Monthly Archives: April 2016

Team Taiwan outperforms at Abilympics in France

Taiwan Today
Date: April 15, 2016

Taiwan’s record medal haul of 10 golds, four silvers and two bronzes saw it

Taiwan’s Abilympics team gives the thumbs-up after turning in a record performance at the international workskills competition March 25-26 in France. (MOFA)

Taiwan’s Abilympics team gives the thumbs-up after turning in a record performance at the international workskills competition March 25-26 in France. (MOFA)

finish second overall at the recent International Abilympics in France, underscoring the success of the government in providing vocational education and training opportunities for the disabled.

Team members defended their golds in basic dress-making, computer programming, cooking and pottery, while bagging first-time golds in advanced data processing, advanced electronic assembly and tailoring. Other first place-getters were in cabinet-making, advanced and basic, as well as silk painting.

At a ceremony April 12 at the Presidential Office in Taipei City, President Ma Ying-jeou described the medalists at the ninth edition of the world’s biggest workskills competition for persons with disabilities as representative of Taiwan’s world-class talent pool.

“They are testament to the effectiveness of developing vocational skills through education and cross-sector collaboration,” he said. “Over the past eight years, the government has earmarked NT$25 billion [US$771.5 million] for continued upgrade and transformation of Taiwan’s technical and vocational education.”     [FULL  STORY]

Pure Youth seek defense of championship title

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 16, 2016
By: Paul Huang / Contributing reporter

The Championship Finals begin at 7pm this evening at the Kaohsiung Feng Shan Gymnasium, where top-seeded and four-time defending champions Pure Youth Construction will look to defend their title against the second-seeded Taiwan Beer.

The best-of-seven series is a rematch from last season, when the Builders overcame a 1-3 deficit in dramatic fashion, taking the final three games to deny the Brew Crew’s bid for what would have been their fourth league title.

Topping the fifth-seeded Fubon Braves 4-2 in the semi-finals, despite dropping the opener, Pure Youth took games 2, 3, 5 and 6 to punch their ticket to an unprecedented fifth straight finals appearance.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan shares open lower

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-15
By: Central News Agency

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) The Taiwan Stock Exchange’s main index opened down 33.48 points Friday at 8,634.23 on turnover of NT$1.283 billion (US$39.62 million).     [SOURCE]

Indonesian migrant workers paid best in Taiwan: report

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/15
By: Jay Chou and Elaine Hou

Jakarta, April 15 (CNA) Compared with other countries, Indonesian migrant

CNA file photo

CNA file photo

workers employed in Taiwan receive the highest salaries, an Indonesian labor official posted in Taiwan was quoted as saying in a report carried Friday by Indonesia’s Antara news agency.

Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan receive about NT$17,000 (US$525.88) per month, said Devriel Sogia, head of the labor division at Indonesia’s economic and trade office in Taipei.

The salary for Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan was about NT$15,840 in 1997, and was raised to NT$17,000 in 2015, he was quoted as saying in the report.

There are about 238,000 Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan, and they are considered to be loyal, diligent and friendly by their Taiwanese employees, according to Devriel.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan office furniture firm grows global footprint

Taiwan Today
Date: April 15, 2016

Como Furniture Enterprises Co. Ltd. in central Taiwan’s Changhua County is

Bodyflex, an ergonomic office chair selling under Como Furniture Enterprises Co. Ltd. brand Koplus, is a Germany-based Red Dot Award winner in 2010. (Courtesy of CFEC)

Bodyflex, an ergonomic office chair selling under Como Furniture Enterprises Co. Ltd. brand Koplus, is a Germany-based Red Dot Award winner in 2010. (Courtesy of CFEC)

setting an example of global expansion for other local firms to follow.

The maker of office desks and chairs was an original equipment manufacturer for the world’s biggest names like IKEA from 2005 to 2008. It later blazed a new trail by establishing the Koplus brand in 2009. Como’s products are sold in more than 40 countries and territories worldwide.

Como Chairman Michael Ko said the secret of his firm’s success is an emphasis on R&D capabilities. “We’ve taken our customers’ health issues into consideration and made it a mission to produce the most comfortable chairs for work and home.”

This hard work has paid dividends. Como’s ergonomic office chair Bodyflex was awarded a Germany-based Red Dot Award in 2010, one of the highest-profile design competitions in the world.

“We also believe in a concept of living office,” Ko said. “The line between furniture for the office and home is blurring. More people may prefer working at home in the future, and we are striving to make a functional series with trendy colors suitable for all environments.”     [FULL  STORY]

CTBC to acquire RBS’ Malaysian unit

EXPANDING OVERSEAS:Upon the completion of the transaction, CTBC will be the first local financial services provider to secure a Malaysian license, a spokewoman said

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 16, 2016
By: Lisa Wang / Staff reporter

CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) yesterday said it had clinched a NT$6.1 billion (US$189 million) deal to fully acquire Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC’s (RBS) Malaysian unit, accelerating its expansion into other Asian markets.

The deal came just two weeks after CTBC announced on March 29 it was buying a 35.6 percent stake in Thailand-based LH Financial Group PLC for NT$15.4 billion.

The government has been pushing local lenders to make overseas acquisitions amid fierce competition at home. Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控) in January acquired a 20 percent stake in the Philippines’ Rizal Commercial Banking Corp and a 40 percent stake in Indonesia’s PT Bank Mayapada International through its life insurance unit, Cathay Life Insurance Co (國泰人壽), while Fubon Financial Holding Co (富邦金控) purchased a 48 percent stake in South Korea’s Hyundai Life Insurance Co in December last year.

The latest investment by CTBC makes the company the first local financial services provider to expand to Malaysia, the company said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan works to prevent deportation of more fraud suspects to China

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-15
By: ang Pei-chun and Jay Chen, Central News Agency

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) The Taiwan government has been working to ensure 52 nationals detained in Malaysia for alleged phone scams are not sent to China, Foreign Minister David Lin said Friday.

The matter took on extra urgency after 45 Taiwanese suspects were sent to China earlier this week by Kenyan police authorities. The suspects were allegedly members of a Chinese-Taiwanese telecommunications fraud ring that had been targeting people in China.

The foreign minister made the comments following a lawmaker’s claim that a Chinese airliner was in Jakarta Friday morning to pick up the 52 Taiwanese and 65 Chinese suspects.

Lin told CNA he did not know whether China intended to pick up the Taiwanese suspects but Taiwan’s representative office in Jakarta had made it clear to Malaysian authorities that the suspects should be deported to Taiwan as has been done in the past.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan to donate US$92,000 to Japan in wake of magnitude 6.5 quake

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/15
By: Elaine Hou

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) Taiwan will donate 10 million Japanese yen (US$92,036)

Photo courtesy of Kyodo News

Photo courtesy of Kyodo News

to Japan to assist it with relief efforts after a strong earthquake hit the southern part of the country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

At least nine people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in the magnitude-6.5 earthquake that hit Kumamoto Prefecture on southern Japan’s Kyushu Island late Thursday, foreign media reported.

In a statement issued Friday, the ministry said it has expressed Taiwan’s sympathy over the earthquake to the Japanese government and pledged to offer donations to Kumamoto Prefecture.

“If Japan needs any further assistance, we will try our best to extend a helping hand,” the ministry said.

On Friday, Taiwan’s representative office in Tokyo also forwarded to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a message from President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), extending sympathy to Japan and victims of the quake, the ministry added.     [FULL  STORY]

Activists demand debate on supervisory articles

SUNFLOWER REVIVAL:The activists said the Sunflower movement is not finished yet and that they are extremely anxious about where the DPP’s trade policy is going

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 16, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

Sunflower movement activists yesterday threatened to escalate protests if the

Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang, second right, Sunflower movement leader Lin Fei-fan, center, and other campaigners yesterday make demands in Taipei related to the cross-strait agreement oversight bill. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times

Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang, second right, Sunflower movement leader Lin Fei-fan, center, and other campaigners yesterday make demands in Taipei related to the cross-strait agreement oversight bill. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) refuses to engage in open debate over “supervisory articles” for negotiations with China, demanding that the party address flaws in its proposed draft legislation.

Protesters from about 20 civic groups gathered in front of the Legislative Yuan’s front gate, shouting their rejection of “fake” legislative supervision of negotiations with China.

“The Sunflower movement is not finished yet — we are extremely anxious about where DPP trade policy is going,” Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said, adding that premier-designate Lin Chuan (林全) promised to move forward with the cross-strait service trade agreement and trade in goods agreement.

Lai’s organization spearheaded early opposition to the service trade agreement, which culminated in the Legislative Yuan being surrounded by protesters for three weeks during 2014’s Sunflower movement, after the main legislative chamber was occupied by student activists. Passing supervisory regulations to address opaque “black box” negotiations with China by guaranteeing legislative oversight and civic participation was a key demand of the movement.

The relatively “flexible” and “loose” version of supervisory regulations proposed by the DPP caucus — which would not be applied retroactively to past agreements or negotiations already underway — raised questions about whether they were laying a path for continuing President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) China trade policy, Lai said, calling for the DPP and New Power Party (NPP) caucuses to respond to activists’ objections within a week, and to hold open dialogues and debates over differences in opinion.     [FULL  STORY]

Next week talks in China about Kenya crisis: MAC

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-15
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Taiwanese delegation will travel to China next week to discuss the deportation of Taiwanese citizens from Kenya to Beijing, the Mainland Affairs Council said Friday.

The unexpected deportation by the African country of 45 Taiwanese citizens reportedly involved in telecom scams to China has caused an uproar in Taiwan, which sees the move as a brazen attack on its sovereignty.

The Legislative Yuan on Friday passed a motion calling for the immediate release of the Taiwanese citizens, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked to prevent a similar scenario from happening with 52 Taiwanese held in Malaysia, reports said.

The MAC said Friday it would send a delegation of fewer than 10 members to China next week for discussions about the case. Earlier, after the MAC had announced its attention, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office had replied with a fax saying that meetings with the suspects might not be opportune, triggering doubts about Beijing’s willingness to take part in talks.     [FULL  STORY]