Frida Tsai (
Chinese: 蔡培慧;
pinyin: Cài Péihuì; born 2 September 1971) is a Taiwanese activist and politician. She served in the
Legislative Yuan from 2016 to 2020, contested the Nantou County magistracy later that year, and in 2023, was reelected to the Legislative Yuan. She lost election the following year to
Yu Hao.
Tsai is an active member of the Taiwan Rural Front, serving as the group's spokesperson.[6][7] In this position, she was critical of the agricultural policies supported by the
Ma Ying-jeou administration,[8][9] describing the Land Expropriation Act in particular as "a tool for land developers and speculators."[10] Tsai has led multiple protests as part of her advocacy for farmers' rights.[11][12] In 2013, she mobilized a few hundred people to occupy the
Executive Yuan, after the Miaoli County Government
announced that it would repurpose land belonging to four families in
Zhunan Township.[13][14] After the
Sunflower Student Movement of April 2014, Tsai cofounded the Taiwan Citizen Union and
Taiwan March [
zh] with protest organizers.[15][16]
Political career
In November 2015, the
Democratic Progressive Party announced that Tsai had been placed on its party list for the January 2016 legislative elections.[17] She was subsequently elected to the
Legislative Yuan via proportional representation.[18] In June, Tsai was invited to participate in a tribunal called to review cases under the purview of the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.[19][20] During her legislative tenure, Tsai proposed amendments to the Animal Protection Act that require permits to be issued before animals can perform in public.[21] She has also cosponsored an amendment to the Housing Act differentiating between property and residency rights.[22] Tsai became founding leader of the Taiwan-Italy Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association within the Legislative Yuan in December 2016.[23] Tsai faced
Ma Wen-chun in Nantou County's second district during the 2020 legislative elections.[24] Tsai was nominated Democratic Progressive Party candidate for the Nantou County magistracy during the
2022 local election cycle.[25][26] After losing the election to
Hsu Shu-hua,[27] Tsai was a candidate for
the by-election to fill Hsu's legislative seat.[28] Tsai narrowly defeated former magistrate
Lin Ming-chen,[29][30] becoming the first DPP legislator to serve the Nantou II constituency.[31]
Due to public health concerns, Tsai supports limits on the amount of
genetically modified food allowed to enter the Taiwanese market,[33] stating that imported soybeans specifically should be graded and labeled before distribution and use.[34] Tsai also backed an increase in government funding for plant breeding research.[35]
^Hsiao, Po-yang; Shih, Hsiu-chuan (3 March 2023).
"DPP's Tsai Pei-hui narrowly wins Nantou legislative by-election". Central News Agency. Retrieved 13 March 2023. It also marked the DPP's first win of a legislative seat in the traditional KMT stronghold of Nantou County since Taiwan's legislative elections were first held under a single-seat district system in 2008.