In the days of the White Terror it was common for suspected dissidents to be seized by armed men in broad daylight or dragged from their beds in the middle of the night.
Others simply disappeared, never to be heard from again. Under the heavy surveillance of the Taiwan Garrison Command, the public lived in fear.
After decades of hard work to achieve the democracy and freedom Taiwan enjoys today, the recent incident concerning Democratic Progressive Party Tainan City Councilor Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) is cause for alarm.
Following reports last week that Wang allegedly instigated an incident in which China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Vice Chairman Zhang Mingqing (張銘清) fell over, media outlets reported on Monday that Wang’s life had been threatened by a suspected gangster who demanded that he offer an apology to Zhang.
Cable Channel CTI filmed as Huang Ju-yi (黃如意) sat next to Wang on a sofa and described to him how to present his apology, pounding him on the chest twice.
Wang later told reporters: “A gangster told me, ‘You had better offer an apology to the camera, or I could kill you with one shot.’”
Given past instances in which politicians have staged acts to gain media exposure, it is understandable why some are harboring skepticism over the reports and why they are quick to say Wang staged the incident.
The case is under investigation and until the truth is revealed, the repercussions of the incident can only be speculated on.
If the threat against Wang is real, it should not be viewed as an isolated case. Wang would not be the only victim.
One of the benefits of this democracy is the right to free speech.
People can voice their ideas without having to live in fear of the consequences. Is Taiwan to return to a time when critics are taken away by KGB-like secret agents or gangsters?
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) record of close relations with organized crime has been well documented, and many of these gangs are closely tied to China.
A list issued by Foreign Policy magazine this May ranked Taiwan’s Bamboo Union gang as one of the world’s four most dangerous associations.
The Mainlander gang is known for “drug smuggling, human trafficking and ‘silencing’ journalists as far away as Northern California,” it said.
According to the magazine, the Bamboo Union “emerged as the largest of several Beijing-backed assassination machines in the wake of the communist takeover of mainland China.”
By no means are we suggesting that the Bamboo Union is behind the alleged threat against Wang. However, if authorities fail to take Wang’s statement seriously but to treat it as a petty crime, it is difficult to dismiss the possibility that a policewoman at last Saturday’s anti-government rally was on to something when she told rally-goers that her real boss was “the People’s Republic of China.”
A return to power for former US president Donald Trump would pose grave risks to Taiwan’s security, autonomy and the broader stability of the Indo-Pacific region. The stakes have never been higher as China aggressively escalates its pressure on Taiwan, deploying economic, military and psychological tactics aimed at subjugating the nation under Beijing’s control. The US has long acted as Taiwan’s foremost security partner, a bulwark against Chinese expansionism in the region. However, a second Trump presidency could upend decades of US commitments, introducing unpredictability that could embolden Beijing and severely compromise Taiwan’s position. While president, Trump’s foreign policy reflected a transactional
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has prioritized modernizing the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to rival the US military, with many experts believing he would not act on Taiwan until the PLA is fully prepared to confront US forces. At the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th Party Congress in 2022, Xi emphasized accelerating this modernization, setting 2027 — the PLA’s centennial — as the new target, replacing the previous 2035 goal. US intelligence agencies said that Xi has directed the PLA to be ready for a potential invasion of Taiwan by 2027, although no decision on launching an attack had been made. Whether
A chip made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) was found on a Huawei Technologies Co artificial intelligence (AI) processor, indicating a possible breach of US export restrictions that have been in place since 2019 on sensitive tech to the Chinese firm and others. The incident has triggered significant concern in the IT industry, as it appears that proxy buyers are acting on behalf of restricted Chinese companies to bypass the US rules, which are intended to protect its national security. Canada-based research firm TechInsights conducted a die analysis of the Huawei Ascend 910B AI Trainer, releasing its findings on Oct.
In honor of President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday, my longtime friend and colleague John Tkacik wrote an excellent op-ed reassessing Carter’s derecognition of Taipei. But I would like to add my own thoughts on this often-misunderstood president. During Carter’s single term as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, despite numerous foreign policy and domestic challenges, he is widely recognized for brokering the historic 1978 Camp David Accords that ended the state of war between Egypt and Israel after more than three decades of hostilities. It is considered one of the most significant diplomatic achievements of the 20th century.
RSS