The detention of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday on charges related to embezzlement of his “state affairs” fund and money laundering by the former first family is a landmark in Taiwan’s history — and a depressing one — because he became the first former president in the nation’s history to be incarcerated.
The circumstances of his detention, however, are controversial.
In applying for his detention, prosecutors have effectively said to judges that they have gathered enough evidence to charge Chen — evidence that presumably cannot be tampered with.
If, as prosecutors claim, they are worried about Chen colluding with potential co-defendants and destroying evidence, then it would have made more sense to detain him weeks ago rather than after all the potential leads prosecutors were following had been leaked to the media.
Handcuffing Chen was a strictly symbolic and possibly foolish move by the authorities. Chen knew the value of this symbolism when he raised his manacled hands above his head on his way to the courthouse.
Whether the former president’s arrest will lead to more protests against the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government and the judiciary — which some are accusing of political persecution — is hard to foresee, because since the allegations of corruption against him surfaced, Chen has had a polarizing effect on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), for which he had long been the standard bearer.
Nevertheless, it will be surprising if the string of arrests of current and former DPP government officials over the last few months fails to create some kind of reaction from opposition supporters.
When violence broke out during last week’s visit by Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), many people expressed concern that it had harmed the nation’s image abroad.
But already many people and organizations, including some abroad, are beginning to express concern about these detentions and what they see as a disturbing pattern in the judiciary. If these concerns turn out to be valid, the repercussions could prove a lot more damaging to the nation’s international profile.
Chen’s detention could increase anxiety that Taiwan’s reputation as a country governed by the rule of law is being eroded, which could lessen international support and leave the government even more unpopular and isolated.
There have been mutterings that Taiwan is heading the way of Singapore. But while Singaporeans may be content with a ruling party that uses the judiciary to stifle opposition, Taiwan’s situation is altogether different. Singapore does not suffer an external threat to its democracy and survival as a country.
Taiwanese are not stupid. If they view the recent actions of the judiciary to be a threat to the rule of law and the democracy they fought so hard to obtain, they will use their ballots at the next election to boot out those responsible.
But if their concerns continue to be met with aloof regard by the authorities and antagonistic, sneering language by KMT legislators, then action could be swifter still.
US President Donald Trump has gotten off to a head-spinning start in his foreign policy. He has pressured Denmark to cede Greenland to the United States, threatened to take over the Panama Canal, urged Canada to become the 51st US state, unilaterally renamed the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America” and announced plans for the United States to annex and administer Gaza. He has imposed and then suspended 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for their roles in the flow of fentanyl into the United States, while at the same time increasing tariffs on China by 10
US President Donald Trump last week announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on eight countries. As Taiwan, a key hub for semiconductor manufacturing, is among them, the policy would significantly affect the country. In response, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) dispatched two officials to the US for negotiations, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) board of directors convened its first-ever meeting in the US. Those developments highlight how the US’ unstable trade policies are posing a growing threat to Taiwan. Can the US truly gain an advantage in chip manufacturing by reversing trade liberalization? Is it realistic to
Last week, 24 Republican representatives in the US Congress proposed a resolution calling for US President Donald Trump’s administration to abandon the US’ “one China” policy, calling it outdated, counterproductive and not reflective of reality, and to restore official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, enter bilateral free-trade agreement negotiations and support its entry into international organizations. That is an exciting and inspiring development. To help the US government and other nations further understand that Taiwan is not a part of China, that those “one China” policies are contrary to the fact that the two countries across the Taiwan Strait are independent and
The US Department of State has removed the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence” in its updated Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, which instead iterates that “we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Strait.” This shows a tougher stance rejecting China’s false claims of sovereignty over Taiwan. Since switching formal diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China to the People’s Republic of China in 1979, the US government has continually indicated that it “does not support Taiwan independence.” The phrase was removed in 2022
RSS