Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Ma plays the same old tune again

Taipei Times Editorial

With great fanfare, the Presidential Office trumpeted the news on Thursday that Taiwan and Singapore would explore the possibility of signing a trade pact before the end of the year. Such a deal could pave the way for closer economic ties with ASEAN, India and Japan, the Presidential Office said, while the government was also looking at Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand as potential targets for trade pact negotiations.

Haven’t we heard this all before?

Morakot victims stage overnight rally

Taipei Times

Hundreds of victims of Typhoon Morakot from Aboriginal regions in the south yesterday began an overnight sit-in rally in front of the Presidential Office to protest the government’s post-disaster reconstruction policies a year after the storm devastated their homes.

“We want to have a say in the reconstruction!” and “No to disunion,” the demonstrators shouted as they marched from Liberty Square to Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office.

The Film "Formosa Betrayed" Though Different from "Cape No. 7" is Important for Taiwan Youth

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

There was a time, not long ago, when Taiwanese were not allowed to speak Taiwanese. There was a time, not long ago, when Taiwanese could not say they were Taiwanese without being ridiculed. There was a worse time, also not that long ago, when Taiwanese were tortured and imprisoned if they wanted democracy. That time is what the movie, "Formosa Betrayed," opening in Taiwan theatres island-wide on August 6th is about.

Can one imagine deprivation if one has only known plenty? Can one imagine oppression if one has only known democracy? Can one imagine a one-party state violating people's rights unless one has experienced it? This is what Formosa Betrayed is about and these are some of the questions it raises for Taiwan's youth. It is a film that reveals a harsh reality of Taiwan's not too distant past, a harsh, often unspoken, reality endured by the youth's parents and grandparents, a harsh reality that is hard to imagine. It is easier to say that it did not exist.

Taiwan's justice reform must be civic driven

Taiwan News Editorial

The scandal over the bribery of Taiwan High Court judges by a former ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) politician and a series of unreasonable verdicts has sparked renewed awareness of the urgency of the comprehensive and thorough reform of Taiwan's judicial system.

Most of Taiwan society was stunned and incensed by the apparent success of former KMT legislator and ex-Miaoli County commissioner Ho Chih-hui, now a fugitive, to bribe three High Court judges to deliver an innocent verdict on second appeal.

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