Taiwan: Taitung County Council Passes Resolution Condemning CCP for Live Organ Harvesting

On September 22nd, 2006, the Third Session of the Sixteenth Taitung County Council passed a resolution to strongly condemn the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) sale and harvesting of human organs. Chiayi County, Yilan County, Keelung City, Hualian County, Tainan City, Yunlin County and other county and city governments have passed resolutions to condemn the CCP of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. As the highest local government of the people's, county and city councils have expressed the majority of Taiwan people's wish for their government to take action and publicly condemn and stop the CCP's atrocities.

Falun Gong practitioners condemn the CCP of live organ harvesting during the Third Session of the Sixteenth Taitung County Council

This resolution, Number 1 in health category, was proposed by Council members Chen Xianxing, Huang Qiu, Zhang Shungui, Wang Feilong and Hong Meilian, and was passed unanimously. Based on the basic principles of value of life, universal human rights, and respect of life, the resolution gives the strongest condemnation regarding organ harvesting for profit, this serious violation of the basic right to life.

The resolution stressed that the independent report released by former Canadian Secretary of State David Kilgour and renowned human rights attorney David Matas on July 6th. Their report confirmed the existence of the CCP crime of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners and called the crime "a new kind of evil on this earth." The resolution urged the central government to call for the United Nations, international human right organisations and world health organisations to send delegates to China to investigate and publish reports to safeguard basic human rights, and to demand the CCP to immediately stop the brutality.

Councilwoman Huang Qiu said she had asked if it was true when she heard about it the first time. But she was totally shocked after she carefully read the report by the two Canadian independent investigators. She said it was a good thing to sponsor the proposal. It touches on basic human rights. She believes everyone with a sense of justice would do it. All council members would definitely pass it.

The resolution urged the government for effective execution of law and to avoid having people go to Mainland China for organ transplants without careful consideration, in order to protect patients and prevent unknowingly becoming assistants of inhuman organ harvesting and trade. It called for all official and non-official campaign networks to spread the news to the people to safeguard their lives and quality of health care.

Based on the resolution, Health Depart of Taitung County sent an official notice to related facilities including private hospitals, health clinics and doctors' associations. The notice stated the world-wide condemnation on the organ harvesting by the CCP. It requested assistance with warning the public against organ transplants in Mainland China to protect the public and avoid assisting in the crime.

Official notice of Taitung Health Department states the crime of organ harvesting and warns against organ transplants in Mainland China

The county government Health Bureau forwarded the notice to related facilities and stressed the announcement of the Health Department on August 4th: "Doctors and medical staff who initiate unlawful and unethical organ transplants overseas will be punished." The Health Bureau requested help from the Social Affairs Bureau with public education at the time of registration.

Dr. Guo Junnan said that the Taiwanese public had limited knowledge about the human rights situation in Mainland China, even though the communication across the straight was increasing. The government and health facilities had responsibility to educate the public to prevent unknowing assistance with crimes against humanity.

Dr. Guo said organ donation should be voluntary. Now the CCP made it a means of making a profit from murder. Their cruelty and viciousness exceeds that of the Nazis. This is a persecution of humanity and trampling on morality and conscience.

The two Canadian investigators have been to Taiwan to educate the public about the crime. Matas said no human had the right to take organs from the murdered, much less make a profit from it. Kilgour said he would be fully devoted to the respect of human values. Both investigators called for Taiwanese people to continue telling others about the crime until the CCP stops this killing for profit.

Taitung County is located in the southeast corner of Taiwan. The resolution and feedback from local governments was an indication at how the news of the persecution has been spread to every corner of Taiwan and raised concern. The resolution consolidated the investigators' effort and expressed the shared responsibility of safeguarding human value and dignity among people of different ethnic groups and regions.