For Immediate Release
Washington DC – June 9, 2011
Contact: (202) 547-3686
U.S. Senator Sends Letter To WHO Protesting “Province Of China” Memo
Expressing support for Taiwan’s full membership
On June 2nd 2011, US Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sent a letter to World Health Organization (WHO) director general Margaret Chan expressing concern about the internal memo which recently became public in Taiwan, in which the organization instructed its institutions to refer to Taiwan as “province of China.”
In the letter, Senator Brown stated that by implying that Taiwan is a “province of China” the WHO “…is going beyond its mandate as the world global health authority and is in violation of US policy.”
Senator Brown added: “I am concerned that the WHO has unwittingly entered into dangerous political waters that are contrary to its mission and detrimental to its goals. The WHO is not a political authority within the UN and should not act as such.”
The Ohio senator, who has long advocated Taiwan’s full membership in all international organizations, including the United Nations and the WHO, concluded: “As a strong supporter of your organization I have always believed that the WHO is a universal organization and that it should therefore open its doors to all members of the world community, including Taiwan.”
FAPA President Bob Yang commented in a reaction: “”Senator Brown is hitting the nail right on the head: the WHO internal memo is not in keeping with the basic principle of universality for which the WHO should stand. It relegates Taiwan to a secondary status as a subsidiary of China, which is a violation of US policy as laid down in the Taiwan Relations Act.”
Dr. Yang added: “The memo has brought to light the fallacy of the approach by the Ma Ying-jeou administration in Taiwan to participation in international organizations. In 2009, it presented its observership as a major “breakthrough”, but now we find out that it came at the cost of Taiwan’s sovereignty as a free and democratic nation.”
Dr. Yang concluded: “We hope that both the WHO and the US government will from now on adhere to the basic principle of universality and support Taiwan’s full membership in international organizations. Taiwan is a free and democratic nation and deserves to be treated like all other nations in the world.”
美參議員致函世衛組織 抗議「中國省份」密件
對台灣成為正式會員表支持
美國俄亥俄州民主黨參議員布朗（Sherrod Brown, OH-D），於2011年6月2日致函世界衛生組織幹事長陳馮富珍女士，就最近在台灣揭露的世衛內部密件，指示相關單位稱呼台灣為「中國的省分」乙事，表達抗議。
信中，參議員布朗表示，世衛組織將台灣暗指為「中國的省分」，「超過了其身為世界衛生機構的權限，並違反了美國的政策。」
他並指出：「我擔憂，世衛組織在不知情的狀況下，進入了危險的政治水域，違背其任務及對推展其目標不利。世衛組織非聯合國之下的政治機構，也不應涉及相關事務。」
來自俄亥俄州的參議員布朗，一直以來都支持台灣，在所有國際組織中獲得正式會員資格，包括聯合國及世衛組織。他在信末表示:「身為世衛組織的強力支持者，我總相信世衛組織是一個普世的組織，也因此，它應該要對這個世界村的所有成員表示歡迎，包括台灣。」
台灣公共人事務會會長楊英育對此表示：「參議員布朗的話一針見血:世衛組織的內部密件違背其應該代表的基本普世原則。它將台灣貶為次等的地位，成為中國的省分之一，而這違反了美國政策中的台灣關係法。」
他並補充：「這份備忘錄將台灣馬政府在台灣參與國際組織上使用的謬誤方法，顯露出來。2009年，馬政府將台灣獲觀察員的，為『重大進展』。但現在我們發現，這是以自由民主國家台灣的主權去換來的。」
楊會長最後指出：「我們希望，世衛組織及美國政府從今以後遵守基本普世原則，並支持台灣在國際組織的正式會員資格。台灣是一個自由民主的國家，值得擁有與其他國家平起平坐的待遇。」
