Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Dalai Lama’s political successor sworn in

Taipei Times

Lobsang Sangay, a 43-year-old Harvard scholar, took office yesterday as head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, vowing to free his homeland from Chinese “colonialism.”

After being sworn in at a colorful ceremony in the Indian hill town of Dharamsala, Sangay warned China that the Tibet movement was “here to stay” and would only grow stronger in the waning years of the Dalai Lama.

In an historic shift from the dominance of Tibetan politics by religious figures, the new prime minister, who has never set foot in Tibet, is assuming the political leadership role relinquished by the 76-year-old Dalai Lama in May.

Facing non-democratic choices

J. Michael Cole 寇謐將

One should always be wary of specialists who, from the cushioned comfort of their distant armchairs, make grand telescopic pronouncements about what it is that other countries “want.” Sadly for Taiwan, there is no shortage of such individuals who pretend to know what Taiwanese want.

Without the benefit of being in situ and really getting to know Taiwanese, their dreams, fears and all, it is easy for foreign analysts to personalize policy and to substitute public will for government rhetoric, especially under an administration in Taipei that has left little room for dissenting opinion.

US rating’s effect on Taiwan

Taipei Times Editorial

Standard & Poor’s (S&P) disputed downgrade of the US’ sovereign credit rating to an unprecedented “AA+” came as no surprise, but it still sent shockwaves because the move crushed the confidence of holders of US debt and raised the risk of a double-dip recession, given the persistent weakness in the US dollar and cautious private consumption on rising borrowing costs.

Ahead of S&P’s announcement, mounting concern about the US debt crisis wiped NT$1.21 trillion (US$41.8 billion) off local stocks by market value, with the benchmark TAIEX plummeting 5.58 percent on Friday. Stock prices are expected to be under heavy pressure this week as investors survey the scene and likely still harbor doubts about the US’ economic prospects.

Changhua farmers protest CTSP irrigation water plans

Taipei Times

Standing in front of a giant banner hanging from a water gate and emblazoned with the words “protect the water,” hundreds of farmers and farmers’ rights activists yesterday protested at the source of an irrigation channel in Changhua County’s Sijhou Township (溪州) over the Central Taiwan Science Park’s (CTSP) plans to divert water from the irrigation system.

“Water is already scarce and [the Changhua County Irrigation Association] only supplies water through irrigation channels four out of every 10 days,” Hsieh Pao-yuan (謝寶元), a farmer and president of the Alliance Against Water-Jacking by the CTSP, told the crowd. “With the CTSP planning to take more water from the irrigation channel, we Chang-hua farmers are going to be left with nothing — that is why we have to stand united and protect the water.”

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