Heterotopias

Dear All:

The Lo-Sheng Leprosarium, enblem of human rights in Taiwan, is scheduled to be demolished by Taiwan Government on April 16. ( http://www.pcschool.idv.tw/savelosheng/ )

We are calling for your cosigning on the petition letter to saving Lo-Sheng , either by organization or individually. Every signing on this letter is every empowering to the people affected by leprosy, as well as to all the friends who care for them.

Accompanying with our struggle internationally and domestically, this cosigning action will pressure into the government further for saving LoSheng, and will continue till the end. We sincerely invite you to sign on this letter.

For organization cosigning, please provide the full name and the location (i.e., country) of the organization, as well as contact info.
For individual cosigning, please provide the name, country, department (of occupation or school), title, as well as contact info.
All the personal contact info would be regarded as confidential and hidden. Please don¡¦t worry about security problem.

Please Email your information to

Zheng-Qi Zhou chargechu@gmail.com
Shi-Jie Nee georgenee0502@yahoo.com.tw

In Solidarity!

The petition letter

To: Premier Su
Executive Yuan, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
via Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco
And more.....
We are writing this letter to express our deeply concern to the decision you made to evict the Lo-Sheng Sanatorium. Sir, as the chief of Taiwanese government, recently your prior concern toward the MRT construction project over the human and cultural rights in the controversial issue of Lo-sheng, is truly injustice and unacceptable for us. In this crucial time of the forced eviction toward Lo-sheng, we want to express our angry and sadness of your decision to the Human Rights Council, Economic and Social Council of United Nations. We will carry this crisis of human right violation to the Bureau of Democracy, Human Right and Labor, United State of America as well.

Through the twentieth century, people suffered from the Leprosy all around the world have been forced to be separated from society, leaving their dear families and friends, spending the whole life in an isolated sanatorium. In fact, in some cases, the whole family lines of a Leprosy patient breaks down, just in case of the only child suffered from leprosy. Nowadays, many Leprosy sanatoriums, since their lands are becoming valuable, project of development were proposed in their homeland. What is outrageous is that most of these develop projects concerns nothing about the ethical and humanity right of these Leprosy patients, no matter how these issues is indeed crucial in the dislocation cases.

Now, these leprosy sanatoriums¡¦ historical and cultural value is worldwide recognized. They are indeed the real treasures in our time. Many countries now not only compensate, but also try very hardly to protect the living rights of those Leprosy patients, including their house and living space. This is because these governments, such as American, Japan, and England. They have now realized the old policy of segregation is completely wrong and inhuman. This realization brings to a creative synergy, to open a new life of these sanatorium facilities, and make them be benefit to the whole society. The preservation of Leprosy history is indeed the preservation of the country¡¦s history, as well as the people¡¦s lifestyle in the land. (please see attachment for examples of some of these).

Since the anti-Leprosy movement is still a great issue in Asia and the whole world. In the coming January, 2008, one international conference of Leprosy is going to open in India. This conference is hold by international NGOs concerning about Leprosy issue for a long time. And the next International Leprosy Congress is going to open in Hyderabad. The residents of Lo- Sheng have been invited to designate as representative to serve on the five-member panel in the conference 2008, and they will lead the discussion. We fervently hope that the Taiwanese government and people can recognize that Lo-Sheng¡¦s residents are truly the national treasures.

Although suffered form Leprosy for the whole life, the residents in Lo-sheng never stop teaching us the spirit of fighting against the distress of life. Their lives have undergone separation from society and family, yet there is no revenge or hatred in them. The simply request they propose is that their history of tear can be remembered, and they can remain living in their own home, till their very last breath.

We hope that we can work together to save this important chapter of medical human right in Taiwan's history. Let this to be remembered as moments of justice and humanity, not as force and violence. We firmly oppose to the eviction toward these elders who have sacrificed their families and lives fro years and years, just for ensuring and guarding the safety of our society. Their story is our story. None of us can get rid of it.

We would hope sincerely to your response and fair solution.

Sincerely

Cosigners

Organizations

Name: ANGIKAR BANGLADESH FOUNDATION
http://www.reformcampaign.net/index.php?pg=comite_fitxa&comite=banglades...
Country: Bangladesh

Name: Zi Teng (Sex Workers Concern organization in Hong Kong)
http://www.ziteng.org.hk/news_e.html
Country: Hong Kong

Individuals
Name: Xiang Chen
Country: New York, USA
Title: software architect working for Dow Jones

Name: Zoe Wang
Country: UC Berkeley, CA, USA
Title: visiting scholar

Name: Hsun-Hui Tseng
Country: USA
Title: Ph.D Candidate, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington

Name: Paoyi Huang
Country: USA
Title: Ph.D candidate, Departmant of Sciology

Name: Kai-Lih Liu, Ph.D., MPH
Country: USA
Title: Research Scientist, HIV Epidemiology Program, New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene

Name: Craig Andrew Rosenthal
Country: Singapore
Title: Batey Singapore, Creative Director

Name: Wen-Lin, Huang
Country: Taiwan
Title: Cardiff University

Name: Shih-Chieh Huang
Country: Taiwan
Title: Columbia Law School, LL.M candidate

Name: Pei-chia Lan
Country: Taiwan
Title: Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University

Name: Chi-cheng Kuo
Country: Taiwan
Title: Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Tunghai University

Name: Emery Yu-Wen HUANG
Country: Taiwan
Title: Student

Name: Shao-hua Liu
Country: Taiwan
Title: PhD candidate, Columbia University

2007.4.6(New York)
To be added¡K

Tags: 樂生院