Washington D C - June 7th 2012 Contact: (202) 547-3686 US Representative calls for establishment of Congressional Taiwan Commission
WASHINGTON (June 7th 2012)-- On June 6, United States Congressman Robert Andrews (D-NJ) introduced HR 5902 legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to establish a "Congressional Advisory Commission on the Implementation of United States Policy under the Taiwan Relations Act." (See: attachment)
The bill calls for the appointment of a five-member commission to be named by the President and leaders of the House and Senate, for the purpose of producing an official report, within one year of convening its first meeting, on the implementation of the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) by the U.S. government since 2000.
Hewing closely to the language of the TRA, the legislation outlines the areas for review by the Commission, including:
- The sufficiency of defense articles made available to Taiwan by the United States - Current and potential threats to the security, social, or economic system of the people on Taiwan, and the extent to which the United States retains the capability to resist any resort to force…that would jeopardize the above
- Measures taken by the U.S. government toward the preservation and enhancement of the human rights of the people of Taiwan
- Policy options for the United States to advance toward a normalization of the relationship with Taiwan
The concept of a Congressional Taiwan commission follows from the testimony of Mr. Randall Schriver, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Project 2049 Institute, before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on June 16, 2011 in a hearing titled "Why Taiwan Matters." On that occasion Schriver highlighted the tendency of successive U.S. administrations to relegate relations with Taiwan to a "sub-issue in U.S.-China bilateral ties."
Schriver added: "Objective analysis is important because it remains the legal obligation of this administration to make weapons for self-defense available to our democratic friend Taiwan."
FAPA President Mark Kao, Ph.D. says: "The Taiwan Relations Act today stands as a model of legislative leadership in the history of U.S. foreign policy, yet Congress has yet to undertake a comprehensive review of TRA's implementation in the 33 years since its initial passage."
Dr. Kao continues: "There is increasing concern about whether the United States government is faithfully executing its obligations under the TRA, which after all is the Law of the Land. The establishment of an objective advisory commission, whose sole purpose is to examine the actual implementation of all of the provisions of the TRA, will contribute greatly to addressing this gap." |
眾議員呼籲成立眾議院台灣委員會
[2012年6月7日華府訊] 美國國會安德魯斯眾議員(Robert Andrews, D-NJ)於6月6日星期三，提出H.R 5902法案，於眾議院成立「國會監督委員會」，將在台灣關係法之下，審核美國政策執行效能(詳附件)。
該法案提議由總統、眾議院及參議院的領袖任命委員會的5位成員，並於首次會議後一年內，提出一份針對美國政府自2000年以來對台灣關係法執行效益的官方報告。
該提案與台灣關係法相呼應，提出委員會應審核的範圍:
- 美國提供台灣足夠的國防軍備 - 台灣人民在安全、社會及經濟制度上目前及潛在的威脅，及評估美國對上述威脅及武力行動的儲備力 - 美國政府協助維持並加強台灣人權的措施 - 提供美國與台灣關係邁向正常化的政策選項
國會台灣委員會的概念，來自2049計劃協會總裁薛瑞福在2011年6月16日於眾議院外交委員會聽證會「台灣為何重要?」上，所作出的證言。薛瑞福強調，美國政府似乎有把與台灣的關係降級定調為「美中雙邊關係之附屬議題」的傾向。
他補充:「客觀的分析是非常重要的，因為歐巴馬政府仍有法律義務，提供我們的民主盟友台灣防禦性武器。」
台灣人公共事務會會長高龍榮表示:「台灣關係法雖為美國外交政策歷史上，立法機構扮演領導角色的模範，但該法通過33年以來，國會卻從未全面性地檢視台灣關係法執行效益。」
他並指出:「越來越多的人憂心美國政府是否忠實地執行台灣關係法所條列的義務。畢竟，這條法規是為國家大法。此客觀的監督性委員會設立的唯一目的，即為檢驗所有台灣關係法法條是否確實執行，以大大地弭平這樣的疑慮。」
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Treatment of Chen is a national disgrace
in Taipei Times
By Frank Murkowski /
Thu, Jun 07, 2012 - Page 8
As a former governor of Alaska (2002 to 2006) and also having served for 22 years in the US Senate, I have a strong interest in US relations with East Asia. Within that context, Taiwan is a place close to my heart, because I personally got to know the two men who pushed Taiwan in the direction of democracy, former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Since that time, Taiwan has gone through some more cycles of change of government, which is an inherent part of a democratic system.
Indeed, in January, I headed the observer mission of the International Committee for Fair Elections in Taiwan (ICFET), an international group of 19 academics from eight countries.
Our report on our findings is scheduled to come out in the next few weeks and I can already say that our conclusion is that the elections were mostly free, but only partly fair. You can read more details when the report comes out.
However, my comments here are not about the elections, but about the overall direction of the country.
It is undoubtedly clear that Taiwan lives in the shadow of an aggressive neighbor, but it should not allow that to determine its future as a free and democratic nation.
Taiwanese have worked long and hard for their democracy, and they need to continue to work hard to preserve and nurture their freedom and liberty. This work needs to be done internally, when they assess the functioning of the system of checks and balances — the legislature needs to be a stronghold of democracy where people with vision look after the longer-term interests of their constituents.
Freedom and liberty also need to be nurtured in the judicial system.
Many observers say that the judiciary is still strongly influenced by the politics of the ruling party and that there is a strong need for judicial reform. The legal community needs to champion the democratic process in Taiwan.
This brings me to a very specific issue of injustice — the way Chen is being treated. I am not discussing whether he was or was not guilty — although a number of international observers, such as Jerome Cohen, question whether he received a fair trial.
I am specifically focusing on his need for adequate medical treatment and the conditions under which he is being detained.
Most recently, on May 23, Chen was allowed to go to Cheng Kung Memorial Hospital for only six hours. Doctors said that they would need much more time to treat him adequately and that the six-hour time span had been a “political condition” imposed by the authorities.
The right thing to do would be for the authorities to release him on medical parole.
The second aspect is the conditions under which he is being detained — a small cell, with no bed, chair or desk.
If he wants to write, he has to lie down on the floor. Such treatment is unconscionable and reminiscent of the Soviet Union more than 45 years ago, not Taiwan in 2012.
The least that needs to be done is to give him an adequate cell, with a chair, desk and regular bed. Like other prisoners, he should be allowed to work outside his cell in the daytime, engaging in some physical activity. Finally, he should have full access to his lawyer and comprehensive medical care.
Dealing with controversial issues like this is not easy, but a fair and humanitarian resolution is essential if Taiwan wants to be considered a full democracy, worthy of international respect.
Frank Murkowski is a former governor of Alaska and a US senator
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