Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

 
  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Court suspends legislative reform bills

The Constitutional Court yesterday ordered the temporary suspension of controversial legislative reform bills passed in May in a move that prevents the legal changes from being implemented.

The suspension is to remain in force until the court rules on the constitutional challenges to the bills, affecting one article of the Criminal Code and eight articles of the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power (立法院職權行使法), the court said in a news release.

The ruling means the legal amendments promulgated on June 24 cease to be in effect for the time being.

Read more...
 

Honor guard change small, but vital

After decades of standing sentry over the enormous bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) at his eponymous memorial in Taipei, the honor guards’ clacking boots are no longer heard reverberating around its cavernous hall.

However, they have not gone far: Since Monday, the guards have moved just outside the memorial park’s Democracy Boulevard. When weather permits, a six-member guard is to march from the north and south entrances to the park and converge by the steps leading up to the hall every hour on the hour between 9am and 5pm. They will also still perform the flag-raising and lowering ceremonies as usual, ensuring the popular tourist draw remains mostly unchanged.

Read more...
 
 

Consistency sacrifices adaptability

As global power plays escalate, the room for the island democracy to maneuver has grown narrower. The idea of the “status quo” often implies stability and immutability, but in the context of Taiwan, it is anything but static.

The “status quo” is a myth; it is a dynamic and volatile state of affairs requiring constant adjustment and recalibration. It is better conceptualized as a “zone,” akin to the catchy phrase “gray zone.” This zone must acknowledge the interests of China, Taiwan and the US, aiming to maintain peace without escalating into full-blown conflict.

Read more...
 

Jointly resist China’s legal bullying

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office on June 21 issued “judicial guidelines on imposing criminal punishments” for “die-hard” supporters of Taiwanese independence, in collaboration with its Supreme People’s Court, Supreme People’s Procuratorate, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of State Security and Ministry of Justice. It is based on its “Anti-Secession” Law, the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Criminal Procedure Law of the PRC.

The “guidelines” set out strict conviction and sentencing standards for “Taiwan independence” behavior. This new law is not only another step in China’s expansion, but also shows its extreme stance on the Taiwan issue.

Read more...
 


Page 35 of 1511

Newsflash

The recent “Jasmine Revolution” and the effect it has had on autocratic political systems has shown that forces are in place for a new wave of democracy and that these could erupt at any time. These recent events also show that this force has a way of reaching areas situated near each other. The Internet has become a new tool for disseminating information about democracy and this is something that traditional theories on democratization never foresaw. The middle class, new social movements and even opposition parties have all fallen into the background and have been replaced with a new form of mass communication that is more democratic and decentralized.