[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 117 (Friday, August 2, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S9623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE ARREST OF TWO TAIWAN STUDENTS IN ATLANTA

 Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I had the pleasure of meeting for 
the first time yesterday with the new representative from the Taipei 
Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, Dr. 
Jason Chih-chiang Hu. While it was a good opportunity to discuss areas 
of mutual interest, I was concerned to learn about an incident that 
occurred recently at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
  On July 31, two Taiwan students--one currently studying at Georgia 
Tech, the other a recent graduate of a university in Dallas--were 
arrested during the gold medal table tennis match between the People's 
Republic of China and Taiwan. It is my understanding that the incident 
was sparked when one of the students waived the national flag of the 
Republic of China during the hotly contested championship match. The 
other individual was arrested when trying to assist his fellow student 
in resisting police arrest.
  Mr. President, what began as an innocent, outward show of pride in 
his country ended with what would appear to be an excessive response. 
It is my hope that officials in Atlanta will carefully consider this 
situation and work toward a fair and equitable remedy that will not 
unduly punish these students.
  Nationalism and love of flag and country are something we as 
Americans can appreciate. As we look around the various venues at the 
Olympics, I think we all feel a source of pride to see the stars and 
stripes waiving in the stands and being carried by our athletes. What 
we may not understand is some of the history behind the conditions 
under which the Republic of China on Taiwan is able to participate in 
the Olympics.
  Athletes from Taiwan were banned from participating in the 
International Olympic Games in the 1970's due to controversies over the 
name, flag, and national anthem of their team. Later in that decade the 
International Olympic Committee amended its charter by striking out all 
references to national flags and national anthems. Instead, committee 
flag and committee song of the National Olympic Committee of each 
individual nation are used to describe the flag and anthem each 
nation's team uses. While almost all National Olympic committees use 
their national flag and anthem, the Republic of China, referred to in 
the Olympics as ``Chinese Taipei,'' are not allowed to use their flag 
and song.
  Mr. President, this prohibition applies to the Chinese Taipei Olympic 
team--not its fans. It is my understanding that the charter does not 
contain references to restrictions on individuals participating as 
spectators in the audience.
  Mr. President, while I do not have all the final details of this 
situation, I felt it was worthy of our notice. One purpose of the 
Olympic Games is for the world of nations to gather together in an 
event that allows us to rise above our differences. While that purpose 
is not always achieved, it is certainly a worthy goal. Therefore, it is 
my hope that we will see a swift and equitable resolution to this 
unfortunate situation.

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