Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Jan 13 Protest Brings Out the Crowds But Even More Trouble Looms on the Horizon

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

The Protest on January 13th was very successful in expressing the voice of dissatisfaction among the people. And if there are any in Washington DC or China who think that the Taiwanese are happy with the direction that the Ma government is trying to take Taiwan, they can be classified as "self-delusional fools." There can be no doubt that in the minds of some in DC and Beijing that they think that they can settle the Taiwan matter between themselves; such thinking is paternalistic and as I said self-delusional. Hopefully, there are at least some wiser and more perceptive minds in Washington.

Breaking: Tibet continues to burn, Second self-immolation in the new year

Phayul.com

Tsering Phuntsok's body burns on the ground in front of Chinese police station in Drachen village in Khyungchu region of eastern Tibet on January 18, 2013.

DHARAMSHALA, January 18: The wave of self-immolation protests in Tibet against China’s continued occupation of Tibet shows no sign of abating with reports just in of yet another fiery death in Khyungchu region of Ngaba in eastern Tibet.

Initial reports have identified the Tibetan self-immolator as Tsering Phuntsok. According to a Swiss based Tibetan, Sonam, the protest occurred at around 3:15 pm (local time).

“Tsering Phuntsok set himself on fire in front of the local Chinese police station in Drachen village of Khyungchu region,” Sonam told Phayul. “He passed away at the site of his protest.”

Hsiao Bi-khim charges Ma Ying-jeou’s administration of wrongful detentions

Michael Richardson

Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim talks about political prosecutions in Taiwan

Taiwan Political Prisoner Report, Jan. 17, 2013. Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim says that while the prosecution of former Republic of China in-exile President Chen Shui-bian is the most significant case against the Democratic Progressive Party by Ma Ying-jeou, it is only one of many political prosecutions against the opposition party in Taiwan.

“You have to put President Chen’s case in a context,” said Hsiao. “Many members of our party, senior government officials who had been incarcerated or detained prior to trial have been acquitted. Two county magistrates and also his former chief of staff, who had been detained prior to trial for nearly two months. They shaved his hair, humiliated him. And he was recently found not guilty, acquitted so he is suing the government for wrongful detention.”

Democracy and ‘the China factor’

Jackson Yeh 葉國豪

In an article titled First Year of the China Factor published on Christmas day in a Chinese-language publication, Academia Sinica research fellow Wu Jieh-min (吳介民) said that China has been using a “cross-strait political-commercial alliance” comprised of financial groups and pro-China organizations to interfere in Taiwan’s elections, and in doing so, influencing policymaking, public discourse and political order. The article garnered quite a bit of attention, but there was also quite a lot of confusion in the subsequent debate, which descended into so much noise with the sheer plethora of different opinions being voiced. Unfortunately, this was a lost opportunity to reflect on this idea of the “China factor” and its repercussions.

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