Taiwan considering next WHO bid

Reports reaching the Daily Observer indicated that Taiwan i considering possibilities to file its WHO bid next year. But a debate surrounding Taiwan’s bid has been making hedlines in Taipei, with chorus concerns over which name the Asian-Pacofic island state should use.

The pro-independence activists on Tuesday called on President Ma Ying-jeou not to drop the name "Taiwan" from the WHO application as it would help neither the chances of acceptance nor the nation’s dignity.

Ma has indicated that his administration may file next year’s WHO application under the name "Chinese Taipei," which he has considered would be the most appropriate option.

Representatives of the pro-independence Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan expressed concern that the president was too eager to see Beijing’s goodwill gestures as sincere.

During their meeting in Beijing last week, Chinese President Hu Jintao told Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung that the issue of Taiwan’s participation in the WHO could be a priority in future cross-strait talks.

In a survey conducted by the foundation, Lin said that 80 percent of respondents said they would prefer that the government file the application under the name "Taiwan."

Wu Yung-tung, a former president of the Taiwan Medical Association, said the government should proceed with caution and remember that the name the nation uses at international organizations is also a matter of dignity.

Wu said it might be possible to join the WHO under the name "Chinese Taipei," but that the government should consider the potential negative effects down the line.

The government should not make its decision on what name to use without gauging public opinion first, he said.

The government has applied for WHO membership every year since 1997.