World League for Freedom and Democracy


The World Anti-Communist League is an international non-governmental organization of anti-communist politicians and groups founded in 1966 under the initiative of Chiang Kai-Shek, leader of the Republic of China. It united mostly ultra-right and libertarian people and organisations, and acted with the support of the right-wing authoritarian regimes of East Asia and Latin America. During the Cold War, WACL actively participated in anti-communist and anti-Soviet positions.
In 1990, the organisation changed its name to World League for Freedom and Democracy, but has preserved traditions and former ties. It unites representatives from more than 100 countries and has eight regional divisions. It is currently a member of the United Nations Department of Public Information and has its headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan.

History

The WLFD descended from the Asian Peoples' Anti-Communist League. To cope with the growing tension around the world, Chiang Kai-shek of the Republic of China on Taiwan, Elpidio Quirino of the Republic of the Philippines, and Syngman Rhee of the Republic of Korea founded the APACL in Jinhae, the wartime capital city of the Republic of Korea on 15 June 1954. Its first general conference was held in that city and was host to advocate and support the causes of anti-communism, anti-totalitarianism as well as anti-authoritarianism. The other participating states, including South Vietnam, Thailand, Okinawa, Hong Kong, and Macao, also sent representatives.

World Freedom Day

World Freedom Day is a memorial day celebrated on 23 January in Taiwan and South Korea. The event marks the return of some 22,000 ex-communist war prisoners of the Korean War to Taiwan, of whom 14,000 Chinese soldiers arrived at Keelung harbor on 23 January 1954, and were given the title "Anti-Communist Martyrs". The Republic of China government subsequently declared 23 January as World Freedom Day to honor these soldiers, and created the "Anti-Communist League" to fight communist expansion worldwide. The league is led by President Yao Eng-Chi, a former Kuomintang-MP and Secretary-General Ger Yeong-Kuang, a Professor for political science at National Taiwan University. Every year World Freedom Day Celebrations are held in Taiwan, and the event is attended by both locals and foreign delegates from all over the world. Usually, the president of the ROC delivers a congratulatory message, and cultural performances take place.

Asian Pacific League for Freedom and Democracy

The Asian Pacific League for Freedom and Democracy was founded in 1954 as the Asian Peoples’ Anti-Communist League in Chinhae, South Korea with the support of the governments of the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan. The APLFD is a non-proft international organization for interchanges among the Asians for peace and prosperity of the region.
The APLFD was founded in the same year and under the same international background as the forming of the South East Asia Treaty Organization, or the Manila Pact, did in 1954, when the Second World War was concluded not a long while ago. However, while the SEATO was sort of an Asian Nato in nature, the APLFD is a people's organization trying to secure peace and prosperity through ideas and convictions and friendship.
Having founded the APACL, the government of the Republic of China prepared to organize the second conference and chose Taipei City as the place to set up the Republic of China Chapter of the APACL on 1 July 1954. Ku Cheng-kang, President of the Chinese Refugees Relief Association of the Republic of China, was designated as the first president of this Chapter. Over the years, successors to the presidency of the Republic of China Chapter are Clement C. P. Chang, Chao Tze-chi, Yao Eng-chi, and Tseng Yung-chuan. the president was Yao Eng-chi, former Vice President of the ROC Legislative Yuan and also Senior Advisor to President of the Republic of China on Taiwan.

World Anti-Communist League

In 1966 the memberships of the APACL had increased to 27, in Asia, Australia, and Africa. At its 12th Conference in Seoul on 3 November 1966, a fifteen-member committee was formed to discuss the expansion of this organization. The committee eventually decided to set up a new anti-communist organization, including the APACL, regional organizations, and an international anti-communist organization. On 7 November 1966, the delegates adopted the “Charter of the World Anti-Communist League” at the plenary session. It also resolved that the Republic of China Chapter was in charge of organizing the first General Conference.
The Charter of the World Anti-Communist League, with 8 chapters and 32 articles, came into effect on 1 April 1967. It stated that the WACL should immediately set up its regional organizations in six regions: Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Europe, North America, and Latin America. The organization in the Asian region was the main force to push for the mission of the World League.

Renaming

To adjust to the worldwide political changes after the defeat of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War and to strive for recruiting more people to join, the WACL held its 22nd General Conference in Brussels, Belgium on 23 July 1990, and the delegates resolved that the organization should be renamed the "World League for Freedom and Democracy". This resolution came into effect on 1 January 1991.
On 21 August 1991, with the new name, the WLFD held its 23rd General Conference in San Jose, Costa Rica. Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier, President of Costa Rica, and vice presidents from six countries in Latin America, gave speeches. The conference passed a resolution to set up the Presidency of League, a new post to highlight the leading center of the WLFD and also to take the responsibility to organize WLFD activities. Chao Tze-chi, President of the Republic of China Chapter of WLFD, was elected as the first President of the WLFD, and re-elected in 1995. U Chae-sung of the ROK was named as the Secretary-General.
On 19 January 2006, the WLFD adopted its charter amendment in the 34th General Conference. According to the Amendment, the President of the League shall be "the top official of the League" and shall represent the League, and shall supervise the performance and development of the League in compliance with the charter. According to the previous charter of the WLFD, the President of the League shall be "the Leader of the League" and shall represent the League. This person shall supervise the performance and development of the League in compliance with the charter.
According to the Charter of the WLFD, the President of the League shall be elected by and from the members of the Executive Board of the League. The result of the election shall be reported to the General Conference. The President shall hold office for a term of four years and shall be eligible for re-election. In October 2000, all members of the Executive Board approved Yao Eng-chi, President of the WLFD ROC Chapter, as the third President of the League during the Executive Board Meeting in New York City, U.S. The Executive Board also amended the charter to add several positions such as four vice presidents and two deputy secretary-generals. The decision made by the Executive Board was also confirmed by the members at the 31st WLFD General Conference in Taipei, ROC, on 13 January 2001. President Yao Eng-chi was re-elected as President of the League at the 33rd WLFD General Conference in Melbourne, Australia, on 20 December 2003. Ger Yeong-kuang was named as Secretary-General of the League. On 1 August 2008, Ger resigned and was succeeded by Hsieh Wen-huang, Parliamentary Assistant to Vice President Tseng Yung-chuan of the ROC Legislative Yuan. Hsieh resigned; Chou Yujen's was nominated to replace him on 23 January 2013.

Membership

According to the charter, national, regional or international organizations that subscribe to the purposes of the League are eligible for membership. Membership shall consist of Regular Members with voting rights and Associate Members without voting rights.
The Asian Pacific League for Freedom and Democracy was formed in 1954 as the Asian Peoples’ Anti-Communist League. The APLFD Secretariat was first established in Saigon, Vietnam in 1957; then the Secretariat moved to Manila in 1964. Three years later, the Secretariat moved back again to Saigon until its fall in 1975. After some compromise and a resolution, the APLFD Secretariat was re-established in Taipei, Taiwan in 1976 where it remains active. In 1983, at its conference in Fiji, it changed its name to the Asian Pacific Democratic League.
The APLFD has 18 member nations. It holds an annual conference every year.
The number of members in Denmark is unknown, but several politicians have or have been connected to the organization. Progress Party leader Pia Kjærsgaard participated in 1988 as WACL's guest at the organization's congress in Taipei. The Danish WACL leader has been municipal politician Erik Dissing.
The French chapter was headed by Suzanne Labin. The president of the German section as of 2012 has been Axel Fischer.
In Sweden, a department of WACL has been established since 1967. The Swedish organization has been characterized by strong participation among exile Estonians. Among the member organizations in the late 1960s were Democratic Alliance, :sv:Baltiska kommittén|Baltic Committee, Nordic War and UN Veterans Association and the :sv:Kommittén för ett fritt Asien|Committee for a Free Asia. The National League of Sweden was also linked to the organization for some time. Swedish chairman has been Birger Nerman, :sv:Arvo Horm|Arvo Horm, :sv:Birger Hagård|Birger Hagård and :sv:Åke J. Ek|Åke J. Ek.

Controversies

In 1978, Roger Pearson became the World Chairman of the WACL. Pearson was described in a Washington Post article as having neo-Nazi associations and sources report that as a result of an article in the Washington Post in 1978 critical of WACL and alleging extreme right wing politics of Pearson that either he was expelled from WACL or at least was pressured into resigning from his position as World Chairman.
The U.S. chapter of WACL, the United States Council for World Freedom was founded in 1981 by Major General John K. Singlaub. Singlaub was the former US Chief of Staff of both United Nations and American forces in South Korea, but was relieved in 1977 by U.S. President Jimmy Carter after publicly criticizing Carter's decision to reduce the number of troops on the peninsula. Singlaub became a member of the WACL in 1980, and founded and became president of its U.S. chapter, the United States Council for World Freedom. This branch generated controversy when it supported Nicaraguan guerrillas in the Iran–Contra affair and, in 1981, the USCWF was placed under watch by the Anti-Defamation League, which said that the organization had increasingly become "a point of contact for extremists, racists, and anti-Semites". During the 1980s, the USCWF and WACL conducted a purge of these elements, and invited ADL observers to monitor its conferences; by 1985, the Anti-Defamation League declared itself "satisfied that substantial progress has been made since 1981 in ridding the organization of racists and anti-Semites."
It is alleged that in the mid-1980s WACL had become a supplier of arms to anti-communist rebel movements in southern Africa, Central America, Afghanistan and the Far East. During the 1980s, the WACL was particularly active in Latin America, notably by aiding the Contra forces in Nicaragua. During this period, WACL was criticized for the presence in the organization of neo-Nazis, war criminals, and people linked to death squads and assassinations. Other allegations have included reports claim that the World League for Freedom and Democracy is responsible for producing what its opponents call "troops of killers", while ostensibly organizing to provide support for Corazon Aquino from the right-wing in the Philippines and for supporting the Mozambican National Resistance movement in Mozambique.
The World Anti-Communist League held annual conferences at various locations throughout the world. Numerous groups participated, including the Unification Church of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. WACL also enjoyed support from many U.S. Congressmen, most notably 2008 presidential nominee Senator John McCain, who sat on the United States Council for World Freedom Board of Directors in the early 1980s. McCain has said previously he resigned from the council in 1984 and asked in 1986 to have his name removed from the group's letterhead but there was absolutely no evidence that McCain had ever resigned or asked for his name's removal from the United States Council for World Freedom.

Controversial members

In the World Anti-Communist League, numerous Nazi collaborators and Latin American death squads were active. The prominent members included: