Monthly Archives: April 2016

NT dollar falls, as won continues its four-week rally

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 24, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA and Bloomberg

The US dollar rose against the New Taiwan dollar on Friday, gaining NT$0.034 to close at NT$32.33, from NT$32.436 on Friday last week, as foreign investors moved funds out of the region, dealers said.

In the wake of the fund outflow, other regional currencies trended lower against the US dollar, which added downward pressure on the Taiwan dollar throughout the session, although buying by Taiwanese exporters in the local unit gave some support to the currency, capping the losses, the dealers said.

The greenback opened at NT$32.27 and moved between NT$32.25 and NT$32.36 before the close. Turnover totaled US$513 million during the trading session.

The US dollar opened lower against the NT dollar as traders here locked in gains they had built up a session earlier, but the greenback soon recouped its losses and traded in positive territory as some foreign investors remitted their funds back to their home markets, the dealers said.     [FULL  STORY]

April 23 World Book and Copyright Day

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-23
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer

In 1995, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 6749930(UNESCO) announced that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated all over the world on April 23.

The UNESCO decided to celebrate this day in order to promote reading and writing habits while increasing the awareness of copyright.

Why is April 23 designated as World Book and Copyright Day?

First, the date was set for April 23 because it was the anniversary of both the birth and the death of William Shakespeare, the world’s most renowned playwright.

Second, besides William Shakespeare, April 23 was also the anniversary of the death of other literary giants, such as Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the author of Don Quixote, and the well-known Chinese philosopher from the Song dynasty, Zhu Xi, just to name a few.     [FULL  STORY]

Man in dinosaur outfit caught for violating Taiwan’s defense drill

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/23
By: Chen Ja-fo and Kay Liu

Kaohsiung, April 23 (CNA) A man was arrested Friday for taking a stroll on the

(Kaohsiung police photo)

(Kaohsiung police photo)

streets in a dinosaur costume a day earlier, during an air defense exercise in the southern city of Kaohsiung.

Police arrested the man, identified only by his surname Kao, after images of what appeared to be a small dinosaur roaming the streets in Kaohsiung were posted on a website known for exposés.

The authorities traced the man to the store where he worked thanks to surveillance cameras installed at intersections.

According to the Gushan Precinct of the Kaohsiung City Police Department, Kao took a stroll on Mingcheng 3rd Road in a dinosaur costume when traffic ban was imposed in the city and other parts of southern Taiwan for the annual Wan An air defense exercise.

The exercise has been taking place since March in different parts of Taiwan.     [FULL  STORY]

Tainan mayor reproves speaker

SHENANIGANS:Political analysts have speculated that Lee Chuan-chiao might resign before a vote-buying verdict is announced, then try to reclaim his seat in a by-election

Taipei Times
Date: , Apr 24, 2016
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called on Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to resign as speaker of the Tainan City Council and urged lawmakers to close a legal loophole that might allow Lee to run in a by-election for his seat on the council.

In accordance with the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Lee, who on Friday was sentenced to a four-year prison term by the Tainan District Court for vote-buying in the city council’s speakership election on Dec. 25, 2014, was suspended from his position as speaker.

Lee was also found guilty on Jan. 21 this year of buying votes in November 2014 during his campaign for city councilor.

The ruling invalidated his electoral victory, but Lee still holds a seat representing the city’s Yuching District (玉井), because he appealed the ruling.

The Tainan City Government said that since Friday it has received many telephone calls from angry residents complaining that Lee is still receiving a monthly salary of about NT$370,000 as well as other subsidies and allowances, because he still has a seat on the council.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan scammers unlikely to return home soon: Premier

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-23
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Taiwanese members of a fraud ring who were

Chen Wen-chi (front right), Taiwan's head of the Justice Ministry's department of International and cross-straits legal affairs, walks out of the airport in Taoyuan, Taiwan. All 45 Taiwanese wire fraud suspects detained in Beijing after being deported from Kenya have confessed to their crimes and will be put on trial, a Chinese police official was quoted on Friday, April 22, 2016, as saying, signaling a refusal to compromise on a case that has raised new frictions between Taiwan and China.

Chen Wen-chi (front right), Taiwan’s head of the Justice Ministry’s department of International and cross-straits legal affairs, walks out of the airport in Taoyuan, Taiwan. All 45 Taiwanese wire fraud suspects detained in Beijing after being deported from Kenya have confessed to their crimes and will be put on trial, a Chinese police official was quoted on Friday, April 22, 2016, as saying, signaling a refusal to compromise on a case that has raised new frictions between Taiwan and China.

recently deported from Kenya to China were unlikely to be transferred to Taiwan soon, Premier Simon Chang said Saturday after the return of a judiciary delegation from Beijing.

The group, headed by a Ministry of Justice official, said China had agreed that Taiwan could join in the investigation, but the 45 Taiwanese held in the communist country would not be coming home any time soon.

In practice, there was a very low possibility that they could return to Taiwan immediately, but the government will work hard to see that their basic rights are respected, Chang told reporters. He pointed out that the delegation had succeeded in getting approval to talk to the suspects and that relatives would be allowed to travel to China to meet them.

The premier said he could understand that China was wary that the suspects would receive too lenient sentences if they went to court in Taiwan.     [FULL  STORY]

Number of imported dengue fever cases sets new high: CDC

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/23
By: Chen Wei-ting, Wang Shu-fen and Lilian Wu

Taipei, April 23 (CNA) The number of imported dengue fever cases has reached

(CNA file photo)

(CNA file photo)

89 this year, setting a new high during the same period in the past few years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Saturday, urging the public to be on guard against the mosquito-borne disease.

The CDC also reported a new indigenous dengue fever case in Kaohsiung: a 77-year-old woman who frequently visits a temple in Gushan district (鼓山區). She developed the symptoms of insomnia, diarrhea and fever on April 19 and was confirmed to have been infected with dengue fever three days later.

Meanwhile, an imported case of chikungunya fever was also reported in the same district. The patient, a 37-year-old man, went to Brazil on a business trip on April 12 and returned to Taiwan on April 19. He developed symptoms of fever, and knuckle and muscle sores the following day.

CDC spokeswoman Yang Yu-wen (楊玉玟) said the CDC was not worried too much about an outbreak of chikungunya fever, noting that the number of imported cases amounted to only four this year, and all had come from Southeast Asia.     [FULL  STORY]

IN FOCUS: China blames Taiwanese for surge in telecoms fraud

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 24, 2016
By: Reuters, TAIPEI and BEIJING

China is battling an explosion of telecoms fraud that has cost billions of dollars in financial losses and driven some people to suicide, according to authorities in Beijing, who say criminal gangs based in Taiwan are behind many of the scams.
Chinese state media outlets have blamed weak punishments in Taiwan and reported that Chinese-speaking fraudsters recruited in Taiwan are increasingly setting up operations in East Africa or Southeast Asia.

Despite political tensions, the two sides have in recent years cooperated on investigating such scams, but Taiwan has said Chinese authorities sometimes do not provide enough evidence for them to do anything.

“We are a democratic, rule of law country,” the Criminal Investigation Bureau’s 7th Investigation Corps Captain Chang Wen-yuan (張文源) said. “In this respect, we emphasize the proof or lack of evidence. You can’t just say, ‘today media reports the person committed a crime,’ just like that.”

Chang was speaking after China slammed Taiwan for freeing 20 suspects deported to Taiwan from Malaysia in an alleged telecoms fraud case.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese Office Workers Exercise the Least in Asia

The News Lens
Date: 2016/04/23
Translated and compiled by Shin-wei Chang

On April 11, Herbalife released a report on the lifestyle habits of full-time office 20150819-busy-office-workerworkers in Asia-Pacific markets. It showed that 73% of Taiwanese office workers exercise less than once per week, the least among workers from other Asian countries.

Herbalife, a global nutrition company, conducted the research in March, gathering responses from 5,500 full-time workers about their lifestyle habits and attitudes in 11 Asia-Pacific markets. On average, 83% of workers exercise less than three times a week, and approximately 60% of them have physical activities less than 30 minutes at work.

In Taiwan, 73% of workers exercise less than once per week, compared to 66% in Hong Kong.

In addition, only 43% of Taiwan office workers are willing to develop a healthy, active lifestyle, the second lowest number among the 11 countries.     [FULL  STORY]

US Republicans pass Taiwan motion

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-23
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The United States Republican National Committee 6750032approved a motion supporting Taiwan at its spring meeting in Hollywood, Florida, reports said Saturday.

Coverage of the item by the media was poor mainly because the meeting has been dominated by the party’s rocky road toward the November 8 presidential election.

The motion congratulated Taiwan on electing its first woman president, Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen, who will be sworn in on May 20. The document also emphasized the importance of the Taiwan Relations Act in safeguarding Taiwan’s security.

The motion, under the theme of “confirming strong support for the Republic of China” was adopted unanimously, reports said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan hears from China on latest telecom fraud ring: official

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/23
By: Page Tsai and Lilian Wu

Taipei, April 23 (CNA) The Ministry of Justice said Saturday that the Criminal

CCTV report on fraud scheme busted in Uganda.

CCTV report on fraud scheme busted in Uganda.

Investigation Bureau (CIB) has received reports from China beginning in January on 10 Taiwanese suspects implicated in a telecom fraud ring said to be based in Uganda.

China’s CCTV reported Saturday that the Guizhou Public Security Department busted a super telecom fraud ring that allegedly attempted to defraud a public agency in Guizhou of as much as 117 million yuan (US$18 million).

The crime ring’s telecommunications base was in Uganda, and 10 of the 62 people involved were Taiwanese, said the state-run Chinese TV station, calling some of the Taiwanese the “masterminds” of the operation.

There appeared to be confusion on Saturday after CCTV issued the report, with some government agencies, including the Ministry of Justice, scrambling to ask China for details of what transpired.     [FULL  STORY]