Let Taiwan join UN body on climate change

Typhoon Morakot, which unleashed record rains of 2 metres on August 8 and caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in half a century, once again proves that climate change has everything to do with people's welfare and the sustainable development of a country.

Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau has stated that real-time climate monitoring data for Taiwan obtained via measurements with its equipment must be supplemented with data acquired through private-sector organisations such as the Japan Weather Association. Joining the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) would diversify Taiwan's sources of international climate monitoring data and allow better training of personnel engaged in this field.

According to Key World Energy Statistics released this year by the International Energy Agency, in 2007 Taiwan's carbon dioxide emission amounted to 276.18 million metric tonnes, occupying 1 per cent of total emissions and ranking 22nd in the world. Its per capita emissions count was 12.08 metric tonnes and ranked 18th.

Taiwan is not one of the contracting parties of UNFCCC. It is high time for participants in the talks and for the world body to consider accepting Taiwan, letting it join the mechanism, share and benefit from resources the UNFCCC can possibly provide.

DAVID TZOU

INFORMATION DIRECTOR, TAIPEI ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL OFFICE IN THAILAND

Why 'wai' if nobody deserves it?

Re: Parliament officials fume over 'wai' order, National Affairs, yesterday

I am so glad that Parliament officials fumed over such an order - indicative of their righteousness. Can you inform director of the Central Administration for Parliament Chanpen Arnamwat, House of Representatives' secretary-general Pitoon Pumhiran and Pheu Thai Party MP for Yala Sugarno Matha that respect cannot be ordered but has to be earned?

Though a wai is traditional, it can be withheld if the recipient does not deserve it. As Anand Panyarachun once said, if dirt is on one side of a road, one avoids it by crossing the road.

The Parliament must be in dire straits to have to issue such an order or even to think of issuing such an order. Find a mirror and take a look at yourself!

SONGDEJ PRADITSMANONT

BANGKOK

Fraternity and solidarity still need to be promoted

Re: Fraternity alone won't resolve problems, Opinion, Yesterday

The criticism against the concept of fraternity might have reverberations going beyond the Japanese policy. Consequently, fraternity deserves to be strongly defended and promoted at least for the reason that the very development of people depends, above all, on a recognition by facts not by mere proclamations, that the humankind must be treated as a family working together in a promising communion, not simply as a mass of men and women who just happen to live side by side.

Solidarity is another name of fraternity and it is endorsed as a universal value by the UN. There is a pressing need for genuine solidarity, especially in relationships between developing and developed countries.

These days 192 member states represented in the largest global diplomatic forum - the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly - are trying to define the nature and vocation of multilateralism in the current century.

Indeed, global problems cannot be resolved by limited groups of states and by fraternity/solidarity alone.

However, while being aware of the realities of conflicting national interests, governments must not forget to promote solidarity.

IOAN VOICU

BANGKOK