Ma’s law professor confident about judiciary

Taiwanese should be confident in their legal system’s political neutrality, but non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must be vigorous in holding the government accountable, Jerome Cohen, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) Harvard law professor, said yesterday in Taipei.

Cohen, now a New York University law professor and a senior fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, expressed confidence that most of the prosecutors and judges in Taiwan are objective and neutral.

“Since the early 1990s, Taiwan, by and large, has developed neutrality of prosecutors and judges. I have met prosecutors, lawyers, law professors [on this visit] and I have a pretty good feeling about it,” he said.

In a Nov. 13 op-ed piece, “Ties that blind,” in the South China Morning Post, Cohen said some critics complained about the arrests and incommunicado detentions of former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government officials, including former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

He said the investigation into Chen’s financial dealings began in 2006 while he was in office and continued after he stepped down.

“For two-and-a-half years they have been investigating Chen. This is not something they just heard about. Now [the prosecutors] tell the court they need to lock him up to prevent him from talking to other people. But he has been talking to other people for two-and-a-half years,” Cohen said.

“Without knowing more, the face of it raises real questions,” he said.

However, the majority of those in Taiwan’s judicial system strive to remain impartial, he said, urging the public to refrain from judging the system until the case is over.

Cohen met Ma yesterday and suggested an independent, impartial commission be set up to probe the legitimacy of the detentions and the reports of police brutality during last month’s protests against the visit of Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).

Ma thought such a commission unnecessary because that would be the task of the Control Yuan, Cohen said.

"Sure, let’s give the Control Yuan a chance. But I want to see it act effectively. At the same time, a commission comprised of NGOs should also be set up [to probe the matter],” he said, naming the Judicial Reform Foundation as a perfect candidate for the commission.

More than 100 people, including police and protesters, were injured during last month’s protests.

Stating that some of the police violence was provoked by the protesters, Cohen chided DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) for not controlling her demonstrators.

“I understand the anxiety of the demonstrators because these are matters of the gravest importance to the Taiwanese people … but when you do demonstrate, the people under your leadership need to show discipline,” he said.

Critics of the Ma administration have said the violence represented an erosion of human rights and that the White Terror of the old KMT regime is returning, but Cohen dismissed those claims.

He said such rhetoric was “hyperbole” and “sheer accumulated hatred.”

“I come from a background of lifelong study of mainland China and the situation here is really good. I know something about the White Terror and the 228 Incident and this is no return to the White Terror,” he said.

Cohen also agreed with Ma that now was not the right time for the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan, saying the political cost of such a visit on cross-strait relations would far exceed its benefit.

“It is a tough call, but I understand what is at stake here. We are at a very tentative crucial stage of possible limited reconciliation with the mainland and progress will be very slow from now on. I don’t see a reason to rush the Dalai Lama to come here because people already know him and his position. It would be nice, but I think too much is at stake here,” he said.

-----

延伸閱讀:

1) 來看洋狀到底是怎麼告法

2) Cohen的第一次投書原文: Ties that Blind: Improved cross-strait relations appear to have come at a cost to some civil liberties in Taiwan” by Jerome A. Cohen, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Asia Studies, November 13, 2008 South China Morning Post

中譯: 迷失的聯繫：改善兩岸關係顯然已犧牲台灣的公民自由　■孔傑榮投書（雲程譯）

註:如果是我翻譯,標題應該會翻成"盲目的連結",來反應盲目改善兩岸關係實以危害台灣的公民自由.

又, 關於孔的第一次投書,中時有翻譯(中時的連結失效了,因此只好引用影子政府的),但其中不乏有不實翻譯之處,不知是刻意或是無心? 這個錯誤的翻譯是:

"It is not clear whether critics' claims of "selective prosecution" are well founded. Recent arrests may simply reflect massive corruption by the DPP, which dominated executive government for the past eight years - corruption that allegedly reached as high as former president Chen Shui-bian and his family.

「很顯然地，這些批評者所謂的「選擇性起訴」之說並無充分根據。最近這些逮捕事件，可能僅是過去八年掌控行政權的民進黨貪瀆問題猖獗的一種反映罷了，而這一貪瀆的程度據稱直抵前總統陳水扁的家人。」"

詳見此討論

3) 哪一個孔傑榮說的才可信呢？香港南華早報的？還是中央社的？  

延伸閱讀:

美國等國際學者發表公開聲明,擔憂台灣司法之公正性

王清峰：馬總統以身作則 司法獨立現契機 (這不是法務部對美國的回函,不過是在討論同樣話題)

美專家又致函臺法務部質疑貪瀆案

中廣的馬屁外電解讀 (另一篇絕妙搞笑新聞)

〔記者陳宣瑜、黃敦硯／台北報導〕在野草莓一二○七大遊行前夕，國際特赦組織（ＡＩ）在日前發文公開聲明，敦促台灣警方，大遊行當天的警力運用和群眾管制應遵守國際標準。

促允許人民和平抗爭

國際特赦組織聲明也指出，「野草莓學生運動」認為警方在處理陳雲林訪台期間的群眾抗議活動，過度使用暴力，因此從十一月六日起發動靜坐抗議至今，台灣的公民社會團體也在進行調查，民眾在抗議過程中遭警察打傷頭部和折斷手指等事件。

國際特赦組織同時呼籲，監察院應正視台灣公民團體所提出的嚴重關切，應停止利用集遊法箝制人民的集會自由，並應允許人民以和平方式從事抗議行動。

警政署強調依法行政

對於國際特赦組織的要求，警政署表示，警察作為一向秉持依法行政的原則，保障合法、取締非法、制裁暴力的態度不變，至於野草莓學運的遊行地點與路線，是在台北市警察局轄內，相信轄區分局與警察局會做最妥適的處理。

[以下刪除]  簡單講,警察死不認錯就是了. 也難怪啊! 暴力警察都被升官,哪會認錯呢?

----------------

中文原文

在野草莓學運12月7日大遊行前夕，國際特赦組織敦促台灣警方不得濫用暴力，並呼籲監察院調查陳雲林來台期間警方執法問題。

國際特赦組織公開聲明

台灣：警察應避免過度使用暴力

AI Index: ASA 38/001/2008
2008年12月3日

國際特赦組織(AI)已敦促台灣警方，在處理將於12月7日(星期日)舉行的學生抗議活動時，相關警力運用和群眾管制應遵守國際標準。

本組織同時呼籲台灣的監察院，本於憲法所賦予的監督行政機關之職責，針對警方在處理11月間各項抗議活動時涉及過度使用暴力的報導，展開獨立調查。

「野草莓學生運動」從11月6日起發動靜坐抗議迄今，因為他們認為警方在處理中國海峽兩岸關係協會會長陳雲林訪台期間的群眾抗議活動中過度使用暴力。台灣的公民社會團體正針對民眾在抗議過程中遭警察打傷頭部和折斷手指等事件進行調查。

根據警方11月8日發表的一項報告，陳雲林訪台期間動員了近1萬7千人次的警力；共計149位警員與200到300位民眾受傷；18人被逮捕。

據台灣的公民社會團體表示，警方經常濫用〈集會遊行法〉壓制與政府不同的意見。學生運動發言人說，他們將不會依照現行法律向警方申請遊行許可，但會根據學生所主張的修法原則向警方「報備」。

野草莓學運正在組織12月7日的抗議行動，以抗議政府遲不修改〈集會遊行法〉。

國際特赦組織表示，台灣的監察院應正視由台灣公民社會團體所提出的嚴重關切，而政府則應停止利用集遊法箝制人民的集會自由，並應允許人民以和平方式從事抗議行動。國際特赦組織也呼籲台灣警方及司法機關，應確保在調查任何被控暴力行為的抗議者時，以符合國際標準之公正、透明及適時的方式為之。

背景

2008年11月3日至7日，中國海峽兩岸關係協會會長陳雲林率領一個60人代表團訪問台灣，並會見馬英九總統。

警方在陳雲林行經路線沿途阻擋持有台灣和西藏國旗或反中國標語的抗議群眾，並沒收或毀損某些前述物品。在陳雲林與國民黨榮譽主席連戰舉行晚宴的飯店附近，警方還強制一家高聲播放「台灣之歌」專輯歌曲的唱片行關掉音樂並拉下鐵門。

還有其他警方任意拘留和濫用暴力的報導，但根據警方的說法，警方的某些強勢作為是為壓制抗議群眾的暴力行為。

陳雲林訪台後，數百位學生在全台各地發起了靜坐活動，抗議警察處理抗議活動的方式，並要求修改一直以來被誤用於防止抗議的集會遊行法。

11月6日，學生們開始在行政院外靜坐，後來被警方以非法集會為由抬離現場。他們隨即轉往台灣民主紀念館（自由廣場）繼續靜坐，公民社會團體則發起每日例行的靜走行動，共同要求立即修改集會遊行法、總統及行政院長道歉、警政署長及國安局長下台。

台北市警察局於11月18日公佈66位涉嫌向警察投擲汽油彈和石塊以及向台中市長吐口水的「滋事者」名單。也有報導指稱，警方向媒體記者及主管施壓，要求他們提供錄影畫面，以供警方辨識涉嫌參與暴力行為的抗議人士。〔新聞稿全文完〕

===========================================

英文原文

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PUBLIC STATEMENT

AI Index No: ASA 38/001/2008

3 December 2008

                                    Taiwan: Police should avoid using excessive force at upcoming protests

Amnesty International has urged Taiwan's police force to comply with international guidelines on the use of force and crowd control at the planned student protests on Sunday 7 December.

The organization also joins calls for the Control Yuan, the body mandated by the Taiwan Constitution with supervisory power over the Executive branch, to conduct an independent inquiry into alleged excessive police force during November's protests.

The Wild Strawberry Student Movement has staged sit-ins since 6 November to protest against what they consider the use of excessive force during the Taiwan visit of Chen Yunlin, chairman of the China-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait. Civil society groups in Taiwan are investigating multiple claims that individuals suffered head injuries and broken fingers at the hands of police during the protests.

According to police reports on 8 November, approximately 10,000 police officers had been deployed during Chen's visit; 149 police officers and 200-300 individuals were injured; 18 were arrested.

Taiwanese civil society groups claim that police have applied the Assembly and Parade Law arbitrarily to silence dissent. According to the students' spokesperson, they will not seek police approval, as required by the law, but will only "report" their plans to law enforcement authorities, in line with amendments advocated by the Movement.

The Movement is organizing the protest on Sunday 7 December to criticize the government's failure to amend the Assembly and Parade Law.

Amnesty International said Taiwan's Control Yuan should address the serious concerns raised by civil society in Taiwan and the government should cease the practice of using the Assembly and Parade Law to deny freedom of assembly and allow individuals to protest peacefully. Amnesty International also called on Taiwanese police and judicial authorities to ensure that they investigate any protesters accused of engaging in violence in a fair, transparent, and timely manner in compliance with international standards.

Background

On 3-7 November 2008, Chen Yunlin, chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, led a 60-member delegation from the People's Republic of China to visit Taiwan and meet with President Ma Ying-jeou.

The police barred protesters displaying Taiwanese and Tibetan flags and anti-China slogans along the routes taken by the envoy and confiscated or damaged some of these items. The police also closed a shop near the hotel where Chen Yunlin had dinner with Kuomintang honorary chairman Lien Chan when the shop loudly broadcast music from an album titled 'Songs of Taiwan'.

There were additional reports of arbitrary detention and police brutality, some of which, according to the police, were in response to the violence of protesters.

Following the visit, hundreds of students have staged sit-ins across Taiwan protesting the police's handling of the protests and demanding amendments to the Assembly and Parade Law, which has been misused to prevent protests.

On 6 November the students started their sit-ins outside the offices of the Executive Yuan or (Executive branch), where they were eventually removed by police on the grounds of illegal assembly. They continued the sit-ins at the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall and organized a daily demonstration calling for immediate amendments to the Assembly and Parade Law, apologies from the president and head of government and the resignations of the heads of the police and national security.

On 18 November Taipei police announced a list of 66 "troublemakers", who had allegedly thrown gas bombs and stones at the police and spat at the Taichung mayor. There were also reports that the police had pressured journalists and their supervisors to hand over video tapes to identify suspects who allegedly took part in the violence.

END/

Public Document

For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press@amnesty.org

International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK

www.amnesty.org

1) 照例到DG同事家過感恩節. 這是第三次了. 這次有個新成員,因為這個新成員帶了相機, 所以才有照片. 不過太慢照了,菜早就吃光了…將就一點吧

2) 壁爐(Fireplace)

天氣冷了, 第一次試用壁爐. 我們的壁爐是傳統式的,就是上面有煙囪的那種. 首先打開壁爐上方的通風口,讓煙囪的空氣可以下來.

放好像是原子炭的木頭(log)

用超長火材點火

暑假時砍掉的樹枝也拿來當材火燒. 不過只能放在旁邊, 不能直接放在log上…當然這是試驗後付出代價才知道的

順便烤魚,烤堅果. 堅果遠比想像中的易燒焦. 不過也是因為第一次烤魚太慢放被誤導以為溫度不夠,矯枉過正的結果…

在火爐前來杯紅酒, 享受啊

3) 掃落葉

週六趁著天氣好趕快把落葉掃一掃. 本來以為可以留著當堆肥, 不過後來請教別人之後才知道如果葉子積太厚草沒辦法呼吸就會死掉. 死掉要在植草可是很貴的.

掃成一堆堆

後院的就掃進樹林裡. 前院的就用專用的袋子收好等垃圾車來收走

週六弄了兩三個小時手酸的很, 還沒完全弄好.  週日一早起來繼續. 還好動作夠快, 一會兒就下大雪, 又變成這付模樣了

弄得好累, 真慶幸前院的樹砍掉了,不然要掃的葉子更多, 手都快廢了啊

4) bathtub caddy

 昨晚手酸的很, 加上天冷是泡澡的好時候. 順便可以用一下新玩具

加上紅酒泡澡….真是太舒服了啊

5)鏟雪

鏟雪前

後

更多照片見同名相本