TAAF發表聲明 促新冠病毒源起調查機構審慎

(Boston Orange 編譯) 亞美基金會 (TAAF)8月3日發佈聲明，回應共和黨眾議會外國事務委員會成員，眾議員Rep. Michael McCaul所發表，有關新冠病毒大流行源起的報告。

TAAF稱該，報告讓人對新冠病毒是由發現病毒的武漢病毒研究所洩漏出來的，感到更加擔憂。

亞美基金會會長Sonal Shah回應該報告，發表了以下聲明:

亞美基金會非常擔憂，在新冠病毒大流行期間已然陡增的反亞裔仇恨及暴力，會把該報告的內容當作武器來搧風點火。亞裔社區已經被當作代罪羔羊，被責怪，成為數目極高的仇恨事件對象，然而美國原本是個不容許這類事情發生的地方。所以只要新冠病毒大流行源起的調查繼續，調查者在發佈發現時，把亞裔的安全考慮進去事至關重要的。亞裔基金會致力和夥伴合作，改善危機預防及回應架構，以確保我們的社區，未來在免於反亞裔仇恨及暴力上被保護得更好。

                           拜登政府正在做自己的新冠病毒源起調查，五月時，拜登總統要求情報社區就新冠病毒源起，給他一份報告，這報告預定於今夏稍後完成。

                             亞裔基金會創立於2021年5月，旨在解決長期以來的亞裔社區得不到投資與資源等問題，並先從反仇恨，數據及研究，教育等三方面著手。在反仇恨上，由於反亞裔仇恨及暴力事件有著持續的驚人發生率，反仇恨工作尤其重要。從2019年到2020年，針對亞裔社區的仇恨犯罪，在紐約市增加率高達833%，在洛杉磯增加率高達114%。

TAAF President Releases Statement on COVID-19 Origins Report From Leading GOP House Foreign Affairs Committee Member 

 WASHINGTON, DC, August 3, 2021 — The Asian

American Foundation ("TAAF") today shared a statement in response to the report released Monday by the ranking Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report raises growing concerns that the pandemic was started by a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, located in the city of Wuhan where the virus was first detected.

 Sonal Shah, President of TAAF, released the following statement in response to the report:

 “TAAF is deeply concerned that the findings in this report will be weaponized to fan the flames of anti-AAPI hate and violence that have already been surging throughout the pandemic. AAPI communities have been scapegoated, blamed, and subjected to extremely high numbers of hate incidents, which have no place in America. We cannot let the public health crisis continue to give way to a crisis of hate in our communities. So as long as investigations into the origins of the pandemic continue, it is imperative that investigators communicate their findings with the safety of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in mind. Working with our partners, TAAF is committed to improving crisis prevention and response infrastructure that will ensure our communities are better protected from anti-AAPI hate and violence in the future.”

The Biden administration is conducting its own investigation into the origins of the pandemic and in May President Biden called on the Intelligence Community to provide a report to him on the origins of COVID-19 which is expected later this summer.

TAAF was founded in May 2021 to help solve the longstanding lack of investment and resources provided to AAPI communities. To start, it is focusing its efforts on three key areas of concern: anti-hate, data and research, and education. Its anti-hate work continues to be especially important as anti-AAPI hate and violence persist at alarming rates. From 2019 to 2020, hate crimes targeting AAPI communities have increased by 833% in New York City and 114% in Los Angeles.