Reports: Ballot numbers picked for Taiwan Presidential tickets
This morning the Central Election Commission (CEC) held the drawing of lots for the numbers on the ballot for the presidential tickets. Scoring number one on the ballot was the People’s First Party (PFP) ticket of James Soong (宋楚瑜) and VP candidate Yu Hsiang-deng (余湘等). Number two on the ballot will be the Chinese Nationalist […]
Focus Taiwan: Kaohsiung Incident key to democratization: ‘Formosa’ contributor
… The Kaohsiung rally was held to oppose the KMT’s one-party rule, and called for the removal of bans on political parties and the end of martial law, which had been in place since 1949. At one point, riot police encircled the crowd and used tear gas on protesters, resulting in fierce clashes between the […]
Focus Taiwan: Reform more difficult than revolution: Chen Chu
… Chen was among those arrested and she was tried in a military court on charges of rebellion. She was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison but was released in 1986 after serving six years of her sentence. In May 2019, Chen’s record of conviction on rebellion charges was wiped out by […]
Focus Taiwan: Taiwan’s martial law victims urge young people to cherish democracy
… One of the survivors, 81-year-old Yang Tien-lang (楊田郎), said he was arrested in 1955 at the age of 17 for allegedly “spreading propaganda for traitors,” while working as a newspaper delivery boy. His superiors reported that he had scrawled subversive slogans such as “overthrow Chiang Kai-shek” and “join the Communist Party” on the wall […]
History, Taipei Times: Declassified bureau files reveal how the KMT monitored ‘Formosa Magazine’
… The magazine organized a pro-democracy demonstration on Dec. 10, 1979. It was intended to commemorate Human Rights Day. The event turned violent when members of the crowd unknown to the organizers — and widely believed to have been provocateurs — began attacking police. The KMT authorities used the Incident as an excuse to arrest […]
History, Taipei Times: Taiwan in Time: ‘Noble patriots’ vs ‘independence mobsters?’
… “What makes us infinitely angry is that while Taiwan, Kinmen and Matsu have achieved peace and prosperity never seen in thousands of years of Chinese history… there’s a tiny countercurrent — the aspirant Taiwanese independence mobsters. They are driven by power and desire, and walk the same road as the communist bandits. They have […]
Taiwan’s KMT taking out loans to pay salaries (Donovan’s quick take)
The KMT’s woes are continuing to mount on pretty much all fronts, largely due to an institutional culture and product of that culture and current party Chairman Wu Den-yih. The KMT brought massive wealth to Taiwan from China in the late 1940s, seized many assets that belonged to Japanese colonial government after their surrender, and […]
Video: Current Affairs Taiwan (CAT) 台灣時事 12.02.2019 Episode 23
Be sure to check out our new site, Report.tw! It is integrated with the show, allowing you to see what we’re following and commenting on in the news, with the articles that will allow you to go deeper into the topics we discuss. This week, hosts Michael Turton (麥哲恩) and Courtney Donovan Smith (石東文) tackle […]
Podcast: Current Affairs Taiwan (CAT) 台灣時事 12.02.2019 Episode 23
This week, hosts Michael Turton (麥哲恩) and Courtney Donovan Smith (石東文) tackle the latest in election news, and it’s all KMT candidate Daniel Han Kuo-yu’s campaign sinking in the polls. Among the topics are Han’s coming out in support of marriage equality, allegations of influence peddling when he was a legislator to help his father-in-law’s […]
Donovan’s Quick Take: Han comes out in favor of marriage equality
From Focus Taiwan: “At a campaign event in Taipei on Saturday, a young supporter noted the issue’s importance to the younger generation, and asked if Han would support efforts by some KMT lawmakers to repeal the legislation. Han responded that in life — from our family relationships at home, to our friendships at school, to […]