Dear FAPA member,
Hereby please find our press release on the joint letter, sent on November 8th 2010 by 16 Taiwanese-American organizations to former president Bill Clinton, who will be visiting Taiwan in mid-November.
Our President Bob Yang did an excellent job spearheading and coordinating this effort!
The text of the letter itself (both in English and in Hanji – translation by our own Jean Wu at FAPA-HQ!) is given below the press release.
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Formosan Association for Public Affairs
552 7th Street. SE. Washington, DC 20003, USA
Support Democracy, Support Taiwan
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Washington DC - November 10th 2010
Contact: (202) 547-3686
Sixteen Taiwanese-American Organizations Write To Former President Bill Clinton
Urging him to remain neutral during his Taiwan visit
On November 8th 2010, sixteen Taiwanese-American organizations sent a joint letter to former President Bill Clinton, who will be visiting Taiwan in mid-November 2010.
The organizations include all major Taiwanese-American groups, such as the Taiwanese Association of America, the North American Taiwanese Professors’ Association, the North American Taiwanese Women’s Association, and the North American Taiwanese Medical Association. It also includes international umbrella organizations such as the World Taiwanese Congress (WTC) and the World Federation of Taiwanese Associations. See below for the full text of the letter and list of signatories, both in English and in Hanji.
In the letter, the organizations urge the former president to remain “scrupulously neutral” during his visit, expressing concern that his statements may be misrepresented as endorsing the policies of the KMT administration of president Ma Ying-jeou.
The organizations point out that voters in Taiwan will cast their ballots on November 27th in hotly contested elections for the five major municipalities. “Many topics, such as the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement … have turned into sensitive campaign issues” , wrote the organizations.
The letter also states that during the past months, Taipei has frequently used foreign visitors to give the impression that its policies of accommodation with China have “reduced tension” across the Taiwan Strait. The organizations write: “In our view, this is a flawed and superficial argument. China lessened its threats only because the Ma administration has made Taiwan subservient. In fact, the number of missiles China targets at Taiwan has increased.”
The organization emphasize that they worked hard for Taiwan’s democracy, but that “…the Ma administration has drifted in China’s direction and deviated from the status quo that the U.S. traditionally advocates. This is at the great expense of freedom, democracy and human rights in Taiwan.”
The organizations reiterate that freedom, democracy and human rights are core U.S. values and urge the former President to speak out openly and forcefully for them while in Taiwan.
They conclude by lauding former president Clinton for his 2000 statements that Taiwan’s future must be resolved peacefully and with the assent of the people of Taiwan. They urge him to reiterate these remarks, saying this would contribute greatly to the right of the Taiwanese people to determine their own future, free from coercion by China.
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Dear President Clinton,
From press reports we understand that you will visit Taiwan during your Asia tour in mid November, 2010. As leaders of Taiwanese-American and affiliated organizations, we are delighted that you will bestow on Taiwan the high-profile attention it deserves. At the same time, we want to take this opportunity to raise an issue of concern to our community here in the United States as well as to our relatives and friends in Taiwan.
We are apprehensive that unwittingly your visit may be used by the Ma administration to score political points. Voters in Taiwan will cast their ballots on November 27 in the hotly contested five-municipality mayoral elections. Many topics, such as the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement recently concluded with China by the Ma administration, have turned into sensitive campaign issues. We appeal to you to remain scrupulously neutral. If a meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou is entertained, we hope you will also grant an audience to Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party.
Many of us fear that statements you make in Taiwan may be misrepresented as endorsing the policies of the Ma administration. During the past months, Taipei has frequently used foreign visitors to give the impression that its policies of accommodation with China have “reduced tension” across the Taiwan Strait. In our view, this is a flawed and superficial argument. China lessened its threats only because Taiwan has become subservient. In fact, the number of missiles China targets at Taiwan has increased.
As individuals who have worked hard for Taiwan’s democracy, we are distressed that the Ma administration has drifted in China’s direction and deviated from the status quo that the U.S. traditionally advocates, all at the expense of freedom, democracy and human rights in Taiwan. Reports from Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders attest to this fact. Freedom, democracy and human rights are core U.S. values. We request that you speak out openly and forcefully for them while in Taiwan.
We recall fondly that on February 24, 2000, you proclaimed the U.S. would “continue to make absolutely clear that the issues between Beijing and Taiwan must be resolved peacefully and with the assent of the people of Taiwan.” We implore you to reiterate that position. In so doing, you would contribute greatly to the right of the Taiwanese people to determine their own future, free from coercion by China. Thank you for your attention. We wish you Godspeed.
Sincerely yours,
1. Kang-Hou Wang, President
Dr. Kang-Lu Wang Memorial Foundation
2. Terri Giles, Executive Director
Formosa Foundation
3. Linda Lin, President
Formosan Association for Human Rights
4. Bob I. Yang, President
Formosan Association for Public Affairs
5. John Hsu, President
Friends of Taiwan, Inc.
6. Rev. Shang Nan Tsai, Chairman
National Taiwanese Presbyterian Council (U.S.A.)
7. Shyu-tu Lee, President
North America Taiwanese Professors' Association
8. Leanne Lian-Yuan Chiou, President
North America Taiwanese Women's Association
9. James Tu, President
North American Taiwanese Engineers Association
10. Norman Chiou, President
North American Taiwanese Medical Association
11. Ben Liu, President
Professor Chen Wen-chen Memorial Foundation
12. Chanchi Lee, President
Taiwan Hakka Association for Public Affairs in North America
13. Chung-nan Shih, President
Taiwanese Association of America
14. Susan Chang, President
World Federation of Taiwanese Associations
15. Susan Chang, Coordinator
World Taiwanese Congress
16. James S. Chen, Chairman
World United Formosans for Independence-U.S.A.
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克林頓總統 鈞鑒
我們從新聞得知，您將於今年11月中旬的亞洲行拜訪台灣。身為台美人及相關組織的領袖，我們很高興您將給予台灣應有的高規格關注。但在同時，我們也欲利用此機會向您傳達，我們在美國的社區及位於台灣的親朋好友們，共同的擔憂。
我們憂心，在您不知情的狀況下，馬政府將利用您的拜訪來為其政權加分。在11月27日，台灣的選民將在競爭熱烈的五都選舉，投下他們的一票。許多議題，如馬政府最近剛與中國簽訂的經濟合作架構協議(ECFA)，已成為敏感的選舉話題。我們呼籲您嚴謹地保持中立。如果您與馬英九總統會晤，我們希望您也能與民進黨的黨主席蔡英文女士會晤。
我們憂慮您在台灣的發言，將被錯誤解讀為替馬政府的政策背書。在過去的數月，台北經常利用外賓來使人感覺，其對中政策替兩岸「減少緊張狀態」。我們認為，這是有瑕疵及膚淺的說法。中國減少了對台灣的威脅，是因為馬政府下的台灣向其卑躬屈膝。事實上，中國對台灣的飛彈數目不減反增。
為台灣民主努力打拚的我們，看見馬政府犧牲了台灣的自由、民主及人權，向中國傾斜，也偏離了美國政府傳統上支持的維持現狀，實在令人痛心。自由之家及無疆界記者也證實了這些現象。自由、民主及人權為美國核心價值。我們敦請您在台灣的時候，公開地捍衛這些價值。
我們仍深深記得在2000年2月24日時，您聲明美國會「繼續清楚表態北京及台灣間的議題，必須以和平的方式來解決，也必須獲得台灣人民的同意。」我們懇請您再次重申該立場。如此一來，您將會替台灣人民在沒有中國外力介入下，自行決定他們未來的權利上做出極大貢獻。感謝您的關注，並祝您一路順風。
王康陸博士紀念基金會會長 王康厚
美國福爾摩莎基金會執行長 賈泰麗
全美台灣人權協會會長 林純容
台灣人公共事務會會長 楊英育
台灣之友會會長 許作初
美國基督長老教會台灣人教會聯合會主席 蔡尚南牧師
北美洲台灣人教授協會會長 李學圖
北美洲台灣婦女會會長 邱良媛
北美台灣工程師協會會長 塗百堅
北美洲台灣人醫師協會會長 邱義男
陳文成教授紀念基金會會長 劉斌碩
北美台灣客家公共事務協會會長 李常吉
全美台灣同鄉會會長 施忠男
世界台灣同鄉會聯合會會長 程韻如
世界台灣人大會召集人 程韻如
台灣獨立建國聯盟美國本部主席 陳少明
謹上
