Taoyuan Nights

Recently, events in Taiwan have become rather strange. The ruling KMT party is cracking down on popular protests, while it negotiates with the Chinese government. I should confess that living where I do, I am quite isolated from political events and protests, and not speaking Mandarin very well, I am relatively poorly informed about what is happening. However, several strange things are happening that include:

- Opposition politicians being arrested and detained.

- Noticeable restrictions on public freedom of movement and expression.

- Protests are taking place but are being stopped by police.

- It has reached a stage where some taxi drivers are being questioned by police as they move around Taipei.

I am not Taiwanese, but I am concerned to see this happening. Of course, part of me says, ‘well, what did you expect when you voted for these guys? Didn’t you study Taiwan’s history?’.

Here are some articles with more information, from people who are better informed than I am:

Michael Turton’s roundup.
“Are Taiwanese Fed Up Yet?
“Is Taiwan becoming a police state?”
Students protest peacefully at “Freedom Square”. Police remove them. Students re-assemble.

Looking back in history, partly, it was pressure from the USA that lead to Taiwan moving away from a period of repression. Maybe America can exert some useful influence again.