Taiwan WHA application thwarted for the 12th time
　

By Jenny W. Hsu
STAFF REPORTER, WITH AGENCIES
Wednesday, May 21, 2008, Page 1

Despite the election of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), China has shown no sign of easing its grip on Taiwan’s international space, as the nation’s 12th consecutive attempt to gain a seat in the World Health Assembly (WHA) failed on Monday.

The WHO’s highest decision-making body ruled to delete Taiwan’s application from the assembly agenda.

All of Taiwan’s previous attempts since 1997 were foiled by Beijing, which claims to have sole health jurisdiction over Taiwan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it was “regrettable” that the WHO refused to discuss Taiwan’s observer status application, but expressed gratitude to Taiwan’s friends, including the US, for their support of the bid.

During Monday’s afternoon plenary session, China teamed up with Pakistan to block Taiwan’s entry, while Taiwanese allies Gambia and Palau vouched for Taiwan’s medical contributions to the world and urged the WHA to stop neglecting the Taiwan’s 23 million people.

Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu (陳竺) told assembly members that “the Chinese government has always been concerned about the health of the Taiwanese compatriots and is willing to do its utmost to protect the health rights of the people in Taiwan.”

Chen alluded to the massive multimillion dollar donation that the Taiwanese government and the public made to the Sichuan earthquake relief fund.

“The kinship between mainland Chinese and the residents of Taiwan has not changed and will not change,” Chen said.

Chen added that since May last year, Beijing has launched a series of initiatives to arrange direct communications between the WHO and Taiwan as part of the International Health Regulations 2005 — an assertion that former Taiwanese minister of health Hou Sheng-mou (侯勝茂) rebutted.

“No such thing has taken place,” Hou said.

As in past years, Hou met US Secretary of Human and Health Services Michael Leavitt in a closed-door meeting.

In the 45-minute meeting, Hou reportedly gave Leavitt a brief introduction of his successor — Lin Fang-yu (林芳郁), a former president of the National Taiwan University Hospital

Leavitt refrained from answering questions on the prospects of Taiwan-US health collaboration under the new administration.

The US remained mum during the discussion, but released a statement later saying a way must be found to increase Taiwan’s participation in the global health system.

Since 2004, Washington has thrown its weight behind Taiwan’s WHA observer bid, but refused to waiver from its stance opposing Taiwan’s membership in any international organization that requires sovereignty in line with its “one China” policy.

“Without opportunities for participation in the WHO, Taiwan’s 23 million inhabitants have only restricted access to health alerts and public health programs to which they have much to contribute, and from which they could and should benefit,” the statement said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday it was regrettable that Taiwan’s “flexible and pragmatic” bid to be a WHA observer under the name “Taiwan” was again rejected by the assembly.

The freshly inaugurated Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration has previously said that Taiwan would adopt a more flexible approach on the name issue, including the option of using “Chinese Taipei” in all future bids for membership in international organizations.

Ma welcomed with song, dance
　

In addition to a spectacular series of performances by Taiwanese artists from different generations at the Taipei Arena, newly inaugurated President Ma Ying-jeou visited Kaohsiung for a state banquet

by Mo Yan-chih
STAFF REPORTER, IN KAOHSIUNG
Wednesday, May 21, 2008, Page 2
　

With a chant of "President Ma! President Ma!" resonating through the hall, more than 12,000 people packed the Taipei Arena yesterday morning to celebrate the inauguration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

The inauguration ceremony fea­tured a series of performances, ranging from a traditional hand puppet show and Chinese opera to hip hop.

The Formosa Aboriginal Song and Dance Troupe opened the ceremony with a traditional dance symbolizing a tribal prayer for the harvest and happiness.

Performers from the Diabolo Dance Theater wowed the audience by tossing around diabolos, a traditional Chinese juggling prop, on and off the stage, attracting deafening applause.

Other performing groups livening up the ceremony included U-Theater, a reclusive group of performers who combine elements of zen in their drumming performances, and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre.

Taiwanese pop stars from different generations, including Feng Fei-fei (鳳飛飛), Wu Bai (伍佰) and China Blue, Wang Lee-hom (王力宏) and Christine Hsu (許景淳), warmed up the crowd with some of their better known songs.
　

After the performances, cheers and applause rose from the audience as the swearing-in ceremony held at the Presidential Office was broadcast live on a big screen.

Ma and Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) entered the arena at 11am.

A 21-gun salute was fired outside the arena to honor the new president and vice president upon their arrival.

　

Ma’s inauguration speech also received rounds of applause, with some enthusiastic members of the audience shouting: “Go, go, President Ma!”

After the speech, Ma and Siew were joined by the performers onstage and waved their hands as they sang A Better Tomorrow at the end of the three-and-a-half-hour-long event.

Later yesterday, Ma and Siew accompanied a group of foreign guests on the Taiwan High Speed Rail to an inauguration banquet in Kaohsiung City.
　

Ma met former White House chief of staff Andrew Card and American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt on the train.

Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said Card presented Ma with a letter from US President George W. Bush congratulating him on his inauguration, while Ma gave Card a letter expressing his hope for continued US-Taiwan relations to the US president.

A crowd cheered and waved at Ma and first lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青) when they arrived at the High Speed Rail station in Kaohsiung.
　

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) led a group of students in chanting, “President Ma, welcome to Kaohsiung.”

Chen Chu accompanied Ma and his guests as they took the Kaohsiung MRT to the Grand Hi-Lai Hotel, where the banquet was held.

Chen later downplayed the implications of a dispute about seating arrangements at the state banquet last night.

Ma’s office had initially put Chen at Table 14 instead of at the host table, but after the city government lodged a protest she was moved to Table 3, where she joined Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) and Presidential Office Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏).

Chen said seating her at Table 14 might have given offense to Kaohsiung residents, as the mayor, in accordance with conventional practice, was always seated at the host table whenever the city hosted state dinners.

Patty Hou, a 25-year-old Kaohsiung resident, said she was excited to see the new president in Kaohsiung, and said she expected Ma to lead Taiwan to a better future.

Another Kaohsiung resident, Paul Chen (陳武吉), who was part of the crowd that welcomed Ma at the station, said he was happy to have witnessed a peaceful transfer of power.

“The new government brings us hope, and I hope that Ma won’t disappoint the people,” he said.

Outside the Kaohsiung MRT’s Central Park Station and the Grand Hi-Lai Hotel, however, some pan-green supporters protested against Ma and handed out pamphlets promoting independence and urging Ma to improve the economy.

The protesters were quickly dispersed by local police.

After the inauguration banquet, fireworks lit up the sky at the Kaohsiung Harbor’s “True Love Wharf,” accompanied by a performance by the Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra. Ma and his guests attended the 30-minute firework show before heading to a tea party at the Ambassador Hotel.

The National Police Agency yesterday deployed more than 8,000 members of the police force nationwide to ensure the new president’s safety.

Ma’s appeal to Beijing is naive, DPP says
　

By Flora Wang, Ko Shu-ling and Jimmy Chuang
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, May 21, 2008, Page 3
　

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday dismissed President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) proposal that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait put an end to decades of hostility, calling the idea wishful thinking.

Outgoing DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) described Ma’s inaugural address as “uninspiring.”

Hsieh expressed concern over Ma’s cross-strait policy, warning that it is naive to think “a tiger will not eat a rabbit if the rabbit sings and dances to entertain the tiger.”

After Beijing’s obstruction of Taiwan’s latest bid to join the WHO this year, Hsieh said it was unrealistic to think that China would assist and respect Taiwan’s bid to join any international organization.

The DPP will closely monitor the words and deeds of the new administration, he said, and will work to prevent any compromise on national sovereignty.

Hsieh also criticized Ma’s inauguration speech, saying it was unnecessary to dismiss the achievements of the DPP government and that Ma had insulted the 5.44 million people who voted for the DPP in the presidential election.

Speaking at a separate setting, DPP deputy caucus whip Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said Ma had highlighted the nation’s financial aid and relief supplies to China following last week’s earthquake, while failing to express any objection to China’s deployment of missiles against Taiwan and its obstruction at the WHO.

Kuan said Ma’s statement that there would be no revisions to the Republic of China’s Constitution under his administration indicated that the referendum and election systems would escape reform, allowing the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to maintain its position as the dominant party.

“This not only demonstrates the KMT’s egoism, but also signals a slowdown in Taiwan’s democratic development,” she said.

DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said Ma had failed to stress the nation’s sovereignty while addressing cross-strait relations during his inauguration speech.

The KMT caucus, meanwhile, lauded Ma’s address.

KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said Ma’s speech demonstrated his wisdom, tenderness and tolerance.

“I believe the world will feel that [this speech] represents a major improvement in cross-strait relations,” he said.

Wu shrugged off the DPP’s criticism of the speech, urging the party not to misinterpret the nation’s goodwill toward China by saying that the president had belittled Taiwan.

Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔), also caucus deputy secretary-general, said the content of the speech reflected Ma’s “pragmatic” stance on cross-strait issues.

“In contrast to the restricted cross-strait relations during Chen Shui-bian’s [陳水扁] terms, Ma has taken Taiwan’s dignity into consideration while showing goodwill to China [in the speech],” she said.

However, KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) was critical of Ma’s speech, saying that the content was not “penetrating” and “appealing” enough.

Chiu said Ma failed to touch on issues that have a direct impact on people’s lives, such as inflation and soaring commodity prices, nor how he intended to fulfill his campaign promises to achieve annual economic growth of 6 percent, boost per capita income to US$30,000 by 2016 and bring the unemployment rate down to 3 percent.

Meanwhile, Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) blasted Ma for not mentioning the rights of Aborigines in his inauguration speech, calling the new head of state indifferent to the subject.

“We suspect that Ma does not care about the Aboriginal community because [in his speech] he only thanked Hoklos for their support. We demand that Ma apologize for the 400 year-long oppression of the Aboriginal community by Han Chinese,” said Chin, a member of the Atayal tribe.

The tearful Chin said the Aboriginal community was sorely disappointed by Ma’s speech because “we had high hopes that he would not repeat the mistakes of the past administration by neglecting the rights of our people.”

More than 70 percent of Aboriginal voters supported Ma in the election, she said, “but it is obvious that Ma only has the economy in mind.”