Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Control Yuan vote another hit to Ma

Taipei Times Editorial

The legislature on Tuesday voted on President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) nominations for members of the Control Yuan during its second extraordinary session this summer.

While Chang Po-ya (張博雅) and Sun Ta-chuan’s (孫大川) nominations for the positions of president and vice president respectively were approved, along with 16 of the 27 remaining members, 11 of Ma’s nominations were rejected. Although the Control Yuan can continue to operate until the current term expires today, the outcome of the decisions will have a major impact on Ma and on the operations of the next Control Yuan.

US report slams China’s religious freedom record

Taipei Times

US Secretary of State John Kerry has released Washington’s 16th annual report on religious freedom, which showed stark differences between Taiwan and China.

While there were no reported cases of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice in Taiwan last year, it was a much different story across the Taiwan Strait, the report showed.

The report said that Beijing “harassed, assaulted, detained, arrested or sentenced to prison” religious adherents and there were also reports of “physical abuse and torture in detention.”

Is it time to dump the name ROC?

Jerome Keating

In the Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet, vexed with questions of family loyalty versus her love for a Montague, Juliet asks the provocative question: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Her thoughts and interest of course go far beyond the relationship between nomenclature and the characteristics of flowers.

In the same vein, applying Shakespeare’s words to countries instead of flowers, Taiwanese can ask: “What’s in a name?”

China’s territorial claims are weak

Bruce Jacobs 家博

In September 2012, at a time of Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands (釣魚台) crisis, I led an Australian delegation to Taiwan. Our first visit was with the then-foreign minister, Timothy Jin-tien Yang (楊進添), an old friend who had served as Taiwan’s representative in Australia. My first question concerned the Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands and Yang criticized me for not knowing that “Diaoyutai” was the proper name for the islands. I was surprised by the sharpness of his response, but he may have been preparing himself for his meeting with the Japanese representative that afternoon.

More Articles...