Can Taiwan’s democracy withstand attempts to sabotage Asia’s first same-sex marriage law?

The News Lens
Date: 2019/05/24
By: Cat Thomas

As Taiwan passed a law on marriage equality last Friday congratulations flooded in from around the world on social media and Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly released a short film celebrating the passing of the law, framing it as another reason that Taiwan deserves a place on the global stage. However, despite the passage of the law there is still much work to be done in order to protect LGBT rights and, given the reaction of the KMT and anti-marriage equality groups, there is cause for concern that attempts to repeal the law might lie ahead, and that the issue might remain high on the agenda in the January 2020 presidential elections – a move that has the potential to damage Taiwan’s international reputation.

MOFA Facebook (https://bit.ly/2HzJ92O ) released a short celebrating legalization of #MarriageEquality in #Taiwan & success in promoting @GlobalGoalsUN #SDG10: Reduce inequality within & among countries. Watch & see how #LoveWins.

With calls by DPP heavyweights in the immediate lead-up to Friday’s vote to resist pressure from anti-equality groups and to ‘stand on the right side of history’ the DPP came together to land firmly on the side of placing human rights over fears of a backlash in the January elections. The new law, while perhaps best being described as imperfect, did take into consideration the results of the referendums (which despite the claims to the contrary of the anti-equality side, fell under article 30.2 of the referendum law which mandates further deliberation at the Legislative Yuan level, as opposed to 30.1 the results of which are binding) and therefore the DPP cannot fairly be accused of ignoring the referendum results. While it might be argued that the path to the passing of the law was mismanaged, the law that passed balanced the fine line between respecting the higher authority of the Council of Grand Justices’ (constitutional court) and attempting to find a compromise took the referendum results into account.    [FULL  STORY]

Conditions are right for Taipei to shirk convention and take a bolder approach to international relations (Pt. 1)

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/05/24
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – This is the first of a two part series on why Taiwan should take bolder actions in international diplomacy to encourage increased political engagement across the globe, and to challenge accepted political convention.

Part one will discuss why geopolitical conditions in 2019 are favorable for Taipei to begin a more vigorous campaign of diplomatic engagement across the globe. Part two will discuss why a campaign of “guerrilla diplomacy” and a strategic reassessment of the global political landscape are necessary for Taiwan’s long-term future.

Strategic actions for Taiwan to take in the Asia-Pacific region will be outlined in part one, while actions to pursue in the Western hemisphere will be outlined in part two.

An excellent example of Taiwan pursuing its own political interests in recent years under the Tsai administration is the Southbound Policy, which has developed international linkage and cooperation with the nations of Southeast Asia and India, promoting diplomatic ties by way of economic cooperation.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/24
By: Chen Wei-ting and Emerson Lim
Taipei, May 24 (CNA) A health specialist has warned that people in Taiwan are highly exposed to plasticizers and that beyond their harmful effects on reproductive health they also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Based on a tracking study of more than 700 21-year-olds starting in 2016, the plasticizer DEHP (Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalateis) was found to be related to coronary artery disease, said Dr. Su Ta-chen (蘇大成) at a press conference at National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) on Friday.

He said DEHP can affect the inner linings of small arteries and prevent them from functioning normally, a condition known as endothelial dysfunction, which increases the risk of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) buildup.

LDL is also referred to as bad cholesterol.    [FULL  STORY]

EXTREME WEATHER: One alliance member said she aims to share Aboriginal ideas on disaster prevention, after heavy rain battered Renai Township last week

Taipei Times
Date: May 25, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

A coalition of environmental and Aboriginal campaigners yesterday staged a climate

emergency demonstration in Taipei, calling on the government to hold a national conference to propose concrete climate action.

The march was mainly organized by the Air Clean Taiwan (ACT) to echo worldwide movements inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

Participants started gathering outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei at 1pm, and marched to the Democratic Progressive Party headquarters and the Executive Yuan to submit their appeals.

Students and advocates in other cities also gathered to form the characters 1.5°C on campuses or in public squares for aerial photographs.    [FULL  STORY]

Six days of naval drills to be held near Guam in Western Pacific

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/05/23
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The United States continues to shore up military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter China’s rapid military expansion in the region. On May 23, the navies of Japan, South Korean, and Australia joined the U.S. led Pacific Vanguard naval exercises near the U.S. territory of Guam in the Western Pacific.

The “first-of-its-kind” Pacific Vanguard exercises are scheduled to last six days, and will include as many as 3,000 service personnel from the four countries, reports Reuters. Commander of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet, Vice-Admiral Philip Sawyer was quoted in statement from the U.S. Navy.

“Pacific Vanguard joins forces from four, like-minded maritime nations that provide security throughout the Indo-Pacific based on shared values and common interests. This exercise advances the integration of our forces, and enables an effective collaborative response to a range of events that might occur in the region.”
The Royal Australian Navy is represented by two frigates, the HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Parramatta, while the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force is represented by two destroyers, the JS Ariake and JS Asahi. South Korea dispatched a single destroyer, the ROKS Wang Geon.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/23
By: Stacy Hsu, CNA staff reporter

The historic passage of a same-sex marriage bill in Taiwan last Friday was a moment of euphoria for the tens of thousands of marriage equality supporters gathered outside the Legislature, but for Guzifer Leong (梁展輝) of Macau it did not mean he could finally marry his Taiwanese partner.

As the crowds of gay marriage advocates cheered and burst into tears of joy, Leong stayed quiet. Although he was happy to see the bill passed after decades of agonizing efforts by the country’s gay rights movements, he was deeply disappointed that it excluded foreign nationals like him from countries and areas that do not allow same-sex marriage.

On May 17, during the readings of the gay marriage bill, lawmakers voted 84-6 against a motion to make it possible for a Taiwanese to marry a partner from a country that does not recognize same-sex marriage.

“The crowd’s cheers were deafening and many people were crying and hugging each other,” said Leong, who was outside the Legislature with his Taiwanese partner Ting Tse-yan (丁則言) when the bill was passed.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 23 May, 2019
By: Paula Chao

Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong says the government will punish those

whose behavior hurts Taiwan’s dignity.

Chen was speaking Thursday at the Legislature. There, lawmakers are reviewing a proposed revision to the statute governing relations between the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The proposed revision bars retired top brass and high-ranking government officials from taking part in political events in China. Retirees are also subject to restrictions on when they can visit China after retirement. Violators will face severe punishment.

Chen said the majority of Taiwan’s people support the government’s move to build a mechanism that better regulates travel by retired officials.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 22 May, 2019
By: John Van Trieste

There has been much talk about artificial intelligence or AI in Taiwan over the past few years. There are a great many ideas about how AI will change the world, but so far, little thought has been given to the impact AI technology will have on the arts.

Now though, a group of Taiwanese professors has gotten together for a project that’s testing AI’s creative capacity one composition at a time.

At National Tsing Hua University a group of musicians has come together for a bold experiment. They are part of a new orchestra attempting something that hasn’t been tried in Taiwan before.

This is Taiwan’s first “artificial intelligence band”, a band centered around a music-making software program developed by a team of the university’s professors.

The program can play music by itself or accompany human musicians. But plenty of other programs can already do that.    [FULL  STORY]