Researcher named L'Oreal Laureate
　

BECAUSE SHE'S WORTH IT: Jacqueline Whang-Peng was recognized for her lifetime achievement in cancer research and her contributions to Taiwan in medicine
　

By Meggie Lu
STAFF REPORTER
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008, Page 2
　

"Science requires brains and dexterous hands and is therefore a good field for girls to enter."－Jacqueline Whang-Peng, Taiwan-L'Oreal Outstanding Woman Scientist laureate

Director of the National Health Research Institutes' Division of Cancer Research Jacqueline Whang-Peng (彭汪嘉康) was yesterday named as the first laureate of the L'Oreal Taiwan Outstanding Woman Scientist Award in Taipei for her lifetime achievement in cancer research and her contribution to Taiwan in the field of medicine.

Whang-Peng will represent Taiwan in March when she attends the L'oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award ceremony in Paris, France.

The L'oreal-UNESCO Award is widely considered the "Women's Nobel Prize" in the science field and was established in 1998 to laud the achievements of women scientists, "who are under-represented for their achievements," said the founder of the award, 1971 Nobel Prize Laureate Christina De Duve upon its establishment.

This year, the L'Oreal Taiwan Outstanding Woman Scientist Award, its Taiwanese-spinoff, was founded collaboratively by the Wu Chien-shiung Education Foundation and L'Oreal Taiwan, "since Taiwan is not a UN member, but the country contains many outstanding female scientists worthy of recognition," L'Oreal Taiwan's CEO Alvin Hew (丘泰謙) said.


The Wu Chien-shiung Education Foundation was founded by four Nobel Prize Laureates, Yang Chen-ning (楊振寧), Lee Tsung-dao (李政道), Ting Chao-chung (丁肇中) and Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), in memory of one of Taiwan's greatest female physicists, Wu Chien-Shiung (吳健雄), in 1995.

Upon graduating from National Taiwan University (NTU) Medical School in 1956, Whang-Peng became the first female surgical intern in Taiwan, an achievement that contributed to her receiving a National Outstanding Female Youth Award in 1968, said Academia Sinica Academician Wu Cheng-wen (吳成文) at the award ceremony. Wu nominated Whang-Peng for the award and is a long-time research partner and friend.

Whang-Peng later completed her residency in the US, Wu said.

"One cannot always plan one's life," Whang-Peng told the audience.

After finishing her residency, Whang-Peng was originally offered a job at the Tufts University Affiliated Hospital, she said.

"I asked my then future supervisor to postpone my start date by one week because I was getting married." she said. "They told me that since it would be difficult for me to tend to the busy schedule required, I need not return to the hospital."

As such, Whang-Peng went into the field of medical research, and, between 1960 and 1993, was a research fellow at the US National Health Research Institute, she said.

Being a pioneer in cancer genetics, cytogenetics and therapeutics, she has so far authored more than 365 publications; her research in tumor cell chromosomal alternations earned her the Arthur Flemming Award in 1972, making her the first female and foreign recipient in the history of the award, she said.

"What drove me to go on in my research was constantly reminding myself how I could help cancer patients," Whang-Peng said.

When she returned to Taiwan in 1993, the quality of local cancer care lagged behind US standards by about 15 years, Wu said.

Whang-Peng led a team of researchers to promote basic molecular genetic research and basic mechanism of carcinogenesis, and worked closely with US cancer expert, Paul Carbone, in training young clinical oncology researchers, physicians and nurses -- the trainees later became local experts in the field, Wu said.

In addition, Whang-Peng actively promoted cancer prevention in the country, and introduced the "five-a-day [fruits and vegetables]" concept to Taiwanese, Wu said.

"Science requires brains and dexterous hands and is therefore a good field for girls to enter," Whang-Peng said.

"I earnestly invite more women to join the field; though I did not become an affluent surgeon, I was rewarded with a lot more in my research -- with continuous hard work, support from others and a bit of luck, I trust that there will be more successful women scientists in this country," she said.

Hsieh's promptings force Ma onto back foot over green card
　

By Shih Hsiu-chuan
STAFF REPORTERS
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008, Page 3

Chinese National Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) last night made a public declaration on television in response to his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rival Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) demands that he disclose who in his family was a US green card holder.

Earlier yesterday, Ma had publicly denied having a green card, saying that "no members of his family possessed one."

In the declaration yesterday evening Ma said because his eldest daughter, Lesley Ma (馬唯中), was born in the US while he and his wife were studying there between 1974 and 1981, she had dual citizenship.

"However no other members of my family possess a US passport, not myself, my wife, or my youngest daughter, nor have we applied for one," he said.

Ma did admit that during his stay in the US he applied and obtained a green card, around 1977, in order to get student loans and employment after graduation.

He said that he ceased using his green card in the late 1980s and had applied for visas via the American Institute in Taiwan when traveling to the US, which "by American law, would be seen as giving up the green card."

"Both my wife's and my green card became invalid this way; my younger daughter, on the other hand, has never had a green card," he said. "Since both myself and my wife have given up our green cards for more than 20 years, when I was asked about it yesterday, I naturally said that I did not have a green card."

Earlier in the day, when he was approached for comment in Tainan, Ma said: "I've already answered the question and today's newspapers also ran stories with my response. No one in my family has a green card."

Ma then urged Hsieh to respond to a question he asked on Sept. 29 regarding why Hsieh could not urge the government to immediately allow direct cross-strait transportation and investment from China.

Ma said he always responded to Hsieh's questions quickly, while Hsieh failed to reciprocate.

Earlier yesterday Hsieh had raised the green card issue again.

"[Whether you have a green card] is such a simple question. Why can't Ma answer the question in person? If Ma lied about this, he should drop out of the election," Hsieh said.

Hsieh raised the same question on Sunday as he registered his candidacy, but it was Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦), a Ma camp spokesman rather than Ma who provided a response.

At a press conference held to declare his clean politics election platform, Hsieh persisted in questioning Ma, saying he would pursue the issue until Ma had provided a response.

"I didn't question Ma about the green card for no reason. Maybe he has spent the past two days trying to find a way with his lawyers to have the card revoked," Hsieh said.

"Ma keeps saying he is closely bound to the fate of Taiwan. If a presidential candidate holds a US green card or is able to apply for dependent status, it would be just like wearing a life jacket. His pledge was merely pretense," Hsieh said.

Later yesterday, after Ma had rebutted the allegations, Hsieh asked Ma to specify the date since when Ma and his family members had not had US green cards.

"Did Ma mean that he never owned a green card, doesn't have a green card now, or that his green card has been revoked?" Hsieh said.

Hsieh said his campaign office had obtained information from different informants and would make it public once it had been verified, adding that some of the information provided "quite detailed information," including the card numbers.

Meanwhile, Hsieh vowed to set up an independent government agency, modeled on Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption if elected.

Hsieh said he would also push for the passage of a series of "Sunshine laws" to create a clean political climate and advocate judicial reform.

PRECIOUS FIND Customs officers check a consignment of ivory discovered in Kaohsiung County yesterday. PHOTO: HUANG HSU-LEI, TAIPEI TIMES

Statesmen debate democracy's future
　

WORKING TOGETHER: Former South Korean president Kim Young-sam stressed the importance of maintaining friendly relations with regional neighbors and `old friends'
　

By Jenny W. Hsu and Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTERS
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008, Page 4
　

Collectivism contradicts human nature because it erases individuality, but a lack of prosperity and security could entice people to abandon democracy and revert to communism, two former East European leaders said last week at a forum in Taipei.

Former Romanian president Emil Constantinescu and former Polish president Lech Walesa were among the five former heads of state invited to speak on the challenges faced by the world's emerging democracies.

Both presidents are recognized for their achievements in combating Soviet-era communism and promoting democracy in their countries. Their efforts have been credited as the catalyst for the East European "wave of democracy" in the 1980s.

Other former leaders who attended the forum with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) were former South Korean president Kim Young-sam, former El Salvadoran president Francisco Flores Perez and former South African president Federick de Willhem.

Walesa, who received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 for his struggles for workers' rights in Poland, stressed that people would waver in their democratic beliefs if governments failed to provide a sound legal framework and economic prosperity after the promise of a better life following the fall of communism.

Walesa said the sustainability of a democratic society must be equipped with a set of comprehensive laws that safeguard the rights of the people, provide education to help people understand how to invoke the law and have the ability to "fatten people's wallets."

"Democracy leads to predictability which ultimately leads to global stability," he said.

Constantinescu, a former geologist whose four-year presidential stint was overshadowed by much opposition and an uncooperative legislature, agreed that only the adherence to democratic values could ensure the continuation of a free society.

The "rule of law" is the most crucial element in democratic sustainability, and the people must be fully convinced of the values of democracy in order to abandon their utopian vision of communism, Constantinescu said.

Intellectual elites and government leaders must educate people to understand what they are sacrificing and why their unselfishness is necessary to create peace and harmony, he said.

He went on to say a civil society that is inclusive and tolerant of diversity, is important in a democratic country because "it is a guardian of the people's rights."

However, he warned against the dangers of pseudo-freedom that in reality is only a cover-up for oligarchy, citing freedom of the press as an example.

"The number of media outlets in a country cannot be representational of the country's level of freedom if the government still has an overwhelming control over the industry," he said.

In an interview following the conference on Friday, Kim said cooperation -- whether on a regional or domestic level -- was the key to normal political development.

"When I was president, I faced an opposition in the parliament that tried to boycott everything the government wanted to do -- but an opposition leader and I managed to cooperate on certain issues," Kim said. "It's the nature of party politics that different parties hold different views, but it's important for parties to work together when necessary."

Kim also stressed the importance of keeping friendly relations with neighboring countries and "old friends" even when under political pressure.

"[South] Korea should not exclude the possibility of developing friendly relations with neighboring countries," and that includes Taiwan, he said.

Kim said that at his 80th birthday celebration, "I could have invited diplomats from the US, Russia or China," but he only invited the representative from Taiwan.

"This shows how much I treasure the ties between Taiwan and [South] Korea," Kim said, despite the fact that Kim was serving as president when South Korea switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

Kim said that since he was so well received by former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev when he visited the then Soviet Union as an opposition leader, he invited Gorbachev to visit South Korea when he was elected president.

"The Russian president at the time, Boris Yeltsin, was opposed to it and asked me not to meet with Gorbachev. I still invited Gorbachev to South Korea and met with him," he said. "I was on friendly terms with both of them."

However, Kim showed no compromise to communist regimes.

"Decades ago, there were a lot of communist countries around the world. Today, there are only a few -- such as North Korea, China, Cuba, and Vietnam," Kim said. "I believe they will eventually collapse. Going toward democracy and freedom is the trend."

Kim also admitted that unconditional aid programs to North Korea during his and his successor Kim Dae-jung's presidencies were a mistake.

"It was North Korea's fault that economic hardship resulted from its policies, so our aid programs were meaningless," he said. "One of the consequences is that people in South Korea became less aware of the danger of the communist regime. Then, whatever we sent in only went into the pockets of North Korean senior officials -- the ordinary people did not benefit from it at all."

Aussie Aborigines to get apology
　

SAYING SORRY: Thousands of Aboriginal children, mostly of mixed descent, were taken from their parents over four decades as part of an attempt to force assimilation

AFP , SYDNEY
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008, Page 5

The Australian government will take the historic step of offering a formal apology to Aborigines "as early as possible" in the new parliament, Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin said yesterday.

Center-left Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd came to power in November, promising to foster reconciliation and reverse the previous conservative government's refusal to apologize for past injustices.

Speaking to reporters in Melbourne, Macklin refused to confirm a report that the apology would be given at the opening of federal parliament on Feb. 12.

But she said an apology to Aborigines, including the so-called "stolen generation" taken from their families as children, was imminent.

"We do want to make the apology as early as possible in the new parliament, but we want to complete the consultations first," Macklin said.

Thousands of Aboriginal children, mostly of mixed descent, were taken from their parents over four decades up to the 1970s and adopted or put into foster care or institutions as part of an attempt to force assimilation.

Macklin refused to elaborate on what the apology would include, but said she was consulting widely and it was designed to be a "bridge to the future."

"What is important here is to do everything we can to really see this as a positive way forward for the nation," she said. "We want it to be above politics, we want to make it as positive as possible."

Macklin also dismissed criticism that a formal apology could lead to claims for financial compensation, saying all state governments had already issued apologies and had not suffered any legal ramifications as a result.

The government is opposed to establishing a national compensation fund although the state government of Tasmania last week approved millions of dollars in compensation for members of the "stolen generation."

The conservative opposition, which under former prime minister John Howard's leadership steadfastly refused to offer an apology, said the government should focus on addressing Aboriginal disadvantage as its first priority.

Indigenous Australians are the country's most disadvantaged group with significantly lower life expectancy than other citizens and many living in impoverished camps where unemployment, alcoholism and violence are rife.

"Whatever the attitude of Australians towards this generation apologizing for things done by earlier generations, you really have got to ask yourself is this the highest priority for the Australian parliament?" opposition leader Brendan Nelson said.

Helen Moran, who co-chairs the National Sorry Day Committee, said an apology was not about laying the blame for injustice at the feet of the Australian public.

"There is no need for blame or shame in regards to this," she told Sky News.

Co-chair of the Stolen Generations Alliance Christine King said members felt very emotional about the possibility of a national apology.

"The apology is about healing for us, but I speak to many non-indigenous Australians who say it's also important for them because what happened to stolen generations is part of the Australian story," she said in a statement.

Australia's original inhabitants were marginalized after the first British settlers arrived in 1788 and now number just 470,000 out of a total population of approximately 21 million.

Turning the legislative loss around
　

By Jason Liu 劉進興
Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008, Page 8

`Except for the suggestive word "returning," the KMT-backed referendum is not contradictory in any significant degree to the DPP-proposed referendum on joining the UN using the name "Taiwan." Supporting both referendums doesn't violate any core DPP values.'

With the presidential election and voting on the two UN referendums almost upon us, the public must not only choose a leader but also decide whether either or both of the referendums will pass.

Neither the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) nor the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) can withdraw their sponsored referendums -- nor should they -- because doing so could mean losing votes in the presidential election.

In fact, the KMT doesn't even have to launch a boycott. This time, it can just remain silent and its supporters will follow the precedent of the legislative elections and refrain from voting in the referendums, thus invalidating them.

The DPP's original plan was to use the UN referendum bid to suggest that KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) doesn't love Taiwan. That way, even if the referendums were to fail, it would still be beneficial for the DPP. Unfortunately, the blow suffered by the DPP in the legislative polls was too heavy and the UN referendum bid no longer commands as much leverage in the presidential election.

If the UN referendums fail, China will turn on its propaganda machine and the international community will think that the people of Taiwan support unification with China. In an op-ed piece in the Liberty Times (Taipei Times' sister publication) on Sept. 2 last year, I proposed that the DPP call on its supporters to support both UN referendums to guarantee that at least one of them passes.

After the DPP's defeat in the legislative elections, this proposal is even more relevant.

The KMT proposed a referendum on returning to the UN using the name "Republic of China" (ROC), or "Taiwan," or any other practical title that would uphold the country's dignity.

Except for the suggestive word "returning," the KMT-backed referendum is not contradictory in any significant degree to the DPP-proposed referendum on joining the UN using the name "Taiwan." Supporting both referendums doesn't violate any core DPP values.

DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) has proposed that both the pan-green and pan-blue camps support both referendums. This shows his serious concern for Taiwan's future.

If Ma refuses the proposal, he might lose supporters.

If Ma were to agree to Hsieh's proposal, it would improve the public's impression of him. But if the referendum were to pass, most of the credit would go to Hsieh. The situation is different than when the UN referendums were first proposed, and making this concession will get the public's attention and benefit Hsieh.

If Ma did win the presidential election, either of the two UN referendums would act as a restraint on him from pursuing eventual unification.

This reasoning shows that supporting both referendums would not harm Hsieh. However, this does not constitute a political conspiracy. It is instead conducive to Taiwan's future, and thus hard for Ma to turn down.

If the DPP and the KMT join forces to support both referendums and make them both pass, the domestic and international views on Taiwan's sovereignty would be clarified. Even if China went on a rampage as a result, there's not much the US could do about it.

The KMT would be forced to return to the pro-localization ground. Although the DPP has lost an opportunity to put the KMT in its place, it is also being pressured to change its tactics as a result of facing a decisive battle with the KMT on domestic political issues.

Only by transforming and focusing on domestic politics will the DPP be able to tackle the new single-member district, two-vote electoral system and maybe even turn the current troubles into a presidential election win.

Jason Liu is a professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology.