DEMOGRAPHICS
Population decreases
The population decreased last month, marking the 14th consecutive month of declines, Ministry of the Interior data showed. Taiwan’s population at the end of last month was 23,384,614, down 11,435 from the end of January, the data showed. The birthrate of 5.80 per 1,000 people was lower than the death rate of 12.20 per 1,000, the data showed. Net migration had a minimal effect, with 122,992 people moving in during the month, while 122,946 departed, the data showed.
POLITICS
Buddhists sign petition
At least 1,500 Buddhists, including 200 Buddhist masters, had signed a petition in support of a recall campaign against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers as of yesterday, United Microelectronics founder and former chief executive officer Robert Tsao (曹興誠) told a news conference in Taipei. Tsao, the spokesman for the Safeguard Taiwan, Anti-Communist Volunteers Alliance heading the recall movement, called on Buddhists to support the recall campaign as a way of practicing dana (“generosity” in Sanskrit) by giving “the gift of freedom from fear.” Buddhist master Shih Cheng-ding (釋正定) told the same news conference that Taiwan’s Buddhism has long been affected by the Chinese Communist Party’s “united front” tactics.
GOVERNMENT
Foundations tout initiatives
The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the London-based Westminster Foundation for Democracy on Thursday issued a joint statement promoting “smart parliament” initiatives. The statement outlines a mutual commitment to developing “safety, multi-stakeholder participation, artificial intelligence, responsiveness and transparency,” Westminster foundation board member Duncan Hames told a signing ceremony in Taipei. “We hope that our cooperation will help foster democratic values, practices and wider partnerships among our democracies.” That 47 of Taiwan’s 113 legislators are women reflects Taiwan’s democratic achievements and its progress on gender equality, said Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), chairman of the Taiwan foundation.
GOVERNMENT
NPA, Taipei police censured
The Control Yuan yesterday censured the National Police Agency (NPA), the Taipei City Police Department and a Taipei police precinct for failing to properly supervise officers in their handling of a child abuse case last year. Improper use of restraints on a suspect and failure to uphold investigative confidentiality were among the issues in the case related to a social worker surnamed Chen (陳), the Control Yuan said in a report. The case involved two sisters who worked as foster caregivers. They were accused of abusing a one-year-old boy, leading to his death in late 2023. Chen was under investigation on suspicion of falsifying reports of visits to where the sisters housed the child and negligence leading to his death. She was handcuffed while being transferred for questioning on March 12 last year. The decision to cuff her in full view of the media sparked a public outcry. Police planned Chen’s transfer route to maximize media exposure and even persuaded her to briefly pose for photographers, the report said. Officers contravened multiple regulations regarding criminal procedure, the use of restraints and confidentiality in investigations, while the prosecutor in charge also failed to remove Chen’s handcuffs during questioning, breaching judicial procedures, it said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based