228 Incident Archives - Talking Taiwan Podcast

KITA Foundation: Mapping the Path of the Trailblazers that Paved the Way for Taiwan’s Democracy and Freedom Ep 342

Felicia Lin — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:34:57 +0000

So in the vein of reflecting on the past, this year I thought I’d share my interview with Sabrina Liu and Meng Chiang who are part of the team that makes up the KITA Foundation, an organization that was formed as an oral history project to understand who are the trailblazers that paved the way for Taiwan’s democracy and freedom.

Every year we try to dedicate an episode of Talking Taiwan to 228, an important date in Taiwan’s history, marking the 228 Massacre. 228 stands for February 28 1947. February 28th is now commemorated as a national holiday in Taiwan known as the 228 Peace Memorial Day.

However, the 228 Massacre is not confined to this single date in history. There were circumstances leading up what happened on February 28th and there were also subsequent events after February 28th which escalated into bloody violence and massacres leading to what some refer to as the March Massacre.

Under the authoritarian Chiang regime, and Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang, what followed after 228 was 38 years of martial law and the White Terror era. Anyone could be disappeared, executed or worse for just saying or doing the wrong thing, or for what was seemingly wrong in the eyes of the authorities. The people of Taiwan were horrified and terrified. For decades there was denial and suppression of 228 by authorities in Taiwan, and generations dared not speak of 228.

228 was absent from high school textbooks until relatively recently. To learn more about the specifics of 228 I invite you to listen to some of our past episodes on the topic. We recommend episodes 309, 277, 228, and 172.

In an effort to confront its authoritarian past, in recent years Taiwan has taken steps to acknowledge historical sites of injustice such as buildings where military police fired on civilians on February 28, 1947. Around this time of year, around February 28 and leading into March, it’s a time to reflect on the past, and what we can learn from it.

228 Memorial Foundation: Executive Director Nâ Sū Phok(藍士博) on his Work and the Historical Significance of 228 Ep 309

Felicia Lin — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 17:42:46 +0000

For this year’s 228 episode, we wanted to release my interview with Nâ Sū Phok (藍士博), the Executive Director of the 228 Memorial Foundation in Taiwan. Last July 2024, I sat down with him at the Taiwanese American Conference at West Chester University about his work for the 228 Memorial Foundation. You may be wondering why we are sharing this episode a month later.

It’s about a month after 228, an important date in Taiwan’s history, marking the 228 Massacre. 228 stands for February 28 1947. February 28th is now commemorated as a national holiday in Taiwan known as the 228 Peace Memorial Day.

Since Sū Phok spoke in Taiwanese Hokkien during the interview, it required translation from Taiwanese into English, and that took a bit longer than anticipated. Secondly, 228 is not a single date in history, subsequent events after February 28th lasted beyond and into March leading to what some refer to as the March Massacre.

Here’s a brief summary for those unfamiliar with the 228 Massacre.

The first thing to know is that like most significant events in history, they do not just take place on a single date. There are usually circumstances and other happenings that lead up to the date in history. Two years before the 228 Massacre in 1945, at the end of World War II, the Chinese Nationalists (aka the Kuomintang/KMT) had fled from China to Taiwan bringing with them the Republic of China framework. Since then, tensions had been mounting for quite some time.

In the case of the 228 Massacre, there were conflicts and protests that began much earlier, leading up to what happened on the night of February 27th, 1947 when Tobacco Monopoly Bureau agents tried to confiscate contraband cigarettes from a 40-year-old woman and brutally knocked her out. When an angry crowd gathered in protest, one of the agents fired a shot into the crowd killing a bystander. Within 24 hours, by the next day, February 28th, the incident had escalated into bloody violence and massacres. More killings happened in March of 1947, which have led some Taiwanese dissidents to call it the March Massacre.

Under the authoritarian Chiang regime, what followed after 228 was 38 years of martial law and the White Terror era. Anyone could be disappeared, executed or worse for just saying or doing the wrong thing, or for what was seemingly wrong in the eyes of the authorities. The people of Taiwan were horrified and terrified. Generations dared not speak of 228.

228 was absent from high school textbooks until relatively recently. Denial, distrust, suppression, and the passage of time have made it hard for many to come to terms with 228.

If you’d like to learn more, I invite you to listen to our past episodes about 228 that are listed in the Related Links section below.

Special thanks to Mei-Ling Lin for her translation assistance for this episode.

This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

What does 228 refer to and what is its historical significance
Sū Phok’s background and upbringing
How Sū Phok first learned about or heard about 228
If Sū Phok has any family members/relatives that have been impacted by or victimized by 228
Why/How did Sū Phok got involved with the 228 Memorial Foundation
Where does Sū Phok’s interest in history comes from
Why it’s important to preserve history
What the 228 Memorial Foundation does
How what the 228 Memorial Foundation does is different from what the Transitional Justice Commission does
What Sū Phok’s responsibilities are as the Executive Director of the 228 Memorial Foundation
What kind of work Sū Phok was doing before working for the 228 Memorial Foundation
How the work of the 228 Memorial Foundation has changed since it was founded in1995
Some of the milestones/major accomplishments of the 228 Memorial Foundation
News from early 2024 about how Taiwan’s Transitional Justice Commission identified 42 historical sites
The 228 Memorial Foundation’s opinions on historical sites of injustice related to 228
Current initiatives/projects of the 228 Memorial Foundation?
What Sū Phok has learned about 228 since working for the 228 Memorial Foundation that he didn’t know before
What’s on display at the National 228 Memorial Museum
Future initiatives/projects of the 228 Memorial Foundation
What Sū Phok would like us to consider about 228 and how it might be relevant to the present

Sherry Chou Remembers Dr. Chen Wen-chen and Circumstances Surrounding his Mysterious Death Ep 305

Felicia Lin — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 13:31:38 +0000

In July of 2024, we brought Talking Taiwan to the Taiwanese American Conference at West Chester University and I sat down to interview Sherry Chou, the Director of Dr. Chen Wen-chen Memorial Foundation.

Dr. Chen Wen-chen was an assistant professor of statistics at Carnegie Mellon University when he and his family returned to his native Taiwan for a vacation in the summer of 1981. Dr. Chen’s permit to leave the country to return to the U.S. was rejected and so the Taiwan Garrison Command called in Dr. Chen for questioning regarding his political beliefs and activities in the United States. They questioned him on June 30th and July 2nd, but then on July 3, 1981, Chen’s body was found on the campus of National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei. At the time the autopsy reported that his death was due to a fall. Chen’s mysterious death shed light on how the work of Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang spies on U.S. campuses led to Chen’s interrogation by the Garrison Command.

Sherry and I talked about how and why it took 10 years to establish the Dr. Chen Wen-chen Incident Memorial Square at National Taiwan University (NTU), and the Rainbow Taiwan Independence Flag. Sherry also shared some memories of the Sunflower Movement, which you’ll hear Sherry refer to as sān yī ba, which is three one eight in mandarin Chinese, and a reference to March 18, 2014, the date that activists and students occupied Taiwan’s legislative yuan which became known as the Sunflower Movement.

Dr. Chen Wen-chen’s memory was honored at Taiwanese American Conference’s 2024 memorial concert.

This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Who Dr. Chen Wen-chen was
The events leading up to the mysterious death of Dr. Chen
Dr. Chen’s body was found on July 3, 1981, on the ground at National Taiwan University
Initial autopsy reported his death as a fall, but circumstances were suspicious
His death shed light on the activities of Kuomintang (KMT) spies on U.S. campuses
Why it took 10 years to establish the Dr. Chen Wen-chen Incident Memorial Square at National Taiwan University
Sherry also talked about the Rainbow Taiwan independence flag project
Sherry discussed her memories of the Sunflower Movement
Dr. Chen Wen-chen was honored at the Taiwanese American Conference’s 2024 Memorial Concert
Dr. Chen fundraised for Formosa Magazine, which drew the attention of KMT agents
Formosa Magazine is linked to the Formosa Incident, also known as the Kaohsiung Incident
Recent findings by the Transitional Justice Commission revealed that Dr. Chen had been under surveillance since 1979
Forensic evidence confirmed that Dr. Chen died before falling from a building
The Lin family murders occurred on February 28, 1980; Lin Yi-hsiung’s mother and his twin daughters were stabbed and killed and his oldest daughter survived
The death of Chen Wen-chen angered both local and overseas Taiwanese people
Sherry talked about a photo of protestors in the 1980s wearing paper bags over their heads to disguise their identities
The idea for the memorial started in 2011 with professors and students co-signing a petition
The initial proposal was just to place a sign on campus, not a square, but the university didn’t want even a sign
The social atmosphere in 2011 was different, with Taiwan moving closer to China under President Ma Ying-jeou
There were many ridiculous objections to the sign
The turning point came in 2014 when Dr. Yang Pan-chyr, a more progressive president, agreed to set up the memorial square
There was uncertainty about whether the university would change its stance after Dr. Yang left and Kuan Chung-ming became president
Kuan Chung-ming was unpopular, especially among the DPP and progressive community, due to his conservative views and ties to China
Dr. Yang tried to push for the sign before he left
After Kuan Chung-ming became president, he withdrew support for funding, and the Dr. Chen Wen-chen Foundation covered the costs
The public contributed to fundraising efforts through social media
Around 2016, there was a surge in advocacy for gender equality in Taiwan and its connection to Taiwanese sovereignty and identity
In 2016, Taiwan’s marriage equality movement gained attention with people protesting on the streets
On May 24, 2017, Taiwan’s Constitutional Court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to marry
Someone used photoshop to combine the rainbow flag and Taiwanese independence flags
Funds were raised through social media and distributed 1300 flags at events
The flags allowed people to express support for both marriage equality and national issues
2016 marked the beginning of more people expressing concern for both gender equality and national issues
LGBTQ individuals were more actively engaged in the Bluebird Movement, possibly due to increased mobilization since 2016
Sherry was previously the marketing director for Watchout, a media company
Watchout started at the end of 2013, around the time of the Sunflower Movement, capturing many photos from then
The company shifted focus to issues related to Taiwan’s independence and civil defense
Watchout published two books: Civil Defense Guide (covering disasters and war) and Active Civil Defense Guide (focused on war)
How Sherry got interest in feminism
She admires figures like Professor Fan Yun and Liu Wen for their feminist contributions
Sherry emphasized the importance of efforts from both Taiwanese communities in Taiwan and those outside of Taiwan in order to make significant change happen

A Conversation on “The Translator’s Daughter” A Debut Memoir by Author Grace Loh Prasad Ep 304

Felicia Lin — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 13:50:44 +0000

Grace Loh Prasad’s debut memoir, is The Translator’s Daughter. I spoke with her about how she started off writing it and how it evolved over the two decades it took to write it.

A lot can happen in two decades. One by one Grace started losing her family members- her brother, mother and father. Her memoir is very much about loss, not just the loss that Grace experienced of her family members, but also her lost connection to Taiwan. When Grace was just two years old her family left Taiwan and moved to the U.S. and then Hong Kong. Her parents didn’t return to Taiwan until Grace was in college in California.

I found the book moving and appreciated how Grace was able to take her grief and personal experiences and put them into this beautifully written book. If you’d like to hear Grace reading an excerpt from The Translator’s Daughter, check out the episode right before this one, episode 303.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

What motivated Grace to start writing her memoir
How the memoir evolved and changed over the twenty years it took to write and complete it
What changed in her life during those two decades
How Grace lost her brother to cancer, her mother to Alzheimer’s and father to Parkinson’s
The challenge of maintaining a connection with Taiwan and relatives there due to language barriers
The unconventional style of the book which is a mix of narrative chapters and essays
Grace’s writing process and how she put the book together
What Grace learned in the process of writing the book
How her family’s migrations due to her father’s work affected Grace and her brother Ted
How to find belonging in a place that you don’t intend to stay
How Grace feels about being a third culture kid
How much of the writing in the book comes from Grace’s diary entries
What Grace left out of the book
People who have reached out to Grace about her book because they knew her father and his work translating the Bible
Grace reflects on her father’s education and career compared to her own
How Grace’s family’s story doesn’t fit the typical immigrant or model minority story
The op ed Grace wrote about Taiwan’s 2000 presidential election
How important Taiwanese Americans have been in highlighting issues in Taiwan
How Taiwan is excluded from international organizations and events like the UN, WHO, Olympics
The authors and books that have influenced Grace
How her book touches on mythology, film, music, and art
Her family’s connection to the Thornberries and Milo Thornberry who wrote Fireproof Moth: A Missionary in Taiwan’s White Terror
Grace’s advice for someone struggling with writing their first book
Feedback and reactions that Grace has gotten to the book
How it’s worthwhile to make the effort to pass on specific things from one’s culture or family to children or the next generation

Talking Taiwan 2024 Top 5 Award Winners End of Year Review Ep 302

Felicia Lin — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 16:18:46 +0000

Here’s our 2024 Top 5 Award Winners. 2024 was an eventful year!

In January we headed to Taiwan to cover the Presidential election, thanks to the generous support of donors. While we were there, we covered the election from Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung. We were also able to hold two in-person podcast events where we met several of our Taiwan-based podcast guests in person for the very first time.

In May we were shortlisted in the International Women’s Podcast Awards Moment of Visionary Leadership category.

Then in July we brought Talking Taiwan to the 53rd annual Taiwanese American Conference East Coast (TAC-EC) where we created an on-location podcast studio and conducted 12 interviews in 3 days. We are grateful to have interviewed many of TAC-EC’s wonderful speakers. And it we had the honor of interviewing Taiwan’s former Vice President Dr. Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) who is best known for his excellent handling of the COVID pandemic in Taiwan. After speaking with him I came away thinking that the world would be a much better place if we had more politicians like Dr. Chen. We’ll be giving first listening access to this and other select interviews to anyone donating $50 or more to Talking Taiwan.

We never know what episodes are going to make the top 5 of the year and in this episode you’ll hear the story behind number 1 episode of 2024.

2024 marked a big change in the way we do things. Previously nearly all of our interviews were done remotely, but in 2024, we did a number of interviews in person, most notably the one with Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo that got shortlisted in the International Women’s Podcast Awards Moment of Visionary Leadership category.

We will be incorporating more in person interviews in 2025, and Talking Taiwan will be embarking on a North American Tour taking the podcast to communities on the East Coast, West Coast and Canada. In July we will be returning to the Taiwanese American Conference East Coast, and then heading to the Taiwanese American Conference on the West Coast in San Francisco. Later on in the year we will also head north to Taiwanfest in Toronto, Canada.

Your donation can help make all of this happen. Right now It’s a great time to make a contribution because all contributions made will be doubled. The first $11k we raise will be doubled thanks to our generous matching donors. To support Talking Taiwan you can make donation by PayPal or Zelle using our email address talkingtaiwanpodcast@gmail.com or Venmo @talkingtaiwan. You can also send us a check at our PO box that you’ll find on our website talkingtaiwan.com/support.

Thank you for listening. Wishing you a Happy New Year in 2025 and beyond!

Related Links:

The Boba Guys: Andrew Chau and Bin Chen Bubble Tea Entrepreneurs Bridging Cultures for 11 Years Ep 288

Number 5 Talking Taiwan episode of 2024

The Boba Guys: Andrew Chau and Bin Chen Bubble Tea Entrepreneurs Bridging Cultures for 11 Years Ep 288: https://talkingtaiwan.com/the-boba-guys-andrew-chau-and-bin-chen-bubble-tea-entrepreneurs-bridging-cultures-for-11-years/

An Emergency Preparedness Guide for ExPats in Taiwan: Our Discussion with Author John Groot Ep 291

Number 4 Talking Taiwan episode of 2024

An Emergency Preparedness Guide for ExPats in Taiwan: Our Discussion with Author John Groot Ep 291: https://talkingtaiwan.com/an-emerg

Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo: The Kaohsiung Incident – The Watershed Moment That Led to Taiwan’s Democratization Part 2 Ep 289

Number 3 Talking Taiwan episode of 2024

Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo: Taiwan Democracy Fighter Talks About Events Leading Up to the Kaohsiung Incident Ep 287

Number 2 Talking Taiwan episode of 2024

Sean Su: Observations on Election Day 2024 from Kaohsiung, Taiwan Ep 272

Number 1 Talking Taiwan episode of 2024

Sean Su: Observations on Election Day 2024 from Kaohsiung, Taiwan Ep 272: https://talkingtaiwan.com/sean-su-observations-on-election-day-2024-from-kaohsiung-taiwan-ep-272/

The post Talking Taiwan 2024 Top 5 Award Winners End of Year Review Ep 302 appeared first on Talking Taiwan Podcast.

The History of NATWA: Unique Contributions in Leadership and Sisterhood Ep 300

Felicia Lin — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 08:47:48 +0000

NATWA (the North America Taiwanese Women’s Association) has been around since 1988 and for this episode about NATWA I interviewed Elena Ling, one of NATWA’s founding members, Hui-Na Lin, a past NATWA national president, Susan Liao, two-time president of NATWA’s Toronto chapter, and Sue Kuo NATWA’s current vice president and president elect for 2025. It is impossible to properly acknowledge the unique contributions of each NATWA national president, or all of NATWA’s board and committee members, NATWA’s supporters, donors, and countless others who have made NATWA what it is.

As I reflect on this, I’d like to share a poetic analogy that Hui-Na Lin, 2022-2023 NATWA national president shared with me to describe the essence of NATWA. It’s from a short story she wrote “Fly Together Over Mountains” which she told me was inspired by the Canadian geese’s migration down south for the winter each year. A single goose could not make the trip as efficiently alone. Several geese fly together as a group in a V formation. There is one bird that leads the group initially, but when the lead bird gets tired, it moves to the back for a rest, and another bird takes the lead. The birds all take turns leading the group to their final destination. Like the Canadian geese NATWA’s members work together to support each other in turn. It’s not about one single leader.

As you listen to this episode you’ll learn more about how NATWA meets its five point mission statement which is:

to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women’s dignity,
to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality,
to fully develop women’s potential and encourage their participation in public affairs,
to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan,
to reach out and work with women’s organizations worldwide to promote peace for all.

Special Thanks to Elena Ling and Alvina Ling for providing useful details about NATWA’s formation and history for this episode. And a very special thank you to NATWA and its members for all of the encouragement and support that you’ve given to our two-person team here at Talking Taiwan. Thank you for making our work possible.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How and why NATWA (the North America Taiwanese Women’s Association) was founded
Annette Lu’s (former Vice President of Taiwan) connection to NATWA
How Annette Lu was one of the Kaohsiung Eight (one of eight people arrested as a result of the Kaohsiung aka Formosa incident)
The first meeting with the 30 founding members of NATWA
How NATWA has a President-elect who serves as Vice President the year before becoming President
How NATWA started off as a national organization
The early formation of NATWA
How progressive it was at the time to form NATWA
How NATWA has grown from 30 to 1,000 members
How NATWA became a 501(c)(3) organization
How NATWA has 2 major events a year, an annual convention (in April) and a mid-year leadership meeting (in October)
The impact that NATWA has made in the lives of its members
How Hui-Na Lin and Susan Liao got involved in NATWA initially and later took on leadership roles in the organization
NATWA’s early struggles in attracting members due to pressure from Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) government at the time
NATWA’s early successful fundraising efforts
Why NATWA avoided accepting any government funding
NATWA’s early successful projects
NATWA’s charitable fundraising efforts
How NATWA’s members are aging
How NATWA’s membership and programs grew during the pandemic
What made NATWA’s WebEx programs during the pandemic successful
What types of WebEx programs NATWA offered during the pandemic
Major activities organized by NATWA Toronto
The first NATWA event that Felicia Lin, the host of Talking Taiwan was invited to attend
How Hui-Na and her team got NATWA’s members to attend the first in-person mid-year meeting and annual conventions that took place after restrictions on COVID were eased
How NATWA addresses women’s issues and promotes women’s dignity
The formation of NATWA II an organization for second generation Taiwanese American women
Questions about the future direction of NATWA
What Elena, Hui-Na and Susan have each gotten out of their involvement with NATWA

An Oral History of TAC-EC by Three Past Organizers: Talking with Terry Tsao, Su-Mei Kao, and Powen Wang Ep 298

Felicia Lin — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 05:31:35 +0000

In July we brought Talking Taiwan to the 53rd annual Taiwanese American Conference, East Coast (aka TAC-EC) at West Chester University where we set up an on-location podcast studio and I interviewed 12 people in 3 days. It was pretty nonstop but it was well worth it. One thing we strive to do with Talking Taiwan is to record oral histories, so it was my pleasure to sit down with several of TAC-EC’s past organizers to talk about the conference’s history.

First, I spoke with Powen Wang aka Ong Po-bun (王博文), who told me about how TAC started out as a summer retreat for Christian families in 1970 and later evolved into a conference for the entire Taiwanese American community. At the time Taiwan was under Chiang Kai-shek’s Chinese Nationalists authoritarian regime, and Pok-wen recounts how the Chinese Nationalists (KMT) tried to interfere with TAC in those early years.

I also spoke with past TAC organizers Su-Mei Kao, and Shih-Chieh or Terry Tsao.

TAC is a conference with a 50 year plus long history and its programs have covered diverse issues impacting Taiwanese Americans, including human rights in Taiwan, and momentous social, historical, political events related to Taiwan and their implications.

About TAC-EC:

The first Taiwanese American Conference East Coast (TACEC) was held in 1970 in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. It was a summer retreat for the area’s Christian families but has turned into an event for the entire Taiwanese American community. Over the years, the conference has expanded its programs to encompass diverse issues impacting Taiwanese Americans, including human rights in Taiwan, and momentous social, historical, political events and their implications. TACEC invites Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans from diverse professional backgrounds to share their experiences. The number of participants has steadily grown, numbering over 2,000 in the late 80s and 90s.

TAC-EC is hosted by Taiwanese Communities in five different regions: New York, New Jersey, Washington and Philadelphia (including south Jersey and Delaware). Each region is currently on a four-year rotation and takes turns chairing the TACEC board that oversees the operation of TAC-EC.

The conference today draws about 600 – 800 participants annually, with the majority being first generation Taiwanese Americans. Many second generation Taiwanese Americans who now have children have eagerly expressed interests in developing TAC-EC programs for their children and re-engage their peers who were past participants.

TAC-EC’s MISSION:

To stimulate public interest in the cultural, religious, educational, socioeconomic and other activities of Taiwanese/Taiwanese Americans
To pass down Taiwanese cultural and religious heritage in the Taiwanese Americans community
To facilitate exchanges among Taiwanese Americans organizations, and to foster exchange, mutual support and collaboration between Taiwanese American organizations and Taiwanese or other ethnic groups’ organizations
To organize an annual conference or workshops of various topics about current affairs and future development of the United States and Taiwan

This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode

Felicia Lin and past TAC-EC organizer Powen Wang aka Ong Po-bun (王博文) , with an early copy of the Directory of Formosans

Powen Wang aka Ong Po-bun (王博文), an early participant and organizer of TAC-EC talks about how he got involved in TAC-EC, the formation of TAC-EC, and its early years
How the conference started as a Christian summer camp and then the Formosan Club (aka Taiwanese Association) joined
What caused a split between the Christians and Formosan Club
The year Powen Wang aka Ong Po-bun (王博文) organized the conference (1989)
How TAC-EC has evolved from the 1970s to 2013
The formation of TANG (Taiwanese American Next Generation)
Su-Mei Kao, organizer of TAC-EC in 2015 talked about her experiences organizing the conferences and how changes were made to create more interaction and shared events between TAC-EC and TANG attendees
The speakers and topics covered at TAC-EC 2015
How Su-Mei Kao had attended TAC in the southern region before TAC on the East Coast and how the conferences in these regions differ
Shih-Chieh (Terry) Tsao, organizer of TAC-EC 2023 talked about how he got involved in TAC-EC
Shih-Chieh (Terry) talked about the theme of TAC-EC
How China reacted to Nancy Pelosi’s (former speaker of the United States House of Representatives) visit to Taiwan in August of 2022
Some of the most memorable speakers that were invited to speak at TAC-EC 2023
How FAPA (Formosan Association for Public Affairs and GTI (Global Taiwan Institute) and WUFI (World United Formosans for Independence) were instrumental in helping to organize TAC-EC 2023
How Shih-Chieh (Terry) hopes that TAC-EC can welcome more participants with a wider spectrum of political leanings on Taiwan

Psychological Defense and Practices to Manage Stress for the People of Taiwan: A Talk with Dr. Hsiao-Wen Lo Ep 296

Felicia Lin — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 14:37:55 +0000

In July I sat down with Dr. Hsiao-Wen Lo (駱筱雯) who spoke at the Taiwanese American Conference- East Coast about Psychological Defense for the People of Taiwan.

Since 2020 Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has been reporting the number of incursions China makes by sea and air into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone. These incursions now happen on a daily basis and already the tally for this year alone has surpassed the total number of occurrences that took place last year in 2023.

Recently, on October 14th, just days after President Lai Ching-te’s Double Ten Day speech, China’s military initiated the “Joint Sword-2024B” drills, a simulated blockade which took place in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan. According to Taiwan’s MND, a record number of 153 Chinese military aircraft were detected around Taiwan within a 25-hour period.

We’ve previously discussed China’s gray zone military tactics and civil defense preparedness, on this podcast, but just as important is something called psychological defense.

In July we brought Talking Taiwan to the 53rd annual Taiwanese American Conference, East Coast that was held at West Chester University. That is where I sat down with Dr. Hsiao-Wen Lo (駱筱雯) who spoke at the conference about Psychological Defense for the People of Taiwan.

We also got into a discussion about the related topics of trauma and practices to manage stress and maintain good mental health.

This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How Dr. Lo got interested in psychological defense
What is psychological defense
The importance of the mind-body connection
Types of trauma: psychological trauma, generational trauma, collective trauma
What is psychological warfare
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s psychological warfare tactics
The impact of long-term stress
Post traumatic growth
Fight or Flight states
Strategies to deal with stress
The erasure of Taiwan by China

Remembering 228 Tragic Stories and the March Massacres Ep 277

Felicia Lin — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 22:05:17 +0000

Remembering 228.

On this day, we remember February 28, 1947, a sad tragic date in Taiwan’s history that marks the murder of tens of thousands. Some estimates put the number as high as 28 to 30 thousand. Two years earlier, in 1945, the Chinese Nationalists or Kuomintang had fled from China to Taiwan. After Japan’s occupation of Taiwan had ended and since the arrival of the KMT, discontent had been brewing for some time.

So on the night of February 27, 1947 when Tobacco Monopoly Bureau agents tried to confiscate contraband cigarettes from a 40-year-old woman and brutally knocked her out, an angry crowd gathered in protest. Then one of the agents fired a shot into the crowd killing a bystander. What followed was a bloody crackdown by authorities, widespread violence and what some have called the March Massacres since most of the killings actually happened in March.

In this episode, is a personal account that James Shau, chairperson of the Taiwanese American Association of New York shared at last year’s 228 commemoration at the New York Taiwan Center.

Mr. Shau’s account is a reminder of how widespread the violence was at that time. And while we now know that intellectuals and community leaders were among those who were specifically targeted, there were many unknown, unnamed who also senselessly lost their lives.

228 led to 38 years of martial law and an even longer period of White Terror in Taiwan. Let us also remember those who suffered during those subsequent periods of time.

In more recent news related to 228, Taiwan’s Transitional Justice Commission has identified 42 historical sites where injustice related to 228 have happened.

On Monday, February 26 just a few days ago, the Executive Yuan compound was designated as a historical site of injustice. 77 years ago, it was the Taiwan Provincial Administrative Executive Office when the Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang KMT military police fired indiscriminately on protestors on February 28, 1947.

Other historical sites of injustice that have been unveiled include the Jing-mei White Terror Memorial Park which used to be the Taiwan Garrison Command’s detention center and military court, the Ankang Reception House, and the Tang Te-chang Memorial Park in Tainan.

Special thanks to Meiling Lin for her translation assistance for this episode.

Sean Su: Observations on Election Day 2024 from Kaohsiung, Taiwan Ep 272

Felicia Lin — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 13:11:03 +0000

Talking Taiwan is on an Election Tour and we traveled down to Kaohsiung where I cast my vote in Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election. Voting booths opened at 8am on January 13^th and we spoke with Sean Su, midday on election day. He was also in Kaohsiung to cast his vote. Sean shared some of his observations and we talked about the alarming text message alert many in Taiwan received on January 9^th. I remember reading the text about a missile flyover on my phone just as Kaju and I arrived in Kaohsiung on the high-speed rail. Sean is Co-Producer of Taiwan Report. Known for jump starting Keep Taiwan Free. He is also a frequent guest on ICRT.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Sean’s observations on election day in Kaohsiung
How if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai Ching-te wins it would be the first time in history that an incumbent party after eight years in office is re-elected
Courtney Donovan Smith’s recent article about Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election, which mentions that Ko Wen-je’s YouTube subscribers have surpassed one million
The DPP’s rally that was held at Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei on January 11
Ma Ying-jeou’s comments that Taiwan has no choice but to trust Chinese leader Xi Jinping
The text message alert from Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense on January 9^th that stated in English that there was a missile flyover Taiwan airspace
Bilingual 2030
The case of the two Michaels from Canada that were kidnapped by China
How China conducted a series of missile tests in the waters surrounding Taiwan, including the Taiwan Strait in 1995 in response to President Lee Teng-hui’s visit to Cornell University and in 1996 before Taiwan’s first direct presidential election
What China would need to do in order to successfully invade Taiwan