Monthly Archives: April 2016

Taiwan in ‘no rush‘ to execute inmates on death row: Luo

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 07, 2016
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Minister of Justice Luo Ying-shay (羅瑩雪) yesterday said there is a schedule

Minister of Justice Luo Ying-shay yesterday speaks to reporters in Taipei. Photo: CNA

Minister of Justice Luo Ying-shay yesterday speaks to reporters in Taipei. Photo: CNA

for executions and there would be no rush to carry them out on the nation’s 42 death-row inmates.

“We do not have a timetable for carrying out capital punishment,” Luo said at a meeting with top judiciary officials to discuss the cases.

“The review process is ongoing for these cases,” Luo said at a press briefing after the event. “They will undergo review on a case-by-case basis. We have proceeded in a prudent manner and must ensure there has been no miscarriage of justice before going on to the next step.”

The three vice ministers of justice along with the head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office attended the meeting.     [FULL  STORY]

Cathay flight lands safely after hydraulic system warning

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/06
By: Stanley Cheung and Elaine Hou

Hong Kong, April 6 (CNA) A Cathay Pacific Airways flight from Taiwan to

(CNA file photo)

(CNA file photo)

Hong Kong developed what appeared to be a problem with the plane’s hydraulic system but managed to land safely, the airline said Wednesday.

A warning signal appeared after the plane took off from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Wednesday morning, carrying about 300 passengers, the Hong Kong-based air carrier confirmed.

The airline told CNA that it then asked Hong Kong airport authorities to make emergency preparations for the flight’s landing.

The plane landed safely at the airport in Hong Kong around the noon and there were no casualties, the airline said.    [source]

News coverage of random killing caused panic: poll

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 06, 2016
By: Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

A survey by Taiwan Media Watch found that close to 97 percent of the respondents said that the news media coverage of the killing of a four-year-old girl in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) on Monday last week caused widespread panic in society.

The non-profit foundation said it launched a four-day survey on Wednesday last week to evaluate how the television news coverage of the random killing was perceived by the public.

Nearly 1,400 questionnaires were gathered, with 70 percent of respondents saying they read or watch the news every day. The main sources of the news were social networks (48.8 percent), news media Web sites (28.5 percent) and television (20.7 percent).

According to the foundation, the most significant finding was that 96.9 percent said the coverage of the murder had caused panic in society, while 91.1 percent said that the coverage would harm the mental health of children.

Meanwhile, 92 percent said the “excessive” media coverage of the killing would encourage copycats to do the same thing, the foundation said, adding that some of the respondents said they believed that two similar incidents happened immediately afterward as a result of the non-stop coverage.     [FULL  STORY]

South China Sea War Escalates: Vietnam, Taiwan Make Move Against China

Morning News USA
Date: APR 6, 2016
By: Precious Silva

Things are not looking good for China as Vietnam and Taiwan each made

South China Sea War Escalates: Vietnam, Taiwan Make Move Against China

USS Gridley Action DVIDSHUB/Flickr CC by 2.0

moves against the country. Vietnam seized a Chinese vessel while Taiwan denied joining forces with China or pushing for similar interests in the disputed South China Sea region.

Territorial dispute has escalated in the South China Sea region as Vietnam seized a Chinese vessel, detaining a captain and two sailors in the process. Furthermore, Taiwan recently denied that even with China’s interest over forging the country, it will not pursue such because of its independent foreign policy.

According to The Guardian, Vietnam seized the Chinese vessel, citing that the ship breached its waters. China has been under fire for pushing its territorial claims in the region. State-run Thanh Nien News reported that the seizure happened last Saturday. The organization also emphasized that it was rare for Vietnam to make such a move against a powerful nation like China. This has escalated tensions between Hanoi and Beijing consequently.

Vietnamese fishermen also said previously that Chinese officials have harassed and attacked them while at sea. Last May, ships from both countries collided because China tried setting up an oil rig in the disputed region. Vietnam coastguard claimed that the ship’s crew “admitted that they had entered deep [into] Vietnamese waters to refuel several other Chinese boats which were fishing illegally there.” The vessel also contained more than 100,000 liters of diesel oil.     [FULL  STORY]

Analysis: Rand Report Spells Doom For Taiwan

Liquidate Fighter Fleet, Procure SAMs, If Taiwan Wants To Survive

Defense News
Date: April 5, 2016
By: Wendell Minnick, Defense News

TAIPEI — Radical changes in Taiwan’s air defense order of battle that include

This is the entrance to a Tien Kung 2 silo. (Photo: Wendell Minnick/Staff)

This is the entrance to a Tien Kung 2 silo.
(Photo: Wendell Minnick/Staff)

the retirement of all the indigenous defense fighters and Mirage 2000-5 fighter aircraft with cost savings moved to the procurement of a substantial number of mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems are among the recommendations in a think tank report.

The report, “Air Defense Options for Taiwan: An Assessment of Relative Costs and Operational Benefits,” suggests that Taiwan downsize its fighter fleet and increase investment in SAM systems. The Rand Corp. study tests this strategy against three vignettes that span the range of conflict, from air sovereignty to disarming strikes and invasion air defense.

Rand crunches the numbers in the 172-page report with reckonings that make this paper hard to ignore against political hype inside Taipei and the sexy fighter aircraft tradition in the Taiwan air force that goes back to the Flying Tigers of World War II.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Beer beat Dacin Tigers to secure 3-0 lead

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 06, 2016
By: Paul Huang / Contributing reporter

Unbeaten Taiwan Beer took advantage of a tremendous start in which they outscored the

Taiwan Beer’s Liu Cheng, right, shoots under pressure from the Dacin Tigers’ Shih Yen-tsung in Game 3 of their semi-final at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City last night. Photo: Hui Liao-zhen, Taipei Times

Taiwan Beer’s Liu Cheng, right, shoots under pressure from the Dacin Tigers’ Shih Yen-tsung in Game 3 of their semi-final at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City last night. Photo: Hui Liao-zhen, Taipei Times

Dacin Tigers 21-5 in the first seven minutes of play and went on to defeat the Cats 94-75 in Game 3 of the semi-finals at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City last night to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Patrick O’Bryant played his best game of the post-season thus far by downing 34 points to spearhead a high-powered Taiwan Beer offense that lit up the scoreboard with 78 points in just three quarters of play.

Also starring was Liu Cheng, who netted 23 on the night to up his three-game scoring total to a whopping 79 points — an average of 26.3 points per game.
“We are playing better as a team now and that is very important in the post-season,” Liu said after the game.

His team outplayed the Tigers in nearly every facet of the game, highlighted by an astonishing 20-for-32 shooting from the field (62.5) to cruise past Dacin in convincing fashion.

What should have been a closely-matched series between the second and third-seeded teams has been all Taiwan Beer after their 95-90 overtime victory in the opener and having won the past two games by an average margin of 15 points.

The two teams are to have a day off today before tomorrow night’s potential series-clincher in New Taipei City.     [FULL  STORY]

Catcher sees business picking up

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 06, 2016
By: Lauly Li / Staff reporter

Catcher Technology Co (可成) yesterday said business would be better this quarter and the momentum would sustain into the second half, referencing the company’s typical business cycle.

“We maintain our view that the first quarter of this year will be a low point, and that business will grow quarter-by-quarter for the rest of the year,” Catcher spokesman James Wu (巫俊毅) said by telephone.

Wu’s remarks came after the metal casing supplier posted revenue of NT$16.84 billion (US$520.11 million) for the first quarter, representing a 3.2 percent year-on-year decline and below the company’s forecast of NT$17.4 billion.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s manufacturing sector posts decline in fixed investments

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/05
By: Huang Chiao-wen and Frances Huang

Taipei, April 5 (CNA) The local manufacturing sector last year posted the second 2016040500111consecutive annual decline in fixed investments amid a slowdown of the domestic economy, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

The MOEA said that falling international crude oil prices led Taiwanese petrochemical firms and coal suppliers to cut their investments, while the weakness of the global steel market prompted the local base metal business to put their investment plans on hold.

As a result, fixed investments of Taiwan’s manufacturing sector fell last year by an annual 2.3 percent to NT$959.9 billion (US$29.63 billion), after posting a 0.8 annual drop in 2014.

Fixed investments refer to investments in physical assets such as machinery, land, buildings, installations, vehicles, and technology.     [FULL  STORY]

Largan forecasts flat sales this month

BUILDING MOMENTUM:Largan expects an increasing number of its clients to adopt dual-camera lenses this year, a trend it hopes to reap benefits from in the long term

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 06, 2016
By: Lauly Li / Staff reporter

Camera lens supplier Largan Precision Co (大立光) yesterday forecast sales would be flat this month, following a significant year-on-year decline in revenues in the first quarter.

“We expect this month’s sales to be flat or lower than last month’s NT$3.02 billion [US$93.27 million], due to seasonal factors and weak demand from many clients,” a Largan investor relations official said by telephone.

The company’s revenue fell 21.73 percent to NT$8.7 billion in the first quarter from NT$10.56 billion in the same period last year, falling short of Morgan Stanley’s estimate of NT$9.61 billion.     [FULL  STORY]

NPP leader wants stronger Legislature

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-05
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – New Power Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang said Tuesday he had completed a proposal to strengthen the power of the Legislative Yuan to review appointments.

Several top political nominations, including those of all members of the Control Yuan, have to be approved by vote at the Legislature. However, Huang said most of the reviews before the vote were only empty procedures.

The leader of the small party said he had taken part as an academic in many hearings for nominees to the Council of Grand Justices and the Examination Yuan. Because current legislation was far too vague, the hearings and the following reviews and discussions at the Legislature only occurred pro forma, Huang said. As a result, legislators were unable to play their full role when reviewing the nominations and balancing the government, he said.

Huang used the four-day holiday period to finish writing his legislative proposal to strengthen the powers of review. Once the holiday over, maybe Wednesday, he would propose his document to the full five-member legislative caucus of the NPP, of which he is a member. If it won the group’s support, he would submit it to the Legislative Yuan, he said.     [FULL  STORY]