President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who announced yesterday she will run for re-election in 2020 in an English-language interview on CNN, also took the time to school a Chiayi high school teacher whose test question sparked controversy.
The teacher at National Chiayi Senior High School, surnamed Chang (張), asked students to answer a question about the “silly” behavior of “President Tsai-englishit” in an English-language course exam last week. (Chang denies the question was about Tsai Ing-wen, saying ‘Tsai-englishit’ is not a translation of any real politician’s name, reports the Taipei Times.)
The question read: “President Tsai-englishit made some silly ________ in her speech.” The correct answer, chosen out of four multiple choice options, was “comments.”
The Facebook page of Tsai Ing-wen responded yesterday by posting a “definition” of the word “comment.” It gave two examples of the word’s usage: “President Tsai Ing-wen rejects Beijing’s unfriendly comments.” and “As there is no censorship in Taiwan, Brother Caramel can freely comment on public affairs.”
The Taipei Times has a breakdown of the story and response behind the Chiayi controversy – the school’s principal has come to Chang’s defense, and a lawyer reminds the public that the test question is not illegal as people in Taiwan enjoy freedom of speech and the right to insult their president.
Other news from Taiwan:
► Taiwan’s Control Yuan has censured the Ministry of Justice’s Agency of Corrections over prison labor programs that pay inmates as little as NT$20 per month. (Taipei Times)
► Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said Tuesday he opposes a peace agreement with China as he believes China is the least friendly nation to Taiwan. Mainland Affairs Council head Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) echoed Su’s sentiments. (CNA)
► EVA Air has been fined NT$60,000 (US$1,945) by the Office of Labor Inspection for failing to protect its employees during an infamous incident last month when a passenger asked flight attendants to remove his underpants and wipe his behind. (Taipei Times)
► Taiwan’s foreign ministry announced the suspension of a Taiwan-supported electricity grid project in Haiti due to political turmoil within the country. Haiti is one of the remaining 17 diplomatic allies of the Republic of China (ROC). (CNA)
► The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate nomination will begin in March. President Tsai, of course, now looks set to be the party’s nominee. (CNA)
Read Next: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen Confirms She Will Run for Re-Election in 2020
Editor: Nick Aspinwall (@Nick1Aspinwall)
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