members, Uighurs or political prisoners, he added.
DPP Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) said that the atrocities should be condemned, and she called on the public to pay attention to the issue.
New Power Party Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) advocated the proposal, as there might be social repercussions from Taiwanese being forced to undergo organ harvesting or receiving organ transplants in China.
DPP Legislator Lai Su-yueh (賴素月) said that a “global legal net” should be created to punish and prevent crimes through information exchanges among countries.
Many people have fallen victim to forced organ harvesting in China, which is thought to have been happening for more than a decade, DPP Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said, adding that parties should work together and prioritize the law’s enactment.
DPP Legislator Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) said that the world is “building legal firewalls” to prevent such atrocities.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
RSS