Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Human rights, democracy threatened

David Schak et al.

As international SCHOLARS and writers who applauded the transition to democracy, that began in the late 1980s, we are deeply concerned about the backsliding of freedom, democracy and human rights under the current administration in Taiwan.

While an erosion of democracy and justice has been ongoing since this administration assumed office in 2008, recent events constitute a fundamental breach of the basic principles of separation of powers and checks and balances in a democracy.

Cross-strait relations enter new era

Taipei Times Editorial

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Thursday said in his Double Ten National Day speech that the cross-strait ties are not international relations. The latest definition of the relationship indicates that his administration is moving closer to political dialogue with China.

Last year, Ma defined the situation with China as “non-state-to-state relations” in the wake of a meeting between his envoy, former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) at the annual KMT-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forum in China, during which Wu made similar remarks.

National Day turns into day of protests

Taipei Times

A man waves a flag with the Citizen 1985 logo during a rally organized by the group for the Double Ten National Day at the Liberty Square in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

With songs, chants, speeches and clashes, tens of thousands of people demonstrated at several locations near the Presidential Office Building on Double Ten National Day yesterday, calling on President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to step down.

While different groups of demonstrators had different appeals — ranging from the fate of the country’s Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao (貢寮), New Taipei City (新北市), to the government’s handling of an improper lobbying case allegedly involving major political figures — the call for Ma to step down was the common theme.

DPP to file no-confidence motion

Taipei Times

Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming, center, and his colleagues yesterday hold a press conference to criticize the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for passing the buck for an ongoing legislative deadlock.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) is set to announce the party’s plan to initiate a no-confidence motion today against what it described as Presdient Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration’s destruction of the Constitution and political destabilization.

Su plans to skip the Double Ten National Day ceremony and to make the announcement at a press conference titled: “Action for democracy. No-confidence motion for the people,” DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said after the party’s weekly Central Standing Committee meeting yesterday.

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