Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Taiwan still carries a lot of baggage from its past one-party state days under the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). One particularly large piece of that baggage has been the nation’s need for judicial reform. This need had been long evident, but it could only begin to be met after martial law was lifted in 1987.

Nonetheless, efforts to address this issue with appropriate legislation had long proven futile. Finally, however, in the latest legislative session, a bill called the Judges’ Act (法官法) was passed. What has spurred on this change? There have been several forces at work; one has certainly been and continues to be public awareness of the problem.

Before the Pearl Harbor attack, part of Japan's plan was to send tourists to Hawaii to map out where the battleship berths were, where the airfields were etc. etc. and know the whole military layout. From this and other means they were able to build a mock copy of Pearl Harbor and so plan how to attack and do the most damage. Obviously they were successful.

Guess what? Just recently several Chinese tourists (one of Ma's supposed ways of boosting the economy) were caught and expelled from Hualien Air Force Base during a military show. Many of Taiwan's weapons systems were on display at the base which was open to the Taiwanese public, but not to Chinese tourists. And believe it or not, the Chinese tourists were taking pictures, surprise, surprise. I guess all tourists go to a country to check out their air bases.