China has done more than suppressing Tibet—it also denies press freedo

[loekwan]

In recent months, the international press has criticized the government of the People’s Republic of China for its violent suppression of lamas and peaceful demonstrators in Tibet and for trampling on human rights. As the International Press Freedom Day is coming, it is time for the international community to put a stop to another violation of human rights—the denial of press freedom to Taiwan that has come about due to political machinations.

Every year since 2004, the United Nations (UN) Department of Public Information has refused to issue press credentials to Taiwan’s journalists for the World Health Assembly (WHA), rendering them unable to cover that body’s annual meeting. The stated reason for the refusal is that Taiwan is not a member of the World Health Organization (WHO). This is a clear indication that the Taiwanese people’s health rights and their right to know are being violated on political grounds. This behavior also runs contrary to the global understanding that the UN is obliged to uphold justice.

Freedom of the press is a universal value that transcends politics. In democratic nations, journalists are seen as independent, not as representatives of their government or region. In democratic Taiwan, journalists are fully independent and autonomous. As a matter of fact, according to the US-based human rights organization Freedom House, Taiwan enjoyed the highest degree of press freedom in Asia. Regrettably, at the UN, the universal value of press freedom has not been respected. Despite its vow to safeguard human rights and protect press freedom, the UN, due to political considerations, has banned Taiwan’s journalists from reporting on WHA activities, preventing them from doing their duty to satisfy the Taiwanese people’s right to know.

Isn’t it sad that a democratic nation is consistently discriminated due to political intervention from the dictatorial regime in Beijing?