Monday, January 14, 2013

Taiwan and Tibet: Tens of Thousands protest

Al Jazeera English; Wisdom Quarterly
Taiwanese citizens oppose unification with mainland China (The Guardian)

 
Tibetan self-immolations on the rise
Opposition supporters have staged a demonstration in Taipei to protest against the policies of Taiwan's China-friendly president, in the largest anti-government action since he was re-elected to a second four-year term a year ago. SEE VIDEO
 
"Fury" in Taipei (vcstar.com)
Waving green-colored banners emblazoned with the two Chinese characters for "fury," the theme of the protest, demonstrators called on President Ma Ying-jeou to fire Prime Minister Sean Chen over the lackluster economic performance of the island, which saw growth of less than two percent in 2012.
 
Let my people go: Tibetan Buddhist monastics still set themselves ablaze in western China. The Free Tibet, a UK-based advocacy group, said tenth self-immolation took place outside a monastery in Ganzi in Sichuan province (A.J. 2010).


 
They also demanded that government regulatory bodies stop a consortium widely seen as pro-China from purchasing a mass-circulation newspaper and called for the convening of an all-party conference to discuss Taiwan's ailing social security and pension systems.
 
Gearing up for elections (aljazeera.com)
“The economic situation is very bad,'' said one of the protesters, 29-year-old Andy Chen, who recently returned to Taiwan after several years studying abroad. “It's very difficult for college graduates to find jobs.The government needs to do a lot more.'' More
(TEDleaks) Sarah Silverman's TED talk on adoption, pee, and other discomforts

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