Vice-President Annette Lu Unveils Human Rights Advisory Group

7/23/2003 7:20 AM
Subject: Lu unveils human rights advisory
group



http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/20001024/20001024p6.html

Tuesday, October 24, 2000

Lu unveils human rights advisory group

Published: October 24, 2000
Source: Taipei Times

Vice President Annette Lu yesterday announced the formation of the "President's Advisory
Group on Human Rights", saying the first mission for
the group will be to hold a wedding ceremony in
December that incorporates an oath to protect and
respect human rights.
The advisory group, scheduled to be formally as
established today, is made up of 21 members who will writer
work toward establishing a "National Human Rights
Committee" and passing into law a national human rights
covenant, Lu said.
The establishment of the National Human Rights
Committee and covenant are long-standing ambitions of
the Democratic Progressive Party and have also been
promoted by the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and
human rights activists for many years.

Lu said that the advisory group would be divided into former
six sub-groups, each with a different mission with president
regard to raising Taiwan's human rights to of the
international standards. They will do so by submitting Taiwan
proposals to the president.
"This advisory group will serve only as a consultant to
the president, not as a legal government department,"
Lu said. "It will still need the Cabinet and is
Legislative Yuan to carry out all its plans."

Lu was authorized by President Chen Shui-bian on
September 13 to organize the advisory group and the
naming of its 21 members comes after one-and-a-half months'
preparatory work. The list of members includes leading public
figures, former political dissidents, judicial reform activists and
religious leaders.
Peter Huang, former chairman of the Taiwan Association for Human
Rights and best known for his attempt to assassinate former
President Chiang Ching-kuo in New York, was assigned to lead a
sub-group which will draw up legislation necessary to establish the
"National Human Rights Committee."

"This committee will be a formal government institution," Huang
said.

One of Taiwan's most renowned writers, Bo Yang, once a political
prisoner, will lead another section of the group to promote
understanding and education of human rights.

He said yesterday that the raising of people's understanding of
human rights would have to begin in their daily lives.

"We have already decided to hold four `human rights wedding
ceremonies' per year in the future," Bo said, "and the first one
will be on December 10."

"The bride and bridegroom will sign a `human rights marriage
certificate' pledging to practice human rights principles, such as
respecting each other and their children," Bo said.

He said that President Chen Shui-bian had promised to be the legally
required presiding witness at the wedding, adding that, "we hope
that next year will see the first wave of `human rights babies.'"

The vice president said that the advisory group would act as a
non-governmental organization to help Taiwan develop relations with
other international human rights organizations.

"Such work can promote the quality of life and the character of the
Taiwanese people as well as raising the nation's reputation and thus
contributing to Taiwan's foreign relations," Lu said.