Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Unveiling the real Ma Ying-jeou

Liberty Times Editorial

In 2006, the Taipei District Court sentenced former Miaoli County commissioner Ho Chih-hui (何智輝), who also served several terms as a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, to 19 years in jail for corruption, which the Taiwan High Court later reduced to 14 years. In May the High Court found Ho not guilty on appeal, overturning the earlier verdicts. Then, a few days ago, the matter took an altogether unexpected turn when six people, including three judges, were detained on charges of accepting bribes to acquit Ho in the High Court.

PRC's preparations to attack Taiwan accelerate: report

Taipei Times

Despite repeated displays of goodwill by the government of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) since it came to power in 2008, China’s military preparations for an attack on Taiwan continue to accelerate, a report by the Ministry of National Defense’s intelligence research branch says.

The report says China’s military preparedness for an attack on Taiwan has never been relaxed and that if the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched a missile attack on Taiwan, it would destroy more than 90 percent of the nation’s political, economic, military and civil infrastructure. It also predicts the number of Chinese missiles aimed at Taiwan could reach 2,000 by the end of the year.

Farmers fail to meet president

Taipei Times

Farmers yesterday ended their overnight protest in front of the Presidential Office against land seizures by the government, but despite their persistence, representatives were not granted a meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

Thousands of farmers from all over the country and their supporters began their protest on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office on Saturday evening and stayed there overnight.

Farm act fails to address problems

Taipei Times Editorial

Agriculture has seen its importance in Taiwan subside significantly in the past 50 years, accounting for just 1.5 percent of the nation’s GDP in 2008, compared with 32.2 percent in 1952. Nonetheless, the sector is still crucial to Taiwan in terms of food security and conservation.

Nowadays, when visiting any farming village around the country, one only sees aging farmers, old facilities and a sizable amount of land lying fallow. According to the government’s census data, full-time farming households made up about 21 percent of the total population in 2007, down from 40 percent in 1955, and only 740,000 people were employed by the sector in 2007, compared with 1.67 million in 1955.

More Articles...