Democratic Progressive Party

Lai Administration Carries Out Its First Execution, In Effort to Prove Capital Punishment Still on the Books

Brian Hioe
The first execution under the Lai administration took place yesterday. This was the first execution carried out by the Taiwanese government in five years. For the execution to have been carried out, the Minister of Justice and President would have to sign off. The last execution in Taiwan took place under the Tsai administration in April 2020...
EnglishJanuary 2025PoliticsSocial MovementsYouth Movements6 min read

Why Has the KMT Begun to Attack the Kuma Academy Over Funding?

Brian Hioe
The KMT has hit out at funding for the Kuma Academy, the best-known of Taiwan’s civil defense initiatives. In particular, the KMT has accused fundraising efforts for the Kuma Academy–which took place on a public welfare fundraising platform run by the Ministry of Health and Welfare–as being an effort to fund political activities. Laws forbid political activities from fundraising on public welfare platforms...
EnglishJanuary 2025PoliticsSelf-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements4 min read

Lai Ching-te Emphasizes Dialogue, Defense of the Constitution in New Year’s Speech

Brian Hioe
In his New Year's address, President Lai Ching-te touted Taiwan’s accomplishments on the international stage, such as the Olympics victories in badminton by Wang Chi-lin and Lee Yang, as well as in boxing by Lin Yu-ting. Lai also brought up Yang Shuang-zi’s Taiwan Travelogue winning best work in translation at the United States National Book Award, as translated by King Lin. Likewise, Lai touted Taiwan’s economic growth, including in high-tech industries, and increases in wages...
EnglishJanuary 2025Politics5 min read