August 2021

Evictions Due to Railroad Development Project Leads to Clashes Between Protesters, Police in Mid-August

Police clashed with protesters in Tainan on August 20th and August 21st, as part of efforts by authorities to evict the last household resisting eviction as part of plans to construct the Tainan Urban District Railway Underground Project. A total of 340 households were displaced for the railway development project. While most households agreed to move, five households refused...

13 Domestic Cases Announced Today, Following Two Consecutive Days of Zero Domestic Cases

Thirteen domestic cases were reported today by the CECC at its daily press conference, along with ten imported cases, and one death. This follows on two consecutive days in which there were zero cases this week, out of a total of three days in which there were zero new cases added this week. Eleven cases were in New Taipei and two cases were in Taipei. 92.7% of cases to date have been released from quarantine...

Indonesian Sailors Unable to Return Home for Over a Year Points to Larger Issue During COVID

105 Indonesian sailors returned home by plane after close to half a year of being stranded at sea on August 21st. The sailors were unable to enter Taiwan because of border restrictions that prevent merchant vessels registered to a different country from docking in Taiwan, only allowing ships owned by Taiwanese nationals and registered to Taiwan to dock. Likewise, maritime conventions dictate that it is the responsibility of the owner of a vessel, the nation to which the vessel is registered, and the nation to which the sailors come from to provide for repatriations...

Who Rules Asia?: An Interview with Noam Chomsky | 誰在統治亞洲?:諾姆·喬姆斯基專訪

李爰錚為破土專訪左派學者諾姆·喬姆斯基,內容談到亞太局勢,左派知識分子的責任,和美中衝突下台灣以及其他亞洲國家的出路。專訪時間為2021年6月25日。歡迎大家收看分享! For New Bloom, Jenny Li interviewed Noam Chomsky on the responsibility of leftist intellectuals in time characterized by conflict between the US and China, as well as possible ways out of this dilemma for small nations such as Taiwan caught between great power competition. Check it out!...

Zero Domestic Cases Announced for First Time Since Start of Outbreak

Taiwan reported no new domestic cases of COVID-19 for the first time since the start of the outbreak today, as formally announced by the CECC at its daily press conference. Today is the 101st day since the start of the outbreak on May 15th, when cases suddenly jumped to 180 cases overnight. If trends continue, cases will have peaked for Taiwan at under 500 during the current outbreak, and Taiwan returning to zero cases took place with vaccination coverage currently at 40.91%, which is 44.33 per 100 people, with fully vaccinated individuals at around 3.4%...

National Controversy Breaks Out After 154 Illegally Smuggled Cats Euthanized in Kaohsiung

A national controversy has broken out, following the euthanizing of 154 cats that were being smuggled into Taiwan on a fishing vessel. The cats, which included breeds such as American shorthair, British shorthair, Persian, Ragdoll, and Russian blue, were worth over 10 million NT. The cats were found in 62 cages on the vessel, which had a crew of five...

Clashes Break Out Between Protesters, Police Last Week Over Review of Shezidao Development Plans

Clashes broke out between residents of Shezidao, also known as Shezi Island, and police last week on Wednesday. These clashes took place in context of the Taipei city government’s second stage review environmental impact assessment conducted on the prospect of development on the island. This led to not only fighting with the police, but clashes between residents of Shezidao in favor of development and those opposed to it. This may be one of the first times that fighting has broken out during a protest during the current COVID-19 outbreak that Taiwan is currently in the late stages of...

Six Domestic Cases Announced, Yunlin Case Breaks 62-Day Streak of No Cases

Six domestic cases and four imported cases were announced by the CECC at its daily press conference today. Two of these cases were already in quarantine. No deaths were announced. Three cases were in Taipei and one case each was reported in New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Yunlin. The case reported in Yunlin breaks a 62-day streak in which Yunlin reported no cases...