David on Formosa

I had a letter published in the Taipei Times today suggesting some reforms Taiwan could make to its electoral system. I have previously discussed the importance of referendums for Taiwan and the belligerence of the KMT in opposing them. I also wrote about reforming the voting system for the Legislative Yuan following the election in 2008. [...]

On 25 December this year Taipei County will be upgraded to a special municipality. The Chinese-language name of the new municipality will be Xīnběi Shì (新北市). About a month ago I sent an e-mail to Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei enquiring about the official English name of the new municipality but received no reply. A story [...]

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 [...]

The Asia Pacific Greens Network Congress took place in Taipei from Friday through Sunday. It brought together members of Green parties and environmental activists from many countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region and also from Europe. I attended the conference on Saturday.

The first edition of The Big Issue (大誌雜誌) hit the streets of Taipei on Thursday. Vendors are selling the magazine at exits of MRT stations in Taipei City and Taipei County. There was a concert at Huashan Arts Park this afternoon to promote the magazine. Nylon Chen (陳乃榮), tomodachi (偷摸大雞), Staycool and 1976 performed to [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]