Taiwan’s ruling DPP rejected China’s offer of incentives to Taiwanese nationals, while the opposition KMT welcomed the move.

The Diplomat
Date: November 09, 2019
By: Nick Aspinwall

Taiwan’s presidential office criticized China’s “26 measures” aimed at treating Taiwanese equally to

Chinese nationals, saying they are an attempt to influence the country’s upcoming January elections.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said on Monday the new measures are aimed at facilitating “economic and cultural exchanges” between Taiwan and China. The measures include offering consular services and temporary passports to Taiwanese citizens and opening doors for Taiwanese companies to invest in Chinese projects.

Taiwan presidential office spokesperson Ting Yun-kung accused China of aiming to divide Taiwanese ahead of the country’s January elections, in which President Tsai Ing-wen faces a re-election challenge from the Beijing-friendly Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu.

The opposition Kuomintang, Han’s political party, welcomed the measures in a statement released on Tuesday, quoting the Taiwan Affairs Office release and saying it is happy to see Beijing provide “development opportunities” and “equal treatment” to Taiwanese citizens.    [FULL  STORY]

eTurbo News
Date: November 9, 2019
By: Rita Payne – special to eTN

The ability of Taiwan to survive as an independent island state has long been questioned. It occupies a precarious position in the sea to the east of the Chinese mainland and is regarded as a rebel colony by its powerful neighbor.

Taiwan in its present form was established in 1949 by nationalists who fled to the island following the Communist takeover in the mainland in China. The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly said it wishes Taiwan to be reunited with the rest of China and often threatens the island with shows of force, including live fire exercises and “practice runs” of an invasion. In return, Taiwan is one of the most heavily-defended regions in Asia.

Despite these challenges, Taiwan has not only survived but flourished. It leads the world in the production of semiconductors, and this has helped it to grow into the twenty-third largest economy in the world. Its citizens enjoy a large degree of individual and political freedom and the levels of poverty, unemployment, and crime are low.    [FULL  STORY]

Calls continue for Terry Gou to resume his presidential bid

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/09
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Foxconn founder Terry Gou's (郭台銘) camp denied rumors on Saturday (Nov.

9) that the business tycoon is considering relaunching his presidential bid with People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) as his running mate.

“We were jolted by the news this morning of Gou teaming up with Soong in the presidential race,” said Gou’s spokeswoman Evelyn Tsai (蔡沁瑜). Gou has not changed his mind about not running for president, LTN quoted her as saying.

Gou pulled out of the presidential race on Sept. 16 in a surprising announcement, citing what he perceived to be an election climate with prevailing populism and class struggle. The move followed his decision to quit the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party earlier that month.

Reports emerged last week that Soong, 77, is mulling his fourth bid for the presidency, as the PFP is eligible to nominate a candidate for the Jan. 11, 2020 election. He has reportedly met with influential economics commentator Hsieh Chin-ho (謝金河), sparking allegations that Hsieh might be one of the choices to join Soong on a presidential ticket.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/09
By: Chen Wei-ting and Chiang Yi-ching

Taipei, Nov. 9 (CNA) Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a call Friday for the public to observe good hygiene, particularly at this time, which it said is a peak season for norovirus.

Norovirus illnesses, caused by a highly contagious virus that produces symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps, typically peak between November and March in Taiwan, according to the CDC.

Over the past four weeks, 24 cluster infections of diarrhea caused by norovirus have been confirmed in Taiwan, the CDC said, adding that there had been a total of 55 cluster cases of diarrhea during that period.

The virus is transmitted mainly via the fecal-oral route, and outbreaks often occur in densely populated institutions such as schools, which means good hygiene is key to preventing the spread of the disease, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) told CNA.    [FULL  STORY]

RELIEF:NTU  reported a possible attack on its computer system last week, but it was, ironically, the work of a student testing possible loopholes in the system

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 10, 2019
By: Wu Po-hsuan and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

National Taiwan University (NTU) has clarified that a report that its online education platform, CEIBA,

had been hacked was a false a6larm, as it was simply an error that occurred when a Department of Information Engineering student was conducting research.

The university on Wednesday reported that its system was hacked and that all students’ scores had been changed to 87.

The suspicion was that the numerals were specifically chosen to mock the university, as the number “87” means “idiot” in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) Internet lingo.

The university’s Department of Education Affairs Information Division director Kevin Chang (張良鵬) said on Friday that the department received notice on Wednesday that an engineering student had accidentally changed the scores.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan Internartional
Date: 08 November, 2019
By: John Van Trieste

A mud volcano erupting in southern Taiwan's Pingtung County.[/caption] A mud volcano in Taiwan’s far south has erupted, bringing excitement to spectators, concern to local first responders, and worry about destroyed crops to farmers.

A mud volcano in Pingtung County’s Wandan Township is at it again. On Wednesday, it started spewing towering flames and heaps of hot mud into the air for the second time this year. The wind has helped fan combusting natural gas from underground into an inferno several meters high.
[FULL  STORY]

Daily Mail Online
Date: 8 November 2019
By: Tracy You

• Police found the bones of the abandoned child this week in Kaohsiung, Taiwan 
• They suspected the boy had been gnawed to death and eaten by stray dogs 
• He may also have starved or frozen to death after being deserted, officers said 
• The young mother is said to be mentally ill and police are investigating the case 

Police in Taiwan have found bones of an abandoned baby who they suspect have been gnawed to death and eaten by stray dogs, according to reports. 

The newborn boy had been stuffed into a plastic bag and deserted in a wasteland by his 19-year-old mother before the alleged tragedy happened in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, local media said.

The child's mother, known by her pseudonym Xiao Mei, is reported to have a minor mental illness and she had been under the care of the local Social Affairs Bureau.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/08
By: Ko Lai, Taiwan News, Editor

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Starting from Oct. 14, 2019, Taiwan News presents the latest polls issued by various media outlets and organizations on a weekly basis, with a poll average that takes the combined information from many different opinion polls to best present the trend.

The presidential election is 64 days away, but the race might no longer be a showdown between incumbent Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT]'s Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), with People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) highly likely to join the race. The tables are subject to change once Soong confirms his presidential bid.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/08
By: Wu Chia-jung and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Nov. 8 (CNA) The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government on Friday asked Han

Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the presidential candidate of the main opposition Kuomintang, to present evidence to backs his accusation that the state apparatus leaked his personal information.

Han was exposed by tabloid Next Magazine Wednesday to have purchased a luxury apartment in Taipei for NT$72 million (US$2.37 million) in 2011, a year before he took office as the general manager of Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corp.

The report raised questions about Han's integrity, as he has been promoting himself as a "plebeian" presidential candidate without a big fortune nor influential background.

DPP lawmaker Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) has blasted Han for "faking" his image as a common person.

In response, Han accused the media of invading his privacy on Thursday. He said the information about his property purchase in Nangang District from Taiwan Fertilizer Co. is personal information that is not open to the public because at the time of the purchase, neither he nor his wife Lee Chia-fen (李佳芬) held public office.    [FULL  STORY]

CRIME OF PASSION? A 30-year-old man has allegedly confessed to killing his live-in girlfriend and her twin boys after a fight last week, Taichung police said

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 09, 2019
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Taichung police yesterday detained a man suspected of killing a 29-year-old woman and two 10-

month-old twins.

Police on Thursday discovered the three bodies at a studio apartment in the city and launched a manhunt for the 30-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), after finding information possibly connecting him with the crime.

They found Chen at an Internet cafe in Changhua County’s Sihu Township (溪湖) at about 11am, said Cho Chia-hsing (卓家興), head of Taichung First Police Precinct’s investigation section.

Chen admitted to killing the three during questioning, Cho added.    [FULL  STORY]