|
|
1. The North American Taiwanese Women's Association or NATWA has over one thousand members across the United States and Canada. One of the missions of NATWA is the promotion of human rights and democracy, especially in Taiwan.
2. Ever since the election of Ma Ying-jeou as president of the Republic of China on Taiwan, there has been growing concern among our members and the overseas Taiwanese community about the Ma government's China leaning policies and the rapid erosion of democracy in Taiwan. Ma 's agenda is, we believe, incremental surrender of Taiwan's freedom by stealth. So in July of last year, NATWA launched a campaign to collect 10,000 letters to President Barack Obama, asking him to pay attention to the gathering crisis in the Taiwan Strait.
NATWA president Sheyling Chang has asked Mr. Jay T Loo to draft a letter to President Obama and to serve as the project's spokesman. NATWA then asked several major Taiwanese American organizations, which are represented here today, as well as the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan and the Taiwan Association of University Professors, to help collect the signed letters. In about three months' time, we have collected over 17,000 letters, nearly 10,000 letters from Taiwan, several hundred from Canada, around a hundred from Japan and the rest from all across the United States. Many letters were signed by non-Taiwanese American and Japanese citizens. This enthusiastic response reflects a shared anxiety about Taiwan's future.
3. In 2004 during the months before the presidential election in Taiwan, the Taiwanese American organization also collected 9,000 letters to President George W. Bush. On that occasion, the representatives of the participating organizations were invited to meet with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Randy Schriver at the State Department, who responded positively to the two requests we made in that letter, on behalf of President Bush.
4. Chinese president Hu Jintao has said he wants to sign a peace accord with Taiwan as soon as possible. It is quite likely that Ma Ying-Jeou will succumb to this pressure and give up Taiwan's freedom. The Unites States could suffer a huge geostrategic, political, and diplomatic setback before the end of 2012.
We request Director Mann and Director Schrage to forward our letter to the White House, perhaps with a report on today's meeting. If we could get an acknowledgment from the White House that president Obama has personally read our letter, this gesture would no doubt reassure the 17,000 signers of the letters, that the United States intends to stay engaged in East Asia as the guarantor of peace and security in the region.
Thank you.
|
|