June 2017

KMT’s Green Terror Accusations Show Fundamental Disrespect For Taiwanese Democracy

Recent actions by members of the pan-Blue camp once again go to show how the pan-Blue camp has largely failed to reckon with its authoritarian past in demonstrating its fundamental disrespect for the institutions Taiwanese democracy. We can point to widely discussed recent events as an example of this, as seen in accusations of Facebook censorship by the DPP as part of a "Green Terror" and an incident in which a China Times intern took to throwing water balloons at pan-Green legislators...

Demonstrations Mark Xi Visit, But What Now For Hong Kong?

Demonstrations took place this weekend across Hong Kong to mark the first visit of Xi Jinping to Hong Kong, the annual pro-democracy march on July 1st, the 20th anniversary of the British handover, and the turnover of Chief Executive from Cy Leung to Carrie Lam. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen what is next for Hong Kong youth activists and others, seeing as youth activists expected more intense protest but this did not happen...

Stumbles By Pay.taipei Initiative Indicate Government Disconnects From Tech Sector

Recent criticisms of of the newly launched pay.taipei initiative by members of Taiwan’s tech community, including g0v’s Billy Lin, are illustrative of disconnects between Taiwan’s tech industry and government officials who may wish to create a tech-friendly image for Taiwan but may not be willing to take the sometimes simple steps to realize that vision...

Pension Reform Opponents Illustrate Reactionary Ideology With Their Actions

Strange scenes took place across Taiwan yesterday as part of a nationwide day of action against pension reform, mostly from pan-Blue military veterans. Most visible of these would be the attempt by several hundred opponents of pension reform to storm the Legislative Yuan, something which led to clashes with police and police injuries when they attempted to tear down the razor wire fence surrounding the Legislative Yuan...

Demonstration Against Asia Cement Mine On Indigenous Lands Draws 2,500

A march against Asia Cement’s mine on Truku indigenous lands in and surrounding Taroko National Park today, with over 2,500 in attendance. The march began in front of the Executive Yuan and, after marching for an hour down Zhongshan South Road, finished on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Residence, where a number of tents and a stage for musical performances had been set up...