Homage to Formosa

摘要

FOR a small island-nation, bobbing about on the opposite side of the globe, Taiwan has been paying close attention to the recent referendums that have taken place, amid much controversy, in Catalonia and Kurdistan. Interest in the Catalonian stand-off is perhaps to be expected. After all, the disputed vote on independence on October 1st, which the Spanish authorities did their damnedest to stop, has shaken Europe. More striking is that, in a media landscape more given to trivia and sensationalism, Formosa Television, whose viewers favour formal independence for Taiwan, sent a film crew to provide in-depth coverage of Kurdistan's vote last month on seceding from Iraq.