Brian Hioe

Suicide of Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Used as Political Ammunition by KMT for Recall Campaigns

Brian Hioe
The apparent suicide of Kaohsiung city council speaker Hsu Kun-yuan on the same day as Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu was successfully recalled earlier this month has quickly become used as political ammunition by the KMT against political opponents. A number of recall campaigns against supporters of Han’s recall have been launched by members of the pan-Blue camp...
EnglishJune 2020Politics8 min read

International Students from China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Other Places Still Face Issues Returning to Taiwan

Brian Hioe
With the COVID-19 situation under control in Taiwan, questions have been raised about when international students, particularly students who are from China, Hong Kong, or Macau, will be allowed to return to Taiwan. In particular, the Taiwanese government has yet to announce a clear timeline as to when students from China, Hong Kong, or Macau will be allowed to return to Taiwan, or when other international students currently unable to re-enter Taiwan will be allowed to do so...
EnglishJune 2020Social MovementsYouth Movements7 min read

One-Year Anniversary of Protests in Hong Kong Commemorated in Taipei, Calls for Asylum for Hongkongers

Brian Hioe
A demonstration in support of Hongkongers took place in Liberty Plaza today, with a number of civil society groups setting up booths starting from 3 PM, and speeches and performances taking place starting from 6 PM. The demonstration today commemorated the one-year anniversary of the start of the protests in Hong Kong and aimed to pressure the Tsai administration on the issue of providing aid to Hongkongers seeking asylum in Taiwan. Organizers claimed that 7,000 were in attendance...
EnglishJune 2020Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements9 min read

Black Lives Matter Should Prompt Conversation About Racism in Taiwan, Idealization of America

Brian Hioe
With the protests that have taken place in America after the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, many among the Taiwanese diaspora have been forced to reckon with the apparent racism of some of their elders and peers. Namely, some Taiwanese have actually seen the protests as an attempt by the Chinese government to undermine the US...
EnglishJune 2020RaceSocial Movements7 min read

The KMT’s Criticisms of the Tsai Administration’s Voucher Program Reflect Desperation

Brian Hioe
An unusual political controversy as of late has been regarding a stimulus coupon that the Tsai administration intends to distribute in order to promote spending. The coupons, which are available for purchase for 1,000 NT, are worth 3,000 NT and can be used at businesses such as night markets, department stores, salons, bookstores, restaurants, and other locations. The KMT has honed in on this program as a means of attacking the Tsai administration...
EnglishJune 2020Politics5 min read

Travel Restrictions on International Students, Cash Rewards for Visa Overstayers Questioned

Brian Hioe
With the COVID-19 situation under control in Taiwan, restrictions on mass gatherings have been lifted and government authorities are attempting to encourage domestic travel. However, with the prospect of opening up borders again to international travel, as some countries in the region are considering doing, questions have been raised regarding current restrictions on international travel mandated by the government...
EnglishJune 2020Politics6 min read

Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu Successfully Recalled in Historic Recall Vote

Brian Hioe
Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu was successfully recalled today in a recall vote. Han was defeated by overwhelming margins, with 939,090 votes in favor of his recall and 25,051 votes against his recall, out of a total of 969,259 individuals that voted. 97.4% of those who voted were in favor of Han being recalled, while only 2.6% of voters were against the recall. 42.14% of Kaohsiung’s voter electorate participated in the recall vote. This is the first successful recall vote of a standing politician after the threshold required to hold a recall vote was lowered after legislature passed in November 2016, as well as the first mayoral recall held in Taiwanese history....
EnglishJune 2020Politics10 min read
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Brian Hioe

Brian Hioe is one of the founding editors of New Bloom. He is a freelance journalist, as well as a translator. A New York native and Taiwanese-American, he has an MA in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University and graduated from New York University with majors in History, East Asian Studies, and English Literature. He was Democracy and Human Rights Service Fellow at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy from 2017 to 2018 and is currently a Non-Resident Fellow at the University of Nottingham's Taiwan Studies Programme.

丘琦欣，創建破土的編輯之一，專於撰寫社會運動和政治的自由作家偶而亦從事翻譯工作。他自哥倫比亞大學畢業，是亞洲語言及文化科系的碩士，同時擁有紐約大學的歷史，東亞研究及英文文學三項學士學位。