Radio Taiwan International
Date: 28 October, 2019
By: Leslie Liao

A new petition urging Australia to recognize Taiwan has gained thousands of signatures. The petition, proposed on the Australian parliament’s website, calls for formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The petition says, “The Republic of China is a modern liberal democracy with a population approaching 24 million people and a beacon for democracy.” It also talks about the important role it plays in the defense and security of East Asia.

The Republic of China is the official name of Taiwan’s government.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it’s monitoring the story, and will respect the outcome of the petition and the mechanisms of the Australian government. The ministry says it welcomes any opportunity to improve its relationship with Australia.    [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2019/10/28
By: Ryan Drillsma

A 30-minute drive from the bustling heart of Taipei, the lush green fields of Wenshan Farm will soon be refashioned into a rural respite for the art- and music-loving members of Taiwan’s LGBTQ community.

Electronic music festival Spectrum Formosus on November 1 will take over the site for the third year running, in celebration of the queer identity and creative ingenuity. In addition to panels and workshops from some of the country’s breakout performance artists, the festival will feature drag shows, outdoor cinema, voguing catwalks, and a roster of top international DJs.

Spectrum Formosus is the brainchild of Smoke Machine, the organizer of the world-renowned Organik Music Festival that has been at the forefront of Taiwan’s techno underground. Both a record label and event organizer, the company recently embarked on a world tour to celebrate a decade of success in the music business.

This year, Smoke Machine decided to broaden Spectrum’s scope and collaborate with queer collectives from Hong Kong, Beijing, Chengdu, Hanoi, and Tokyo. The resulting experience will be a symposium for shared visions and values to help build a community reaching beyond borders, according to the organizer.    [FULL  STORY]

Staff involved in construction of the IDS are privy to highly classified information and face traveling restrictions due to security reasons

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/10/28
By: Sally Jensen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Personnel working on the Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) have had to sign a "Defense Manufacturer Security Management" confidentiality agreement that forbids them from entering China or transiting through Hong Kong and Macau, according to Up Media.

The IDS has been described by Taiwan’s Navy as of the "utmost importance.” The National Institute of Science and Technology is involved in the development and integration of up to 12 kinds of combat system equipment within the vessel.

Weighing over 2,500 tons and 70 meters in length, construction of the submarine is mostly managed by Taiwan’s Shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC). All personnel involved in the construction and design of the submarine are now forbidden from passing through Hong Kong and Macau.

The customs computer system in Hong Kong and Macau has a direct notifying mechanism that connects to China’s national security apparatus. There is a risk that any Taiwanese on China’s national security watch list could be targeted and detained at a Hong Kong or Macau airport.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/10/28
By: Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Oct. 28 (CNA) Taiwan expects to sign a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA), a contract between the U.S. military and a foreign military sales customer, officially sealing the sale of M1A2 tanks next month, Taiwan's defense ministry said Monday.

Lieutenant General Yang Hai-ming (楊海明), chief of staff of the Republic of China Army, made the remarks during a Legislative session when asked by lawmakers about the timetable for the M1A2 deal.

The U.S. Department of State provisionally approved the sale to Taiwan of M1A2 Abrams tanks, Stinger man-portable air defense systems, and other related equipment worth over US$2.2 billion in July.

However, Taiwan's military has not yet received the LOA for the deal, leading to questions from opposition lawmakers on Monday as to whether the sale remains on schedule.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 29, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The Chinese Overseas Flagship (COF) in Taiwan center, part of the US government-sponsored

Language Flagship program, officially opened yesterday at National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei.

The Language Flagship is an undergraduate program that includes instruction in languages such as Arabic, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian and Turkish under the US’ National Security Education Program (NSEP).

The NSEP was established in 1991 under the David L. Boren National Security Education Act that mandated the US secretary of defense to create such a program to provide scholarships for undergraduates, fellowships to graduate students and grants to US institutions to fund the study of countries and languages critical to the US’ national security.

The COF in Taiwan center, which was established on June 3 and received its first batch of students last month, is one of two such centers in Asia; the other is at Nanjing University in China.
[FULL  STORY]

Passenger describes herself as ‘Chan Tong-kai 2.0’ in reference to Hong Kong man accused of murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan last year

South China Morning Post
Date: October 27, 2019
By: Sarah Zheng

A Hong Kong woman has been arrested in Taiwan after terrifying passengers on a flight from Taipei to

Hong Kong by saying there was a bomb on board.

The Hongkonger, who has not been identified, was charged under the island’s civil aviation law, after yelling that a Hong Kong Airlines flight scheduled to take off at 12.25pm on Thursday was “not safe”, causing alarm among her fellow passengers, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported.

“There is a bomb on the plane,” she was quoted as saying. “The plane is not safe.”

The disturbance led to the flight being delayed for 3½ hours.
[FULL  STORY]

Lai Hsi-Song's death 'an incredible loss for Taichung,' says Mayor Lu Shiow-yen

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/10/27
By: Duncan Deaeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Director of the Taichung City Fruit and Vegetable Market (台中市果菜公司) and Chair of the Taichung Regional Farmers Association, Lai Hsi-Song (賴溪松) died due to injuries sustained in an automobile accident after his car crashed into an electricity pole on Saturday (Oct. 27) afternoon.

The accident reportedly happened shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Sec. 6 of Dongguan Rd. (東關路) in Taichung’s Dongshi District (東勢區) as Lai was returning from a visit to a local orchard. The collision, which knocked out an electrical breaker box, reportedly caused power outages at over 400 nearby residences and businesses.

Lai was reportedly sitting in the back seat of the sedan, and he was wearing a seatbelt. Lai was alive but unconscious when first responders arrived on the scene.

According to UDN, Lai rsuffered serious internal bleeding because of the seatbelt he was wearing and the force of impact in the car crash. Lai was pronounced dead at a local hospital around 6:00 p.m. in the evening.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/10/27
By: Mark Lester Reyes

Taipei, Oct. 27 (CNA) The talent of overseas Filipino workers was highlighted Sunday at a free

photography exhibition in Taipei depicting the lives of migrant workers.

The "Turning Point: Taiwan" exhibition, being held Oct. 24-30 at Taipei's Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, is showing roughly 300 photos that chronicle the journeys of migrant workers, featuring images of their hometowns and their working environments.

One of the highlights of the exhibition includes some 30 works by Joan Pabona, a prize-winning Filipina photographer and former domestic helper.

Born in the Philippine province of La Union, Pabona went to Singapore in 2008 and then to Hong Kong in 2013 to work as a domestic helper.    [FULL  STORY]

ENRICHING TAIWAN: The about 550,000 immigrants in Taiwan would benefit from government programs, financial help and more relaxed immigration policies, he said

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 28, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The government will continue to empower immigrants and their children through financial assistance

and relaxation of immigration policies, Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said yesterday.

More than 300 immigrants, mostly from Southeast Asian countries and married to Taiwanese, attended the “New Immigrant Forum” at the National Immigration Agency (NIA). The event’s aim was to disseminate information about government empowerment programs for immigrants.

Hsu said there are an estimated 550,000 immigrants living in Taiwan.

New residents have enriched Taiwan’s national strength with their contributions to society, Hsu said.
[FULL  STORY]

POFMA time, a.k.a. Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act time.

Mothership
Date: October 26, 2019
By: Zhangxin Zheng |Belmont Lay

Foreign media are having a field day reporting on the Orchard Towers murder case that is before the Singapore court now and casting aspersions on the country’s legal process.

The focus of their reporting?

They are collectively saying that Natalie Siow Yu Zhen, 23, the only woman linked to the high-profile case, escaped the death penalty because of her looks.

Let off because of looks

Shin Min Daily News highlighted this narrative on Oct. 26, after several Chinese media reports from overseas have claimed that Siow had been cleared of a murder charge punishable by death because of her appearance.

Shin Min’s front page headline said Siow’s lawyer rubbished such claims.    [FULL  STORY]