Monthly Archives: April 2016

DPP holds congress to amend charter

PROMOTING NEUTRALITY:The charter was changed to remove a requirement for certain government officials to also serve on the party’s Central Standing Committee

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 10, 2016
By: Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday amended its charter to

President-elect Tsai Ing-wen, center, and Democratic Progressive Party representatives shout the party slogan, “Stable reform and a united Taiwan,” at the party’s provisional national congress in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

exempt certain high-ranking government officials from serving in party positions, while amending the party’s Regulations on Clean Politics to penalize party members who fail to avoid conflicts of interest.

“The public might not know why we are holding an irregula national congress to revise our party charter,” president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said.

“According to the DPP’s original charter, certain government officials are also required to serve as the party’s Central Standing Committee [CSC] members,” she said. “Such a rule was meaningful in the past, but we must reform it under the current situation.”

Tsai said that the DPP would look for talented people across party lines who share similar ideologies with the DPP to serve in the new government.     [FULL  STORY]

Fubon Financial to raise NT$36 billion through preferred stock sales

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-08
By: Tien Yu-pin and Frances Huang, Central News Agency

Taipei, April 8 (CNA) Fubon Financial Holding Co., one of Taiwan’s largest financial holding companies, aims to raise NT$36 billion (US$1.11 billion) in funds by issuing 600 million preferred stocks as part of an effort to boost its working capital and strengthen its capital structure.

The issuance of the planned preferred stocks by Fubon Financial, which owns the flagship insurance entity Fubon Life Insurance Co., to issue preferred stocks, is not expected to boost the financial holding company’s capital size and dilute its earnings per share.

Data on the Taiwan Stock Exchange showed that Fubon Financial currently has a paid-in capital of NT$102.34 billion. The company posted NT$3.05 in earnings per share in 2015 on a diluted basis, compared with NT$3.38 recorded a year earlier.     [FULL  STORY]

Hon Hai sales up month-on-month in March, but down for Q1

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/08
By: Jackson Chang and Y.F. Low

Taipei, April 8 (CNA) Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (鴻海), the world’s 201604080025t0001largest contract electronics manufacturer, had consolidated sales of NT$339.62 billion in March, up 21.01 percent from the previous month and 0.39 percent from the same month last year.

The growth was attributable to an increase in working days in March compared with February, which boosted sales of consumer electronics as well as computing and communications products, Hon Hai said in a statement Friday.

For the first three months of 2016, Hon Hai’s consolidated sales decreased 5.57 percent year-on-year to NT$957.87 billion due to seasonal effects, the company said.

Last year, Hon Hai’s sales got a big boost from strong demand for the iPhone 6/6 Plus, which created a high comparison base for this year, according to the company, whose biggest client is Apple Inc.     [FULL  STORY]

Asustek revenue better than expected

BLEAK OUTLOOK:An Asustek spokesman said notebook shipments might fall by up to 10% this quarter, as it is usually the weakest quarter for notebook products

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 09, 2016
By: Lauly Li / Staff reporter

Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) yesterday reported better-than-expected revenue for the first quarter, attributing the results to a higher notebook computer market share in China and recovering demand in Eastern Europe.

“The growth momentum in notebook shipments was stronger than the company’s forecast,” Asustek spokesman Nick Wu (吳長榮) said.

Asustek shipped 4.9 million notebooks in the first quarter, up 2.03 percent from 4.8 million units a year earlier, while revenue in the first quarter grew 7.7 percent annually to NT$110.05 billion (NT$3.39 billion), Wu said.

The company earlier forecast sales growth for the first quarter to be flat from last year’s NT$102.18 billion.     [FULL  STORY]

Legislature rejects labor holiday cuts

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-08
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Legislative Yuan on Friday rejected a 6746701government proposal which would have cut the number of holidays for laborers by seven per year, and demanded that the Cabinet revise or cancel the plan within two months.

A new Cabinet, headed by former Finance Minister Lin Chuan, is scheduled to take office on May 20, the same day Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen is scheduled to be sworn in as president.

Facing questioning by lawmakers last month, Labor Minister Chen Hsiung-wen insisted the seven free days had to be removed from texts related to the Labor Standards Act in conjunction with the introduction of the 40-hour week.

Labor groups protested, accusing the Kuomintang government of sacrificing the interests of workers to benefit employers, while Chen struck back at lawmakers saying they should sue him if they disagreed.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese artist’s ‘animal refugees’ attend climate conference

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/08
By: Elaine Hou

Taipei, April 8 (CNA) A group of “animal refugees” are in Sweden to “attend”

Photo courtesy of the Sigtuna Foundation

Photo courtesy of the Sigtuna Foundation

an ongoing climate conference by taking their place in the latest art installation by Taiwanese artist Vincent J.F. Huang (黃瑞芳) to highlight climate change.

More than 30 polar bears and penguins, which represent the first animal victims of global warming, are being displayed on a lake near the venue of a Climate Existence conference taking place from Wednesday to Friday in Sigtuna, not far from the capital Stockholm.

With Europe already mired in a human refugee crisis, the presence of animal refugees aims to raise awareness of the crisis facing them amid global climate change, said Huang, who is attending the conference.

“Polar bears and penguins, wearing life vests, arrived in waters near Stockholm on a chunk of floating ice, a metaphor that refugees not only come from wars,” Huang told CNA via email.     [FULL  STORY]

Report accuses Ma of misusing state funds

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 09, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is facing accusations that he has squandered state funds for personal use, including purchasing concert and movie tickets.

A report by the Chinese-language online news platform SETN.com late on Thursday said Ma has used more than 99 percent of the state affairs fund earmarked for his discretionary use over the past eight years, and that the money was not always spent properly.

For example, the report said Ma used NT$39.958 million (US$1.22 million at current exchange rates) of the NT$40 million state affairs funds allocated in 2012, while there were only about NT$20,000 and NT$30,000 left in the funds in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

Even in the last year of his presidential term, Ma has spent more than half of the NT$30 million allocated for the year in the first six months, the report said.     [FULL  STORY]

Premier Chang meets with successor

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-08
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Premier Simon Chang received the visit Friday 6746711afternoon from his successor, former Finance Minister Lin Chuan, as part of the transition process.

Lin will take office on May 20, the same day as the inauguration of Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen as president. Tsai met with incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou on March 30.

At the start of Friday’s meeting, Chang and Lin shook hands for the cameras. The current premier warned his successor that the job would be tough, but he added he was confident that thanks to his ability, he would be able to solve problems without trouble. Chang said he would return to normal civilian life after May 20, and he wished Lin good luck.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese fined for bringing in beetles from Japan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/08
By Yang Shu-min and Lilian Wu

Taipei, April 8 (CNA) A Taiwanese traveler returning from Japan has been

(Photo courtesy of the COA)

(Photo courtesy of the COA)

fined for bringing eight live beetles into Taiwan on Thursday, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said Friday.

The traveler was fined NT$3,000 (US$93), and all the beetles were confiscated and destroyed.

Feng Hai-tung (馮海東), deputy director-general of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine under the COA, said live insects can directly or indirectly harm local plants and pose a potential threat to the country’s agricultural sector and environment.

They are not allowed to be brought into the country unless prior approval has been obtained from authorized agencies, Feng said.     [FULL  STORY]

Renewed call to pardon Chen Shui-bian rejected

A HIGHER CAUSE:Pardoning the ill former president would help achieve social harmony and be conducive to Taiwan’s development, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu said

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 09, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

The Presidential Office has rejected a renewed call from local governments

The Kaohsiung City Council yesterday holds a meeting to decide whether to ask President Ma Ying-jeou to pardon former president Chen Shui-bian. Photo Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times

The Kaohsiung City Council yesterday holds a meeting to decide whether to ask President Ma Ying-jeou to pardon former president Chen Shui-bian. Photo Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times

to pardon former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), saying there are still ongoing criminal cases involving Chen.

“Presidential pardon is an issue that will only be considered after a final verdict has been reached. However, a number of criminal cases against Chen are still going on,” the Presidential Office said in a statement released yesterday.
The office issued the statement shortly after the Kaohsiung City Council passed a motion proposed by the council’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus urging President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to grant a pardon to Chen before his term ends on May 20, which it said could facilitate rapprochement between the pan-blue and pan-green camps.

The motion was signed by 39 city councilors, four of whom are not members of the DPP.     [FULL  STORY]