Democratic Progressive Party legislators Hsu Chih-chieh, center, Kuo Kuo-wen, second right, Lai Hui-yuan, second left, Chen Su-yueh, third right, and New Power Party Legislator Chen Jiau-hua, third left, hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

'LEGAL FIREWALL': The new law would combat the harvesting and sale of organs in China and Cambodia, where the forced practice continues, lawmakers said

By Chen Cheng-yu and Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter, with staff writer

A law banning forced organ harvesting should be enacted, lawmakers across party lines said yesterday ahead of International Human Rights Day today.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsu Chih-chieh (许智杰) held an international news conference at the legislature in Taipei with other legislators and civic groups to propose the enactment of a law to combat and prevent forced organ harvesting, saying to continue in countries such as China and Cambodia.

Taiwan should use its power to “stop the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party” by establishing stronger laws and regulations to prevent organ harvesting, which is a cruel act “despised by the whole world,” Hsu said.

Teresa Chu, a lawyer and chair of the Universal Declaration on Combating and Preventing Forced Organ Harvesting Advisory Committee, said that some Taiwanese colluded with foreign crime organizations to lure people in Taiwan to Cambodia, where they were forced organ to undergo

Many Taiwanese went to China to engage in the organ trade for fast organ transplants, she said, adding that some doctors even assisted in illegal organ transplant operations there.

A law banning forced organ harvesting is “desperately needed,” she said.

Taiwan Association for International Care of Organ Transplants Huang Chien-feng (黄千峰), a doctor, said that China lacks organ donation regulations, but has a huge stock of organs from living bodies, 90 percent of which are from death-row inmates.

It is believed that inmates' organs would be removed without anesthesia, and they would then die from the operation, he added.

There is a huge gap between the number of people being sentenced to death and the number of liver and kidney transplants performed in China, he said.

The organs were most likely taken from Falun Gong members, Uighurs or political prisoners, he added.

DPP Legislator Chen Su-yueh said that the atrocities should be condemned, and she called on the public to pay attention to the issue.

New Power Party Legislator Chen Jiau-hua advocated the proposal, as there might be social repercussions from Taiwanese being forced to undergo organ harvesting or receiving organ transplants in China.

DPP Legislator Lai Su-yueh said that a “global legal net” should be created to punish and prevent crimes through information exchanges among countries.

Many people have fallen victim to forced organ harvesting in China, which is thought to have been happening for more than a decade, DPP Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭国文) said, adding that parties should work together and prioritize the law's enactment.

DPP Legislator Chang Liao Wan-chien said that the world is “building legal firewalls” to prevent such atrocities.

News source: TAIPEI TIMES