Military needs transformation
As your editorial enumerated (March 1, page 8), “Taiwan is different from Ukraine.” Two further contrasts are missing from your list — one external, one internal — that unfortunately work against Taiwan’s favor.
Externally, Ukraine can appeal directly to the international community through the UN. Taiwanese, as a people, have never asserted this right for ourselves, so Taiwan is in a weaker legal position, and fewer questions would be asked in the event of an attack.
More poignant is the internal difference: When Ukrainians take up arms, they have no doubt that it is Ukraine they are defending, but in Taiwan, it is still not clear whether the armed forces are defending Taiwan or the Republic of China (“‘Begonia’ map on military insignia must go: legislator,” Dec. 14, 2021, page 2).
Let us distinguish the narrative underlying each term, instead of conflating the two in the latest fashion (“Pompeo urges US to recognize ROC,” March 5, page 1). Even in peacetime, Taiwanese travelers are faced with the quizzical refrain in airports and hotel lobbies around the world: “You say you’re from Taiwan, but your passport says China.”(Yes, it’s still there, even with the redesigned cover.)
What are the conscripts and reservists asked to fight for in wartime? To defend a diverse, multicultural and vibrant liberal democracy that is as advanced in technology as it is in social welfare? Or to perpetuate the remnants of a regime expelled from the UN, a military that lost a civil war yet sees its adversary as ultimately “the same family,” to be united but for some historical anomaly?
In which case, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rants about historical unity with Ukraine would fit like a glove (“Notes from Central Taiwan: The odious notion of ‘neutralizing’ Taiwan,” March 7, page 13).
With weapons in hand and lives at stake, there must be no room for doubt in fighters’ minds. Sadly, this is not the case. Despite many rounds of reforms, the military — including the half-dormant conscription and reservist system — is still seen as mostly make-work, an authoritarian institution to humiliate and subjugate Taiwanese — especially young men (“Chiu denies military morale is low,” Oct. 27, 2021, page 1).
Some recent examples: The conscript Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘), who died from abuse while serving in the military (“Thousands take to streets for Hung,” Aug. 4, 2013, page 1); the arrogance of Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) when then-legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) questioned him in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), a national language (Editorial: Language is not just a tool, Oct. 6, 2021, page 8).
Without radical transformation, Taiwan’s armed forces will never have the trust from society and dedication from soldiers that they need.
Te Khai-su
Helsinki
In an article published in Newsweek on Monday last week, President William Lai (賴清德) challenged China to retake territories it lost to Russia in the 19th century rather than invade Taiwan. “If it is really for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t China take back Russia?” Lai asked, referring to territories lost in 1858 and 1860. The territories once made up the two flanks of northern Manchuria. Once ceded to Russia, they became part of the Russian far east. Claims since then have been made that China and Russia settled the disputes in the 1990s through the 2000s and that “China
China has successfully held its Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, with 53 of 55 countries from the African Union (AU) participating. The two countries that did not participate were Eswatini and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, which have no diplomatic relations with China. Twenty-four leaders were reported to have participated. Despite African countries complaining about summit fatigue, with recent summits held with Russia, Italy, South Korea, the US and Indonesia, as well as Japan next month, they still turned up in large numbers in Beijing. China’s ability to attract most of the African leaders to a summit demonstrates that it is still being
Trips to the Kenting Peninsula in Pingtung County have dredged up a lot of public debate and furor, with many complaints about how expensive and unreasonable lodging is. Some people even call it a tourist “butchering ground.” Many local business owners stake claims to beach areas by setting up parasols and driving away people who do not rent them. The managing authority for the area — Kenting National Park — has long ignored the issue. Ultimately, this has affected the willingness of domestic travelers to go there, causing tourist numbers to plummet. In 2008, Taiwan opened the door to Chinese tourists and in
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Thursday was handcuffed and escorted by police to the Taipei Detention Center, after the Taipei District Court ordered that he be detained and held incommunicado for suspected corruption during his tenure as Taipei mayor. The ruling reversed an earlier decision by the same court on Monday last week that ordered Ko’s release without bail. That decision was appealed by prosecutors on Wednesday, leading the High Court to conclude that Ko had been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and it ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Video clips
RSS