Monthly Archives: April 2016

Hsieh Su-wei loses to Maria Sakkari at the Istanbul Cup

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 22, 2016
By: Dave Carroll / Staff reporter

Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei crashed out of the second round of the Istanbul Cup on Wednesday, beaten by the tournament’s surprise package, Maria Sakkari.

The Greek qualifier ranked 127th in the world, who ousted top seed Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova in the first round, also proved too strong for world No. 81 Hsieh as she completed a 6-3, 6-4 victory in 1 hour, 20 minutes.

The 20-year-old from Athens saved one of three break points and converted four of 12, winning 67 of the 119 points contested to advance to a quarter-final against fifth seed Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, who defeated Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 7-5, 7-6 (7/4).

Also advancing to the quarters was world No. 113 Andreea Mitu, who stunned second seed Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 7-5, 6-4 in 1 hour, 35 minutes on Center Court at Garanti Koza Arena.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan hoping to send 50 athletes to Rio Olympics

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/21
By: Lee Chin-wei and Kay Liu

Taipei, April 21 (CNA) A total of 29 Taiwanese athletes have already secured a 201604210025t0001place in the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and Taiwan is hoping to increase the number to least 50, the Sports Administration (SA) said Thursday.

As of Thursday, 29 athletes in 10 sports categories — shooting, archery, athletics, weightlifting, equestrian, taekwondo, cycling, wrestling, table tennis and gymnastics — had secured a berth in the Summer Games, according to the SA.

It said the weightlifting team, comprising three men and four women, is the biggest so far.

Taiwan’s goal is to send at least 50 athletes to the Summer Games, said Hung Chih-chang (洪志昌), head of the SA’s Competitive Athletics Division.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Beer beat Pure Youth 80-67 for 3-1 lead

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 22, 2016
By: Paul Huang / Contributing reporter

Patrick O’Bryant shot a perfect eight-for-eight from the field in a 19-point third quarter, while Chou Po-cheng chipped in another 14 on a double-double outing as Taiwan Beer overcame a sluggish second quarter with a strong third to defeat Pure Youth Construction 80-67 in Game 4 of the Super Basketball Finals at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City last night to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

It was one of the best single-quarter performances ever in post-season history as the hired gun for the Brew Crew put on an offensive clinic on a 31-point night to put his club just one win shy of their fourth league title in team history.

Chou also played his best game of this post-season by far by converting five of seven from the field, including three threes on a 14-point and 10-rebound effort to stifle the four-time defending champs.

“Coach Yen gave me the greenlight all the way and the shots just started falling for me,” Chou said after the game.     [FULL  STORY]

TWSE to hold seminar on investor relations

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-21
By: By Tien Yu-pin and Frances Huang, Central News Agency

The Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE), which operates the local main board, will hold a seminar next week on investor relations to help corporations gain a better understanding of the needs of stock buyers.

The seminar on April 26 will deal with issues such as how corporations can create mechanisms to communicate and maintain a sound relationship with investors in order to attain corporate sustainability, the TWSE said.

Experts and corporation representatives have been invited to discuss the merits of good investor relations, the TWSE said.

The guest speakers will include QIC Chief Executive Officer Lee Hung-chi (李鴻基), deputy head of research with J.P. Morgan Chase Chang Chih-hung (張致竑), TECO Electric & Machinery Co.’s Deputy Sector Director Chien Shih-hsiung (簡世雄), and Vice President of Taiwan Business Bank Wang Yi-yun (王亦允), the TWSE said.     [FULL  STORY]

Businesses guarding against changes in China’s policy toward Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/21
By: Tsai Yi-chu and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, April 21 (CNA) Chen Tain-jy (陳添枝), who has been named head of the

Beijing. (CNA file photo)

Beijing. (CNA file photo)

National Development Council (NDC) in Taiwan’s incoming government, said Thursday that China’s policy toward Taiwan after the new government takes office May 20 will have a huge impact on the island.

Chen, a professor at National Taiwan University’s Department of Economics, was addressing a forum on strategies by Taiwanese businesses to gain footholds in Asia and expand globally.

The Taiwanese businesses tend to pursue short-term gains, focusing on three major markets, the United States, Japan and China, mainly because of their uncertainty about Taiwan’s future, Chen noted.

Most Taiwanese businesses are trying to guard against any potential risks and detrimental effects of China’s policy toward Taiwan after the new government takes office, he said.     [FULL  STORY]

New-home prices drop in north

YILAN DRAW:‘Housing Monthly’ research manager Ho Shih-chang said that local residents and buyers from Taipei provided demand, keeping prices stable in Yilan

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 22, 2016
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

Presale and new-home prices dropped modestly in northern Taiwan last quarter from the previous quarter as some developers and builders offered greater concessions to facilitate transactions, Housing Monthly said yesterday.

However, it would be premature to speculate over a recovery, due to low visibility, even though buying interest picked up noticeably this month, the Chinese-language magazine said.

New Taipei City and Taoyuan reported the biggest price declines of 2.17 percent and 2.09 percent to NT$406,000 (US$12,571) per ping and NT$239,000 per ping respectively, as companies demonstrated greater pricing flexibility to digest inventory, the magazine’s research manager Ho Shih-chang (何世昌) said by telephone.     [FULL  STORY]

President-elect Tsai meets with environmental groups

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-21
By: Chia Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

On the eve of World Earth Day, President-elect Tsai Ing-wen met with 6749559environmental group representatives Thursday to discuss current environmental problems and promised more communications with NGOs addressing issues related to environment.

Tsai said during the meeting that the new government will inevitably encounter many environmental challenges once takes office, including air pollution, wildlife conservation, toxic-free environment, food security, non-nuclear homeland, and so on.

However, civic groups can provide the administration with professional advice in respect of these problems, Tsai stressed. She expressed her hope for the environmental groups to not only offer supervision in government policy, but to lead the way forward on environmental protection.

She also asked the NGOs to step up and voice their opinions if the administration failed to deliver on its promises. “If one time is not enough, state your opinion again with a louder voice,” she added.     [FULL  STORY]

Hottest day ever in April; chance of afternoon showers

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/21
By: Wang Shu-fen and Kay Liu

Taipei, April 21 (CNA) Taiwan recorded the highest temperature in April in the

(CNA file photo)

(CNA file photo)

southeastern county of Taitung, which saw 34.9 degrees Celsius Thursday afternoon, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

The weather station in Taitung’s Dawu Township charted the new April high since records began in 1885 at 1:32 p.m., while nine other locations in Taiwan also experienced the hottest day so far this year, the bureau said.

Daytime highs in Chiayi, Taichung and Taipei were the highest among the nine other locations, hitting 33.8, 33.2, and 33.1 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The weather will remain cloudy to sunny in most parts of Taiwan before Saturday, with a chance of scattered showers in the afternoon, according to the bureau.     [FULL  STORY]

Lawmaker protests ‘exclusion’ of Aboriginal rights

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 22, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

An Aboriginal legislator yesterday said the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) legislative caucus was excluding Aboriginal rights from legislative discussions.

“I feel strongly about the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee not inviting the Council of Indigenous Peoples,” Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) said at a meeting of the Internal Administration Committee.

Chin said the council was the only Cabinet-level agency that had not been invited to send a representative to the hearing on draft legislation to promote transitional justice, adding that the omission reflected a wider absence of Aboriginal rights in discussions over transitional justice, with the DPP focusing primarily on rectifying abuses committed during the Martial Law period.

“When we talk about the Chinese National Party’s [KMT] assets, should we not also talk about how Aborigines lost their land during Japanese colonial rule? If we do not talk about that set of issues and do not even invite the Council of Indigenous Peoples to express an opinion, what kind of transitional justice is this?” she said.     [FULL  STORY]

China needs to respect Taiwan’s rights

EDITORIAL
Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-21
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer

When a crime happens, you catch the suspect. When a crime happens in one 6749560country and involves perpetrators and victims from another country, international treaties come looking around the corner.

Suspects can be extradited according to a fixed procedure and be prosecuted and tried by a court in their own country or in another country.

However, all of that gets thrown overboard when Taiwan and China are at play.

Courts in distant Kenya, a country which does not maintain official democratic relations, apparently ruled that several Taiwanese suspects in fraud rings scamming by phone or Internet could be released. Under normal procedures, they might have been deported to their country of origin, in that case Taiwan.

However, with the excuse that the alleged victims were Chinese, China persuaded the Kenyan authorities to disregard their own judiciary’s rulings and send up to 45 Taiwanese straight to Beijing.     [FULL  STORY]