Editorial: China-Taiwan rights gap tells tale

[dArKeR]

Two ostensibly unrelated events occurred Tuesday on either side of the Taiwan Strait. These events illustrate the sharp contrast between the development paths that China and Taiwan have chosen to take.

On this side of the Strait, during a symposium promoting a human-rights law in Taiwan, Lin Chia-cheng (林嘉誠), chairman of the Cabinet's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, explained President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) ideas for a country built on the foundation of human rights. Lin said that democratic and constitutional order must have at its core the protection and promotion of human rights. The nation, he said, will gradually amend its death penalty laws. Lin also vowed promotion of judicial reform, conduct regular human-rights surveys and establish human-rights memorial museums.

The message was that Taiwanese society is not yet satisfied with its democratic achievements, and that under Chen's leadership the country will move toward new milestones in human rights protection.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2003/11/20/2003076570