Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

There aren’t constants in our lives or government

Peng Ming-min 彭明敏

There has been a huge fuss made about the 18 percent preferential interest rates for pension savings accounts of retired military personnel, civil servants and teachers, with advocates on either side of the argument at each other’s throats.

On one side, there are people claiming we must adhere to the principle of “guarantee of trust,” and who believe that the privilege should be normalized. It is also true that many in the public haven’t heard of this particular proposition and have never really understood who or what it is they should trust and who or what is responsible for the guarantee.

Updating the US’ policy on Taiwan

Richard Zalski

During the previous decade Chinese authorities were apparently extremely unhappy with then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). In mid-2005 then--Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and then a month later People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) visited China.

Itineraries were designed to highlight the common historical bonds between the Chinese Communist Party (CPP) and the KMT. The voyage was meant to be symbolic, rather than a political strategy. Lien’s visit was already planned a year earlier when Lien was expected to win the presidential election.

Former first lady to be evaluated for imprisonment

Taipei Times

Former first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), who is paralyzed from the waist down, must be taken to a prison hospital to undergo a fitness evaluation before a decision can be made as to whether she will be incarcerated, Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) said yesterday.

Speaking at a pre-Lunar New Year holiday news conference, Tseng said the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office has sent Wu’s medical records to Pei Teh Hospital — the medical facility connected to Taichung Prison — to facilitate the assessment.

US warns Beijing it may redeploy forces over N Korea

Taipei Times

The US warned China that it would redeploy forces in Asia if Beijing failed to rein in its ally North Korea, the New York Times reported yesterday, as Pyongyang bowed to pressure and agreed to crisis talks.

The paper quoted a senior administration official as saying US President Barack Obama’s warning had persuaded China — the North’s main diplomatic and economic backer — to take a harder line toward Pyongyang and opened the door to a resumption of inter-Korean talks, possibly next month.

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