News stories by Dennis Engbarth

TAIPEI, Jan 13 (IPS) - Taiwan may soon be the first nation in Asia to resolve to become a nuclear free nation after four decades of reliance on nuclear power.

TAIPEI, Feb 05 (IPS) - "The clock is ticking." Those were the words of Taiwan Democracy Watch Director Yeh Chueh-an on Feb. 4, as scores of civil society organisations in the capital, Taipei, began a countdown for a citizen-based rewriting of Taiwan's constitution aimed at safeguarding human rights and social equity.

TAIPEI, Sep 11 (IPS) - The Taiwan government's plan to liberalise tariff-free imports of agricultural produce from China and other countries for processing in free economic pilot zones, which will then be exported as ‘Made in Taiwan' items, may mean suicide for Taiwanese farmers if approved by the national legislature.

TAIPEI, Mar 03 (IPS) - Taiwan's national legislature has taken a small but important step to curb rampant government surveillance of citizens and politicians through revisions of the Communication Security and Surveillance Act and the criminal code.

TAIPEI, Jan 20 (IPS) - The Taiwan farmers victory in a landmark court victory in a years-long battle has delivered a shock to government officials and given a morale boost to citizen campaigns.

TAIPEI, Oct 30 (IPS) - Taiwan could become the first Asian state to legalise same-sex and other ``pluralistic`` forms of marriage if a wide-ranging package of changes to the civil code are approved by the national legislature.

TAIPEI, Aug 06 (IPS) - A broad coalition of Taiwanese labour, human rights and other civil society organisations are campaigning to block legislative ratification of the controversial Cross-Strait Services Trade Agreement signed Jun. 21 by representatives of Taiwan and China.

TAIPEI, Mar 08 (IPS) - The just-completed review of Taiwan's initial state human rights report offers a new model featuring direct involvement by civil society organisations in examining compliance with international rights covenants.

TAIPEI, Jan 08 (IPS) - Taiwanese activists and human rights advocates ushered in the New Year with promises to prevent "a return to authoritarianism" and bring justice to the families of prisoners who were executed just before Christmas.

TAIPEI, Dic 02 (IPS) - Taiwan civic reform, journalist and labour organisations have mobilised against the acquisition of the large Next Media (Taiwan) group by tycoons linked with China. They say this threatens Taiwan's news freedom and even the survival of its democratic political system.