"Nobel Prize Winners should be exempt from the law"

Politics Taiwan Politics
1

Anyone see Annette Lu last night complaining that Betty Williams was fined for speaking at a political rally because she’s a foreigner, apparently it’s “ridiculous” because she’s got a Nobel Prize. And now they are considering refusing to pay the fine. Who else should be exempt from the law, Presidents ? DPP Supporters ? (Oh wait, we know they are, watch the speaker trucks, and convoys of motorbikes outside the Railway Station without helmets)
She’s right about the law being ridiculous but who’s in power, eh ?
Seems Sean Connery did the right thing by not coming.

Oooo… you can almost taste the irony of her talking about democratic freedoms flurishing under the DPP.

2

I suspect it was a joke. After all, a number of Nobel laureates, particularly those winning the “peace” prize, were known to transgress the odd law.

3

I thought about that when I saw Betty Williams photo in the Taipei Times the other day. By law, foreigners are not allowed to speak or appear at political rallies or in ads, so Williams was wrong to do it, and it was wrong of DPP I guess to invite her that reason.

A few years ago, I remember, a VIP leader from Aceh who had also won a Nobel prize or something like that, for peace, was barred from entering the CKS airport since his intention was to join a DPP rally. The KMT was still in charge in those days, 1996, and the immigration police would not let him leave the airport and made him fly back to Indonesia.

Ms Williams is lucky. DPP is ignorant of the law. Vote them out of office!

4

When this was on the news last night, they kept showing Betty with Annette and then cutting to some silver-haired foreign bloke hanging out with Lien Chan. Who was that guy and was that recently?

5

[quote=“Spack”]When this was on the news last night, they kept showing Betty with Annette and then cutting to some silver-haired foreign bloke hanging out with Lien Chan. Who was that guy and was that recently?[/quote]Mrs Fluffy was watching it, and told me about the ‘ridiculous because she got a Nobel Prize’ line, Then saw it in the China Post and saw the rest of the story. Guessing the guy with Lien is the James Heckman mentioned there.
If both parties agree that foreigners can’t be involved in politics then they shouldn’t hire them (including Sean Connery and James Heckman), and should shut up about Taiwan having human rights for all.

6

The law is unconstitutional. Taiwan’s constitution guarantees freedom of speech, and that freedom should be extended to foreigners. The law is a legacy of the martial law era and the DPP was right to have ignored it.

On the other hand, Ms. Williams ‘endorsement’ was shrill and hectoring. She probably lost more votes for the DPP than she gained. She’s about as much help as the Taipei Times.

7

Feiren is right. The law is absurd and indefensible. If Chen wins the election, his administration should hurry to have it removed from the statute books. If the pan-blues win, there’s not much chance of their getting rid of it, but maybe the sanctions will be made even tougher, as I’m sure they’ll become even more rabidly xenophobic as a result of so many foreigners speaking up for the green camp in this election and almost none having a good word to say for them.

And who exactly is defined as a “foreigner” for the purposes of enforcing this law? All kinds of overseas Chinese are allowed to come and take part in election activities without anyone saying or doing anything against it, no matter that they are citizens of the US or elsewhere who have only a very slight connection with Taiwan. But if a non-Chinese person who has lived in Taiwan for decades, married a Taiwanese woman, fathered half-Taiwanese children, bought a home here, paid his taxes, been a model law-abiding member of the community, made a substantial contribution to this country, intends to remain here for the rest of his days, and thus has every reason to be deeply concerned about and will certainly be greatly affected by the outcome of the election, so much as stands on stage with a candidate, he’s breaking the law and can be fined heavily and perhaps even deported. Where is the reason and justice in that? How can it possibly be defended?

8

You’re not Chinese, so how could you possibly understand?

9

I am expecting the police to knock at my door anytime now.
As I was not aware of the law that forbids foreigners to attend any political rally, I was both taken picture and video of, during a speech yesterday. I was there, the proof is clear.

I wonder if it can help my defense to point out that I was only helping my (Taiwanese) wife to look after our two (Taiwanese) kids, who wanted to see the president. After all, the speech took place in our kids’ school yard… but, maybe they caught me on film waving a flag…

I am afraid there will be no mercy, and that I will go to jail - I don’t have any 5 million…

I guess the KMT will be happy, they made this law, and I am afraid that even if DPP have tried to change it, the attempt would have been blocked by the “foreigner friendly” KMT and PFP majority in the legislature.

10

this is just so much bullshit innit? yet again taiwan makes an absolute dick of itself in front of the world…reminds me of when germaine greer was arrested in NZ for saying the world “bullshit” in public…

11

what we should really do is organise our own anti-ugly mug (ie lien chan) rally…march thru CKS and dare the bastards to arrest us all… :raspberry:

…foreigners of taiwan unite you have nothing to lose but your arc’s…

12

Feiren is only half right . . . . because there is no such law!!. The National Police Administration merely interprets an Article of the Immigration Law to say that each foreigner has a “purpose of residency” (or “purpose of visitation”) . . . . . and you are not allowed to violate that!!.

The problem is . . . . . . if I am here on an employment visa working in a bushiban, and I go to a speech about “Taiwan history” . . . . . isn’t that also violating my “purpose of residency”???

So . . . . who decides if my “violation of my purpose of residency” is serious enough to get me deported?? Of course, it is our friends at the NPA!!!

13

There does seem to a specific law about this, Article 96 of the Election and Recall Law.
The TT has a story about it: taipeitimes.com/News/front/a … 2003101730

Or is there ? The same people who fined her, 3 years ago said there is no law about foreigners campaigning: gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5- … at_g10.htm

Anyone have the text of this article 96 ?
I can’t seen anything referring to foreigners campaigning, in here: cec.gov.tw/e-cec/ElectoralLaw.htm . Funding yes (art. 35), but not supporting.

14

Just to compare with Bette Williams fine, found this on search windows:

from 11/28/98

etan.org/et/1998/november/22-30/28forei.htm

ROC Foreign Minister Expresses Regret over Horta Incident

Taipei, Nov. 27, 1998 (CNA) –

Horta, 49, who is teaching at the University of New South Wales in Australia, was invited by an Australia-based Taiwanese association to attend a Wednesday campaign rally of incumbent Taipei Mayor Chen Shui-bian to boost Chen’s re-election bid.

Foreign Minister Jason Hu on Friday expressed regret over Timorese Nobel laureate Jose Ramos Horta’s “entry permit incident.” Hu said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) had never opposed Horta’s entry to Taiwan since being informed by the Bureau of Entry and Exit of the Timorese separatist [sic] advocate’s arrival. However, he added: “The ministry also has no intention of shirking its responsibility for the incident.” The minister said an official with the MOFA’s East Asian and Pacific Affairs Department received a phone call from Fan Teh-chu, deputy director of the Bureau of Entry and Exit at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday asking about the ministry’s stance on Horta’s landing visa application.

“The official clearly told Fan that it was no problem for the Timorese Nobel laureate to enter Taiwan,” Hu said, adding that Vice Foreign Minister David Lee reaffirmed the positive stance to Fan at 9:30 p.m. that same evening. “Our stance was consistent and unequivocal.” Hu admitted that the incident had caused harm to Horta himself, the organization that invited him to visit the island, and the Republic of China government’s image.

“We must learn a lesson from the incident,” Hu said, adding that concerned government agencies should review all paperwork procedures, make them more transparent, and reinforce vertical coordination to avoid a recurrence of similar embarrassing and detrimental incidents.

Horta, a co-winner of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize, was denied an entry permit by ROC immigration authorities for his now defunct “persona non grata” status, upon his arrival at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Known for his unremitting advocacy of East Timor’s secession [sic.] from Indonesia, Horta was forced to spend the night at the airport’s transit hotel until MOFA officials intervened to clear up the dispute four hours later.

Annoyed by his delayed admission to Taiwan, Horta terminated his visit and flew back to Australia on Thursday.

Horta, who gained further international fame for exposing Indonesian atrocities against the people of East Timor to the United Nations, said prior to his departure that he could not understand why airport officials stopped him, since he entered Taiwan without hindrance in August 1997.