Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

DPP suing KMT quartet over shooting comments

Taipei Times

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it would file lawsuits against a group of politicians over allegations that the party condoned a shooting last month.

Aimed at Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers, the lawsuits were the first court challenges to be filed following the incident, in which Sean Lien (連勝文), a KMT Central Committee member and son of former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰), was shot on Nov. 26.

AIT Chairman Raymond Burghardt: Short Memories and Surprises Few People Talk About

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

AIT Chairman Raymond Burghardt spoke at the American Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Taipei, Taiwan recently. One point he brought up concerning the dealings between the USA and Taiwan was the fact that the US does not like surprises. No doubt, Burghardt was referencing the complaint that the US State Department often issued about some of the actions of Chen Shui-bian when he was president of Taiwan. This is a complaint that the Ma administration tried to exploit saying it would be more "open" in its dealings with all.

Chen’s new life behind bars won’t break him

Dan Bloom

Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), now identified in prison by his personal identification number, 1020, might be looking at 17 years in jail, although it could be whittled down to just 11 years behind bars. There is also the slim possibility of a presidential pardon somewhere down the road by a future Democratic Progressive Party president, perhaps as early as 2012.

For now, contemplating his fate, Chen sits in a cell in Taoyuan and is settling into his jail routine. There’s roll call each day and he’ll have to answer the guards when they ask him his name and ID number. At least three times a week, there will be exercise outside in a guarded yard with fellow inmates, one surmises, and a good soak or shower in a prison washroom twice a week, too.

WikiLeaks unreleased cache of documents on Taiwan has Republic of China busy

Michael Richardson

As international uproar over the massive trove of secret and confidential United States diplomatic files released recently by WikiLeaks grows, officials within the Republic of China in-exile are hard at work. The ROC officials are worried that a large cache of unreleased WikiLeaks documents are going to upset the status quo.

Revelations about duplicity in high places is having substantial political fallout in a number of countries as daily headlines blare out new deceptions by government leaders. American relations with the People’s Republic of China and non-relations with the Republic of China are always a delicate balance in the “political purgatory” occupied by Taiwan.

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