Lin Fei-Fan

Freddy Lim’s Departure Pushes NPP Toward Cooperation with the DPP

Brian Hioe
Freddy Lim announcing his withdrawal from the New Power Party over the party’s failure to adopt a clear policy regarding whether to cooperate with the DPP in next year’s presidential and legislative elections seems to have been surprisingly successful as a political strategy. Lim was able to successfully force the NPP into at least publicly claiming that it will endorse Tsai Ing-wen for reelection in 2020 elections next year...
August 2019EnglishPolitics8 min read

The NPP Faces Crisis After Major Controversies, Unexpected Departure of Freddy Lim

Brian Hioe
The NPP saw two major controversies erupt in the past week, not only regarding a conflict of interest scandal regarding legislator Kawlo Iyun Pacidal that led to her being stripped of her position as a legislator, but also questions about the political orientation of the party vis-a-vis the DPP going into 2020 elections. Subsequently, with little warning, NPP legislator and party heavyweight Freddy Lim announced earlier today that he would be withdrawing from the NPP and running in Taipei’s Zhongzheng-Wanhua district as an independent...
August 2019EnglishPolitics22 min read

Is the Pro-Beijing Camp Delaying Voting on the Extradition Bill An Attempt at Political Distraction?

Brian Hioe
Hong Kong LegCo president Andrew Leung announced earlier this afternoon that voting on the proposed extradition bill will be delayed until Thursday of next week. It is possible that delaying the vote on the bill is an attempt to reduce the intensity of protests, as a smokescreen or distraction, or even as a feint for a push to rapidly pass the bill. On the other hand, it is possible that splits, or at least the appearance of splits, are appearing in the pro-Beijing camp...
EnglishJune 2019Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements7 min read

Plans for Protest Actions Coalesce Around Calls for a General Strike in Hong Kong Tomorrow

Brian Hioe
Plans for protest actions against the extradition bill in Hong Kong are coalescing around the notion of a general strike tomorrow, when the bill is scheduled to undergo its second reading in the Legislative Council (LegCo) and be voted upon. Bills which clear voting after the second reading in LegCo usually also undergo a third reading the same day, passing into law afterward...
Alex YunEnglishJune 2019Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements8 min read

Quiet Day in Hong Kong Following Clashes, but Uncertainties Remain About What Is to Come

Brian Hioe
It was a quiet day in Hong Kong today after Sunday’s protests against the Beijing-backed extradition law ended with demonstrators being cleared from around the area by the Legislative Council. Much remains up in the air about what will take place in coming days regarding the extradition law, including that it remains ambiguous as to what form protest in the coming days against the bill will take, if this takes place at all ...
Alex YunEnglishJune 2019Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements9 min read

Demonstration Against Chinese Annexation Efforts Takes Place Outside Legislative Yuan

Brian Hioe
An alliance of NGOs, civil society organizations, and student activist groups held a demonstration against Chinese efforts directed at annexing Taiwan outside the Qunxian Building of the Legislative Yuan earlier this evening. Significantly, this included many individuals who had been key figures in the Sunflower Movement and post-Sunflower Movement activists...
EnglishMay 2019Self-DeterminationSocial Movements6 min read

Music’s Role in Shaping Progressive Politics for Youth Visible During Presidential Office Concert

Rath Chien-Chi Wang
Youth for Tsai, an all-volunteer youth campaign recently formed by a group of university students hoping to take action to protect Taiwan amidst the growing influence from China on interfering with Taiwan domestic politics, was present in numbers at the 2019 Presidential Office Concert on Saturday. Their actions and the concert itself are indicative of progressive politics for Taiwanese young people today...
Arts and CultureEnglishMusic6 min read