Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Transitional justice must be public

Li Chung-chih 李中志

In contrast with classical notions of justice, transitional justice is a relatively new concept. Its purpose is to define and punish the illegal actions of a previous government and to provide justice for victims following the transfer of political power to a new administration that holds radically different — sometimes even diametrically opposed — beliefs.

Steady decline of military morale

Taipei Times Editorial

The Ching Chuan Kang Air Base scandal involving personnel testing positive for Category 1 drugs is yet another blow to the armed forces’ morale. Premier Lin Chuan’s (林全) team is being called the “drugs Cabinet,” for which Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) apologized, and one major general has been disciplined for his culpability in the case. Military leaders are scrambling to contain the conflagration, but the fallout continues to damage the armed forces’ image.

Chiang hall should remain empty

Christian Fan Jiang 范姜提昂

The final point of transitional justice is the question of how to repurpose the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei once Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) statue is removed. It has been suggested that the space dedicated to the worship of a dictator could provide the grounds for a new Legislative Yuan building — a symbol of democracy. In other words, destroying the building would do away with the problem of how to repurpose it, as it would cover Chiang with a new Legislative Yuan.

US must aid Taiwan’s WHO entry

Peter Chen 陳正義

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) this week confirmed Taiwan’s first human fatality from the H7N9 avian flu virus. Earlier, a Chiayi poultry farm and a turkey farm in Tainan tested positive for a highly pathogenic avian flu virus strain. Poultry farms in Hualien and Yilan counties were confirmed to have infected birds as well.

The world is fortunate that Taiwan has superb animal health and infectious disease control talent, data collection, quarantine and treatment facilities. Taiwan remains far superior to China in disease control in general and the containment of avian flu in particular.

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