Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, who is in Taiwan for a four-day visit, and former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday reflected on the legacy of human rights advocate and former Czech president Vaclav Havel and the shared democratic values of Taiwan and the Czech Republic.
Speaking at the opening of the “Vaclav Havel Dialogues: Human Rights and Responsibility in a Changing World” seminar, held in Taipei and named after the late president, Tsai said she had a personal connection to Havel, having met him at a Forum 2000 conference in Prague in 2004, of which he was one of the event’s founders.
Later the same year, Havel visited Taiwan and shared stories of the Czech Republic’s democratic development, Tsai said.
Photo: George Tsrong, Taipei Times
Havel, who was elected president of Czechoslovakia and later became the first president of the Czech Republic, inspired people around the world to strive for freedom, dignity and democracy, she said.
“His message resonated deeply with many in Taiwan, who saw in Czechia’s experience a reflection of our own democratic journey,” Tsai said. “In Taiwan, as in the Czech Republic, we believe that the people should have a powerful voice in shaping our collective future and should be afforded the dignity, freedom and human rights that democracy protects.”
Vystrcil said the Czech Senate, Taiwan and Havel are symbolically connected, because this year marks the 30th anniversaries of all three.
Photo: CNA
In 1996, Taiwan held its first direct presidential election, highlighting its “definitive transition from authoritarian rule to democracy,” he said.
The same year, Havel delivered his famous speech, “Europe as a Task,” during which he called for a united Europe to serve as a global inspiration for shared democratic values, Vystrcil said.
The Czech Senate was also formally established in 1996, he added.
Vystrcil, who is on his second visit to Taiwan — the first being in 2020 during Tsai’s presidency — said it was important for his country, Taiwan and all free countries to address the shared task at hand.
“I am convinced that in today’s world, resilience and security are more important than immediate profit or the lowest possible price,” he said.
Havel died in 2011 at the age of 75.
The half-day event was jointly organized by National Chengchi University, the Czech Center Taipei and Sinopsis.
The seminar was held to mark what would have been Havel’s 90th birthday and brought together figures from public life and the academia to reflect on the enduring relevance of his legacy, the organizers said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
MULTIPRONGED APPROACH: China has sought to pressure Palau across a number of fronts, but the island nation has staunchly resisted overtures to ditch Taiwan Palau has been firm in backing Taiwan despite Chinese pressure that uses tourism economics, cyberattacks and criminal infiltration as tools to threaten the Pacific ally into renouncing its recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign state. The Presidential Office yesterday announced that Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) would visit Palau from Saturday to Wednesday next week at the invitation of Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. Whipps in April said in an interview that China had outspokenly asked Palau to “denounce Taiwan.” “And we have said: ‘We have no enemies, but nobody tells us who our friends are,’” he said. Whipps has told reporters multiple times
RSS