August 2023

As China Uses Lai Trip as Pretext for Exercises, Will the Drills be Blown Out of Proportion Internationally?

Brian Hioe
The Chinese government has announced that it will conduct military exercises in the East China Sea starting today until the 14th, in an area approximately 500 kilometers away from Taiwan. Yesterday morning, the Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration announced a no-sail order lasting from 12 PM today until 4 PM on August 14th in the area the exercises are slated to take place...
August 2023EnglishInternationalPoliticsRegional Tensions6 min read

Recent Labor Actions Touch on Gendered Uniforms, Worker Layoffs

Brian Hioe
Recent labor actions in Taiwan touch on a number of issues, ranging from layoffs to gender equality. The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union demonstrated at the start of August in front of the Control Yuan, calling for an end to gendered uniform policy for female flight attendants. In particular, female flight attendants in Taiwan are required to wear pencil skirts, stockings, and high heels on the job, while pants and gender-neutral uniforms are not allowed...
August 2023EnglishLaborSocial Movements5 min read

Racist Inspections Target Southeast Asian Restaurants After Food Poisoning Incident

Brian Hioe
After a popular banh mi stand in Zhongli in Taoyuan was suspected to have caused food poisoning in over 500 individuals, the Taoyuan Department of Health announced yesterday that it will increase inspection of establishing serving “foreign cuisine”. It is thought that the food poisoning resulted from poor sanitation and incorrect storage of eggs. The stall has since been fined 540,000 NT and salmonella was later found through testing of affected individuals...
August 2023EnglishPolitics6 min read

“New McCarthyism” Petition Illustrates Western Leftists’ Failure of Internationalism

Brian Hioe
A recent expose in the New York Times on tech multimillionaire Roy Singham, who funds various tankie media outlets, organizations, and institutions such as the Tricontinental Institute, Code Pink, and the People’s Forum in New York City, has led to a petition on the Tricontinental Institute and Code Pink’s websites lashing out against the “new McCarthyism.” This petition was signed by anyone from David Harvey to Radhika Desai, Chris Hedges, and luminaries of the Brooklyn left such as Doug Henwood and The Nation president Bhaskar Sunkara...
August 2023EnglishInternationalLaborRegional TensionsSocial Movements10 min read

Legal Coalition for #MeToo Victims Announced

Darice D. Chang
Taiwan is home to draconian libel and slander laws, which those with the resources to afford can use liberally and which have in the past been utilized against journalists, contributing to the lowest confidence in the press in a democratic country. As the #MeToo movement in Taiwan plays out, many well-known figures with high social status that have been accused choose to sue their accusers publicly and demand substantial compensation in an attempt to suppress controversy through litigation...
August 2023EnglishGender/SexualityPoliticsSocial Movements10 min read

Ruling Rejecting Compensation Over New Taipei Child COVID Death Not Likely to End Case

Brian Hioe
The New Taipei District Court rejected a claim for compensation by the father of a child referred to as “En En'' in the media earlier this month. The decision can be appealed and En En’s father, surnamed Lin, has stated that he intends to gather more evidence before filing an appeal. En En’s father previously requested 1 NT each from the New Taipei Department of Health, Fire Department, and city government as symbolic compensation last September, but this was denied, leading Lin to file the lawsuit in November...
August 2023EnglishPolitics5 min read

Chinese Nationalist Backlash Against Taiwanese Volleyball Player Reflects Recurring Pattern

Brian Hioe
Taiwanese volleyball player Elaine Liao recently became a hit in China, as Taiwan’s flag bearer during the opening ceremonies of the FISU World University Games. More than 600,000 Chinese netizens commented on a post on Sina Weibo about her, referring to her as a “cute flag bearer from Chinese Taipei.” The FISU World University Games are currently taking place in Chengdu, China...
August 2023EnglishPolitics4 min read

Amendments of “Three Gender Equality Laws” Passed in Wake of #MeToo Cases

Yo-Ling Chen
Two months after the wave of #MeToo cases that began in late May, amendments were proposed and passed during the month of July to Taiwan’s “Three Gender Equality Laws”: more specifically, amendments to the Gender Equity Education Act were passed on July 28th, and amendments to the Act of Gender Equality in Employment and the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act were passed on July 31st...
August 2023EnglishGender/SexualityPoliticsSocial Movements4 min read