Self-Determination

Recall Groups Overcome Harassment in Course of Campaigning

Brian Hioe
The "Great Recall Movement” has successfully organized across the country as part of efforts to recall KMT legislators. Even as it is to be questioned whether the movement will prove successful in recalling enough KMT legislators to change the balance of power in the Taiwanese legislature, that recall organizers were able to self-organize across all of Taiwan should demonstrate to the KMT that it hazards pushback from members of the public through its actions. That the recall movement overcame many obstacles to accomplish this is notable. Among the obstacles reported by recall movement organizers is harassment from KMT-controlled local governments...
EnglishJuly 2025PoliticsSelf-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements6 min read

Members of Hong Kong Independence Group Arrested, Charges Include Over Flag-Raising Ceremony in Taipei

Brian Hioe
Hong Kong police claim that they have arrested four individuals aged 15 to 47 over a pro-independence organization that advocates for Hong Kong independence. What proves unusual, however, is that they claim that this organization has links to Taiwan, according to Chinese state-run media, and the arrest took place at least partly because of actions that took place in Taiwan....
EnglishJuly 2024Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements6 min read

“Demand a Red Line Against Genocide” Protest Held for Gaza in Liberty Plaza

Brian Hioe
A demonstration in support of Gaza was held today in Liberty Plaza, despite sweltering heat. The main organizer of the protest was Amnesty International Taiwan. The demonstration began at 4 PM under the archway in Liberty Plaza, a frequent site for protests in Taiwan, and participants were called on to wear red to the protest. All speeches and moderation for the protest were conducted bilingually in English and Mandarin...
EnglishJune 2025Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements6 min read

To Exist Is to Resist: The Memory of Tiananmen and the Entangled Struggles of Formosa, Tibet, and Palestine

June
Last year, at a Palestine solidarity encampment on campus, I had a tense exchange with a Zionist student. He sneered, pointing at a map: “Where is Palestine? I only see Israel.” In that moment, it hit me again—some identities, some memories, are not erased because of what they’ve done, but simply because they exist. This is the reality in Tibet, East Turkestan, Hong Kong, Inner Mongolia, and across China itself: even remembering the Tiananmen Massacre is a punishable offense. Existence itself is treated like a crime...
EnglishJune 2025Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements14 min read

Why is Taiwan Still Listed as “Taiwan, China”?

Tim Chng
When people from Taiwan travel internationally, one frustrating experience they face happens long before they board a plane or check into a hotel. Whether booking airline tickets, hotel reservations, or simply registering for a conference online, they are often forced to select their country of origin from a dropdown menu—and more often than not, what they see is “Taiwan, China” or “Taiwan, Province of China.”...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalJune 2025Self-DeterminationSocial Movements3 min read

KMT Recall Campaigns Against DPP Legislators Run Aground

Brian Hioe
The KMT’s recall campaigns against DPP legislators have run aground. With fifteen recall campaigns, compared to the 35 recall campaigns facing KMT legislators, recall efforts against DPP politicians were always smaller in scale than the other way around. Even if eight of the pan-Blue recall campaigns against DPP legislators still have time to collect further signatures, a number of the high-profile KMT recall campaigns have not succeeded. The overall effort to launch recalls of DPP legislators, then, is largely viewed as a failure...
EnglishJune 2025PoliticsSelf-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements5 min read