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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25,
2008
Contact: Iris Ho or Je-Chin Han,
President, North America Taiwanese
Professors’ Association
Taiwanese American Organizations Urge
President Bush Not to Attend Olympic
Games in China Over Taiwan, Tibet and
Human Rights
Over twenty Taiwanese American
organizations sent the following letter
to President Bush, urging him not to
attend the Olympic games in China and
expressing their deep concern over
Chinese government’s recent violent
crackdown in Tibet and China’s
increasing missile threat against
Taiwan.
FAPA President Bob Yang states, “Long
before this torch relay fiasco started,
China attempted to label the torch relay
route in Taiwan a domestic one rather
than an international one as it should
be. That action by China contradicts its
claim that sports should not mix with
politics.” Yang concludes, “As long as
China continues to disrespect human
rights abroad and at home, Western
leader should not reward such behavior
by gracing the Olympics with their
attendance.”
Below is the text of the letter:
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
April 24, 2008
Dear President Bush:
As leaders of Taiwanese-American and
allied organizations, we write today to
urge you not to attend the 2008 Summer
Olympic Games in China. We do so to
express our deep concern about the
brutal Chinese crackdown against the
peace-loving people of Tibet, and about
China's unending intimidation, now with
over 1,000 missiles, of the free and
democratic nation of Taiwan.
China
professes to be a responsible
stakeholder in the international
community and the Chinese leaders covet
the glory of staging the Olympic Games
in Beijing. However, the cruel
suppression of the protests in Tibet
should not be tolerated as "business as
usual." Your repeated calls for China
to enter into dialogue with the Dalai
Lama have all but fallen on deaf ears.
By attending these games, you would be
viewed as endorsing China’s appalling
policies toward Tibet and Taiwan. These
are policies antithetic to America’s
core values of freedom, democracy and
human rights. In the words of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, China is
carrying out “cultural genocide” in
Tibet. The United States must not be
seen as colluding in committing this
crime.
In his recent telephone conversation
with you, Chinese President Hu Jintao
demanded that, as a precondition for
Tibet-China dialogue, the Dalai Lama
accept “that Tibet and Taiwan are
inalienable parts of China.” Hu’s
behavior can only be described as
arrogant and imperialistic. Hu is a
dictator to be shunned, rather than an
enlightened leader with whom you should
share the stage in celebrating the
Olympics.
We believe that responsible heads of
state of the world should therefore not
attend the 2008 Summer Olympic Games as
long as China perpetuates its reign of
terror in Tibet and continues to
threaten Taiwan with the use of force.
Already several key European leaders
have announced their intention to
abstain from the opening ceremonies. We
urge you to make a similar declaration
now.
Respectfully yours*,
致
布希總統：
因為我們強烈關切中國殘忍對待愛好和平的西藏人民，以及中國使用超過一千顆長程飛彈無止境地欺凌自由民主的台灣，身為台裔美國人以及相關台裔友盟組織團體的領導(負責)人，我們強烈呼籲您不要參加二００八在中國舉辦的夏季奧運會。
雖然中國公開宣稱自己是國際社會肩負責任的成員,
而且中國的領導人盡情追逐奧運在北京登台的榮耀。但從其對西藏示威血腥鎮壓的角度來看，我們不認為這只是例行公事。如果前往參加奧運會，您將會被視為贊同中國對西藏與台灣的可怖政策，這樣將有違美國一向主張對自由民主人權的核心價值。引鑒達賴喇嘛的話來說，中國正在西藏實行”文化的大屠殺”，美國一定不能被認為是這項罪行的幫凶。
中國國家主席胡錦濤在最近與您的電話談話中，要求達賴喇嘛必先接受”西藏與台灣是中國不可分割的一部份”的預設條件才能展開西藏與中國的對話。胡的行徑只能以高傲霸。他是一個你必須極力迴避的獨裁者而不是一個您應該與之同台慶祝奧運的好領袖。
只要中國繼續在西藏境內的恐怖鎮壓以及使用武力威脅台灣，我們認為世界各國的重要領袖都不應該參加二００八在中國舉辦的夏季奧運會。有幾位歐洲的主要領袖已經宣佈他們不會參加奧運的開幕儀式，我們也強烈呼籲您能作相同的宣告。
此致
1.
Jack Chen, President
奧斯汀台灣研究社社長
陳春興
Austin Institute for Taiwan Studies
2.
Adam Huang, President
聰美基金會會長
黃聲弘
Chhong-Bi Memorial Fund
3.
Kang-Hou Wang, President
王康陸博士紀念基金會會長
王康厚
Dr. Kang-Lu Wang Memorial Foundation
4.
Terri Giles, Executive Director
Formosa Foundation
5.
Pearl Tang, President
全美台灣人權協會會長
王明珠
Formosan Association for Human
Rights
6.
Bob I. Yang, President
台灣人公共事務會會長
楊英育
Formosan Association for Public
Affairs
7.
Je-Chin Han, President
北美洲台灣人教授協會會長
黃界清
North America Taiwanese Professors'
Association
8.
Darice Lee, President
北美洲台灣婦女會會長
洪珠美
North America Taiwanese Women's
Association
9.
Jung Tsai, President
北美洲台灣人醫師協會會長
蔡榮聰
North American Taiwanese Medical
Association
10.
Ben Pin-Shuo Liu, President
陳文成教授紀念基金會會長
劉彬碩
Professor Chen Wen-chen Memorial
Foundation
11.
Josephine Pan, President
台灣優社社長
潘掬慧
Taiwan Elite Alliance
12.
David Lai, President
北美台灣客家公共事務協會會長
賴江椿
Taiwan Hakka Association for Public
Affairs in North America
13.
Stephen Chen, President
台灣團結聯盟美東總部部長
陳貞華
Taiwan Solidarity Union-East Coast
14.
Ma-chi Chen, President
北加州臺灣同鄉聯合會會長
陳媽及
Taiwanese American Federation of
Northern California
15.
Ron Shieh, President
全美台灣同鄉會會長
謝榮峻
Taiwanese Association of America
16.
Tzuhui Chen, Spokesperson
台灣學生社發言人
陳姿憓
Taiwanese Collegian
17.
Fred H. Wang, President
全美台灣客家會會長
王興富
Taiwanese Hakka Association of
America
18.
Peter N.P. Lo, President
世界台灣客家聯合會會長
羅能平
Taiwanese Hakka Association of the
World
19.
Susan Chang, President
世界台灣同鄉會聯合會會長
程韻如
World Federation of Taiwanese
Associations
20.
C.K. Kuo, Coordinator
世界台灣人大會召集人
郭重國
World Taiwanese Congress
21.
James S. Chen, Chairman
台灣獨立建國聯盟美國本部主席
陳少明
World United Formosans for
Independence-U.S.A.
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