Reverend Asing Aman (阿星阿曼), Reverend Kao Chun-ming (高俊明), and Reverend Andrew Chang (張德謙) held a press conference titled "Human Rights, Justices, Rationalization, Peace" at the headquarter of the PCT in Taipei this morning. The PCT said that it will hold a prayer meeting at the Central Park in Kaoshiung on Dec. 7 to "safeguard sovereignty, human rights, and Taiwan."

A press release titled "an Appeal by PCT to the Global Church Family for Prayers Concerning the Abuse of Justice and Violation of Human Rights in Taiwan" on Nov. 11 said that the performance of President Ma and his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration the past six months has time and again underscored their fears. They expressed their grave concern for recent events. First is the detentions of both present and former government officials of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) accused of corruption. The PCT understands one or two detainees have been charged but several accused are still held without being charged and incommunicado, this is a basic violation of due process of justice and rule of law. Furthermore, they are concerned that the prosecutor's office is seemingly leaking information to the press while the accused are unable to defend themselves. This "trial by press" also violates justice and the norm that any accused should be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Since only members of the DPP opposition party are targeted this action implies the KMT is "using" the justice system to retaliate the former government under Chen's administration. DPP lawmakers joined the chorus of calls accusing the judiciary of persecuting the opposition to support PCT's accusation.

Second, the visit to Chen Yun-Lin's five-day Taiwan visit and the signing of the four cross-strait accords between the chairmen of the ARATS and the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) accelerated fears that the methods used by the Ma administration have threatened Taiwan's democracy. Last, the violation of human rights, freedom of speech and expression, undergirded by the government's action to deploy more than 10,000 police including riot police officers, to Taipei city to "guard" the visiting dignitary Chen and the sixty people who accompanied him. The PCT claimed that these measures to "guard and protect" the visiting envoy from China were excessive and disturbingly reminiscent of the dark years under Martial Law.

On behalf of Taiwan, the PCT called for all people to participate in the prayer meeting in Kaohsiung at 3pm on Dec. 7.

by Taiwan News, Website Editorial Staff