International Human Rights Day

International Human Rights Day was marked in Taipei by a march against the political killings in the Philippines. Some seventy overseas Filipinos and Taiwanese friends staged the mass action in the Chung Shan North Road area, where most Filipinos in Taipei are found during Sundays.
Shouting Stop the killings and uphold human rights in the Philippines, the marchers stopped three times to encourage migrant workers they passed by to place stickers on a plain Philippine map. This symbolized their intent that such killings would not occur in their home provinces back home.
At the start of the activity, the protesters pressed their reddened hands at the map to symbolize the rampant killings in the whole country. It ended with a tribute and prayers to those who were killed. The poem, Because They Call You Enemy of the State, was read.
Luo Mei Wen, adviser of the Labor Rights Association (LRA) shared his experience during the International Labor Solidarity Mission to the Philippines last May. He explained that one of those he met in the KMU led activity had recently been killed.
Wu Ching Ru of the Taiwan International Workers Association (TIWA) on the other hand stated that what is happenin! g in the Philippines right now is like the white terror times of the 1950’s in Taiwan. She added that state terrorism is the biggest threat to human rights and the US government supports many of the states that practice this.
Others who spoke included those from Kapulungan ng Samahang Pilipino (Kasapi), Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR), Workers Democratic Association, Solidarity for Peoples Power (SPP) and Migrante Sectroral Party (MSP)’s Taiwan Chapter. Labor Rights Association (LRA), TAHR, SPP and MSP organized the said activity. Other local and Filipino organizations also took part in the protest action.
It was also announced during the activity that 31 Taiwanese legislators had already signed a petition condemning the killings in the Philippines. And that the next activity of the anti-stop killings network would be a concert by the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) cultural alliance on January 6 and 7 also in Taipei. The protest action ended with shouts of Long Live International Solidarity.

Organizers:
Labor Rights Association (LRA)
Migrante Sectroral Party (MSP), Taiwan Chapter
Solidarity for Peoples Power (SPP)
Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR)