（中央社記者周永捷華盛頓30日專電）近來有台裔美籍公民上網登記投票時，發現無法將自己的出生地列為「台灣」，只能選擇「中國台灣省」。美國聯邦眾議院外交委員會副主席柏曼要求加州州務卿修正這項錯誤。
台灣人公共事務會（FAPA）指出，過去幾週，許多居住在加州的台裔美籍公民嘗試上網登記投票時，發現無法將自己的出生地列為「台灣」，因為線上登記系統的選單中並未提供「台灣」的選項，而是將台灣列為「中國台灣省」，迫使台裔加州居民必須將他們的出生地填寫為「中國台灣省」。
對此，來自加州的民主黨籍眾議員柏曼（HowardBerman）致函加州州務卿鮑文（Debra Bowen），呼籲修正加州選民線上註冊系統中的錯誤。
柏曼在信中指出，加州州民的選舉登記期限將到期（5月15日），台裔美籍的加州公民若想要登記投票，勢必要在載有錯誤資訊的官方文件上簽署，才能登記投票。
柏曼表示，美國政府長久以來的政策一直將台灣稱為「台灣」；美國國務院、各聯邦機構及諸如美國郵政局等準聯邦機構都將台灣稱為「台灣」。他懇請加州州政府既然身為政府機構，也應該比照辦理。
1994年，柏曼就是推動立法，准許台美公民在美國護照中將出生地列為「台灣」而非「中國」的重要推手。1010430
美國僑胞選舉登記 出生地被迫填中國台灣省
美國總統大選在即，選民必須預先登記才可在選舉日當天參與投票，卻傳出有僑胞被迫登記為「中國台灣省」。
中央社引述FAPA報告指出，美國加州的僑胞在進行選舉登記時，出生地竟被迫寫成「中國台灣省」，美國外交委員會副主席柏曼還因此要求加州修正錯誤。我外交部北美司司長令狐榮達表示，會馬上要求更正，懷疑加州使用ISO的資料庫而誤植。
柏曼眾議員呼籲加州州務卿修正「中國台灣省」的稱呼
Support Democracy, Support Taiwan
For Immediate
Release
Washington D C - April 20th 2012
Contact: (202) 547-3686
State to drop “Province of China” ReferenceWASHINGTON (April 30th 2012) -- In a letter dated April 30,
2012, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs committee Rep. Howard Berman
(D-CA) called on the California Secretary of State to correct an error in its
online voter registration system that forces Taiwan-born California residents to
list their place of birth as “Taiwan, Province of China.”
In the past
weeks, numerous Taiwanese Americans in California tried to register to vote
online, but were unable to enter their country of birth as "Taiwan", because the
drop down menu for the internet-based voter registration system in California
does not allow for such an option. Instead, the system refers to Taiwan as
"Taiwan, Province of China."
Rep. Howard Berman caught wind of this and
wrote today to California Secretary of State Debra L. Bowen that: “With the
May 15 registration deadline quickly approaching for California voters,
Taiwan-born U.S. citizens in California will be unable to register to vote
without signing their name under an inaccurate statement in an official
government document.”
Berman continued: “It has been
long-standing U.S. policy that the U.S. government refers to Taiwan as ‘Taiwan.’
Federal and quasi-federal agencies such as Amtrak, the U.S. Postal Service, and
the U.S. State Department, all refer to Taiwan simply as “Taiwan.” He
concluded: “I would respectfully request that your office, as a government
agency, adopt the same terminology in reference to Taiwan.”
In
1994, Rep. Berman was the primary force behind US legislation allowing for
Taiwanese Americans to list "Taiwan" as their place of birth in their American
passports instead of "China."
In response, FAPA President Mark Kao, PhD
states: "Taiwanese Americans are very grateful to Congressman Berman for his
continued leadership in ensuring that Taiwan's sovereignty is not an issue with
which one can play politics.”
Dr. Kao concludes: "It is
incontestable reality that Taiwan is NOT a province of China. Taiwan is a
sovereign independent country with its own elected president, its own military,
legislature, stock exchange etc... If American citizens travel to Taiwan, the
Chinese embassy is unable to issue a visa to Taiwan. And vice versa: if American
citizens travel to China, the Taiwan representative in the United States is
unable to issue a visa for China."
柏曼眾議員呼籲加州州務卿修正「中國台灣省」的稱呼
四月三十日，美國眾議院外交委員會副主席—加州民主黨議員豪爾德˙柏曼 (Howard Berman, D-CA)
寄信呼籲加州州務卿修正該州選民線上註冊系統中的錯誤。該錯誤迫使台裔加州居民必須將其出生地填寫為「中國台灣省」。過去幾週，許多居住加州的台裔美籍公民嘗試上網登記投票時，發現無法將自己的出生地列為「台灣」，因為線上登記系統的選單中並未提供「台灣」的選項，而是將台灣列為「中國台灣省」。
柏曼眾議員獲知此事後於今日稍早寫信給加州州務卿黛博拉˙包雯 (Debra
Bowen)，信中寫道：「加州州民的選舉登記期限將屆（五月十五日），台裔美籍的加州公民若想要登記投票，勢必要在載有錯誤資訊的官方文件上簽署方能登記投票。」柏曼於信中亦提到：「美國政府長久以來的政策一直將台灣稱之為『台灣』。美國國務院、各聯邦機構及諸如美國國鐵或是美國郵政署等準聯邦機構都將台灣稱之為『台灣』。本人在此亦懇請貴單位，既為政府機構，亦應比照辦理。」
早於一九九四年，柏曼議員即為立法准許台美公民於其美國護照中將出生地列為「台灣」而非「中國」的大力推手。
台灣人公共事務會（FAPA）會長高龍榮博士說道：「台美人社團十分感激柏曼眾議員對於維護台灣主權不淪為政治操弄的犧牲品持續的努力。」
高博士總結道：「台灣不是中國的一省是不可否認的事實。台灣有其民選的總統、自己的軍隊及股票市場等。若美國公民要去台灣，中國大使館是無法發給台灣簽證的，反之亦然：若美國公民欲赴中國，台灣駐美代表亦無法發給其中國簽證。」
* * * * * * * * * * * * *Berman: “The Taiwanese-American community in California is proud of their
heritage and birthplace. It is unfair to force members of this community to list
‘Taiwan, Province of China’ as their country of birth when they register to vote
online, when their true birthplace is Taiwan. Our federal government uses the
term Taiwan and the state of California should do the same.”Valley Village, CA - U.S. Rep. Howard L. Berman wrote California Secretary of
State Debra Bowen today, asking that California residents born in Taiwan
registering to vote online be allowed to list their country of birth as Taiwan,
rather than Taiwan, Province of China as the system currently allows.“The Taiwanese-American community in California is proud of their heritage
and birthplace,” said U.S. Rep. Howard Berman. “It is unfair to force members of
this community to list ‘Taiwan, Province of China’ as their country of birth
when they register to vote online, when their birthplace is Taiwan. Our federal
government uses the term Taiwan and the state of California should do the same.”A longtime champion on this issue, Rep. Berman passed legislation allowing
Taiwanese-Americans to have “Taiwan” recorded as their birthplace on their
American passports. Berman authored H.R. 5034 along with then Rep. Olympia Snow
(R-ME) in September 1994 providing the U.S. Secretary of State the authority to
write Taiwan as the place of birth in a passport when requested by the applicant
who was born there. The bill passed and was signed into law. Until then, “China”
had been listed as the birthplace for Taiwanese Americans.In the letter to Secretary of State Bowen, Berman writes: “It has been
long-standing U.S. policy that the U.S. government refers to Taiwan as ‘Taiwan.’
Federal and quasi-federal agencies such as Amtrak, the U.S. Postal Service, and
the U.S. State Department, all refer to Taiwan simply as “Taiwan.” I would
respectfully request that your office, as a government agency, adopt the same
terminology in reference to Taiwan.”The Berman letter appears here.* * * * * * * * * * * * *Translated Text of April 30, 2012 Letter from Rep. Howard Berman
(D-CA) to California Secretary of State Debra L. Bowen:包雯州務卿：
此信是為表達我對一件選民註冊的問題以及對於「台灣」一詞使用方法的關切。近日得知加州州民於線上登記投票時，無法將其出生地輸入為「台灣」（Taiwan），因為註冊系統並未提供「台灣」這個選項，而是將台灣列為「中國台灣省」（Taiwan,
Province of China）。美國政府長久以來的政策一直將台灣稱之為「台灣」。美國國務院、各聯邦機構及諸如美國國鐵或是美國郵政署等準聯邦機構都將台灣稱之為「台灣」。本人在此亦懇請貴單位，既為政府機構，亦應比照辦理。
加州州民的選舉登記期限將屆（五月十五日），台裔美籍的加州公民若想要登記投票，勢必要在載有錯誤資訊的官方文件上簽署方能登記投票。有鑑於此事之急迫性，請您盡速修正這項錯誤，本人在此亦表感激之意。
豪爾德˙柏曼
外交委員會副主席
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