Monthly Archives: April 2016

CWB warns of heavy rain, gust winds in central Taiwan, Penghu

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/11
By: Lo Kuang-jen and S.C. Chang

Taipei, April 11 (CNA) The Central Weather Bureau on Monday issued a 10135499heavy rain, lightning and gust winds alert for Taichung, Changhua and Yunlin as well as offshore Penghu islands late Monday and early Tuesday.

The CWB also warned of sudden downpours or torrential rains for the mountainous areas of Pingtung and Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, affected by a stationary front across central and southern Taiwan.

There are chances of heavy rain in Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung, as well as the mountainous areas of Nantou, Hualien and Taitung, according to the CWB.      [SOURCE]

Report urges US to promote cross-strait stability

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 12, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The US should continue to inform Beijing that cross-strait relations can only be pursued in the absence of threat or use of force, according to a report released by a New York-based policy organization.

While recent remarks by president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) indicated a desire to work constructively with China, some heightened tensions can be expected ahead of her inauguration, former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director Stephen Young wrote in the report, titled Building a Regional Order in East Asia: Community,
Competition, Conflict, that was published by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy at the end of last month.

The committee was founded in 1974 to help resolve conflicts that threaten US interests.

Young said it is possible that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) would exert greater pressure on Taiwan in the coming months on the issue of “reunification.”

Any sharp rhetoric or actions toward Taiwan by China would become a security and political issue for the US government, he said.     [FULL  STORY]

President Ma visits Pengjia Islet near Diaoyutai Islands

Taiwan Today
Date: April 9, 2016

ROC President Ma Ying-jeou visited Pengjia Islet near the Diaoyutai

ROC President Ma Ying-jeou unveils April 9 on Pengjia Islet a monument commemorating the third anniversary of the signing of the landmark Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement. (UDN)

ROC President Ma Ying-jeou unveils April 9 on Pengjia Islet a monument commemorating the third anniversary of the signing of the landmark Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement. (UDN)

Islands April 9, unveiling a monument commemorating the third anniversary of the signing of the landmark Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement. (UDN)

“This monument serves as testament to the ROC government’s commitment to safeguarding sovereignty and promoting regional stability by turning the East China Sea, South China Sea and Taiwan Strait into three seas of peace,” Ma said.

Arriving on an S-70C helicopter in the afternoon, the president was joined at the ceremony by senior government officials, academics, and members of the media from home and abroad. He also met with ROC Coast Guard Administration personnel based on the islet and inspected a weather observation station and lighthouse. This was Ma’s second visit to Pengjia Islet following his first in September 2012.

Pengjia Islet is situated around 30 nautical miles north of Keelung City in northern Taiwan and 76 nautical miles west of the Diaoyutai Islands.     [FULL  STORY]

Workers in Taiwan to enjoy 116 days off in 2017

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-11
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

According to Directorate-General of Personnel Administration’s (DGPA) 6747217initial plan released on Monday, Taiwan’s administrative organizations will enjoy 116 days off in 2017, including six long weekends.

Next year’s Chinese New Year holiday season will only have six days, three days shorter compared to this year’s, according to the initial plan. Next year’s Chinese New Year holiday will be from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1.

There will be four four-day holidays, including the 228 Peace Memorial Day holiday (Feb. 25 – 28), the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday (Apr. 1 – 4), the Dragon Boat Festival Holiday (May 27 – 30), and the National Day holiday (Oct. 7 – 10), according to the plan. All four holidays have four days off from Saturday through Tuesday.

The New Year Holiday is a three-day holiday, starting from Dec. 31 this year until Jan. 2 in the next year.     [FULL  STORY]

President demands return of Taiwan nationals sent to China

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/11
By: Claudia Liu and Y.F. Low

Taipei, April 11 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) demanded Monday 6751321that China return eight Taiwan nationals who were sent there from Kenya three days ago in connection with a phone fraud case in Nairobi.

Presiding over a routine meeting on cross-Taiwan Strait and foreign affairs at the Presidential Office, Ma said the mainland side has violated due process by taking the Taiwan nationals away forcefully without notifying Taiwan beforehand.

The government has lodged a serious protest with Beijing and will do its utmost to protect its nationals, Ma said.

He directed the Mainland Affairs Council to continue to communicate with the mainland side and demand the return of the eight.     [FULL  STORY]

MAC official grilled on Kenyan incident

ON THE SPOT:A legislative meeting to review government finances ended up focusing on eight Taiwanese deported to China and the council’s efforts to bring them home

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 12, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

A legislative hearing turned stormy yesterday as Mainland Affairs Council

Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shih Hui-fen answers questions at a joint meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Finance and Internal Administration committees in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shih Hui-fen answers questions at a joint meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Finance and Internal Administration committees in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

(MAC) Deputy Minister Shih Hui-fen (施惠芬) was grilled over Kenya’s deportation of eight Taiwanese to China and lawmakers criticized the council for its lack of information on the matter.

The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee and Internal Administration Committee had jointly convened a morning meeting to examine the central government’s general financial statement for the 2014 fiscal year.

However, after news broke an hour before the scheduled start of the meeting that eight Taiwanese recently acquitted in a telecommunication fraud case in Kenya had been deported to China on Friday, several legislators called up Shih — the highest-ranking council official at the meeting — to answer questions about the incident.

New Power Party Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) asked Shih about the eight’s whereabouts.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan-born US Navy Officer Accused of Spying for China

The News Lens
Date: 2016/04/11
By: Jeffrey Tsai

chinaA US Navy officer who was born in Taiwan has been accused of spying for China.

Lieutenant Commander Edward C. Lin faces accusations of writing false

 

official statements, communicating defense information, taking classified documents out of the United States without permission, falsely reporting his whereabouts upon return to duty, patronizing a prostitute and committing adultery, USNI News has reported.

While some officials connected to the case reportedly mentioned the recipient of the data to be China, the official charge sheet did not say which foreign government received the information – that information remained classified. There has also been speculation that the information may have been transmitted to Taiwan.

Lin, who has been held for the past eight months in a Navy prison in Virginia, was a signals intelligence specialist working with reconnaissance planes. He was also a department head at a squadron in Hawaii. The intelligence-gathering roles may have meant he was in a position to glean sensitive data.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s medical diplomacy boosts ties with partners

Taiwan Today
Date: April 11, 2016

Growing public and private sector efforts have seen Taiwan emerge as a

Lu Kuei-yun (right), head nurse at Taipei City-based Mackay Memorial Hospital, demonstrates a medical device to trainees from Burkina Faso as part of a personnel training program for health care professionals from the ROC’s diplomatic allies. (Courtesy of MOFA)

Lu Kuei-yun (right), head nurse at Taipei City-based Mackay Memorial Hospital, demonstrates a medical device to trainees from Burkina Faso as part of a personnel training program for health care professionals from the ROC’s diplomatic allies. (Courtesy of MOFA)

significant provider of international humanitarian assistance and medical aid around the world.

Medical diplomacy plays an important role in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ efforts to strengthen relations with partner nations. In recent years, the ministry has diversified cooperation with local health care institutions so as to further enhance the quality of its international projects.

A standout achievement in this regard is the post-baccalaureate medical school program offered by southern Taiwan’s I-Shou University to international students. By the end of 2015, a total of 108 students from 17 of the nation’s diplomatic allies had benefitted from this program. To date, 283 foreign students have come to Taiwan to pursue advanced studies in public health and medical care.

Furthermore, the nation has dispatched mobile medical missions, donated equipment and established a referral system for diplomatic allies to enhance the effectiveness of its health care assistance.     [FULL  STORY]

All heritage residences on Wangan, Penghu to be restored

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-11
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Cultural Affairs Bureau of Penghu County said on Monday that it will

Photo from: the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Penghu County official website

Photo from: the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Penghu County official website

restore all the 25 heritage residences located in Zhongshe village on the islet of Wangan, Penghu County.

The bureau said it decided to go ahead with the project because it had received subsidies from the Ministry of Culture (MOC).

These old-style residences were first mentioned in a Taiwan document published in 1695, the bureau said, adding that these traditional houses are reminiscent of a typical Han settlement and have therefore got international attention.

The settlement was included in the list of 100 most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund in 2003, the bureau said.     [FULL  STORY]

Suspects involved in grisly murder in Hong Kong to be deported

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/11
By: Yu Kai-hsiang and Lilian Wu

Taipei, April 11 (CNA) Police in Taiwan were able to locate three Hong

The suspect surnamed Tsang.

The suspect surnamed Tsang.

Kong residents implicated in a grisly body-in-cement murder in Hong Kong last month after being tipped off by a woman who was with them, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said Monday.

Huang Chia-lu (黃嘉祿), deputy head of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, said the three men, including the 26-year-old main suspect surnamed Tsang, were scheduled to be deported Tuesday.

The three men and the 18-year-old woman, surnamed Ho, fled to Taiwan after the murder was committed in early March.

During their stay in Taiwan, they hid in Songshan District and Wanghua District in Taipei, before moving recently to Banqiao District in New Taipei to avoid being tracked down.     [FULL  STORY]