The following are editorial opinions from newspapers from around the world which may be of interest to Royal Gazette readers.

Taipei Times, Taiwan,

on human rights

It may not have been overly dramatic of the Wild Strawberries Student Movement to stage a mock memorial service for human rights this week at the clumsily named National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall. Pan-green politicians are being held for days on end without charge; serious allegations of excessive use of force have been levelled at police; and the true purpose of the Assembly and Parade Law came into sharp focus this month.

Though far from dead, civil rights essential to democracy are on a slippery slope.

All the more cause for alarm was Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng's letter to the Taipei Times yesterday. Wang took an astonishing stance against the facts to rebut allegations levelled at prosecutors.

Despite the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) claims during its time as an opposition party that the judiciary was biased, Wang wrote in a letter to the Taipei Times that it is "quite simply untrue" that the nation's "judicial system is susceptible to political manipulation."

Kudos to Wang, who just might be the most optimistic person in Taiwan on this subject. ...

NGOs and observers abroad are closely watching the situation. In the past months, Taiwan, which normally draws little concern from human rights groups, has fallen into their radar. ...

It should be amply clear that the actions of the current administration are not going unnoticed. At this point, convincing the Wild Strawberries and other sceptical voices at home and abroad that the nation's human rights are as healthy today as they were a year ago will take a concerted effort indeed.

Bergens Tidende, Norway,

on the financial crisis and poor children

When the financial system collapses, the consequences are so visible that authorities must act. When the education system collapses, it is less visible but just as important. ... UNESCO, the U.N.'s education, research and culture agency, ... describes a situation in which millions of children live in poverty without the education that could give them a better life.

The U.N. set a millennium goal of ensuring that all children have elementary education by 2015. The goal will not be reached. UNESCO points to political indifference, poor school policies in many countries and broken promises from donor countries. ...

In 2005, the rich part of the world promised to increase aid to education by $50 billion within five years. The promises are not being kept, and now the rich countries have to earmark large sums to counter the financial crisis. ...

So why is there such a lack of imagination when it comes to fighting the "education depression" to use terminology now in the vogue?