Taipei, Jan. 9 (CNA) A better and fully implemented ombudsman system would help make Taiwan a country of democracy, rule of law and human rights, President Chen Shui-bian said Tuesday.
Chen said his greatest wish since his inauguration as president is to bring Taiwan to a position as a world beacon of human rights.
In addition to promoting the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission and the introduction of international human rights laws to Taiwan, Chen said he also wants to see an improvement in the existing ombudsman system and its "genuine" implementation in Taiwan so as to make the island a country of democracy, rule of law and human rights.
The president made the remarks during a meeting with Claes Eklundh, head of the national ombudsman body of Sweden, who is currently on a lecture tour of Taiwan. Chen lauded Sweden for its well-established ombudsman system, which came into being in as early as 1801 and is one of the oldest of its kind in the world.
The Republic of China's ombudsman system, included in the ROC Constitution, which was drafted by ROC founding father Sun Yat-sen, is also one of the oldest and the best of its kind in Asia, Chen said. Eklundh's visit to Taipei signals progress in comparative research and exchanges between two different ombudsman systems from the West and the East, he added.
For his part, Eklundh expressed his hope that this visit and more exchanges between the two countries in the future will help bolster people's well-being and rights. Eklundh is here to deliver a speech on Sweden's ombudsman system, meet with officials from the Control Yuan--the top watchdog agency in the ROC--and take part in an academic symposium on ombudsman systems.
According to Chen, Taiwan became a full member of the International Ombudsman Organization in 1994 and since then has engaged in various activities and meetings that the organization has sponsored.