October 2024

Migrant Fishermen Forced to Stay Aboard Vessels During Typhoon

Brian Hioe
Fisheries associations and shipowners in Pingtung and Kaohsiung have been criticized after Typhoon Krathom hit Taiwan. Namely, a number of Indonesian migrant fishermen were ordered by shipowners to stay onboard ships during the typhoon in order to prevent the mooring lines that connect ships to the harbor from breaking, and the ships from drifting out to sea as a result. This occurred despite heavy wind and rain advisories, which resulted in the Kaohsiung county government ordering that ships under 100 tonnes be evacuated. This mostly took place in Donggang Township in Pingtung and Cijin District in Kaohsiung....
EnglishLaborOctober 2024RaceSocial Movements4 min read

Typhoon Holiday Leads to Partisan Contention

Brian Hioe
A typhoon holiday called for northern Taiwan has led to contention between the KMT and DPP. Controversy revolves around the fact northern Taiwan called a typhoon day for Wednesday on Tuesday evening despite the fact that the impact from the typhoon turned out to, in fact, be minimal. A second typhoon day was later declared for Thursday, though whether the effects of the Typhoon Krathom warranted a second typhoon day are debatable. But central and southern Taiwan have been more strongly affected by Typhoon Krathom, with two dead, two missing, and 103 injured, as well as over 50,000 households without power...
EnglishOctober 2024Politics4 min read