Should snitches get stitches?

The case for restorative dialogues with former informants, and questions about how a nation comes to terms with its history.

Dear all,

Michelle here. Hello from Taiwan, where we had a 6.5 level earthquake earlier today. Everything’s OK now, and thankfully no casualties have been reported. We have discovered we have no earthquake plan: I froze, Albert froze, we stared at the baby, the baby stared at her pizza. (Yes, I feed the baby pizza.) Next time, we’ll crawl under a sturdy table, which apparently is what you’re supposed to do!

Last week’s bombshell news in Taiwan prompted us to write about snitches, authoritarian regimes, and restorative justice. On Thursday we’ll release the Chinese translation of this piece. (If you would like to receive it, go to “My Account” and select 開闊之路.) A special shout-out to Wenpei Lin (林紋沛), our translator, who graduated with a degree in foreign languages and a masters degree in Taiwanese history at National Taiwan University. Recent translation works include From Mountain to Mountain by Father Barry Martinson and Home is Not Here by Gungwu Wang. She is also fluent in Japanese.…