Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

In recent days the Irish government has been facing a financial crisis, and has had to look to the EU for aid. The European Central Bank and the IMF are reportedly preparing to make available a sum of 85 billion euros (US$113 billion).

Ireland was once held up by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) as an exemplar of economic development. In early 2006, the pro-China press in Taiwan, the mouthpiece of the KMT, touted the success of Ireland, asking why Taiwan couldn’t achieve success in the same way. It was a weapon with which to attack the cross-strait policy of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), in power at the time. Then-Taipei mayor and current President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) made a study trip to Ireland and, on his return, declared the Irish Experience a model for economic development.

After coming under fire for not standing up for Taiwanese taekwondo athlete Yang Shu-chun (楊淑君) in the immediate aftermath of her controversial disqualification from the Asian Games last week, the government finally caught on two days later, holding a press conference on Friday pledging to seek justice for Yang.

However, despite the action undertaken by members of the public who, on their own initiative, gave Yang a hero’s welcome upon her arrival in Taipei on Monday, the government has done little to show that it is determined to follow through on its vow to defend Yang’s name and dignity.