Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Who will stay behind as Taiwan’s people flee?

Lee Min-yung 李敏勇

An 83-year-old Mainlander who could no longer stand to see his 79-year-old wife suffer from Parkinson’s disease is suspected of drugging her with sleeping pills and then hitting her on the head with a screwdriver and a hammer before finally calling the police after she died.

I am not sure how the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which runs Taiwan as a one-party state and is about to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Republic of China (ROC), feels about this. This government and those who fled to Taiwan together with former dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) ran it as a dictatorship during the Martial Law era through its privileged party, government and military officials. Those with power remain in Taiwan, while their family members emigrated to the US or other developed, democratic nations.

Propaganda or self-promotion?

Taipei Times Editorial

The government is making rampant use of embedded marketing, which includes advertorials, to promote the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). This is the main reason that veteran China Times reporter Huang Je-bing (黃哲斌) resigned in protest on Dec. 12, comparing the practice with propaganda by the Chinese Communist Party. Seasoned journalists and professors of communications have come out in droves against the practice, with more than 100 signing a petition calling on the government to stop the practice.

Some may ask what all the hubbub is about. Don’t all governments seek to promote themselves? That’s just a feature of party politics, right?

DPP calls on KMT to back truth panel

Taipei Times

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday called on Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers to set aside partisan politics and agree to establish a special investigative committee to probe last month’s election-eve shooting.

Speaking one day after the opposition party raised the possibility of contesting the election results, DPP lawmakers said the government owed the public a clear and consistent explanation on the attack on KMT Central Committee member Sean Lien (連勝文).

Expert downplays PRC threat to Taiwan

Taipei Times

A US military expert is playing down the threat to Taiwan of China’s new DF-21D ballistic anti-ship missile, which is said to be capable of sinking an aircraft carrier.

Four-star US Admiral Robert Willard, commander of the US Pacific Command, made headlines earlier this week when he revealed for the first time that the missile was now in the early stages of deployment.

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