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2012 ELECTIONS:
Overseas media switches focus to Taiwan¡¦s elections
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff Reporter
In the run-up to the Jan. 14 presidential and legislative elections, an overseas
Taiwanese group urged international bodies, governments and non-government al
organizations to send observers to Taiwan to ¡§observe, ensure and certify¡¨ a
free election and transfer of power.
¡§We urge that the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, Japan,
other concerned governments and non-governmental organizations send observers to
[the election in] Taiwan,¡¨ the Greater New York Region Overseas Taiwanese Pen
Club said in a statement.
The group recently issued an urgent declaration on the election, in which it
urged ¡§a peaceful transfer or maintenance of government power¡¨ after the
election and ¡§condemned any attempts at creating social and political upheavals
that will provide pretexts for Chinese political and military interventions.¡¨
¡§We urge that the [presidential and legislative] elections of Jan. 14, 2012, be
truly free and independent. We strongly oppose any outside interference and
threats, especially those from China,¡¨ the statement said.
Journalists from foreign media outlets and international academics interested in
cross-strait relations and democracy are gearing up to report on or observe the
first ever combined top-level elections in the country, government officials
said yesterday.
According to the Government Information Office (GIO), between 500 and 600
foreign journalists have signed up to cover the event, fewer than the
presidential election four years ago, but more are expected to submit their
registration requests after the New Year holiday.
Owing to budget constraints, the number of foreign reporters and academics on
election observation missions sponsored by the government is lower than in the
past, said a GIO official who wished to remain anonymous.
However, he said he expected many academics would be -involved in the election
at their own expense.
At the invitation of various government and affiliated agencies, the Association
of Asian Election Authorities, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Guatemala and
the Washington-based Community of Democracies, a global intergovernmental
coalition of democratic countries, will observe the election first hand, along
with other US think tank leaders, including Douglas Paal, vice president for
studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former director of
the American Institute in Taiwan, and Alan Romberg, director of the East Asia
program at Stimson and a former US Department of State official.
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