Self-Determination

Grief From 1,600 Kilometers Away: Mourning the 19 Massacred in Negros Island and Its Connection To Taiwan

Girard Mariano Lopez
Nineteen people were killed in a massacre by the Philippine military after an alleged “encounter” began at four in the morning and did not end until three in the afternoon. The fighting reportedly ended at a fish pond where the bodies of RJ and a few other civilians were found—all of whom had bandoliers and guns planted on them right after (in an awkward position, by the way) to justify that they had all been combatants and therefore rightfully gunned down...
EnglishMay 2026Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements9 min read

Civil Society Groups Protest Ministry of the Interior for Attempting to Push Myanmar Nationals Back Into a Civil War

Brian Hioe
Civil society groups held a press conference outside of the Ministry of the Interior on April 30th, protesting the ministry’s role in attempting to push Burmese out of Taiwan, even if this means forcing their return to a war zone. Among the groups involved in the press conference were the Asia Citizen Future Association, Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Taiwan Gongsheng Youth, Taiwan Labor Front, Taiwan International Workers’ Association, and Taiwan Alliance for Myanmar...
EnglishMay 2026Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements4 min read

May Day Sees Demonstrations for Pension Reforms, Against the ROC Constitution

Brian Hioe
Organized labor groups demonstrated on May 1st, commemorated as May Day or International Workers’ Day in different parts of the world. It is estimated that 6,000 were in attendance. What was most distinctive about the march this year was the inclusion of migrant labor unions, not only with their participation but also the incorporation of labor demands for migrant workers into the core demands of the demonstration. The march began at Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building, then proceeded to the Legislative Yuan. An action theater skit was held of workers taking hammers to individuals dressed as politicians...
EnglishLaborMay 2026Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements4 min read

The Logic of “Solidarity for Me, But Not For You” in Xinjiang Denialism

Brian Hioe
Walaa Alqaisiya's paper in Middle East Critique, “Moving Beyond Imperialist Frameworks: The False Equivalence Between Palestine and Xinjiang”, proves a masterclass in a failure of solidarity. What is most distinctive about the paper is that the author is Palestinian, but rejects comparisons between Palestine and Xinjiang. Alqaisiya takes issue with such comparisons, as most famously ventured by Chinese dissident intellectual Wang Lixiong, who suggested in 2007 that Xinjiang would be treated by China much as the West Bank has been by Israel....
April 2026EnglishRaceSelf-DeterminationSocial Movements4 min read

Palestinian Prisoner’s Day Commemorated in Taipei

Em Gunter
Palestinian Prisoner’s Day was commemorated in Taipei on Friday with a demonstration outside of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei. The rally, organized by the Taiwan Alliance for a Free Palestine, was part of a global effort calling on nations to pressure Israel to release Palestinian prisoners and to halt Israel’s plans to execute Palestinians...
April 2026EnglishSelf-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements6 min read

Tibetan Uprising Commemorations Harassed by Disrupters

Brian Hioe
Tibetan Uprising Day was commemorated in Taipei on Saturday, March 7th outside of the Zhongxiao Fuxing SOGO. Tibetan Uprising Day is commemorated annually to memorialize a protest by around 10,000 Tibetans on March 10th, 1959 to demonstrate against the CCP’s annexation of Tibet. The protest was subsequently cracked down on by Chinese military forces. This year marked the 67th anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day...
EnglishMarch 2026Self-DeterminationSocial Movements4 min read