Our attitude toward tap water will decide how future generations live, as the world starts to experience severe water shortages

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/17
By: Chris Chang, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – It’s summer and the heat is unbearable, which is why everyone wants to stay indoors, with a refreshing drink and the air conditioning full on.

Though Taiwan has a semi-tropical climate and plenty of water, other regions are not so lucky and the availability of water can mean the difference between life and death.

But what if the water we drink is the actual threat?

Potable (safe to drink) water is actually a privilege enjoyed only by countries in Europe, North America, and some parts of the Asia-Pacific region.    [FULL  STORY]

Focu9s Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/17
By: Chang Ming-hsuan and Ko Lin

Taipei, Aug. 17 (CNA) Four members of the healthcare staff at Cathay General Hospital in Taipei have contracted measles after treating a patient with the infectious disease, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Saturday.

The patient, a man in his 30s, had recently returned from Vietnam and sought treatment at the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a measles infection made worse by the fact that he also has an autoimmune disease, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.

Four of the healthcare staff who came in contact with the patient at the hospital have now been confirmed to have contracted measles and are receiving treatment, Chuang said.

Another person, who happened to have traveled on the same plane when he was returning from Vietnam on July 29, has also been diagnosed with measles and is being treated, he said.
[FULL  STORY]

‘DEMOCRATIC PARTNER’: US Senator Marco Rubio said the move is important for Taiwan’s self-defense efforts and urged the US Congress to quickly approve the sale

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 18, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA, Washington

Several US lawmakers on Friday voiced their support for a plan by US President Donald Trump’s

administration to sell updated F-16 jets to Taiwan.

US Senator Marco Rubio commended the Trump administration for moving forward with strengthening Taiwan’s defense capabilities.

“As the Chinese government and [the Chinese] Communist Party seek to extend their authoritarian reach in the region, it is critical that the United States continues to enhance our strategic relationship with our democratic partner Taiwan through regular and consistent support,” Rubio said in a statement.

“This move is an important step in support of Taiwan’s self-defense efforts, and I urge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee to quickly advance this critical arms sale,” Rubio added.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 16 August, 2019
By: Leslie Liao

President Tsai Ing-wen’s reelection campaign is getting underway. Her Democratic Progressive Party has begun consolidating its campaign assets to focus on next year’s election and Pro-Tsai organizations are mobilizing across Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Tsai herself has asked her backers to help combat fake news in the run-up to the election and to spread the word about the accomplishments of her first term.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s national defense is in a weak state because of its inefficient military training program for conscripted soldiers.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/08/16
By: Andrew Maxey and Allen Chen

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) faced scrutiny in February when he claimed Taiwan’s mandatory military draft, or conscription, is “a waste of time” for many young men. He said the Taiwanese army, if faced with cross-strait clashes, would not sustain even two days of war.

Denying Ko’s criticism, Defense Minister Yen Teh-fa (嚴德發) said Taiwan’s conscription equips draftees with various skillsets ranging from aeronautics to cybersecurity. The reality, unfortunately, is much closer to what Ko had proposed.

“For sure nobody will have the balls to fight if a war breaks out,’’ a private surnamed Cho, whose first name is omitted for anonymity, told The News Lens.

Serving in the military is not a popular career option in Taiwan as many young people see conscription as stripping away their personal liberty in a democratic society. Military wages are also too low for the university-educated to willingly serve in the army with boring routines like scrubbing toilets or sweeping floors.    [FULL  STORY]

Part of Boracay beach shut down after Chinese tourist buries soiled baby diaper in white sand

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/16
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Video surfaced on Tuesday (Aug. 13) showing a Chinese tourist burying a soiled baby diaper in the white sand of a beach on the Philippine resort island of Boracay, forcing a 72-hour closure of a section of the beach to allow for cleanup.

In the video, which was first uploaded to Twitter, one Chinese woman in black can be seen aiding a female toddler in relieving herself in shallow water. Then the camera quickly pans to another Chinese woman in pink, who is taking a diaper in which the toddler had defecated and is digging a shallow grave for it in the beach's white sand.

The video quickly went viral on Twitter, gaining 20,000 retweets and 29,000 likes, while a Facebook version garnered 41,000 views, 585 likes, and 202 comments. In response to the video, Philippine Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said, "we feel insulted with such discourtesy done in the beautiful island this administration recently rehabilitated with intense and collective efforts employed by various departments and agencies of the government," reported Inquirer.net.

A 100-meter square area was cordoned off from tourists by the Environment and Natural Resources Department to make way for a 72-hour cleanup. Natividad Bernardino, General Manager of the Boracay Inter-Agency Rehabilitation Management Group, told ABS-CBN News that people would be temporarily restricted from swimming in the area while, "we conduct a clean-up operation and locate where the diaper was buried. We are now digging in the area."    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/16
By: Liang Pei-chi, Yu Hsiang and Frances Huang

Taipei, Aug. 16 (CNA) Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has rejected appeals by both billionaire Terry Gou

(郭台銘) and former Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to serve as their running mate in their bids for the presidency, the mayor said Friday.

In an interview with Pop Radio, Ko said Gou and Wang both intend to run for president in 2020 as independents and asked if he would be willing to join them on their tickets, though Ko did not specify when the requests were made.

Gou, founder of Taiwan-based manufacturing giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., finished second in the presidential primary of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) in July to Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).

Rather than accepting the result and supporting the winner, however, he has seemed interested in mounting a bid of his own.    [FULL  STORY]

GROWTH STRATEGY: If the US$8 billion sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 jets goes through, the air force would increase the number of tactical fighter wings from seven to eight

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 17, 2019
By: Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

US President Donald Trump’s administration is moving forward with a US$8 billion arms sale to Taiwan of

Lockheed Martin F-16 jets despite Beijing’s protests, the Washington Post reported yesterday, citing an anonymous official and other sources familiar with the matter.

The US Department of State notified the US Congress late on Thursday that it would submit the deal to lawmakers for an informal review, the Post said, before calling the potential deal “the largest and most significant sale of weaponry” to Taiwan in years.

The decision came amid stalling trade talks and rising tensions between the US and China, the report said.

Lawmakers from the Democratic and Republican parties had raised concerns that Trump could scuttle the arms sale to assist ongoing trade negotiations with Beijing or use it as a bargaining chip, the report said.    [FULL  STORY]

Ngati Manu tribe visiting Taiwan on two-week voyage

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/15
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Halawan tribe of the Amis people from Hualien and the Ngati Manu tribe of New Zealand’s Maori people visit the Executive Yuan on Aug. 14 (Source:

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Halawan tribe of the Amis indigenous people in Hualien and the Ngati Manu tribe of New Zealand’s Maori people enlivened the Executive Yuan on Wednesday (August 14) with their traditional music and dances.

Though divided by geological boundaries, the two indigenous groups both speak a language belonging to the Austronesian language family. Likewise, both peoples are the native residents of their respective countries.

The Ngati Manu tribe is visiting Taiwan on a two-week trip to trace their roots on the island, as some researchers believe that the Austronesian language was first developed in Taiwan. Lauding the event as meaningful, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said he is glad to see young people from both countries gaining a greater understanding of one another through interactions.

A member of the Halawan tribe herself, Cabinet spokesperson Kolas Yotaka said the ceremony held in front of Taiwan’s top administrative body was unprecedented. Members of the tribe led by Chief Sawmah performed a ritual that is said to bring good luck to the administration’s operations.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 15 August, 2019
By: Paula Chao

President Tsai Ing-wen says the government will offer young couples a stipend of NT$5,000 (US$166) for each newborn child they have. Tsai was speaking Thursday during a Family Day event held at the Presidential Office.

The stipend is part of the government’s plan to boost Taiwan’s dwindling birthrate. In a 2019 report by the World Population Review, Taiwan had the lowest birthrate of all 200 countries surveyed, at 1.218 babies per woman.

It’s Family Day at the presidential office. About 900 people, including 39 newborn are at the annual event. President Tsai Ing-wen greets the young guests and gives a cash-filled red envelope to each one aged under two years of age.

Vice President Chen Chien-jen and other government officials are also at the event.    [FULL  STORY]