School has asked Ministry of Education officials in Hong Kong for assistance

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/31
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – National Dong Hwa University said Saturday (August 31) it had asked Taiwanese Ministry of Education (MOE) officials in Hong Kong to help achieve the release of one of its Hong Kong students arrested during a crackdown on democracy activists in the territory.

Lai (李), 20, had been detained on Friday (August 30) as several leading figures of Hong Kong’s democracy movement were rounded up and questioned, the college in Hualien County said.

It was difficult to contact students during the summer holiday but the university hoped he could be released to attend next year’s opening of the new academic year, the Central News Agency reported.

Another exchange student from Hong Kong sent an e-mail to the university Saturday morning saying Lai had been arrested, and after looking up reports in the territory’s media, school management confirmed the arrest and asked MOE representatives there to make an effort to get him freed. Lai had already asked for an attorney to represent him.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 01, 2019
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

Civic and student groups yesterday expressed their solidarity with Hong Kongers in Taiwan and vowed

to generate more support for the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement in Taiwan.

While unrest in the territory rages on, the Hong Kong government has not responded to five demands put forward by protesters in June, Hong Kong Outlanders spokesman Kuma Yung told a news conference outside National Taiwan University in Taipei.

“The Hong Kong government is trying to stall us now, but we should show the whole world our resolve and persistence. We will never bow down to the Hong Kong government,” Yung said.

As yesterday was the day the Hong Kong Outlanders had agreed on to restore an underpass in the Gongguan (公館) area just outside the university, in which it had set up a “Lennon wall,” spokeswoman Dora Wu previewed an event, called “Nationwide Lennon,” to pass on the messages people had left on the wall in support of the movement.    [FULL  STORY]

 

Radio Taiwan nternational
Date: 30 August, 2019
By: Leslie Liao

Yuanli township has a huge night market once a year to celebrate the end of Ghost Month[/caption]Yuanli township has a huge night market once a year to celebrate the end of Ghost Month[/caption]Yuanli township has a huge night market once a year to celebrate the end of Ghost Month[/caption] Yuanli Township in central Taiwan isn’t particularly known for its festive atmosphere. But, one night each year, the town holds a huge night market to celebrate the end of Ghost Month.

[SOURCE]

 

 

Mayor Ko accuses Tsai's DPP of 'tribal politics'

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/30
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said Friday (August 30) he feared retaliation from President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) Democratic Progressive Party (PP) if she won the January elections, accusing the ruling party of “tribal politics.”

Ko, who still hasn’t declared whether he plans to run in the January 11, 2020 presidential election, made the remarks in an interview with CommonWealth Magazine.

He described the DPP as a collection of factions with the party chairman and the president at the top. DPP leaders saw the individual as standing above the factions, the factions above the party, and the party interest above the national interest, Ko said, referring to the appointments of chairpersons for the state-run enterprises.

Looking at the next president, Ko told the magazine that the most important thing was that the head of state was not corrupt. He added he did not think Tsai was corrupt, but he described the wrong use of national resources as just another form of corruption.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan English News
Date: August 30, 2019 
By: Phillip Charlier

A man surrendered to Chiayi County police after a five-hour long siege in Minxiong Township, during which the suspect fired 50 shots and threw numerous explosives.

Police officers went to a residence in a lane on Jianguo Road after neighbors reported hearing people arguing, followed by three gunshots at around 8:00am. The officers called for backup after a suspect on the third floor responded to their arrival with more gunshots.

Police blockaded the area while a SWAT team and police negotiators arrived. The other residents of the building evacuated the building.

One man who lived on the first floor was held hostage by the gunman for around 30 minutes, until he found an opportunity to escape.

The suspect was identified as a 40-year-old wanted felon named Chen. Chen had been at large after being sentenced to a 13-year prison term in 2011.

During this morning’s confrontation Chen repeatedly threatened to go down with the police, claiming that he was heavily armed, and had two hand grenades. Chen frequently fired bursts from an assault rifle, and threw explosive devices at a frequency of around one every 20 minutes.

Police negotiators finally convinced Chen to hand over his weapons shortly after 1:00pm, and confiscated an assault rifle with nine magazines, a shotgun with 30 rounds of ammunition, 11 handguns, a grenade, and two knives.

After surrendering the weapons, Chen came out of the building wearing a bullet-proof vest, and was promptly arrested.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/30
By: Flor Wang and Gu Chuan, Wang Yang-yu and Cheng Chi-fon

Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) Political leaders in Taiwan voiced grave concern and urged dialogue following

the arrest of several pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong on Friday, ahead of a rally planned for the next day which the police have banned for the first time since protests started 13 weeks ago.

"The current situation in Hong Kong is indeed worrisome, and it reminds us of how precious democracy and freedom are," President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said in a message in a LINE group chat.

Stressing that the Presidential Office is highly concerned about the situation in Hong Kong, Presidential Office spokesman Ting Yun-kung (丁允恭) said "what Hong Kong needs now is dialogue, not suppression or arrests."

He urged Beijing and Hong Kong authorities to adhere to their promise to maintain democracy and human rights in Hong Kong based on the rule of law.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiei Times
Date: Aug 31, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA, NEW YORK

The annual Keep Taiwan Free rally, which calls for Taiwan to be granted official membership in the UN,

is to take place in New York City on Saturday next week ahead of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 17.

The event’s organizers said that they expect a turnout of about 500 participants from Taiwanese communities in New York, as well as overseas Taiwanese living in Washington, Boston and Baltimore.

Former US deputy national security adviser Stephen Yates and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) are scheduled to participate in the march.

The rally aims to “raise awareness about Taiwan’s exclusion from the global community as a result of intense pressure and intimidation tactics by the Chinese Communist Party,” the event’s poster says.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 29 August, 2019
By: Paula Chao

.As the US and China raise tariffs, we look at the trade war’s impact on Taiwan, including an influx of investment from global tech giants and returning Taiwanese companies.

We also feature a chat with National Concert Hall Accessibility Consultant Sandy Yi who shares about “relaxed performances”  that welcome children, seniors and those with disabilities.

An 8-year old boy inspires Taiwan by climbing Jade Mountain for his late mother and Leslie shares some fun facts about Taiwan’s peaks.    [FULL  STORY]

Epoch Times
Date: August 29, 2019
By: Rick Fisher

Commentary

The Trump Administration on Aug. 20 notified the Congress of its intention to sell 66 new Lockheed-Martin F-16V fighters to Taiwan. While the previous George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations refused to sell F-16V fighters to Taiwan, President Donald Trump is now returning to the longstanding bi-partisan foreign policy of selling necessary weapons to Taiwan.

In doing so, the United States is helping prevent a future “Hong Kong” and is also helping to curtail a costly “Cold War” with China.

Support for “rule of law” is not why China is gathering police and military forces for the possible violent suppression of Hong Kong’s protestors. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership is deathly afraid that the protestors’ demands for real democracy could lead to the destruction of its political dictatorship and ambition for global dominance.

The CCP needs to crush Taiwan even more because it is today a full democracy adopted freely by a culturally Chinese “country,” which by simply existing undermines the legitimacy of the Party’s harsh dictatorship. Furthermore, the CCP and its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) require Taiwan as a base for many of the ten aircraft carrier battle groups it could have by 2050, in addition to bases for nuclear missile submarines, marine amphibious groups, and airmobile armies.    [FULL  STORY]