Politics

Corporal Punishment, Student Representation Prove Linked Issues on Taiwan’s Campuses

The Control Yuan issued a report in April, linking issues of violence in schools to the lack of the student representation on school committees. This connects two issues that have been widely reported on as an issue facing Taiwanese schools as of late, that being the lack of representation on school committees of students and issues of corporal punishment facing students...

Referendum Proposal to Speed Up Executions Reflects Continued Social Fixation on Capital Punishment

The Central Election Commission stated in April that a referendum proposal by the Taiwan Lily Justice Association (TLJA) was unlikely to qualify to be put to the vote this year, as part of the national referendum process. The referendum proposal would be to expedite the time that executions take place, in requiring that executions take place within six months of sentencing...

Lin Fei-fan Announces His Withdrawal from Elections

DPP legislative candidate Lin Fei-fan, best known as one of the student leaders of the 2014 Sunflower Movement, announced his withdrawal from the 2024 legislative elections yesterday in a surprise move. This was to take responsibility for the current wave of controversies faced by the DPP regarding issues of sexual harassment within the party, seeing as Lin was seen as responsible through overseeing the DPP’s Gender Equality Committee during his period as a deputy secretary-general of the party–even if he did not commit any acts of wrongdoing...

Nuclear Energy Reemerges as Contentious Issue Ahead of 2024 Elections

Although it is not likely to become the key issue to be voted on, seeing as presidential elections traditionally revolve around the issue of cross-strait relations, the issue of nuclear energy will be an important substrate of the Taiwanese presidential elections. It proves unsurprising, then, that the issue of nuclear energy has again come up as a contentious issue–as it has long been in Taiwan, given Taiwan’s nature as an island country...

Ahead of Elections, Ko Wen-je Seeks to Recalibrate Cross-Strait Stance

Former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je has continued efforts to shift perceptions of his stance on cross-strait relations in recent days. Namely, Ko seems to be trying to recalibrate his stance on cross-strait relations ahead of the 2024 elections, during which he will be running as the presidential candidate of the TPP. Ko founded the TPP in order to strengthen his standing for a presidential run and he is the party’s chair...