Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Washington must stand by its old ally Taiwan

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Taiwan’s peaceful transfer of political power offers further evidence that the regime in Beijing is wrong when it suggests democracy is not possible in China.

Taiwan remains an embarrassment to Beijing’s aging leadership who condescendingly assert that market-based democratic traditions are inconsistent with Chinese culture. In the blogosphere Chinese are increasingly asking: “If Taiwan can democratically elect a president, why can’t we?”

MA’S RE-INAUGURATION: Taiwanese come together to protest

Taipei Times

Part of the Democratic Progressive Party’s march to manifest the public’s dissatisfaction with President Ma Ying-jeou sets out from Wanhua train station in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times

People from all walks of life took to the streets in Taipei yesterday to voice their dissatisfaction with President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) governance.

A group of Hakka people held big black flags with calligraphy in white that read yimin (義民, “righteous people”) as they marched. The flag is modeled on the black flags used by Hakka militias who defended their home villages during an uprising against the Qing Dynasty in 1786 and again when they fought against the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in 1895.

Defending freedom of speech

Taipei Times Editorial

Freedom of speech is a hard-won right in Taiwan and a fairly recent one at that. Which makes it all the more disappointing, if not downright scary, to have a democratically elected lawmaker start threatening people whose speech he takes exception to, with warnings that he could hurt their livelihoods.

Such threats, even histrionic ones, should not be tolerated.

Mother’s Day appeal to Ma Ying-jeou from Chen Shui-bian’s 85 year old mother

Michael Richardson

Chen Shui-bian's 85 year-old mother calls for his release from prison
Jay Tu

A Mother’s Day dinner in Taiwan renewed an appeal to Ma Ying-jeou by Chen Lee-shen, the 85 year-old mother of imprisoned Chen Shui-bian, for the release of Ma’s predecessor at the presidential palace. In April, the elderly mother of Chen Shui-bian made a public appeal to Ma for Chen’s release.

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