Chiang a war criminal too
So, let me get this straight: Taiwan’s illegal Republic of China (ROC) government-in-exile’s President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is upset at Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for visiting the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, while the ROC and their Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government in Taiwan honor and worship former dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石)?
Does Ma — arguably the most unpopular president of any democratic nation in the history of modern democracy — truly think his opposition to Abe’s shrine visit will make people forget how many Taiwanese and Aborigines were tortured, raped and/or killed during the brutal tyranny of his idol Chiang and his generals?
Is it not time to impeach Ma and direct Taiwan back onto the path to true and real democracy?
Good people of Taiwan, awaken your slumbering spirits and start caring about the future of your gorgeous country!
Daniel Luthi
Greater Taichung
Simple questions
I would like a reply from officials, from leaders of the political parties in Taiwan.
What do you call a landmass, an area or an island: that has its own sovereign independent government; that has free and democratic elections; that has its own army, navy and air force; that has its own police force; that has its own flag and national anthem; and that has its own languages? Please answer with just one word, if you have the guts.
What do you call a president of such a landmass, area or island, who wants to give the place to a communist country free of charge? Just a one-word answer, please.
They are simple questions, so you should be able to give simple answers.
Gert Floor
Greater Taichung
Two sets of economic data released last week by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) have drawn mixed reactions from the public: One on the nation’s economic performance in the first quarter of the year and the other on Taiwan’s household wealth distribution in 2021. GDP growth for the first quarter was faster than expected, at 6.51 percent year-on-year, an acceleration from the previous quarter’s 4.93 percent and higher than the agency’s February estimate of 5.92 percent. It was also the highest growth since the second quarter of 2021, when the economy expanded 8.07 percent, DGBAS data showed. The growth
In the intricate ballet of geopolitics, names signify more than mere identification: They embody history, culture and sovereignty. The recent decision by China to refer to Arunachal Pradesh as “Tsang Nan” or South Tibet, and to rename Tibet as “Xizang,” is a strategic move that extends beyond cartography into the realm of diplomatic signaling. This op-ed explores the implications of these actions and India’s potential response. Names are potent symbols in international relations, encapsulating the essence of a nation’s stance on territorial disputes. China’s choice to rename regions within Indian territory is not merely a linguistic exercise, but a symbolic assertion
More than seven months into the armed conflict in Gaza, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take “immediate and effective measures” to protect Palestinians in Gaza from the risk of genocide following a case brought by South Africa regarding Israel’s breaches of the 1948 Genocide Convention. The international community, including Amnesty International, called for an immediate ceasefire by all parties to prevent further loss of civilian lives and to ensure access to life-saving aid. Several protests have been organized around the world, including at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and many other universities in the US.
Every day since Oct. 7 last year, the world has watched an unprecedented wave of violence rain down on Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories — more than 200 days of constant suffering and death in Gaza with just a seven-day pause. Many of us in the American expatriate community in Taiwan have been watching this tragedy unfold in horror. We know we are implicated with every US-made “dumb” bomb dropped on a civilian target and by the diplomatic cover our government gives to the Israeli government, which has only gotten more extreme with such impunity. Meantime, multicultural coalitions of US