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SOCIETY & IDEAS

Rally Marks Third Anniversary of the 2019 Hong Kong Protests in Taipei Yesterday

New Bloom

Civil society groups marked the third anniversary of the 2019 Hong Kong protests in Taipei yesterday, with a rally that took place in front of the Bank of China...

Constitutional Court to Make Decision on Pingpu Recognition

New Bloom

Recent comments by Icyang Parod, the head of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, took a stance against legally recognizing Pingpu peoples currently seeking...

Railway Corporatization Signed Into Law Late Last Month, With Dragon Boat Strike Plans Cancelled

New Bloom

The Taiwan Railways Union dropped plans for a strike over the Dragon Boat Holiday late last month, following talks with management

Grasping global imperialism at the root

Lausan

We must contend with more than one state nationalism to see how they all serve the demands of global capital

Court Upholds Legality of EVA Strike, After Attempts by Management to Retaliate

New Bloom

The Taipei District Court ruled late last month that the 2019 strike by EVA Air flight attendants was legal. This took place after an attempt by the company to...

Nearing the End of His Sentence, Questions Remain About Lee Ming-che’s Release

New Bloom

Civil society groups demonstrated on Friday, March 18th to call for the release of imprisoned Taiwanese human rights activist Lee Ming-che in China. The...

Permanent Residency Plan for Hongkongers Delayed Due to Backlash from Pan-Green Legislators

New Bloom

Backlash from pan-Green legislators has led the Mainland Affairs Council to suspend a plan to allow individuals from Hong Kong and Macau to obtain permanent...

Indigenous Representatives Criticize Executive Yuan Report on Asia Cement Mine

New Bloom

A report by the Executive Yuan on the Asia Cement mine on Indigenous land in Taroko Gorge has led to backlash from Indigenous community representatives, after the...

Demonstrations Call for Action on Migrant Worker Rights, Family Care Leave

New Bloom

Two labor demonstrations took place outside of the Ministry of Labor on Monday. One drew attention to the care of migrant worker rights, while the other sought to...

After the fire: Soil in spring

Lausan

We can rely neither on foreign interventions nor local activists and politicians to make it their life’s work to wage Hong Kong’s struggle on Hongkongers’ behalf.

After the fire: Fallen flowers

Lausan

Honouring the memory of 2019 requires us to critically assess where our imagining of how the struggle could develop fell short.

Stand News Announces Closure Following Police Raid, Arrest of Senior Staff

New Bloom

Hong Kong online media outlet Stand News announced that it was ending operations as of today, with the platform’s editor-in-chief Patrick Lam resigning and all...

“Model Foreign Worker” Competition Adds Insult to Injury

New Bloom

A recent contest organized by the Ministry of Labor reveals at once the condescending attitude of labor officials to migrant workers in Taiwan. This takes place...

Ruling on Gay Adoption Case Sets Precedent, But Does Not Change Overall Laws

New Bloom

The Kaohsiung Juvenile and Family Court made a historic ruling last month, allowing a gay couple to adopt a child that neither of the two is biologically related...

The Struggle for Transgender Rights Continues With Taiwan’s First Legal Gender Change Without Providing Proof of Surgery

New Bloom

A variety of events happened this past week with regards to the ongoing struggle for transgender rights in Taiwan, including Taiwan’s first successful legal gender...

Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Statement by Tsai May Be Primarily Aimed at International Diplomacy

New Bloom

President Tsai Ing-wen stated that Taiwan was committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 in comments made in the same timeframe of the 26th U.N....

50 years after Baodiao: How Hong Kong struggled against all nationalisms

Lausan

Examining the legacies and afterlives of the Baodiao Movement is an important task for activists in the aftermath of the 2019 protests.

Will There Continue to be Stalling on Adoption Rights For Gay Couples?

New Bloom

Changes to Article 20 of the Act for the Judicial Yuan’s Implementation of Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 cleared review by the Judiciary and Organic Laws...

Railways Union Eyes Dragon Boat Holiday Strike

New Bloom

Taiwan Railways workers may again strike on June 3rd, over the Dragon Boat Holiday, as a show of force against the Taiwan Railways Administration management’s...

Foreign or Local Memory?: Hong Kong’s Pillar of Shame in Taiwan

New Bloom

On December 25th, 2021, just two days after the University of Hong Kong plastic-wrapped and removed the Pillar of Shame from its campus, Taiwan’s New School For...

Reform or revolution: The strengths and setbacks of the 1989 Pro-Democracy Movement

Lausan

Despite its temporary failure, the magnificent 1989 pro-democracy movement has immense historical significance.

Barriers to Permanent Residency for Migrant Workers Remain Steep, Even Under New Plan

New Bloom

New measures that will allow migrant workers to obtain permanent residency will take effect from today. This takes place at a time in which Taiwan faces labor...

Kao Yuan University Proves the Latest Taiwanese University to Coerce Foreign Students into Factory Work

New Bloom

Kao Yuan University proves the latest Taiwanese university accused of sending foreign students to work in factories under the auspices of a work-study program. As...

Indigenous Name Ruling Likely to Lead to a Legal Fight

New Bloom

A ruling by the Constitutional Court last week struck down provisions in the ROC constitution tying inheritance of Indigenous status to last names. However, there...

Solidarity Rally for Ukraine Takes Place at Liberty Plaza

New Bloom

Several hundred rallied at Liberty Plaza yesterday in the largest of a series of solidarity rallies that have taken place in Taipei since late February. The event...

The China of “lab leak” conspiracies does not exist

Lausan

Just as we should not pathologize Covid-19 as a virus of “Oriental” culture, neither should we entertain fantasies of an exceptionally dominant China.

Campaigning from the outside: Reflections from two Chinese activists

Lausan

Many Chinese activists disagree with the government, but that does not mean that they should be used as a tool by western media for its propaganda.

Presidential Office Criticized Over New Year’s Performance by Indigenous Groups

New Bloom

Indigenous groups have been critical after a performance held by the Presidential Office as part of new year’s celebrations. In particular, the performance...

Low Turnout in Hong Kong’s “Patriots Only” Legislative Elections

New Bloom

Hong Kong held its first “patriots-only” election for the Legislative Council (LegCo) yesterday in an election that was marked by record low turnout. The election...

Taiwan Railways Workers Threaten Strike in Response to Corporatization Plans

New Bloom

A significant labor struggle may be upcoming for Taiwanese railways workers. Namely, the Taiwan Railway Labor Union has announced that it may strike next month in...

COVID Insurance Required for Migrant Workers in New Regulations

New Bloom

A new requirement that took effect starting on December 1st requires migrant workers to have COVID-19 insurance before they will be allowed to enter Taiwan, which...

Fate of the Apple Daily Taiwan Up in the Air, as Hong Kong Court Liquidator Attempts to Seize Newspaper Assets

New Bloom

The fate of the Taiwan edition of the Apple Daily continues to be up in the air, with moves by a Hong Kong liquidator to try and take control of the Apple Daily’s...

50 years after Baodiao: How Hong Kong struggled against all nationalisms

Lausan

Examining the legacies and afterlives of the Baodiao Movement is an important task for activists in the aftermath of the 2019 protests.

‘We need to fight them globally and we need to fight them together’—An interview with the App Drivers & Couriers Union

Lausan

We interviewed the App Drivers & Couriers Union on the transnational nature of exploitation in the gig economy, and our possibilities for solidarity.

Demonstration Takes Place Last Week Calling on McDonald’s to Use Cage-Free Chicken

New Bloom

The Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan protested outside of a McDonald’s earlier this month to call on the fast-food chain to transition toward using...

The Hong Kong Church on the Frontline in Ukraine

New Bloom

Hongkongers—whose freedoms were crushed by the same party who entered into an agreement of ‘no limits’ with Russia in February—are well aware of the fight against...

33rd Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre Commemorated with Rally in Liberty Plaza

New Bloom

Civil society groups marked the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre today, as normally takes place in Taiwan annually. As with past years, the...

Combating the pandemic—but not at Hong Kong workers’ expense

Lausan

The governance of Hong Kong is in shambles, and its citizens and workers bear the brunt of it.

Indigenous Occupation in 228 Memorial Park Dismantled

New Bloom

The Indigenous occupation in the 228 Peace Memorial Park was dismantled by Taipei city authorities earlier today. The occupation had stood for over 1,800 days,...

Union Groups Call for Workplace Safety, Higher Wages on May Day

New Bloom

Several hundred gathered in front of the Presidential Office today in order to commemorate International Workers' Day, also known as May Day. A color stage was set...

Migrant Workers Likely to Remain at Mercy of Employers Under New Residency Plan

New Bloom

The Tsai administration announced new plans to allow residency from blue-collar migrant workers earlier this week, with the Executive Yuan signing off on a plan...

Tibetan Uprising Day Commemorated with March Last Saturday

New Bloom

The 63rd anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day was commemorated last Saturday in Taipei, seeing as the actual anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day falls on a Thursday...

New directions of leftist organizing in post-socialist China

Lausan

Binaries of “good state capitalism/bad market capitalism” and “undemocratic East/democratic West” hinder radical political imaginaries.

After the fire: Against “burnism”

Lausan

Instead of ceding agency to Western governments, Hongkongers must seek to garner bargaining power through self-empowerment.

Laws for Transnational Gay Marriages to be Amended for Chinese Spouses

New Bloom

The Mainland Affairs Council stated earlier this month that it intends to amend current laws regulating transnational gay marriages in such a manner that...

David Harvey and Richard Wolff Romanticize China Out of Orientalism, if Nothing Else

New Bloom

It has proven odd that leftist thinkers, such as Marxian economist Richard Wolff and Marxist geographer David Harvey, have proven unusually praising of China in...

China Airlines Year-End Bonuses the Result of Labor Organizing, Not Corporate Munificence

New Bloom

China Airlines’ labor union reached a deal with management for year-end bonuses to consist of six months’ wages last month. This was a historic high for year-end...

Court Ruling Allows Taiwanese-Singaporean Lesbian Couple to Marry

New Bloom

A Taiwanese-Singaporean lesbian couple won their court case to get married yesterday, following a two-year lawsuit. The couple is publicly known as Xiao C and...

Kao Chia-yu Abuse Incident Seized Upon by Taiwanese Media in Sensationalist, Trivializing Manner

New Bloom

Taiwan's highly sensationalist media has seized on the news story of DPP legislator Kao Chia-yu filing a police report against her boyfriend, Raphael Lin, for...

‘We need to fight them globally and we need to fight them together’—An interview with the App Drivers & Couriers Union

Lausan

We interviewed the App Drivers & Couriers Union on the transnational nature of exploitation in the gig economy, and our possibilities for solidarity.

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