David on Formosa

Four members of the organisation Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights (MVFHR) from the United States spoke at a forum in Taichung last night. They talked of their experiences as victims of murder and violent crime and how they came to be activists against the death penalty. It is a common assumption that the families of [...]

Every year the Taiwan Free Burma Network (台灣自由緬甸網絡) holds a concert on Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday. This year the event will be held on Saturday 19 June in Kaohsiung’s Central Park (高雄市中央公園) from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. The event features acoustic performances by Tonic (主音樂團) and Panai (巴奈). There will also be postcard signing for people to show their support [...]

My letter calling for the abolition of the death penalty was published in the Taipei Times today. In the letter I mention the case of Chiang Kuo-ching. The Control Yuan’s findings on his case are reported in this article. I also mention threats against advocates of the abolition of the death penalty. Some of these [...]

The Referendum Review Committee last night rejected the Taiwan Solidarity Union’s (TSU) proposal for a referendum on ECFA. The Liberty Times (自由時報) called it “the darkest day in the history of Taiwan‘s democracy.” It represents another regression in the democratic rollback since the Ma government took office in 2008. The ability of citizens in Taiwan to initiate [...]

More than 1,000 people marched through the East District of Taipei today to mark the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising. The date of 14 March also commemorates the protests in Tibet in 2008 that were met with bloody repression. Members of the Tibetan community in Taiwan and various human rights groups participated in the [...]

I reviewed Tears (眼淚) last year after I saw it at the Golden Horse Film Festival. The movie is officially released in Taiwan today. The movie tells the story of Guo, an old policeman who employs some unethical policing methods and eventually has to face up to his past. The movie is being widely discussed [...]

The High Court yesterday passed down a not guilty verdict to three men from the Atayal village of Smangus. The verdict follows the Supreme Court decision in December last year that sent the case back to the High Court for another hearing. The case concerned the use of wood from a tree that fell over [...]