Senate Foreign Relations Committee Passes “WHO For Taiwan” Bill

On April 29, 2004, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed legislation (S2092), concluding: The Secretary of State is authorized to—

(1) initiate a United States plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of the World Health Assembly in May 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland;

(2) instruct the United States delegation to the World Health Assembly in Geneva to implement that plan; and

(3) introduce a resolution in support of observer status for Taiwan at the summit of the World Health Assembly.

(c) REPORT- Not later than 14 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to Congress in unclassified form describing the action taken to carry out the plan described in subsection (b).

The bill was introduced on February 12 by the following 11 Senators: George Allen (R-VA), James Inhofe (R-OK), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Trent Lott (R-MS), Richard Durbin (D-IL), George Voinovich (R-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Kit Bond (R-MO).

The bill will now move to the full Senate for consideration.

Senator George Allen (R-VA), who is leading the “WHO For Taiwan” effort in the Senate, stated upon passage of the bill: “It would be tantamount to medical malpractice to exclude Taiwan from participation in the assessment, treatment and cure of the world’s dangerous diseases.” (See: below for transcript Press Release.)

According to FAPA President Ming-chi Wu, Ph.D.: “Right before he left China earlier this month, WHO Director General Lee made the comment that he does not welcome Taiwan’s participation in the WHO. Soon thereafter, SARS reared its head in China. With Taiwan’s geographic proximity to China, Taiwan can not be excluded from the WHO any longer. It is high time that the WHO let Taiwan in next month.”

擔憂SARS重返台灣之際，美參院外委會通過法案，支持台灣參與世衛

正當中國出現多起SARS可疑疫情的病例，導致全台再度陷入SARS警戒之際，美參議院外交委員會於今日通過第2092法案，支持台灣以觀察員的身分參與下個月中旬，即將於日內瓦召開的的世界衛生組織大會。

第2092法案是由維吉尼亞州，也是參議院台灣連線共同主席之一的艾倫（George Allen, R- VA）參議員所引進，並獲得11位參議員的連署。這11位參議員當中並包括另一位參議院台灣連線共同主席強森(Tim Johnson, D-SD)，以及已經退出角逐爭取民主黨提名的總統候選人李柏曼(Joe Lieberman, D-CT)參議員。其他參與連署的議員們分別為：James Inhofe (R-OK), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), 　Trent Lott (R-MS), Richard Durbin (D-IL), George Voinovich (R-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Kit Bond (R-MO)。

艾倫參議員今天在新聞稿裡也表示：「將台灣排除在世界醫療體系外，阻絕他們參與如SARS等各種危險疾病的評估、治療與防治工作，這樣的作法如同是草菅人命。」

FAPA會長吳明基表示：「自1999年參議院每年引進WHO議案以來，今年是有史以來原始提案人(original cosponsors)人數最多的一年。數位非參議院台灣連線成員的參議員也一併加入今年的連署行列，證明了參議院對於台灣參與世衛的廣泛支持。」吳明基接著表示：「在世衛執行長李鍾郁才前腳離開中國，並在臨行前發表不歡迎台灣加入世界衛生組織的談話，中國接者就爆發出SARS疫情的報告。疾病無國界，台灣無法幸免於SARS再度登台的可能性之外。台灣沒有繼續再被拒絕在世衛大門之外的道理。世衛應該在下個月即將召開的大會上，正視台灣申請參與世衛的議題，儘速讓台灣加入世衛，成為全球醫療體系的成員之一。」

今天在參院外委會通過的法案與日前眾議院通過的第4019號法案，兩院版本雷同。預計參議院全院將在近期通過第2092號法案。

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The post Senate Foreign Relations Committee Passes “WHO For Taiwan” Bill appeared first on Formosan Association for Public Affairs.

House Unanimously Passes “WHO For Taiwan” Bill

Today, the House unanimously passed WHO for Taiwan legislation (HR4019) on the suspension calendar with 416 to 0 votes “authorizing the U.S. Secretary of State (1) to initiate a United States plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of the World Health Assembly in May 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland; (2) to instruct the United States delegation to Geneva to implement that plan; and (3) to introduce a resolution in support of observer status for Taiwan at the summit of the World Health Assembly.

The bill will now go to the Senate and after Senate passage, it will be forwarded to the President for a signature and thus become an Act.

FAPA President Ming-chi Wu, Ph.D. states: “Now that WHO Director General Lee when in Beijing has said that it will be difficult for Taiwan to participate in the WHO this year, assertive U.S. action is crucial.”

眾議院無異議通過支持台灣參與世衛法案　

眾議院在今日以416票對0票，高票通過第4019號法案，支持台灣世衛觀察員的身份。第4019號法案主要在授權國務院在今年五月的世衛大會上應有一套執行計劃，具體協助台灣以觀察員的身份參與世界衛生組織大會；而美國參與世衛大會的代表並應在世衛大會召開時實施這樣的計劃。法案最後並要求國務院在此法案通過後的十四天之內，就美國如何協助台灣一事向國會呈交書面報告。

值得特別注意的是今年法案裡有一頗具創意的作法：台灣連線建議國務院在今年五月的世衛大會上，由美國代表團（而非以往台灣友邦）引進支持台灣世衛觀察員身份的決議案。除了前述創意性的提議外，今年的法案並加入了禽流感(Bird Flu)與嚴重急性呼吸道症候群(SARS)等文字，以突顯出在疾病無國界的情況下，台灣被世衛排除在外的不合理與不通人情。

台灣人公共事務會長(FAPA)吳明基教授表示，「參議院可望在近期內通過類似的法案，並交付總統簽署。根據報導，世界衛生組織執行長李鐘毓在近日訪問中國時，曾經表示他不支持台灣申請參與世衛組織。李鐘毓的言論更加突顯出美國在下個月即將於日內瓦召開的世衛大會上，以實際行動帶領其他國家，具體協助台灣參與世衛的重要性！」

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The post House Unanimously Passes “WHO For Taiwan” Bill appeared first on Formosan Association for Public Affairs.