Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Decisions on medical paroles not for jailors

Wu Ching-chin 吳景欽

On Friday last week, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who served six years of a 20-year jail sentence for corruption, but is now on medical parole, attended a fundraising dinner.

At the event, he violated a ban on five kinds of activity that Taichung Prison imposed as conditions of his parole, and so is now at risk of having his parole revoked. This puts into question whether it should be correctional institutions that make the decisions about when to grant medical parole and when to revoke it.

Same-sex Marriage: Marriage restrictions ‘unconstitutional’

Taipei Times

Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Lu Tai-lang yesterday issues Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 on the legality of same-sex marriage during a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: CNA

The Council of Grand Justices yesterday ruled that the Civil Code, which says an agreement to marry can only be made between a man and a woman, “violated” constitutional guarantees of freedom of marriage and equality.

Title change is a shift in relationship with Japan

James Wang 王景弘

That the former Association of East Asian Relations has been renamed the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association indicates a subtle, yet important change in the relationship between the two nations.

The juxtaposition of Taiwan next to Japan in the organization’s official name suggests that Taiwan is now finally being treated as an equal by Japan. Taiwanese welcomed the change, as it is a gesture of Japanese goodwill.

China trying to divide the nation

Chen Fang-ming 陳芳明

Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲) has now been missing for more than two months. People know nothing about his physical and mental health except for what China’s Taiwan Affairs Office has said. By detaining Lee, the Chinese government has deprived him of his basic human rights.

When he was first detained, Beijing sent a letter to Lee’s wife, Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜), via a man named Lee Chun-min (李俊敏), which is odd.

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