Vote 1, for everybody's sake
It is regrettable that the pan-blue camp could not set aside political ideologies to join hands with the 1.5 million-plus Taiwanese in peaceful solidarity to demonstrate against China's aggression on Feb. 28.
However, to the peace-loving, passionate Taiwanese who turned up hand-in-hand on Saturday, I salute you all and reserve for you my overwhelming respect and heartfelt gratitude. Your loyalty and love is awe-inspiring and has brought us much hope, goodwill and happy tears for an anniversary that was, until now, only a regrettable and bloody reminder of the despicable Chinese invasion of our homeland.
As the March 20 presidential election draws near, Taiwan is clearly at a crossroads. Without a doubt, the re-election of Chen Shui-bian (
The historic referendum must also be taken seriously. Voters must vote with the future in mind -- Taiwan can
ill afford to procrastinate and leave a political Chernobyl to future generations.
On March 20, voters must confront reality and bear its heavy cross as long as necessary to protect the right to self-determination of Taiwan's children.
They deserve nothing less.
Fifty-seven years ago, many thousands of unsung heroes lost their lives in the fight for freedom for all Taiwanese. Many more perished since that woeful time and millions who lived through the White Terror years under oppression and fear can attest to the dangers and uncertainty of reverting to Chinese rule. We can forgive but we must never forget
the suffering and oppression inflicted upon our nation by the invaders.
Above all, we must not ever forget the sacrifice and altruism of our predecessors who were murdered, jailed, oppressed, ridiculed and marginalized by those who invaded our country -- only because they dared to hope for justice.
On March 20, cast your hard-won vote in the spirit of all those who have fought and died for your freedom and the right to choose your destiny. Cast your vote in the memory of 228. Cast your vote with all the passion and love you have for our Ilha Formosa. Your vote is important, because justice must prevail in Taiwan.
Say yes to Taiwan: Vote 1 for Chen, for the sake of our beloved homeland, in the name of the past and in the name of the future.
Jennifer Chen
Melbourne, Australia
Donald Trump’s return to the White House has offered Taiwan a paradoxical mix of reassurance and risk. Trump’s visceral hostility toward China could reinforce deterrence in the Taiwan Strait. Yet his disdain for alliances and penchant for transactional bargaining threaten to erode what Taiwan needs most: a reliable US commitment. Taiwan’s security depends less on US power than on US reliability, but Trump is undermining the latter. Deterrence without credibility is a hollow shield. Trump’s China policy in his second term has oscillated wildly between confrontation and conciliation. One day, he threatens Beijing with “massive” tariffs and calls China America’s “greatest geopolitical
On Sunday, 13 new urgent care centers (UCC) officially began operations across the six special municipalities. The purpose of the centers — which are open from 8am to midnight on Sundays and national holidays — is to reduce congestion in hospital emergency rooms, especially during the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year. It remains to be seen how effective these centers would be. For one, it is difficult for people to judge for themselves whether their condition warrants visiting a major hospital or a UCC — long-term public education and health promotions are necessary. Second, many emergency departments acknowledge
US President Donald Trump’s seemingly throwaway “Taiwan is Taiwan” statement has been appearing in headlines all over the media. Although it appears to have been made in passing, the comment nevertheless reveals something about Trump’s views and his understanding of Taiwan’s situation. In line with the Taiwan Relations Act, the US and Taiwan enjoy unofficial, but close economic, cultural and national defense ties. They lack official diplomatic relations, but maintain a partnership based on shared democratic values and strategic alignment. Excluding China, Taiwan maintains a level of diplomatic relations, official or otherwise, with many nations worldwide. It can be said that
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) made the astonishing assertion during an interview with Germany’s Deutsche Welle, published on Friday last week, that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a dictator. She also essentially absolved Putin of blame for initiating the war in Ukraine. Commentators have since listed the reasons that Cheng’s assertion was not only absurd, but bordered on dangerous. Her claim is certainly absurd to the extent that there is no need to discuss the substance of it: It would be far more useful to assess what drove her to make the point and stick so
RSS