Taiwan Communique 136 out!

From: Formosan Association for Public Affairs

We are pleased to let you know that the new issue of Taiwan Communiqué is hot off the press (attached). This issue starts with a summary of the May 19th protest against Ma Ying-jeou’s policies. We also present an analysis of Ma Ying-jeou’s second inauguration speech, and particularly criticize his “One Republic of China, two areas” concept.

We then focus on recent opinion polls showing a sharp decline in the President’s popularity, and analyze the reasons for this decline: his mishandling of the beef issue, the steep hike in electricity rates and the capital gains tax debacle.

This is followed by two essays: one on Taiwan’s democracy, whose is it anyway? By former FEER correspondent Julian Baum, and one titled Taiwan’s beacon starting to flicker (on the need for Taiwanese to speak out on human rights) by former AIT Chairman Nat Bellocchi.

We then present an update on the health and prison conditions of former President Chen Shui-bian, and reprint an OpEd by former Alaska governor Frank Murkowski, titled “Treatment of Chen is a national disgrace.”

In the Report from Washington we report on the introduction of a House resolution calling for normalization of relations with Taiwan, and on two letters sent by ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Howard Berman (D-CA) urging the State of California and the Department of Homeland Security that Taiwan be referred to as “Taiwan” on websites and immigration forms – in accordance with US policy.

We close this issue with a book review of the book Politicized Society: the Long Shadow of Taiwan’s One-Party Legacy by Finnish Prof. Mikael Mattlin, reviewed by Prof. Jon Sullivan of the Univ. of Nottingham.

Below you find the table of contents. The electronic version has been uploaded to our websites www.fapa.org and http://www.taiwandc.org/twcom/index.html The hardcopy will be sent out to those who are on our mailing list early next week.

Best regards,

Gerrit van der Wees
Editor, Taiwan Communiqué
Formosan Association for Public Affairs
_______________________ 
[Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums! Delenda est, baby.