Radio Taiwan International
Date: 07 August, 2019
By: Jake Chen
Soldier commits suicide while on sentry duty. (CNA Photo)
The soldier was party of the Taiwanese military’s 8th Army Command. At around 2 am Wednesday, while on sentry duty, he opened fire on himself. Paramedics arrived on site soon after but were unable to revive him. [FULL STORY]
Radio Taiwan International
Date: 07 August, 2019
By: Jake Chen
Major movie releases scheduled during Ghost Month. (CNA Photo)
The 9th Precinct is a new thriller set for release on August 29, at the end of ghost month. The film tells the story of a young boy born with the ability to see ghosts. After he grows up, he joins a special police unit that takes advantage of his gift in tackling inexplicable cases.
This is just one of a series of adrenaline-filled new films with launches meant to coincide with the annual ghost month season. Film studios in Taiwan often release thrillers and horror movies during the period, capitalizing on folk legends about ghosts haunting the living. [FULL STORY]
China banned individual travel to Taiwan since August 1 in an attempt to undermine the Taiwanese economy and influence the election, but Taiwan's tourism sector should be wary of the CCP's strategy.
The News Lens
Date: 2019/08/07
By: Milo Hsieh
As China banned individual tourists from traveling to Taiwan on August 1, the media once again rushed
Photo Credit: CNA
The policy, aimed towards hitting Taiwan’s tourism sector to hurt vote counts for the current Tsai administration, seeks to send one message: “submit to our claim over you, or else.”
China's weaponization of tourism is nothing new. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had used a similar tactic of tourism control in 2016 when President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was elected.
In China’s latest defense white paper, the DPP was directly labeled as “Taiwan independence" separatists, despite President Tsai having just faced a challenging primary battle within the party against factions who attacked her as not being pro-independent enough. [FULL STORY]
Boy was being disciplined for unruly behavior
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/07
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
After a teenager died in a bathtub, his father and grandmother were questioned by police. (By Central News Agency)
The teenager, surnamed Liu (劉), who often showed unruly behavior following the death of his mother, failed to go to sleep and made noise until 3 a.m., the Central News Agency reported.
In order to quieten him, his grandmother told him to sit in a bathtub filled up to 80 percent with hot water, but when she returned 20 minutes later, she found him in the water with his face down.
The grandmother performed CPR on the teenager, but after his transfer to hospital, he was still pronounced dead, according to CNA. [FULL STORY]
Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/07
By: Miao Zong-han, Ku Chuan, Hung Chien-lun and Evelyn Kao
Photo from TGHFF Facebook page
In a short statement issued Wednesday morning, the Chinese government said the China Film Administration has suspended mainland films and personnel from participating in the festival and awards, long considered the Oscars of the Chinese-language film industry.
Cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka (谷辣斯‧尤達卡) confirmed the news later Wednesday and said that if China thought it could punish Taiwan by doing this, it was the wrong move.
"This is China's loss," Kolas said, arguing that China should not suppress artistic creation and freedom of speech. [FULL STORY]
Taipei Times
Date: Aug 08, 2019
By: Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
Source: Central Weather Bureau
As of 8:30pm, Lekima’s center was 670km southeast of Taipei. It was moving northwest at 14kph, with a maximum wind speed of 155kph and a radius of 220km.
Lekima is expected to become somewhat stronger as it approaches, with its radius forecast to expand to 250km, bureau forecaster Hsieh Ming-chan (謝明昌) said.
Lekima is surrounded by low-pressure systems, with a depression to the west and Tropical Depression Krosa to the east, he said, adding that the typhoon would be saturated with humidity by the time it approaches Taiwan. [FULL STORY]
Radio Taiwan Intwernational
Date: 06 August, 2019
By: Paula Chao
President Tsai Ing-wen is calling on the public to watch out for China’s political intrusion. Tsai was speaking
President Tsai Ing-wen (CNA photo)
Tsai’s comments came after Taiwanese fruit tea brand Yifang’s Hong Kong operator posted a statement supporting China’s “one country, two systems” formula on Weibo. Weibo is a Chinese microblogging website. The statement said it stands firm in its support for the formula and it strongly opposes the violent strikes in Hong Kong.
Tsai said China’s political intrusion has entered non-political arena in Taiwan, such as the tourism and tea industry and soap operas.
“I think everyone in democratic Taiwan should clearly know that we have a hard-won democracy. When politics enters every corner of our lives, we must stay alert to that," said Tsai. [FULL STORY]
Roses are red, politics are black. 8
The News Lens
Date:\ 2019/08/06
By: Machi Lee
Both the Democratic Progress Party (DPP) and the Kuomintang (KMT) have announced their candidates for
Photo Credit: CNA
In 2018, Ko won the mayoral re-election by only 3,567 votes, barely beating his KMT opponent, Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), by 0.25%. After his re-election, however, almost every polling company has treated Ko as a potential presidential candidate. Both the DPP and KMT treat him as an imaginary opponent in their respective primary polls, despite Ko never having officially announced his desire to run.
Why is a mayor, who almost lost his re-election and who has never declared a run for the presidency, widely considered to be a presidential hopeful? His popularity can be understood through examining Taiwan’s political traditions and the composition of his support base.
Since Taiwan had its first direct presidential election in 1996, it seems to be inevitable for every Taiwanese president to have “Taipei mayor” as part of their resume. Three former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), all served as the mayor of Taipei before later becoming president, until current incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) broke the 20-year streak in 2016 with her election victory. [FULL STORY]
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/06
By: Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) — China said Tuesday that it “will not stand idly by” and will take countermeasures if the U.S.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs arms control official Fu Cong. (By Associated Press)
The statement from the director of the foreign ministry’s Arms Control Department, Fu Cong, follows the U.S.’s withdrawal last week from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a move Fu said would have a “direct negative impact on the global strategic stability” as well as security in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
Fu said China was particularly concerned about announced plans to develop and test a land-based intermediate-range missile in the Asia-Pacific “sooner rather than later,” in the words of one U.S. official.
“China will not stand idly by and be forced to take countermeasures should the U.S. deploy intermediate-range ground-based missiles this part of the world,” Fu told reporters at a specially called briefing.
[FULL STORY]
Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/06
By: Wang Su-fen, Ku Chuang and Joseph Yeh
Satellite image taken from Central Weather Bureau’s website
Lekima, packing maximum sustained winds of 108 kilometers per hour with gusts of up to 136 kph, was located about 840 km east-southeast of Taiwan's southernmost tip as of 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to the CWB.
The storm is continuing to strengthen as it approaches Taiwan, forecasters said, adding that a sea warning is likely to be issued at around noon Wednesday, followed later by the land warning.
Northern and eastern Taiwan could begin to experience sporadic showers late Wednesday, followed by more intense rainfall, according to the bureau. Lekima is expected to be closest to Taiwan between Thursday and Friday, it added. [FULL STORY]
