English

Accusations Of Nepotism Against DPP Second-Generation Politicians

Brian Hioe
A wave of mockery from Internet netizens has broken out against second-generation politicians that are the children of established politicians, with plans by children of both pan-Green and pan-Blue politicians to run for office. In particular, however, the DPP has been singled out for criticism with the view that this is a sign of how the DPP is no different from the KMT in terms of how it conducts politics...
EnglishOctober 2017Politics6 min read

Lessons For Taiwan From The Catalan And Kurdish Referendums?

Brian Hioe
In past days, youth activist and civil society groups in Taiwan have expressed support of Catalonia following the Spanish government’s use of brutal force to put down the Catalan independence referendum. This is not too surprising, seeing as youth activist groups in Taiwan see a sense of shared cause between the Catalan people’s struggle for self-determination and Taiwan’s own struggle for independence. Yet the outcome of not only the Catalan referendum, but also the recent Kurdish referendum in Iraq, offers lessons for Taiwan regarding its own aspirations towards using referendum to settle longstanding questions regarding Taiwanese independence...
EnglishOctober 2017Self-DeterminationSocial Movements16 min read

Questions For Taipei City Officials Regarding Sing! China Attacks Remain Unresolved

Brian Hioe
Questions about attacks last week on students and pro-independence demonstrators at the Sing! China event last week remain unresolved, with collusion between Taipei city officials, pro-China gangsters, and the Chinese government itself now alleged at high levels. Many questions remain to be answered not only by Ko Wen-Je’s political administration and the Taipei city police, but also as to why the Mainland Affairs Council would allow the event to take place...
EnglishOctober 2017Politics6 min read

Amos Yee’s Release Raises Question Of Continued Singaporean Authoritarianism

Brian Hioe
The release of Amos Yee and the acceptance of his bid for asylum in the United States should be celebrated, seeing as this means that the eighteen year old political dissident has escaped political persecution in his native Singapore. Nevertheless, what should be lamented is that Yee spent nine and a half months in American prisons while his application for asylum was being processed. And it should be questioned as to what comes next for Singapore now that its most famous political dissident has successfully gained asylum after escaping from Singapore...
EnglishPoliticsSeptember 20175 min read

Rolls-Royce Purchases Prompts Mockery, Criticism Of Rulaizong Spiritual Leader

Brian Hioe
Taiwan's many Buddhist, Daoist, and New Age religious cults are in the news once again, with a recent wave of mockery by Taiwanese netizens directed at Miaochan, the spiritual leader of the Rulaizong Buddhist organization, which claims to practice Zen Buddhism. This follows on the heels of news that Rulaizong purchased two Rolls-Royces for Miaochan, adding to past accusations of internal corruption within the organization...
EnglishPoliticsSeptember 20176 min read

No, William Lai Did Not Actually Affirm Support For Taiwanese Independence

Brian Hioe
Misleading reports in international media and even some domestic Taiwanese media have followed comments by recently appointed premier William Lai, with claims that Lai has stated support of Taiwanese independence, and made history as the first Taiwanese premier to openly express such sentiments. This is incorrect, given that Lai’s position has shifted on the issue, but rather is a misunderstanding which has resulted from past statements by Lai...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalSeptember 20177 min read

Review: Path Of Destiny (不得不上路)

Brian Hioe
Yang Chun-Kai's “Path of Destiny” would be a deft evocation of the challenges facing preservation of indigenous tradition in Taiwan. Namely, even in those rare cases in which young people actively aim to participate in traditions which may soon be lost, the trend may be irreversible. And given inescapable social tensions between modernity and tradition, adherence to tradition demands great personal sacrifice....
Arts and CultureEnglishFilm and TelevisionSeptember 20175 min read