Taipei Focal Point Report

for GPPAC NEA RSG Meeting

by PEACETIME Foundation of Taiwan GPPAC Taipei Focal Point Secretariat

5/7/2008, Tokyo

Time: 2007/06/23~24Location: National Taiwan University

A Forum on Cross-Strait: “Democracy and Peace” higher than “Unification and Independence”

Dialogue with scholars from HK and Macau; forming consensus among civil society on cross-strait peace; affecting government policies.

We argue that unification should be reached through democratic procedure, and independence should be reached without any consequence harmful to peace.

↑ Discussions on the Forum

← 2007/06/10 Press Conference

The discussion of the Forum has been widely covered by press.

The Peacetime Foundation also visited the two presidential candidates to express our ideas and the conclusion from the Forum.

Citizens’ Open

Forum: Peace

among Ethnic

Groups in Taiwan

7/14, 15, 22/2007

2007/07/14 、 15 、 22 held concurrently in Taipei and Tainan

Citizens’ “Open Forum”Citizens’ “Open Forum”

Issues discussed in the Citizens’ “Open Forum”

•Challenges and strategies for a peaceful cross-strait relations

•A more plural view on relations among ethnic groups in Taiwan

•Taiwan’s international position

2007/08/23 Press conference to release the conclusions of citizens’ open forum: Let the

presidential candidates hear from the citizens

※ The Foundation presented the conclusions of the Forum to the two presidential candidates.

GPPAC Taipei Community Symposium

held on 2007/07/24

Board members Pan, Wu, and Hsu shared their observations from the RSG in May and Asia Pacific Forum in June.

Board member Jau-hwa Chen introduced her GPPAC experiences and the five-year plan of Kum-kang Mountain meeting.

Board member Szu-chien Hsu reported GPPAC Pacific partners’ concern over the negative impact of the diplomatic war between Beijing and Taipei.

↑Sarcastic comic criticizing Taiwan’s “money diplomacy” in Taiwan’s press. 2006/05/06

A list of 27 NGO participants to the Symposium

• 台灣婦女團體全國聯合會 National Alliance of Taiwan Women's Associations• 喜瑪拉雅研究發展基金會 Himalaya Foundation• 普賢教育基金會 Puhsein Foundation• 董氏基金會 John Tung Foundation• 中華民國殘障聯盟 The League of Welfare Organizations for the

Disabled• 台灣綠黨 Green Party Taiwan• 台灣國際勞工協會 Taiwan International Workers Association• 台灣世界展望會 World Vision Tiawan• 台灣人權促進會 Taiwan Association for Human Rights• 台灣民主基金會 Taiwan Foundation for Democracy• 台灣路竹醫療和平會 Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps• 蠻野心足生態協會 Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association• 全國教師會 National Teachers'Association• 非戰家園行動聯盟 Alliance for Peace Homeland• 國際特赦組織台灣總會 Amnesty International Taiwan• 台北市婦女救援社會福利事業基金會 Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation• 台灣婦女新知基金會 Awakening Foundation• 台灣明愛文教基金會 Caritas Taiwan• 賽珍珠基金會 The Pearl S. Buck Foundation• 社區大學全國促進會 National Association for the Promotion of Community University• 智障者家長總會 Parents' Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability• 婦女權益促進發展基金會 Foundation for Women Rights Promotion and Development• 願景青年活動網協會 Vision Youth Action• 台灣國際醫療行動協會 International Action and Cooperation Team• 第三社會黨 Third Society Party• 伊甸社會福利基金會 Eden Social Welfare Foundation • 羅慧夫顱顏基金會 Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation

2007/07/31 Press Conference to Demand 2007/07/31 Press Conference to Demand Immediate Release of S. Korean Refugees and Immediate Release of S. Korean Refugees and pull back of S. Korea military force from pull back of S. Korea military force from AfghanistanAfghanistan

Green Party Chairman Mr. Pan, with his Green Party Chairman Mr. Pan, with his child, came to support the eventchild, came to support the event

2007/08/15 Supporting the “Ex-2007/08/15 Supporting the “Ex-comfort Women” Grandma’s rallycomfort Women” Grandma’s rally

← Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation, founder Lawyer Wang Ching-feng, the Minister of Justice nominee.

↑“Ex-comfort women” Grandmasdemanded Japanese government to issue formal apology.

↑ Executive Director Jan and board member Jau-hwa attended the rally.

↑Youths in Taiwan protested Japanese government’s apathetic attitude to the unaddressed justice left by the history.

Rally team once intended to approach the “Interchange Association of Japan,” the representative office of Japanese government in Taiwan, but was blocked by Taiwan’s police. Grandmas and rally members threw balloons toward the office, and asked the Japanese government to face the issue and to apologize.

2007 Peace Film Festival2007 Peace Film Festival

09/15 ～ 10/19Taipei, Hsin-chu, Tai-chung

921 Peace One Day921 Peace One Day

Representatives from different ethnic groups lighted up candles of peace together, calling for building plural culture in Taiwan’s society, eradicating prejudices and discrimination, and accommodating the new immigrants. They also demanded the politicians not to disrupt ethnic relations with their campaigns rhetoric.

↓ New immigrant from Thailand Ms. Chiou

Aboriginal people Mr. Mai (Rawagao). ↑

Taiwan’s ethnic relations should be like a bowl of salad, with each ingredient preserving its originality, but when mixed together they become more colorful and more healthy. – China Times

A Report of the Study on Negative Ethnic Talk

• 2007/11/4 We issued the report of the “Study on Negative Ethnic Talk.” Our team spent half a year studying negative ethnic languages from 1994 in public talks. We found four types of them: “chauvinism,” “collective mobilization,” “labeling,” and “scapegoating.”

2007/12/102007/12/10 ～～ 1111Yoshioka Tatsuya’s visit to Taiwan Yoshioka Tatsuya’s visit to Taiwan Peace Boat: Sailing from Civil Society to the World Peace Boat: Sailing from Civil Society to the World PeacePeace , , National Taiwan UniversityNational Taiwan University

↑ 12/10 Keynote Speech ↑ 12/11 Forum

2007/12/12 2007/12/12 Taiwan’s NGO’s having a Taiwan’s NGO’s having a dialogue with Yoshioka dialogue with Yoshioka

← ↑ 於 The Garden of Hope Foundation

Presidential candidates signing commitment not to use negative

ethnic languages• The Foundation asked the two presidential

candidates to sign a guarantee not to use negative ethnic languages and not to stir negative ethnic feelings.

↑ 2008/02/26 Frank Hsieh ↑ 2008/02/27 Ma Ying-jeou

Discussing ethnic peace before Discussing ethnic peace before Feb. 28: Mandela and ethnic Feb. 28: Mandela and ethnic reconciliation in South Africareconciliation in South Africa

2008/02/24 free movie show: “Goodbye Bafana,” with a workshop to discuss the issue of transitional justice in Taiwan

2008/03/202008/03/20 Press Conference on TibetPress Conference on Tibet

Peacetime Foundation and other GPPAC Taipei Focal Point Partners held a press conference calling for “peaceful settlement of the Tibet Issue. We also encourage the recent resumed dialogue between Dalai Lama and Beijing →

• 2008/4, Peacetime Foundation cooperated with Foundation on Ethnic Harmony and “Mandarin Daily News” again to hold the annual tournament for cultural plurality course curriculum.

Peace EducationPeace Education

What we need to work on in 2008

• To criticize military purchase and money diplomacy with new argument on security and international cooperation from the view of civil society.

• To promote the concept of nonmilitary defense, so that eventually we can reduce reliance on military defense and purchasing weapon.

• To hold symposium on enacting peace article into the constitution, and to prepare for the future opportunity of constitutional amendment.

• Calling for releasing the limitations on allowing people from Mainland China to visit Taiwan.

The EndThank you for your

time and support! Look forward to your comments.

http://www.peace.org.tw/http://www.peace.org.tw/