Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/30
By: Denise Ho (何韻詩, center)

Taipei, Sept. 30 (CNA) Hong Kong singer-activist Denise Ho (何韻詩) vowed on Monday to sue two

suspects allegedly responsible for spraying red paint on her Sunday before a pro-Hong Kong democratic movement rally held in downtown Taipei.

In a Facebook post, Ho said she will soon take legal action against the suspects, Hu Chih-wei (胡志偉) and Liang Tai-fu (梁太富), for intimidation, public humiliation, and loss of property, to prevent similar harassment and threats from happening to others.

Ho was being interviewed before Sunday afternoon's rally outside the Legislative Yuan when a masked man came up from behind her and sprayed her with red paint, leaving Ho's hair and clothes covered in red.

Hu, the main suspect, was arrested when he tried to flee the scene following the incident. Liang, an alleged accomplice of Hu, was also arrested at the scene, according to Taipei police.
[FULL  STORY]

BATTLE-READY: More than 34,000 soldiers, including 135 marines and special forces members, and 5,100 military vehicles and equipment were on standby

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 01, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Typhoon Mitag yesterday strengthened as it approached Taiwan, bringing strong winds and torrential rains, which are expected to affect the northern and northeastern parts of the country until today, the Central Weather Bureau said.

As of 8:30pm yesterday, Mitag was about 110km southeast of the coast of Yilan County, with its radius covering the nation’s eastern and southeastern land mass.

It was packing maximum sustained winds of 126kph, with gusts of up to 162kph, and moving at 25kph per hour north-northwest, the bureau said.

The storm was forecast to pass closer to the north and northeast of Taiwan than earlier predicted, it added.

Yesterday morning, the northern half of Taiwan, Nantou County, areas north of Taichung, Taitung County and the Matsu Islands were already being affected by the outer band of the typhoon, it said.    [FULL  STORY]

CGTN.
Date: 29-Sep-2019

The Chinese mainland on Sunday slammed a resolution passed by Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which advocates the so-called "Taiwan independence," saying it proves that the administration led by the DPP is causing trouble for the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties.

"Taiwan independence" is a dead end and will only bring harm to Taiwan compatriots, said Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office.

"Taiwan belongs to all the Chinese people, including 23 million Taiwan compatriots. The future of Taiwan is decided by all the Chinese. We are willing to create a broad space for peaceful reunification, but we will never leave any space for various forms of 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities. The DPP's 'independence' attempt will eventually be abandoned by the historical trend that is rolling forward," said Ma.    [SOURCE]

What can they do in combat? 

The National Interest
Date: September 29, 2019 
By: David Axe

Key Point: Taiwan is developing at least two exploding “suicide drones” as it scrambles to counter an increasingly modern and aggressive Chinese military.

A new suicide drone appeared at the August 2019 edition of the biennial Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition in the island country’s capital.

The unmanned aerial vehicle bears a strong resemblance to the small, hand-launched drones that are popular with U.S. forces. The other clearly draws inspiration from Israel’s Harpy anti-radar drone.

A suicide drone essentially is a small, inexpensive cruise missile, usually possessing some loitering capability. They might include a simple seeker head. Alternately, their operators remotely could steer them toward their targets.    [FULL  STORY]

CWB issues sea and land warnings to 12 counties, cities as Mitag expected to come closest to Taiwan Monday

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/09/30
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) has expanded its sea and land warnings to 12 counties and cities in Taiwan as Tropical Storm Mitag has intensified into a typhoon and its center appears on a path to plow through the waters just off the coast of northeast Taiwan.

According to the latest update by the CWB at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday evening (Sept. 29), Mitag has intensified into a typhoon and was 500 kilometers south-southeast of Yilan county. Mitag had a radius of 180 kilometers, it was moving northwest at a speed of 21 kilometers per hour (kph), and was packing maximum sustained winds of 108 kph with gusts of up to 136 kph.

Based on the CWB's current forecast of Mitag's track, the typhoon may be affected by Taiwan's topography when its center passes through the waters off the coast of Yilan land and turns north. This could cause an infusion westerly winds, bringing an additional three to five hours of rainfall to northern Taiwan, which would be more than previously estimated.

The CWB has issued sea and land warnings to New Taipei City, Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Miaoli County, Taichung City, Keelung City, Yilan County, Hsinchu County, Hualien County, Nantou County, and Taitung County (including Green Island and Orchid Island). The CWB has issued torrential rain warnings for New Taipei City, Yilan County, and Taoyuan City.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/29
By Huang Li-yun, Shen Peng-ta and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Sept. 29 (CNA) Taipei police arrested two suspects allegedly responsible for spraying red paint

Hong Kong singer-activist Denise Ho[/caption]on Hong Kong singer- activist Denise Ho (何韻詩) while she was being interviewed by reporters before a pro-Hong Kong democratic movement rally that began in downtown Taipei Sunday.

The rally, organized by a number of Taiwanese civil groups to show support for the months-long protest in Hong Kong, was scheduled to be held from 3 p.m.-8:30 p.m. around the Legislative Yuan.

Before the rally kicked off, Ho, who was set to take part in the event, was being interviewed by reporters when a masked man came from behind and sprained red paint on her.

Ho was left covered in red paint on her hair and her clothes.    [FULL  STORY]

The Straits Times
Date: Sep 28, 2019
By: Goh Sui Noi, East Asia Editor

Tensions over Taiwan have resurfaced and intensified in the last couple of years and mark the beginnings of a major strategic crisis, an Australian academic has said.

This crisis could erupt suddenly, sparked by an inadvertent escalation, such as a collision of military ships or aircraft in the Taiwan Strait, Professor Brendan Taylor said yesterday at the launch of his book Dangerous Decade – Taiwan's Security And Crisis Management, published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

It could also build gradually over the coming months and years as Beijing and Washington descend deeper into a new Cold War, he said.

"Life in this region as we know it could change quite dramatically if this Taiwan crisis is not prudently managed. And it is especially so for trade-dependent nations such as Singapore and Australia," warned Prof Taylor, who teaches strategic studies at the Australian National University in Canberra.
[FULL  STORY]

China could display global leadership by being pragmatic, confident and relaxed about democracy for Hong Kong and Taiwan.

YaleGlobal Online
Date:  September 28, 2019  
By: Humphrey Hawksley*

The ongoing protests in Hong Kong offer insights into China’s flexibility of governance and its patient ability to challenge the current world order. Much has and will be written on this issue. But for an answer on how governance may unfold, consider Taiwan, which for 70 years has stood in the storm’s eye of a hostile and suspicious China.

One conclusion being mooted through think tanks in Beijing and Taipei is that the most pragmatic way forward is for China to be confident and counterintuitive enough to grant Hong Kong full democracy. Such a move would take the wind out of protesters’ sails, extinguish flames of discontent and enhance China’s global standing while being no threat to its own system of governance. The identities of the think tanks and academics involved remain confidential, but this is their argument.

Hong Kong and Taiwan are both developed economies with highly-educated Chinese populations. Taiwan is a democracy. Hong Kong is not. Sovereign control lies with Beijing, although under the “one country, two systems” agreement between Britain, its freedoms, capitalist system and way of life are meant to continue until 2047.

The first major protests erupted in 2014 because voters were denied direct election of the chief executive. Instead a committee was created to favor Beijing’s choice.    [FULL  STORY]

The tires bounced off a tree before smashing into the windshield

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/09/28
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Two tires came loose from the rear of a truck and bounced off a tree to smash their way into the windshield of a bus traveling in the opposite direction with 43 passengers on board, reports said Saturday (September 28).

Nobody was injured in the accident, which happened in Hualien County around 10 a.m., the Central News Agency reported.

The driver of a gravel truck traveling north on the main road between Hualien and Su’ao said he wanted to slow down and stop after hearing a strange sound at the back of his vehicle, but the left rear set of two wheels came loose.

The tires crossed the road and bounced off a tree before slamming into the right-hand side of the windshield of a bus traveling south.    [FULL  STORY]