Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

The appeal system for detention is not fair

Wu Ching-chin 吳景欽

The Supreme Court sent the Taiwan High Court’s judgment to extend former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) detention back to the High Court last week, saying its reasons were inadequate. But the collegiate panel handling the case at the High Court decided to extend Chen’s detention anyway, citing almost exactly the same reasons.

This has again highlighted the nation’s problematic custody system. Can the same collegiate panel be expected to overrule a decision it has made previously? Can the High Court simply ignore the concerns cited by the Supreme Court?

Taiwan, China, and freedom

A-gu 阿牛

Michael Turton has repeatedly made the point that the closer Taiwan moves to China, even as talks remain restricted to economic issues (for the time being), the farther away Taiwan moves from democracy.

Now, my nose tells me that there will be plenty of skeptics to this theory, especially as the connection is not so linear. After all, why must it be so? There are so many other possible outcomes. Maybe nothing will really chance in Taiwan. Or maybe Taiwan will make China more democratic through osmosis, right?

The Control Yuan and scapegoating

Taipei Times

For obvious reasons, all eyes have been on the Control Yuan’s review of the government’s response to Typhoon Morakot. Soon after the typhoon hit Taiwan and the devastation in the south became apparent, Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien (王建煊) reacted to the government’s incompetent response with the classic line: “I was so angry that I wanted to scold and kill people, but I didn’t know who to blame.”

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) did, however. His first public criticism was directed at the Central Weather Bureau (CWB). Someone or something had to be immediately accountable, and the easiest target was a bunch of civil-service meteorologists with no opportunity to defend their organization or their individual professionalism.

Balancing US, PRC comfort zones

Paul Lin 林保華

When Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was elected president, the immediate US reaction was to heave a sigh of relief because Ma’s pro-China policies were expected to relax the tense cross-strait relationship. In practice, things have turned out slightly differently, as “pro-China” became “submit to China,” and this raised flags in the US, as can be seen from a series of recent events.

When the new director of the American Institute in Taiwan, William Stanton, visited Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) on Sept. 30, he said that “people overseas had some different thoughts” on the trial of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). Why would he risk being accused of interfering with Taiwan’s internal affairs by bringing up this case? Clearly because the US now feels it is no longer a clear-cut judicial matter.

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