Call Us By Our Name
It has been an irritable thing for many Taiwanese to receive a mail with an offensive and erronous notation “Province of China” after Taiwan. Instead of addressing Taiwan sinply and directly, it appeares as “Taiwan, Provice of China”. Hopefully this kind of practice will change and cease in the future. On May 9th this year of 2006, the US Postal Service sent an official letter to the Formosan Association for Pablic Affairs(FAPA), saying that the USPS will take FAPA’s advice and drop the erronous notation on Taiwan from all USPS nets and publications listing the nations of the world, and applogized for the previous mistake. It was pointed out to the USPS, that, in 1996, when the Taiwan Relation Acts were enacted, the US State Department will , there after, call Taiwan simply and directly as Taiwan, for the reason that the USA and the “Republic of China” have no diplomatic relations. As an enterprise established by the Congress, the USPS should heed and follow the governmental rulling to call Taiwan directly by her proper name and do not add any thing else! Similarly, in July last year, FAPA did successfully make the AMTRAK to drop the erronous notation when naming Taiwan. YEY! CALL US BY OUR NAME, BY ALL MEANS!