September 2021

Protests Continue Against Zhiben Solar Farm on Katratripulr Land in August and September

Brian Hioe
Protests regarding the Zhiben photovoltaic farm took place again late last month, with demonstrations against a government survey of the land that the farm is planned to be built on. These protests were not widely reported on, however, probably due to the fact that they took place in Taitung. Protests that take place outside of Taipei sometimes fail to receive coverage, with much of the media industry based in Taipei, and because Taiwan is small enough that protesters can frequently travel to Taipei to protest even for local issues. This has not been helped by COVID-related stories still continuing to take up a large part of the news cycle...
EnglishEnvironmentalIndigenousRaceSeptember 2021Social Movements5 min read

Asia Cement Ruling Likely to Be Resisted by the Company, with the Backing of the Ministry of Economic Affairs

Brian Hioe
The Supreme Administrative Court ruled against extending the mining rights of Asia Cement’s mine on Truku Indigenous land on Thursday, dismissing an appeal filed by Asia Cement. The decision has been seen by some as a victory in the struggle against the mine. The Hualien city council had previously levied an ore tax of 70 NT per metric ton on the mine and rejected the extension. A lower court had previously also found Asia Cement’s actions to be in violation of the Indigenous Basic Law....
EnglishEnvironmentalIndigenousSeptember 2021Social Movements6 min read

Who Rules Asia?: An Interview with Noam Chomsky

Jenny Li
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. The original interview was conducted on June 25th, 2021 and the video of the interview was released on August 25th...
EnglishInterviewsSeptember 202117 min read

Eswatini Donation Continues Taiwan’s Backing of Authoritarian Monarchy

Brian Hioe
The Tsai administration announced a donation of 637 million NT to Eswatini last week. The donation is earmarked for a fund for reconstruction work in Eswatini that will take place under the auspices of King Mswati III, following some of the largest protests to take place in Eswatini in its 53 years of independence. The donation was the largest contribution to the fund, with other donations coming from state-operated enterprises in Eswatini and the military...
EnglishPoliticsSeptember 20216 min read

Party Arrests in Taoyuan Point to Larger Issues Facing Migrant Workers During COVID-19

Brian Hioe
Police cracked down on a party at a Vietnamese restaurant in Taoyuan on Sunday, finding that 102 migrant workers were gathered on the premises. While four of the individuals present were restaurant workers, 98 were customers—most of which were migrant workers. Police found the party while conducting door-to-door inspections, patrolling on the search for runaway migrant workers...
EnglishLaborRaceSeptember 2021Social Movements5 min read

Two Domestic Cases Added to Banqiao Cluster, Japan Announces Donation of 500,000 AstraZeneca Doses

Brian Hioe
Two domestic cases, three imported cases, and zero deaths were announced at the CECC daily press conference today. Both cases today were found in New Taipei and were linked to the Banqiao kindergarten cluster, but were found while in quarantine. The two cases consist of a student at the kindergarten and a parent they live with...
COVID UpdatesEnglishPoliticsSeptember 20214 min read