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Letter of Concern for Americans in Taiwan
[Date]
The Honorable [First Name] [Last Name]
U.S. Senate/ U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20510/20515
Dear Senator/ Representative [Last Name}
I/We am/are writing to voice my/our concern about the increasing number of American rights activists being persecuted
and deported by the governing authorities in Taiwan.
Over the past year there has been a marked increase in the harassment and persecution of American activist in Taiwan by
the self proclaimed human rights government of Chen Shuibian.
Unlike Taiwanese activist in the United States who are allowed to express their opinions in any peaceful manner they choose.
Americans in Taiwan tend to be one of the most persecuted and censored.
Most recently was the deportation of aboriginal rights activist Scott Ezell by the police in Taidong despite a court ordered
injunction.
There was also the harassment and deportations of five American labor activist: Richard C. Abraham, Ralph Edward Mangrum,
David Wayne Westerman, Todd Darrin Carlson and Joe Drexler of the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical And Energy Workers International
Union on hunger strike to protest the dissolution of the pensions and wide spread pollution caused by a Taiwanese company
in the United States.
Most famous of all was the slanderous vilification and persecution in the Taiwan mediafollowed by the subsequent deportation
of African American rights activist and celebrity Charles Macalister. All of these individuals' deportations were undertaken
not in a transparent nature befitting a country that upholds the rule of law and human rights but in the form of arbitrary
sentencing by a martial law style police state that refused these people the right to trial or judicial oversight.
When law enforcement officials in Taiwan flaunt the law and refuse to yield to the superiority of the courts, there is
little hope for the rule of law in Taiwan. Instead, Taiwanese society will continue to function under fear, violence and oppression.
Riots, crime, economic decline in the face of unbridled globalization and the continued degradation of Taiwan's image and
that of the Taiwanese people are just a few of the things Taiwan can look forward to if this system is allowed to continue.
Human rights can only be protected when the rule of law flourishes. There is a firm link between the actions of the police
and human rights violations in society.
If the Taiwanese police refuse to file a complaint due to bribes, if they fabricate charges against Americans for personal
motives or if they threaten the life and liberty of those who are willing to fight for justice, they are not only violating
individual human rights, but are giving lie to the justice system that is meant to protect the rights of not just minority
residents but all the people in Taiwan and the American people who have been obligated to protect Taiwan.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
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