Regarding the illegal dismissal case, now in its seventh year

Subject:
Regarding the illegal dismissal case, now in its seventh year
From:
richard
Date:
Fri, 24 Jun 2005 02:54:46 +0800
To:
em50000@email.ncku.edu.tw
CC:
MOE , Prime Minister , Prime Minister



National Cheng Kung University
Professor Kao Chiang,
President's Office

24 June 2005

Dear President Kao,

As you know, the case of my illegal dismissal from National Cheng Kung University is now in its seventh year. The

university not only illegally dismissed me in 1999, but has, under your administration, repeated countless human

rights violations since then, despite a Minsitry of Education appeal ruling in my favor.
You yourself, although president of a national university, refused to honor a legal Ministry ruling for more than

two years. You yourself, though you are engaged in cultural exchanges with universities from democracies such as

America, where Taiwan citizens are protected by laws, refuse to treat faculty here with the same respect for laws.

On the contrary, you seem to feel no sense of shame over having your university lawyer argue in court that foreign

faculty are not protected by the same laws that protect native faculty.
Although this case is now in its seventh year, as I said above, and despite countless Ministry and judicial rulings

in my favor, your administration continues to contest these matters in the courts and continues (in defiance of

universal human rights principles that benefit Taiwan faculty living in democracies abroad) to deny human rights

protections to foreign faculty here.
Though this case is now in its seventh year, your administration still refuses to issue a formal apology for its

human rights abuses in my case; your administration still contests legal benefits guaranteed to all appellants in

favorable appeal rulings; and your administration still refuses to enforce penalties against a student, Chen

An-chuen, who maliciously defamed me before my dismissal in 1999.
I remind you that there is no compromise possible on these issues. Under no circumstances can I permit this case

to close with no formal apology from the university or formal penalties against the aforementioned student. Nor will

I accept anything less than full compensation, as guaranteed under appellate principles of law, as well as human

rights principles to which Taiwan subscribes.
I will continue to take all steps necessary to effect these just goals, based in principles of law and human rights.

Besides principles of law and justice, I advise you to consider the long-term reputation of our university, for which

you are responsible. For under no circumstances can you justify the conduct of officials at our university during the

illegal dismissal process, or your administration's judicial defiance that followed the Ministry ruling in my favor. It

is therefore in the best interests of all parties concerned to resolve these matters within the university, but also

within principles of justice.

Sincerely,

Richard de Canio
Department of Foreign Languages and Literature
National Cheng Kung University
Tainan, Taiwan