Taipei Times - archives

Taipei Times - archives
The Korean War began with North Korean leader Kim Il-sung launching an attack on Seoul, South Korea’s capital on June 25, 1950. This attack, was made with the tacit approval of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and three days later, Seoul succumbed to Kim’s forces.

Taipei Times - archives

Taipei Times -
archives
A day of action against a landmark trade deal with China will take place across Taipei City today, as more than 100,000 protesters — including former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) — are expected to gather and demand the government first hold a public referendum on the issue.

Taipei Times - archives

Taipei Times - archives
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) often asks his critics why they question his determination to uphold Taiwan’s national interests and dignity as a sovereign nation. A review of some of his remarks will perhaps provide the president with a hint as to why so many people continue to remain stubbornly unconvinced.

Taipei Times - archives

Taipei Times - archives
Since taking office, Ma has said time and again that Taiwan will be marginalized if it adopts a “closed-door” policy and avoids dealing with China. Ma has also likened this “closed-door” mentality with the regimes of the two Chiangs and the way they dealt with China. However, with the indirect and transit trade that was opened in 1985 being extremely limited, it wouldn’t have made sense for Taiwan to have made China its focus for economic development.

Taipei Times - archives

Taipei Times - archivesIn the 1960s, peace and conflict studies pioneer Johan Galtung proposed the thought-provoking concept of “structural violence.” Structural violence refers to a kind of social structure under which, although there may be no direct physical violence by one group of people against another, one group of people does not have the same access as others to the conditions needed for existence and this constitutes a threat against the less privileged group. Although this threat to survival is not caused by direct violence, such a social structure and environment can be said to constitute structural violence against those in a weaker position.

Taipei Times - archives

Taipei Times - archives
On Thursday, the Cabinet’s Referendum Review Committee rejected a referendum proposal on an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA). After some media outlets and members of the public had directed strong attacks against a referendum, many members of the Referendum Review Committee also raised doubts over the issue, resulting in the expectation by many that the proposal would be rejected.