ZONE:

The organisers of the Tongzhi Conference are calling for participants and sponsors for its fourth annual Asian gay and lesbian conference to be held in Taiwan from 29 September to 1 October.

Conducted mainly in Mandarin with English and Cantonese translations, the 3-day conference is expected to draw some 300 activists, writers, film directors and community leaders. Representatives from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission will - for the first time - attend this year's conference.

The conference, which is being organised by the Taiwan Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Association, was first held in Hong Kong in 1996, and subsequently in 1998 and 1999.

According to a press statement, the conference is also supported by Amnesty International in Taiwan, China Human Rights Association, Taiwan Improvement for Human Right Association as well as members of the legislative committee, Chu Huei Liang and Cheng Shuei Tseng.

Participants of the conference will have 12-14 open forums/workshops over 5-6 time slots to choose from. Topics will include workplace discrimination, homosexuality and family, media and Internet issues and HIV/AIDS.

Organisers have revealed that of the 100 participants who have registered, about 25 are from Hong Kong, and about 15 from Singapore and Malaysia.