Ma Government Violates Human Rights with Sugarcoated Tricks

The right of freedom of expression has been granted as fundamental rights through international or rigonal conventions such as ICCPR or ECHR (Art. 10). This fundamental right has been limited for years in the era of government headed by KMT. For example, the Assembly and Parade Law restricts on where people are allowed to demonstrate, and determine whether they need to be liberalized to protect citizens' rights to freedom of expression and assembly. After the DPP’s government was ‘changed’ by the KMT in 2008, it seems that the right of freedom of expression is limited again through the undiscovered sugar-coated tricks in the name of law (or lawful procedures), non-violence, national security and public welfares.

For example, the clashes between police and activists protesting the People of Republic of China's (in my opinion, the imperial) envoy Yun-lin Chen's historic but malicious visit demonstrated the tightened restriction of the human rights and lead hundreds of university students and professors are currently staging a sit-in in Taipei's Freedom Square and several other cities to protest the government's handling of the incident. Moreover, the later polices prevented the student to ‘bother’ president (or, Mr.) Ma by threatening them may not be graduated from the university.

Not only are the Taiwanese people not allowed to show the Taiwanese national flags (or any sorts of symbols) toward the (imperial) envoy that is the president of non-governmental institution, but also the Tibetan independence sighs. Furthermore, one musical shop has been violated closed by polices during the visit of Chen due to broadcast the ‘songs of Taiwan’ and the police officers said they will do that again for the next time in the same situation.

Prosecutors in Taiwan also arrested and detained 2 DPP mayors and former government officers and president through rude and fast criminal procedures. Through the news and comments reported by the media, the judges may even be influenced before the judgements are made or released.

There are lots of international human rights watching groups concerning about these issues in Taiwan, including the Freedom House, FIDH and even Newsweek.

The Freedom House: http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=70&release=725

FIDH (Deep concern regarding the detention and attacks against citizens protesting peacefully during the visit of Chinese envoy Mr. CHEN Yunlin):

http://www.fidh.org/spip.php?article6006

Newsweek:

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/chinacalling/archive/2008/11/12/fallout-from-chen-shui-bian-s-dramatic-arrest.aspx

Medical data privacy is yelling for help both in Taiwan and UK!

Medical data is sort of sensitive personal data that should be protected carefully. The guardian daily reported the NHS medical research plan may threaten privacy (see: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/17/nhs-patient-privacy-medical-research) two days before. It said ‘the prime minister and Department of Health want to give Britain's research institutes an advantage against overseas competitors by opening up more than 50m records, to identify patients who might be willing to take part in trials of new drugs and treatments’ . Certainly, NHS insists they will ‘advise on issues involving consent, confidentiality, security and data sharing in social care as well as health’. However, should we believe in these promises (consent, confidentiality and security) or not?

Unfortunately, the answer may not be so positive in Taiwan. One employee of the Bureau of National Health Insurance of Taiwan not only sold the personal data including the addresses and photos to be used as information to ask for debts (mostly through a violent way) but also accepted the sexual treats from Nov. 11 2001. The Bureau of National Health Insurance collect the medical data with the guarantee of data security and the data subjects’ consent, however, it seems that the bureau always found excuses such as the accidental cases are not their fault and they are not responsible for the security problems. Believe it or not, once something happens, it will never be the government’s responsibility!

It may be the reason why people need the constitution in order to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms and that is the reason why we should have the privacy law to protect the rights you may think you do not need so much.

Does personal data collected by the government means to be naked toward the whole world?

Recently, the website of the law and regulation commission of Taipei City government revealed all the personal data they collected and processed toward the world by searching their web easily. Not only the ID cards you could find on that website, but also the civics’ sensitive data including the medical data and the car accident photos that shall only use for the state compensation.

The law and regulation commission of Taipei City government recogised their fault concerning the privacy protection after the assemblyman fired the questions about this case on 18th Nov. 2008. They claim the fault was due to the contractor of the website. However, the issue should focus on, in my opinion, the law that regulates the privacy issues. In this case, the law and regulation commission of Taipei City government should be responsible to the security of the data, however, in Taiwan, the data protection law is both weak and imperfect which leads the weakness of data protection and protection of human rights.

Pic 1: The Taipei City hall, pictured from Taipei 101 by Wesley.

Pic 2: The Taipei City and the exterior decorate of Taipei 101, pictured from Taipei 101 by Wesley.

新聞？！評論？！

打開電視，總是直覺地按下新聞台的數字，然後前前後後照看了一輪。現在的新聞，在傳達客觀社會事實時，來點主觀的評斷倒是少不了。我承認我不喜歡藍營的大多數主張，究其原因，大概也只是因為在大學養成階段，對於傳統的反動感。那時，剛剛有所謂反抗主流的衝動，啊！多麼青春的悸動。我也很愛辯論，養病在家，老爸老媽的認知裡就是綠色是暴力、衝突，最近還加上貪污、不管民生經濟與好辯。每每心中論點奔湧，但還是僅任其心中流轉。

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現在的新聞電視台，到還真是影響重大。常見到於小吃店用餐之食客，肆筷朵頤之際，仍不忘奮力轉動眼珠，盯著那高掛的螢幕瞧。是啦，如果這樣做的，八成與店家的政治理念相同。還有另一種，一樣看，但邊吃邊罵，又或擺起臭臉，美食無味。所以有的店家，為免生意影響，或是客人抱怨（順了姑情逆掃意嗎？！），乾脆播放影劇娛樂、科學新知。這時候大家的反應，反倒如同電視新聞饒無趣味似的，專心快快用餐，店家轉桌率增快，不亦快哉。

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Come on!新聞在台灣可是比任何連續劇還狗血，還煽情耶！男女記者只要在現場轉播，不管是政治事件或是天災人禍，高八度地大喊是少不了的，這種音頻屢屢在提醒注意之外，還能挑起心裡面的那片波瀾！至於台灣特有的名嘴摳硬（個人很愛這call in的翻譯，君不見摳進來的都很硬，也要人家跟他一起硬，這時主持人更硬，卡歌絕不留情，這種主持人去錢櫃好樂迪最划算了，同樣的時間大概硬是能多唱N首歌，妳看是不是超硬！），可還真是另一種怪象（雖然我也很愛看，因為我是凡人，也是台灣人）！拿最近的事件來說吧！

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野草莓靜坐！人家說我跳脫藍綠，藍綠都支持，主持人故意用煽情而謙卑的語氣請學生代表舉出一位藍營教授的支持。學生代表遲疑了一下，妳看吧！就說你們是泛綠的吧（主持人倒不用如是評論，因為觀眾已經被暗示了）！真有趣！既然超越藍綠，為何需舉出藍營教授的支持？如果真能舉出，那此人背叛藍營（至少現在看來支持「您」的人們大多不太支持學生，因為他們覺得學生是被人利用，出來亂的），依照標準二分法，他就是綠的，所以此人不算。請「您」告訴我，在此邏輯之下，誰是藍的，全都是綠的吧！

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多少透過媒體轉述（不是只有全然之影像語音，除此之外經過剪輯加上旁白，真的是受「公評」，電視公司的評論矣）的新聞偏頗不堪，同樣的事件，統媒與獨媒絕對不同看法，如果是一樣的看法，也有不一樣的結論。一句「同學們，天氣冷了，回家吧！」的呼喚，經過評論後有自私、有心機、有溫情、有愛、有教育家的理念、有政客的鑽營。換了位置當然要換腦袋，不然不知因時因地制宜的人，不會換腦袋，不就是死腦袋，那種笨東西別拿出來丟人現眼，禍國殃民。但妳換腦袋不能換心啊！以前的 YES成了今天的NO，好吧我接受，但妳在喊NO的時候，可不可以清楚地告訴自己，現在的NO是我這個位置喊的，不是我的靈魂喊的！喔！忘了說，對於利益至上的政客來說，我想太多了！

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http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2008/new/nov/24/today-so1-2.htm

連中研院都一邊一國了，你看吧！唉！

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只有藍天綠地多無聊，不來點樹影草莓兒，構圖悶翻了！