Letter to Taiwan Foundation for Democracy

3/15/2004 3:14 PM
Subject: Concerning human rights violations at National Cheng Kung
UniversityTo: sara@taiwandemocracy.org.tw

Sara Lin
Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
Taipei, Taiwan

15 March 2004

Dear Ms. Lin,

This is to inform you of outstanding human rights violations at
National Cheng Kung University. Despite Taiwan's espousal of democratic
principles, the president of a fourth-ranked university in Taiwan has been
allowed to obstruct and impede the law for more than two years and remain as
president of that university. If Taiwan is, indeed, a lawful democracy, I
cannot see how this is possible.
I am also puzzled about the seeming lack of concern over this issue in
the Taiwan press, informed of these issues. The Taiwan press seems more
concerned with advancing democracy in Taiwan by inviting Sean Connery here
than in exposing administrative misconduct at a major national university.
A more technical "conflict of interest" case at a Hong Kong university
several years ago galvanzied all media. I know, because I was in Hong Kong
at the time and the "scandal" opened the television news broadcasts and
headlined the press.
Yet, to my knowledge, only the China News reported on the matter
(below).
In sum, National Cheng Kung Universtiy defied a legal Ministry appeal
ruling in my favor for more than two years; and, even after reluctantly
complying with that ruling, it did so only spitefully, still contesting my
right to full pay and compensation, refusing a formal apology, and even
reviving accusations rejected in the Ministry ruling.
If accusations already adjudged in a "final" appeal can be revived, a
"final" appeal is a mockery of what it was intended to be. If a Ministry
ruling has no legal force in Taiwan, if a president of a national Taiwan
university can defy that ruling, one must assume there is no law in
Taiwan--at least not in the way the word is commonly understood.
For a fuller understanding of the issues involved, please contact
reference numbers of Chinese professors (below).

Sincerely,

Professor Richard de Canio
Department of Foreign Languages and Literature
National Cheng Kung University
Tainan, Taiwan
(06) 237 8626
(06) 2757575-52235