Photo caption misleading
It is unfortunate that a recent Supreme Court ruling seems to characterize Su Beng (史明) as a man of violent actions (“Court upholds ruling on Su Beng,” Oct. 3, page 3).
“The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that found independence activist Su Beng guilty of using violence or threatening behavior at a public gathering and other crimes in a 2005 protest against then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan’s (連戰) visit to China,” your article says.
What I’d like to comment on is the photograph that accompanies the article. Its caption reads: “Veteran independence activist Su Beng waves a stick inside Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on April 26, 2005, during a protest against then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan’s visit to China.”
Look closely at the photograph and you will see that Su is waving the cane he uses to walk with, not a stick, which could be misconstrued to be a weapon.
FELICIA C. LIN
New York
Jordan deserves latest honor
As an enthusiastic fan of Michael Jordan and a basketball lover, I admire Jordan’s paramount achievements in basketball. Many people might know his name without being familiar with his achievements on the court.
As a six-time NBA champion, a five-time league Most Valuable Player and a ten-time scoring champ, Jordan also led the US team to Olympic golds in 1992 and 1996.
With these unprecedented accomplishments, Jordan is a legend in the world of basketball. His amazing skills and powerful slam dunk always thrilled spectators — including me, of course.
Every time I watch one of his games, I can’t take my eyes from his smooth movements and airy jumps long enough to watch the other players.
Watching him play is amazing. Of course, his teammates and coach, Phil Jackson, and the great support he received from his family also played a role in his achievements.
Although he is retired now, he remains humble and continues to dedicate his life to basketball.
He has become the boss of the Charlotte Bobcats and is coaching his son to become a wonderful player.
Looking back on Jordan’s achievements, I believe no one in the NBA can break his records — not even Kobe Bryant or Lebron James.
Now Jordan has been honored by the basketball Hall of Fame (“Jordan receives yet another honor: Hall of Fame entry,” Sept. 12, page 19).
This is yet another great moment for him. He has set many great goals for young basketball players to aspire to and basketball lovers to admire.
STANLEY PENG
Taipei
What began on Feb. 28 as a military campaign against Iran quickly became the largest energy-supply disruption in modern times. Unlike the oil crises of the 1970s, which stemmed from producer-led embargoes, US President Donald Trump is the first leader in modern history to trigger a cascading global energy crisis through direct military action. In the process, Trump has also laid bare Taiwan’s strategic and economic fragilities, offering Beijing a real-time tutorial in how to exploit them. Repairing the damage to Persian Gulf oil and gas infrastructure could take years, suggesting that elevated energy prices are likely to persist. But the most
In late January, Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), completed its first submerged dive, reaching a depth of roughly 50m during trials in the waters off Kaohsiung. By March, it had managed a fifth dive, still well short of the deep-water and endurance tests required before the navy could accept the vessel. The original delivery deadline of November last year passed months ago. CSBC Corp, Taiwan, the lead contractor, now targets June and the Ministry of National Defense is levying daily penalties for every day the submarine remains unfinished. The Hai Kun was supposed to be
Most schoolchildren learn that the circumference of the Earth is about 40,000km. They do not learn that the global economy depends on just 160 of those kilometers. Blocking two narrow waterways — the Strait of Hormuz and the Taiwan Strait — could send the economy back in time, if not to the Stone Age that US President Donald Trump has been threatening to bomb Iran back to, then at least to the mid-20th century, before the Rolling Stones first hit the airwaves. Over the past month and a half, Iran has turned the Strait of Hormuz, which is about 39km wide at
There is a peculiar kind of political theater unfolding in East Asia — one that would be laughable if its consequences were not so dangerous. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) on April 12 returned from Beijing, where she met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and spoke earnestly about preserving “peace” and maintaining the “status quo.” It is a position that sounds responsible, even prudent. It is also a fiction. Taiwan is, by any honest definition, an independent country. It governs itself, defends itself, elects its leaders, and functions as a free and sovereign democracy. Independence is not a