Page Two

Hong Kong shows Taiwan what unifying with China really means

The Hill
Date: 12/02/19
By: Seth Cropsey, Opinion Contributor

The surest marker of a nation’s preferred international order is its treatment of its own citizens. All states make ethically questionable choices, particularly when faced with acute crises — the oft-cited case of Japanese internment during World War II is a prime example. Just nations, however, are reticent to harm their own citizens in the absence of existential political threats. By contrast, the Beijing government deems millions of its own citizens direct threats to its own survival.

China is conducting a systematic campaign against Muslims in East Turkestan, combining the old East German Stasi-style continuous surveillance with ethnically and religiously-targeted internment on a scale not seen since the Holocaust.

The economic and political freedoms of Hong Kongers so threaten the Chinese Communist Party that it has deployed more than 12,000 People’s Armed Police — essentially an army dedicated to internal security — to the island, where they have waged a multi-month campaign to suppress protesters. Any distinct way of life — whether grounded in faith or cherishing individual freedom, political deliberation and representation — is viewed as an existential threat to a Chinese regime which relies on information control, political centralization and theft to survive.

Based on these grounds, Taiwan presents an even greater threat to China than Hong Kong or Uighur identity.    [FULL  STORY]

Slow Yang charged with spurring suicide of Taiwanese diplomat in Japan with fake news

DPP influencer Slow Yang charged with spreading fake news, causing death of Taiwanese diplomat in Japan

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/12/02
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese influencer and an internet troll have been charged with

Slow Yang. (Photo from Slow Yang Facebook page)

spreading fake news about the director of Taiwan's representative office in Osaka, Japan, which ultimately leading him to commit suicide.

After thousands of Taiwanese became trapped in Japan by Typhoon Jebi and an earthquake in Hokkaido in September of last year, the representative office in Osaka faced a tsunami of criticism online for allegedly not providing sufficient assistance in terms of evacuations and accommodations.

In an apparent response to the scathing criticism, Su Chii-cherng (蘇啓誠), the director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Osaka, committed suicide on Sept. 14.

On Monday (Dec. 2), the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office announced that it is formally charging the pro-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) "Green Camp Internet Army" leader Slow Yang (楊蕙如) and online troll Tsai Fu-ming (蔡福明) with spreading fake news about the Osaka office's handling of the disaster, ultimately compelling its director to commit suicide.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan-Japan hold dialogue on maritime cooperation in Taipei

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/12/02
By: Emerson Lim

Chiou I-jen (邱義仁, left), head of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association (TJRA), and Ohashi Mitsuo, Chairman of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA).

Taipei, Dec. 2 （CNA）Taiwan and Japan on Monday held their annual dialogue on maritime cooperation in Taipei, focusing on such topics as maritime safety, scientific research, ocean environment protection and fisheries cooperation.

The fourth Taiwan-Japan dialogue on maritime affairs cooperation was held at the Grand Hotel and co-chaired by Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), head of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association (TJRA), and Ohashi Mitsuo, Chairman of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA).

The dialogue is one of the many cooperation mechanisms between Taiwan and Japan, which are built on friendship and trust over the years, to protect the interests of both the Taiwanese and Japanese people, Chiou said.

However, there are still issues that need to be ironed out, Chiou noted, adding that he hoped such issues could be resolved by respecting the basic positions of each country and through mutual understanding. He did not elaborate.    [FULL  STORY]

Parade to observe 40th anniversary of Kaohsiung Incident

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 03, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA

A parade is to be held in Kaohsiung on Saturday to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the

Taiwan Friends Association director Huang Kun-hu speaks at an event in Tainan on Sept. 14.
Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Taipei Times

Kaohsiung Incident, organizers said yesterday.

Sacrifices by people who fought for democracy, freedom and human rights in Taiwan must not be forgotten, Taiwan Friends Association director Huang Kun-hu (黃崑虎) told reporters in Taipei.

The incident started when the pro-democracy Formosa Magazine (美麗島雜誌) held a demonstration commemorating International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, 1979, in Kaohsiung, calling on the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government to respect human rights and demanding democracy.

Within hours, the protesters were surrounded by scores of military police, while prominent leaders of the democracy movement were arrested. Several of them later went on to become leaders of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese trekker dies in Nepal: MOFA

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/12/01
By: Elaine Hou and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Dec. 1 (CNA) A Taiwanese national died in Nepal on Saturday following a trekking excursion in

Photo for illustrative purposes only / CNA file photo

the country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) confirmed Sunday.

MOFA spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) made the confirmation after a Nepal media reported the incident that happened a day earlier.

Citing a police report, the victim was identified as 57-year-old Yuchai Chhing (in Nepalese spelling), who died after "returning from the Annapurna Base Camp trekking" on Saturday morning, the English-language Khabarhub news website said.

He was airlifted to Manipal Teaching Hospital on a chopper after he complained of chest pains following his arrival at Tadapani in Ghandruk, the report said.    [FULL  STORY]

Ignored by China, Taiwan cinema walks its own road

Taipei film awards honor homegrown hit 'Detention'

Nikkei Asian Review
Date: December 01, 2019
By: Chris Horton

A still from the hit film “Detention,” which explores the “White Terror,” a 38-year period of martial law in Taiwan during which vigilance against communist infiltration dominated daily life. (Courtesy of 1 Production)\

TAIPEI — Stymied by censorship and political repression during decades of one-party rule, Taiwan’s film industry blossomed during the island’s liberalization in the 1980s and 1990s. But in recent years, it has felt cross pressure from the censorship regime of the neighboring Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.

With a heavily Mandarin-speaking population of 23 million, compared with 1.4 billion in China, many of the democratic island’s filmmakers are attracted to the larger market across the Taiwan strait. But bigger-budget films like “The Assassin,” a 2015 release by director Hou Hsiao-hsien, have had to comply with increasingly restrictive Chinese censors, whose demands include downplaying or erasing Taiwanese identity.

Some filmmakers, though, are succeeding with low-budget Taiwan-centered stories told by young directors and aimed at the local market. John Hsu’s hit film “Detention” offers a prime example of how Taiwanese films can find success. Not only is the film Taiwan’s highest-grossing release this year, it landed a slew of awards at the annual Golden Horse Awards held in Taipei on Saturday.

Hsu, who has directed a number of successful short films, starting with “Intoxicant” (2008), had been deeply moved by the video game “Detention” (2017), he told the Nikkei Asian Review. The survival horror adventure was created by Taiwan’s Red Candle Games for Steam, a distribution platform owned by Valve Corp. of the U.S.    [FULL  STORY]

Donnie Yen’s ‘Ip Man’ finale

The fourth film in the series focuses on the relationship between Ip Man and his greatest student, Bruce Lee

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/12/01
By: Lyla Liu, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Hong Kong martial arts actor Donnie Yen (甄子丹) has announced that 'Ip

“Ip Man 4” will be the final bow for Donnie Yen in the title role. (Sky Film photo)\

Man 4: The Finale' (葉問4：完結篇) will be his last kung fu film.

The classic kung fu film series, Ip Man, has been running for a decade. Dozens of popular scenes have in that time been created by Yen, such as the three-minute fight with boxer Mike Tyson.

The Ip Man series of films unveiled the legendary life of Wing Chun (詠春拳) kung fu master Ip Man, who inspired generations of martial artists. 'Ip Man 4: The Finale' opens on Dec. 20 and stars Yen, Wu Yue (吳樾), who plays the Tai Chi master Wang Tsung-hua (萬宗華), and martial art instructor Chris Collins.

Among all Ip Man’s apprentices, his relationship with Bruce Lee (李小龍) is the most intriguing one. Despite the heated fight scenes in 'Ip Man 4,' the film mainly focuses on the relationship between the master and Lee, played by Hong Kong actor Chan Kwok-kwan (陳國坤) — who looks just like Lee himself.    [FULL  STORY]

Councilor unhappy after Han not charged for treason

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/12/01
By: Chen Chao-fu and Joseph Yeh

Kaohsiung, Dec. 1 (CNA) A Kaohsiung city councilor voiced his dismay Sunday after prosecutors decided not to charge opposition Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) with treason for visiting Beijing's liaison offices in Hong Kong and Macau in March.

During his visit to Hong Kong and Macau as Kaohsiung mayor to sell the city's agricultural products, Han held meetings with top officials at the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the two special administrative regions of China.

Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), the son of former President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), and four other city councilors, filed a complaint against Han with the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office on March 27, accusing him of treason.

They argued that by meeting with Chinese officials, Han gave tacit consent to China's "one country, two systems" unification formula and thus had undermined Taiwan's national interests and sovereignty.    [FULL  STORY]

Many sexual autonomy crime victims under 18

SOBERING FIGURES: Females aged 12 to 17 were more than 39 percent of victims in the first 10 months of the year, and most suspects were male, statistics showed

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 02, 2019
By: Huang Hsin-po, Chiu Chun-fu and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

Nearly 40 percent of victims of offenses against sexual autonomy in the first 10 months of the year were females under the age of 18, according to statistics released on Saturday by the Ministry of the Interior.

From January to October, 39.22 percent of victims of offenses against sexual autonomy — including rape, sexual intercourse with a child and sexual obscenity — were females aged 12 to 17, the statistics showed.

In that same period, 91.94 percent of victims were female and 97.77 percent of suspects were male, and 21.61 percent of suspects were males aged 18 to 23, the data showed

The number of reported offenses against sexual autonomy has been falling over the past five years, the ministry said.    [FULL  STORY]

Why U.S.-China military tensions over future of Taiwan could rise | Trudy Rubin

The Philadelphia Inquirer
Date: November 29, 2019
By: Trudy Rubin

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech during National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan, last month. In the national day address, President Tsai said China was threatening the island “nonstop” and posing a major challenge to regional peace and stability.
CHIANG YING-YING / AP

TAIPEI, Taiwan — While the world’s eyes have focused on democracy protests in Hong Kong, far less attention has been paid to Hong Kong’s spillover effect on Taiwan, a nearby island republic off the coast of China.

Here’s why Americans need to be more aware of Taiwan’s vibrant democracy of 23 million people, with its tight educational, high-tech, and military ties to the USA: Its fate is the issue most likely to spark a military confrontation between Washington and Beijing.

And the reverberations of the pro-democracy revolt in Hong Kong almost guarantee that tensions between China and Taiwan will rise in the near future. Especially as Taiwan heads for presidential elections early next year.    [FULL  STORY]