Act on frigate scandal
It is disconcerting to read about continuing obstacles to the investigation of the 10-year-old Lafayette scandal, which has involved the murder of a supposed whistle-blower, sentencing of several French contractors and billions of dollars in losses from embezzlement, but no forceful or serious legal proceedings in Taiwan.
The defense ministry's reasons for excluding former premier Hau Pei-tsun (
Several of the French suppliers connected to this case have already been tried and sentenced. Why have their testimonies and the assistance offered by the French government to clarify their dealings not been actively pursued by Taipei? The government's lack of headway in the matter raises question about its commitment to investigating the case.
To the extent that Taiwan tries to portray itself as a part of the developed world with regard to justice and human rights, how does this protection of a culture of graft in arms procurement presume to permanently avoid the truth? Taiwan might as well claim no interest in the rule of law, along with the Philippines and in natural partnership with China, thereby casting doubt on the authenticity of the cross-strait conflict and leaving countries lsuch as Japan and the US weary of Taiwan's military intentions.
Douglas F. Miller
Springfield, Massachusetts
Democracy threatens sanity
I agree with your article ("Nuc-lear bluff damaging to the US, Mar. 17, page 9). Alas, the US is a "democracy," which means that the wisest minds will not always be in control. In the wake of the Sept. 11 outrage, I have heard many of my fellow citizens say that a nuclear bomb should be dropped on some Islamic population center, simply to "teach them a lesson." The gross inhumanity of destroying some several hundred thousand, or even millions, of lives is simply overlooked. After all, they "hate us anyway" and therefore "deserve what they get."
US President George W. Bush has unleashed a war against evil, but who shall bear the label of "evil" will more likely be decided by a Gallup poll than by rational thought. One can only pray that saner minds will prevail.
Thomas Foster
Los Angeles, California
The US Department of Defense recently released this year’s “Report on Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China.” This annual report provides a comprehensive overview of China’s military capabilities, strategic objectives and evolving global ambitions. Taiwan features prominently in this year’s report, as capturing the nation remains central to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) vision of the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” a goal he has set for 2049. The report underscores Taiwan’s critical role in China’s long-term strategy, highlighting its significance as a geopolitical flashpoint and a key target in China’s quest to assert dominance
The National Development Council (NDC) on Wednesday last week launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported on Monday. The new visa is for foreign nationals from Taiwan’s list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts, but it is not clear how it differs from other visitor visas for nationals of those countries, CNA wrote. The NDC last year said that it hoped to attract 100,000 “digital nomads,” according to the report. Interest in working remotely from abroad has significantly increased in recent years following improvements in
Monday was the 37th anniversary of former president Chiang Ching-kuo’s (蔣經國) death. Chiang — a son of former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), who had implemented party-state rule and martial law in Taiwan — has a complicated legacy. Whether one looks at his time in power in a positive or negative light depends very much on who they are, and what their relationship with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is. Although toward the end of his life Chiang Ching-kuo lifted martial law and steered Taiwan onto the path of democratization, these changes were forced upon him by internal and external pressures,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) has caused havoc with his attempts to overturn the democratic and constitutional order in the legislature. If we look at this devolution from the context of a transition to democracy from authoritarianism in a culturally Chinese sense — that of zhonghua (中華) — then we are playing witness to a servile spirit from a millennia-old form of totalitarianism that is intent on damaging the nation’s hard-won democracy. This servile spirit is ingrained in Chinese culture. About a century ago, Chinese satirist and author Lu Xun (魯迅) saw through the servile nature of
RSS