Monthly Archives: April 2016

Tainan City Council speaker sentenced to 4 years

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-22
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Tainan City Council Speaker Lee Chuan-chiao was sentenced to four years in prison Friday for buying votes in the December 25, 2014 election for speaker.

His victory at the time was unexpected because Tainan City Mayor William Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party had won a majority of seats on the council in the November 29 local elections of that year.

The allegations against Lee, a member of the Kuomintang, led to a refusal by Lai’s administration to face questioning by the council, which itself provoked sanctions by the Control Yuan against the mayor. Lai later gave up his boycott of almost eight months due to the spread of dengue fever in the city.

The Tainan District Court found Lee, 56, guilty of vote-buying and also deprived him of his civil rights for five years. The verdict meant Lee would have to give up his position as speaker and would be suspended as a member of the Tainan City Council. He would be barred from participating in council meetings but would still receive his salary, reports said. [FULL STORY]

Century-old building now home to Taiwan literature

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/22
By: Chang Jung-hsiang and Kay Liu

Century-old building now home to Taiwan literature

The National Museum of Taiwan Literature in Tainan is located in a former Japanese colonial government building that marks its centenary this year.

It is a landmark building that stands near a massive roundabout, where seven main streets meet, and is surrounded by several other historical buildings from the same period, such as Hayashi Department Store.

The museum was formally opened to the public in November 2003, and has a collection of 150,000 books, manuscripts, photos, letters and artifacts of around 500 Taiwanese writers. [FULL STORY]

Overseas recruitment efforts boost Taiwan workforce

Taiwan Today
Date: April 22, 2016

A global talent recruitment initiative organized by Taiwan External Trade

More foreigners are joining the local industrial sector workforce and helping deepen Taiwan’s talent pool. (Courtesy of Executive Yuan)

Development Council (TAITRA) is helping deepen the local talent pool and boosting the nation’s competitiveness.

Contact Taiwan, the portal service launched as HiRecruit in 2003, has assisted in 5,755 employer-employee matchmaking cases to date. Last year, 16 recruitment events at home and abroad attracted 167 enterprises and added 396 foreign high-end professionals to the workforce.

Local firms eyeing expansion in Southeast Asia are benefitting in particular from the service. A case in point is Central Taiwan’s Changhua County-headquartered Cheng Shin Rubber Ind. Co. Ltd., one of the world’s top 10 tire companies in terms of revenue.

Operating globally under the Maxxis brand, Cheng Shin has built an extensive presence in Association of Southeast Asian Nations economies like Thailand and Vietnam. The company views the program as invaluable in helping Taiwan enterprises tap such emerging markets.

“The hassle-free service put us in touch with a range of locally based personnel out of reach previously,” a Cheng Shin official said. “It has made a real contribution to the success of our operations in ASEAN markets, and we expect this partnership to further develop going forward.” [FULL STORY]

Lin explains Tsai’s policy plans

BACKING:President-elect Tsai shared poll results that showed the Cabinet had an about 50 percent approval rating, spokesperson-designate Tung Chen-yuan said

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 23, 2016
By: Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter

Premier-designate Lin Chuan (林全) yesterday introduced the fundamental

A woman displays postage stamps featuring president-elect Tsai Ing-wen and vice president-elect Chen Chien-jen in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

policy directions proposed by president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to his future Cabinet members, while promising to entrust each member to accomplish policy objectives.

“The event is meant to have future Cabinet members systematically understand the core ideas of the president-elect and to integrate as a team when presenting policies,” Cabinet spokesperson-designate Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) told a news conference held following a three-hour meeting attended by Tsai, Lin and Lin’s future Cabinet members who have been introduced to the public.

“Lin said that he would authorize all ministers to accomplish each ministry’s policy objectives, because government officials have been too constrained in the past,” Tung said. “[Lin believes that] only ambitious ministers would win respect from the public, while saying that the entire government will back them up when they propose visions for the nation.”

Tung said that Tsai showed them the results of a recent poll, which indicates Lin’s Cabinet has an approval rating of about 50 percent, which means that the public does not hold the Cabinet in a negative light. [FULL STORY]

Academia Sinica chief asks to see president

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-22
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Beleaguered Academia Sinica President Wong Chi-huey phoned to request a meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou without mentioning an offer of resignation, the Presidential Office said Friday.

The nation’s top academic has become embroiled in an alleged insider trading scandal surrounding the sale of shares in biotechnology firm OBI Pharma Inc. before news of failed tests emerged.

Wong, who also holds United States citizenship, was barred from leaving Taiwan after being listed as a defendant in cases involving corruption and breach of trust.

At 1:50 p.m. Friday, Wong phoned the president to apologize to him over the affair, while also expressing the hope he could soon meet Ma to explain the case, presidential spokesman Charles Chen told the media. [FULL STORY]

Taiwan, China to jointly investigate telecom fraud: official

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/22
By: Chiu Chun-chin and Lilian Wu

Taipei, April 22 (CNA) Taiwan and China will jointly investigate telecom fraud

Chen Wen-chi (陳文琪)

rings in Kenya and Malaysia that allegedly targeted residents of China before negotiating how Taiwanese nationals involved in the rings will be prosecuted, according to a Taiwanese official Friday.

Chen Wen-chi (陳文琪), director-general of the Department of International and Cross-Strait Legal Affairs under Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice, gave the update upon her return from Beijing, where she discussed with Chinese officials the 45 Taiwanese suspects sent from Kenya to China earlier this month.

Kenya’s deportation of the 45 people to China angered Taiwan because it felt it should have jurisdiction over its own nationals. [FULL STORY]

Cross-strait consensus reached on telecoms fraud case

Taiwan Today
Date: April 22, 2016

Taiwan and mainland China reached consensus April 21 on jointly investigating

Taiwan’s delegation (right) prepares to negotiate future measures in fighting cross-border crime with their mainland Chinese counterparts April 21 in Beijing. (CNA)

Republic of China (Taiwan) nationals suspected of telecoms fraud in Kenya and Malaysia, as well as establishing procedures for handling any future cross-border criminal cases, according to the Ministry of Justice.

“The two sides have agreed to work together on investigating and collecting evidence in relation to the Kenya and Malaysia cases,” the MOJ said in an April 21 statement. “In addition, the well-being of our detained nationals involved in the Kenya case has been confirmed, and visits by family members will be arranged.”

A 10-member delegation of Taiwan officials arrived in Beijing April 20 to visit the 45 detainees forcibly deported from Kenya to mainland China by the Kenyan police earlier this month, and launch negotiations with their mainland Chinese counterparts. Headed by Chen Wen-chi, director-general of the Department of International and Cross-Strait Legal Affairs under the MOJ, the group comprises officials from the MOJ, the Criminal Investigation Bureau, the Mainland Affairs Council and the Straits Exchange Foundation. [FULL STORY]

DPP ‘scamming’ public on pork: KMT

BACKROOM DEALS?KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao said president-elect Tsai Ing-wen should make public details of what she ‘promised’ to US officials during her US trip

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 23, 2016
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has accused the Democratic Progressive

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday holds a news conference in Taipei to criticize the Democratic Progressive Party for changing its stance on US pork imports. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times

Party (DPP) of “scamming” the public after Council of Agriculture minister-designate Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) said in an interview that Taiwan does not have the leverage to refuse imports of US pork.

In an interview with the Chinese-language United Daily News, Tsao said that, while not a decision to be made solely by the council, opening up the nation to US pork imports containing the leanness additive ractopamine is “the direction” the future government is heading in.

The newspaper quoted Tsao as saying the council does not have the power to thwart globalization and that, while still too early to say, he does not want to lie to the nation’s pig farmers. [FULL STORY]

China steps up pressure on Taiwan ahead of president’s inauguration

Reuters
Date: Apr 21, 2016
By: Ben Blanchard and J.R. Wu

China is stepping up pressure on self-ruled Taiwan a month ahead of the inauguration of a president from a pro-independence party Beijing distrusts, signaling a rocky start for the leader of the island elected on a wave of anti-China sentiment.

In the past few weeks, China has established ties with former Taiwan ally Gambia, sent a top general to inspect troops based in a frontline province and scooped up dozens of Taiwanese from Kenya wanted in China for fraud – a move denounced by Taipei as being more about politics than crime.

And Taiwan said a hotline meant to expedite direct communication between the top government officials dealing with each other’s affairs had not been answered by China twice at critical times of late.

China regards Taiwan as a wayward province to be taken back by force if necessary and wants the new government to stick to the “one China” policy agreed upon with the outgoing China-friendly Nationalist government.

Only 22 countries recognize Taiwan as the “Republic of China”, with most, including Kenya, having diplomatic relations with the “People’s Republic of China”, with its leaders in Beijing. [FULL STORY]

More than 1,800 geese culled on Tainan farm due to avian flu

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/21
By: Chang Jung-hsiang and Romulo Huang

Taipei, April 21 (CNA) A total of 1,832 geese on a farm in Tainan, southern

Photo courtesy of the Tainan City Animal Health Inspection and Protection Office

Taiwan, were culled Thursday after an avian flu outbreak was confirmed there, the Tainan City Animal Health Inspection and Protection Office said.

The animal protection office said that it received a report on Tuesday of abnormal poultry deaths on a goose farm in in the city’s Gueiren district the previous day.

The farm was immediately quarantined and tests on tissue samples from the dead geese confirmed that they had been infected with the new H5 virus, which is highly pathogenic, the office said.

As a result, some 1,832 geese on the farm were culled, the office said, adding that it is supervising the cleaning and disinfection of the farm. [FULL STORY]

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