Taiwan receives apology over London flag row

Taiwan's national flag, second from left, before it was removed.
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The organizer of a display held to welcome the Olympic Games has apologized for the controversy caused when it removed Taiwan's national flag from among other national flags hung on a London street, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.

The Regent Street Association has "made an apology" to Taiwan's representative office in the United Kingdom over the row and has promised to "take remedial measures," said Hsu Mien-sheng, director-general of the ministry's Department of European Affairs, at a routine press conference. He did not elaborate on what these measures will entail.

The association is not in any way affiliated with the official Olympic Games organizer, LOCOG.
The association, however, said that it will not replace Taiwan's Olympic flag with the national flag for the time being, Hsu said.

Annie Walker, director of the association, was quoted in media reports as saying that it would be better "politically" if the national flag was changed.

Taiwan has competed in the Olympics under the name and flag of "Chinese Taipei" since the early 1980s under an agreement with the International Olympics Committee. The agreement was made necessary due to pressure from China, which claims Taiwan as one of its provinces.

Taiwan's top envoy to the UK, Shen Lyu-shun, made an official complaint after the ROC national flag was removed in late July from an array of flags representing countries and territories participating in the Olympics.

"The row over the flag removal has drawn wide media attention," Hsu said, showing articles from British media outlets such as the London Evening Standard.

According to Hsu, the international community has voiced support for Taiwan and has sent "an extraordinarily large amount" of complaint letters to the association for its action.

"We will continue to fight for the rights we deserve through rational and practical solutions," he said