Taiwan lifted martial law many years ago, but the pan-blue media, which represent the feudal forces, apparently have not lifted their martial law. Over the past few days, many foreigners who witnessed the martial-law era were back in Taiwan to attend seminars and visit the places where human-rights violations were committed. Many of these people had been blacklisted by the authorities because of their sympathy for Taiwan's democracy movement.
Today, there is a different political party in power. We believe these friends of Taiwan must be very sad as they look back at the past. But the absence of other friends from the "A Journey of Remembrance and Appreciation" conference has raised some questions. One person notable by her absence was Tina Chou (
Chou's reporter's license was revoked by the Government Information Office (GIO) after she voiced suspicions in her reports about the role of the Taiwan Garrison Command in the 1981 death of Carnegie Mellon associate professor Chen Wen-cheng (
Even setting aside the question of whether Soong's personal fears may have somehow influenced Chou's decision, it is clear the pan-blue media -- including the China Times and the United Daily News -- still have the martial law mindset of Soong's GIO days. Neither paper saw a need to report on the conferences or the visits of so many old foreign friends. It is as if these papers exist in some parallel universe.
Most voters are forgetful -- and conservative. This is why corrupt and venal officials can still get elected by re-packaging themselves. Martial law was lifted more than 10 years ago but the roles that Soong and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
Indeed, Soong has been the eternal "Director-General Soong" of the GIO. The pan-blue media's journalistic judgments are based on Soong's personal interests. This reminds us of a comment from KMT spokesperson Alex Tsai (
For 50 years people were used to reading the pro-China pan-blue media. They view the pan-blue media's ideological framework as normal and take it for granted. They don't notice the brainwashing going on. Any media with a Taiwanese awareness are criticized as "extremist" and "biased."
The furor over the Special Report VCDs showed just how petulant the pan-blue media -- and politicians -- can be when its weaknesses and bias are exposed. They can dish it out, but they can't take it. The VCD incident reminds us: the message disseminated by the pan-blue media, which represent the ancien regime, is full of poison.
China badly misread Japan. It sought to intimidate Tokyo into silence on Taiwan. Instead, it has achieved the opposite by hardening Japanese resolve. By trying to bludgeon a major power like Japan into accepting its “red lines” — above all on Taiwan — China laid bare the raw coercive logic of compellence now driving its foreign policy toward Asian states. From the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas to the Himalayan frontier, Beijing has increasingly relied on economic warfare, diplomatic intimidation and military pressure to bend neighbors to its will. Confident in its growing power, China appeared to believe
After more than three weeks since the Honduran elections took place, its National Electoral Council finally certified the new president of Honduras. During the campaign, the two leading contenders, Nasry Asfura and Salvador Nasralla, who according to the council were separated by 27,026 votes in the final tally, promised to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan if elected. Nasralla refused to accept the result and said that he would challenge all the irregularities in court. However, with formal recognition from the US and rapid acknowledgment from key regional governments, including Argentina and Panama, a reversal of the results appears institutionally and politically
In 2009, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) made a welcome move to offer in-house contracts to all outsourced employees. It was a step forward for labor relations and the enterprise facing long-standing issues around outsourcing. TSMC founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) once said: “Anything that goes against basic values and principles must be reformed regardless of the cost — on this, there can be no compromise.” The quote is a testament to a core belief of the company’s culture: Injustices must be faced head-on and set right. If TSMC can be clear on its convictions, then should the Ministry of Education
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) provided several reasons for military drills it conducted in five zones around Taiwan on Monday and yesterday. The first was as a warning to “Taiwanese independence forces” to cease and desist. This is a consistent line from the Chinese authorities. The second was that the drills were aimed at “deterrence” of outside military intervention. Monday’s announcement of the drills was the first time that Beijing has publicly used the second reason for conducting such drills. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership is clearly rattled by “external forces” apparently consolidating around an intention to intervene. The targets of
RSS