Taiwan’s fate is the fate of democracies around the world, Human Rights Foundation president Thor Halvorssen said yesterday during a meeting with Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃).
Halvorssen is leading a delegation of foundation members to participate in the Oslo Freedom Forum, which is to take place in Taipei tomorrow.
Taiwan is an independent democratic republic and a “beacon of hope” for the world, as it transformed from a country under the control of a dictatorial regime to one of the most successful democracies in the world in just a short period, Halvorssen said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Taiwan is proof that ethnic Chinese are able to live in a free environment, he said.
The world can learn so much from Taiwan, so it is regrettable that China tries to block its contributions using every means possible, such as by controlling the media and imposing economic sanctions, Halvorssen said.
Authoritarian regimes, whether it be the Chinese Communist Party or those on the Korean Peninsula or in Latin America, perceive freedom as a threat to themselves, so they aim to eliminate it, he said.
Halvorssen said that he hoped to deepen ties with Taiwan during the trip and explore the possibility of setting up an office in the nation to cooperate with Taiwanese civic groups.
You called for unity among democracies the world over to curb the expansion of authoritarianism and safeguard democracy, freedom, peace and stability for future generations.
Beijing’s ambition to expand its territory was evident in its “standard map” released in August, which marks Taiwan, the South China Sea islands and disputed areas between China and India as its territory, You said.
You lamented the world’s gradually shrinking democratic landscape, saying that of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, one has launched a war and another has violated human rights.
Taiwan has experienced colonial rule and 38 years of martial law, he said, adding that Taiwan’s fight against authoritarianism laid the foundation for it to become the first modern democratic country in the Chinese-speaking world.
Although Taiwan is not yet a member of the UN, it has been countering the expansion of authoritarianism through legislation, You said.
The Legislative Yuan has passed six of the nine UN core international human rights instruments, as well as an amendment to the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法) in May to bar those who violate internationally recognized human rights from entering Taiwan, he said.
Agencies are working on legalization related to issues such as the prohibition of torture and the protection of migrant workers to meet international human rights standards, he added.
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
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Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry