Taiwan Vice-President Concerned About Visits to China for Organ Transplants

BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

Text of report by Elisa Kao; carried in English by Taiwanese Central News
Agency website

Taipei, 28 October: Vice-President Annette Lu has called for government
agencies and the legal and academic sectors to show concern over Taiwanese
visiting China for organ transplants, the Presidential Office said Saturday
[28 October].

Lu made the appeal during a meeting Friday with representatives from the
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), the Department of Health (DOH) , and a
Presidential Office consulting committee on human rights.

Lu said President Chen Shui-bian is also concerned about the matter, and she
expressed her utmost condemnation of what she claimed are China's illegal
organ transplants that she said seriously violate human rights.

Lu suggested that a special committee be established to show concern for
local people who have received organ transplants in China.

According to Chinese statistics, some 18,500 organ transplants were
conducted in China between 1994 and 1999, a number that jumped to 60,000
during the 2000-2005 period.

In addition, there were only 22 liver transplant centres in China in 1999,
with the number rising to 500 in 2005, with liver transplant operations
increasing from 135 in 1999 to 4,000 in 2005.

In terms of kidney transplants, there were only 3,596 such operations in
China in 1999, but the number of these surgeries jumped to 10,000 in 2005.
Lu said she doubts whether there has been such a huge increase of executed
prisoners in China during the period.

Falun Gong practitioners have claimed that arrested Falun Gong followers
have been victims of forced live organ removal for transplants in China.

Lu suggested that related government agencies promote education about the
possible source of the Chinese organs for transplant and that officials of
the DOH, MAC and Ministry of Justice investigate whether there are local
medical personnel or institutions involved in illegal organ transplants in
China.

Describing it as a serious issue, Lu also urged the private sector to
contribute its part in protecting human rights.