Americans ! Please Write your Congressman
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Quote:
Letter of Concern for Americans in Taiwan
[Date]
The Honorable [First Name] [Last Name]
U.S. Senate/ U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20510/20515
Dear Senator/ Representative [Last Name}
I/We am/are writing to voice my/our concern about the
increasing number of American rights activists being
persecuted and deported by the governing authorities
in Taiwan.
Over the past year there has been a marked increase in
the harassment and persecution of American activist in
Taiwan by the self proclaimed human rights government
of Chen Shuibian.
Unlike Taiwanese activist in the United States who are
allowed to express their opinions in any peaceful
manner they choose. Americans in Taiwan tend to be one
of the most persecuted and censored.
Most recently was the deportation of aboriginal rights
activist Scott Ezell by the police in Taidong despite
a court ordered injunction.
There was also the harassment and deportations of five
American labor activist: Richard C. Abraham, Ralph
Edward Mangrum, David Wayne Westerman, Todd Darrin
Carlson and Joe Drexler of the Paper,
Allied-Industrial, Chemical And Energy Workers
International Union on hunger strike to protest the
dissolution of the pensions and wide spread pollution
caused by a Taiwanese company in the United States.
Most famous of all was the slanderous vilification and
persecution in the Taiwan media followed by the
subsequent deportation of African American rights
activist and celebrity, Charles Macalister. All of
these individuals' deportations were undertaken not in
a transparent nature befitting a country that upholds
the rule of law and human rights but in the form of
arbitrary sentencing by a martial law style police
state that refused these people the right to trial or
judicial oversight.
When law enforcement officials in Taiwan flaunt the
law and refuse to yield to the superiority of the
courts, there is little hope for the rule of law in
Taiwan. Instead, Taiwanese society will continue to
function under fear, violence and oppression. Riots,
crime, economic decline in the face of unbridled
globalization and the continued degradation of
Taiwan's image and that of the Taiwanese people are
just a few of the things Taiwan can look forward to if
this system is allowed to continue.
Human rights can only be protected when the rule of
law flourishes. There is a firm link between the
actions of the police and human rights violations in
society.
If the Taiwanese police refuse to file a complaint due
to bribes, if they fabricate charges against Americans
for personal motives or if they threaten the life and
liberty of those who are willing to fight for justice,
they are not only violating individual human rights,
but are giving lie to the justice system that is meant
to protect the rights of not just minority residents
but all the people in Taiwan and the American people
who have been obligated to protect Taiwan.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
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