Nina Wu (灼人秘密) is the first Taiwanese film to stir conversations around the #MeToo movement.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/07/24
By: CJ Sheu

In October 2017, The New York Times broke the story about American film mogul Harvey Weinstein’s sexual crimes over some 30 years. It spurred a growing number of women (and some men) in the film industry to speak out about their own experiences of sexual harassment and assault by the rich and powerful, an event that later snowballed into the global #MeToo movement.

For some reason or other, the movement as a whole doesn’t seem to have penetrated into Taiwanese popular culture.

Until now.

Nina Wu (灼人秘密, literally “burning secret”), a film by Taiwan-based Burmese writer-director Midi Z (趙德胤), was first unveiled in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It tells the story of the titular aspiring actress (Wu Ke-xi 吳可熙), whose career is finally launched by a Weinstein-like executive producer (Elton Tang 湯志偉).

The deck is stacked against her from the beginning, putting her at the mercy of the men around her. When she’s offered a star-making role in a WWII-era spy-romance film (called Spy Romance) with a nude threesome scene, her agent’s (Lee Lee-zen李李仁) assurance that she should only take the role “if you’re comfortable with it” sounds like mere boilerplate amidst his persuasion and cajoling. The Spy Romance director (Shih Ming-shuai 施名帥) is analytical and technically proficient, but he’s also abusive, choking and slapping Nina in a key scene to get a rise out of her, creating an atmosphere of fear on set that further isolates Nina. And then, of course, there’s the executive producer.    [FULL  STORY]

Chinese military also hints at use of force to put down protests in Hong Kong

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/07/24
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

[Last update: July 24 19:30]

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Chinese military on Wednesday (July 24) once again threatened the use of force against what it considers to be Taiwan’s pro-independence “separatists,” while hinting at the possibility of deploying the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to quell Hong Kong’s protests.

While insisting on its policy of “peaceful reunification” and “one country, two systems” toward Taiwan, Beijing reiterated it will not “renounce the use of force” against “separatists” and “foreign forces” in its latest national defense white paper.

“We must firmly point out that seeking Taiwan independence is a dead end,” said Wu Qian (吳謙), a defense ministry spokesperson, at the launch event for the white paper.

China’s Ministry of National Defense released its 10th white paper on Wednesday. The document, published every five years, lays out the country’s national defense strategy.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/07/24
By: Yang Su-min and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, July 24 (CNA) Passengers arriving at Taiwan airports and seaports from Russia are now subject to hand luggage checks, as part of the government's efforts to prevent the entry of African swine fever (ASF), the Council of Agriculture (COA) said Wednesday.

The measure was put in place July 19, following the resumption in May of direct flights between Taiwan and Russia, a country with an ASF epidemic, Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said at a news conference.

Currently, Taiwan's regulations stipulate that all passengers from countries and areas where there are ASF outbreaks must present their hand luggage for inspection at Customs.

Prior to the addition of Russia, the countries and areas listed were China, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, North Korea and South Korea, according to the Cabinet's Central Emergency Operation Center for ASF.    [FULL  STORY]

STRONG OBJECTION: Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said that the ISU should say for what reasons or under what pressure it decided to relocate the event

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 25, 2019
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) yesterday said that he has asked the Sports

Administration and the Chinese Taipei Skating Union (CTSU) to jointly appeal a decision made by the International Skating Union (ISU) on Monday to terminate Taiwan’s right to host the Asian Open Figure Skating Classic in October.

“The nation’s participation in international sporting events has been interfered with by political or other unknown factors. This has affected the development of sports education, as well as the opportunities available for athletes. We should express our strongest objection [to the decision],” Pan said.

It is not the first time that the nation’s right to host a sports event has been terminated without prior notice or legitimate reason. Last year, Taichung lost the right to host the East Asian Youth Games due to the pressure from Beijing.

The Asian Open Figure Skating Classic was scheduled to take place at the Taipei Arena from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3    [FULL  STORY]

SHIRKING RESPONSIBILITY? The NPP legislator accused the airline of lying when its chairman said he knew nothing about a US$200,000 cigarette smuggling case

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 24, 2019 
By: Ann Maxon  /  Staff reporter

New Power Party Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday called for the resignation of China

Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) chairman Hsieh Shih-chien (謝世謙) after the company denied being complicit in an alleged smuggling case involving a National Security Bureau (NSB) agent.

Huang on Monday said that the official, Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲), attempted to smuggle 9,200 cartons of cigarettes worth more than US$200,000 when he returned to Taiwan with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) from a state visit to the Caribbean earlier in the day.

Wu, who accompanied Tsai on her trip, allegedly pre-ordered the cigarettes using China Airlines’ online duty-free store with help from the airline, Huang said.

It was written on the order that the cigarettes were to be picked up on the return of the president’s airplane, but they were never delivered to the plane, he added.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 23 July, 2019
By: Shirley Lin

The chief of the National Security Bureau (NSB) resigned Monday over a cigarette-smuggling scandal.

The move came after a NSB agent who accompanied President Tsai Ing-wen on her recent overseas trip allegedly smuggled over US$191,000 worth of cigarettes into Taiwan. The suspect surnamed Wu tried to take advantage of1 the quick clearance enjoyed by officials accompanying the president to smuggle cigarettes.    [FULL  SORY]

Can we fund a universal basic income policy by increasing some of the unusually low tax rates in Taiwan?

The News Lens
Date: 2019/07/23
Op-Ed.

Original article by UBI Taiwan

Foxconn Founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) previously made a grand promise during a political presentation: “From birth until the age of six, newborn babies will be fed by the state!”

Taiwan's low birthrate and aging population have evolved into a national security threat, according to former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). Meanwhile, Gou's bold proposal to reduce young couples' heavy burden on raising children has sparked a heated debate.

What is Partial Basic Income?

Gou's proposal and UBI Taiwan’s interim "Partial Basic Income" policy happen to share the same idea, a focus on granting target groups basic income. For instance, if basic income is given to the elderly, then it is similar to the basic pension system proposed by the Awakening Foundation (婦女新知基金會), which suggests a minimum guaranteed pension of NT$8000 per year for the elderly. If given to the working class, then it would resemble the "State Support for Children" policy mentioned by Terry Guo.

However, the policy is under scrutiny, and one of the frequently asked questions is "where will the money come from?"

Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), a New Power Party (NPP) legislator, estimated the policy would require a yearly budget of NT$28.6 billion – approximately 12.5% of the government’s annual budget. He said the policy indeed touches on the predicaments a great deal of young people are currently facing, yet “the question is not whether it can be implemented, rather how we can implement it effectively.”    [FULL  STORY]

Washington approved a separate military sale to Taiwan earlier this month

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/07/23
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The U.S. Congress is expected to be notified of the proposed sale of 66 F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan by the end of the month, said a Taiwanese military expert on Tuesday (July 23).

The deal, with an estimated cost of US$10 billion, is bound to draw the ire of China if it does progress. In a snub to Beijing’s protests, the U.S. State Department approved a separate sale worth US$2.2 billion to the island earlier this month, comprising 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks and some 250 Stinger missiles, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).

According to U.S.-based Taiwan Security Analysis Center Director Mei Fu-hsing (梅復興), Washington has been earnest in processing the arms package. Officials visited Taiwan in May to discuss details of the request, and Air Force International Affairs (SAF/IA) and DSCA had completed relevant work in June, UDN quoted Mei.

A pragmatic reasoning behind the expedited process would be to accommodate the legislative sessions for respective legislatures, Mei suggests. The Trump Administration will have to notify Congress by July 26, before the House enters recess.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/07/23
By: Emerson Lim

Taipei, July 23 (CNA) Hualien Air Base will be open to the public on the second Sunday in August to demonstrate the capability of Taiwan's air assets and to foster relations between civilians and the military, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Tuesday.

The air base, home to the multirole F-16 Fighting Falcon, will hold its open day events from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 10, the MND said in a press release.

The open day will be held in celebration of the 82nd anniversary of the establishment of the Air Force on Aug. 14, 1937 and also to display its capability and build relations with the public, the ministry said.

The Air Force's Thunder Tiger Aerobatics Team and the main guardians of Taiwan's air space — the F-16s, Mirage 2000s and the IDFs — are expected to perform a series of aerial stunts to show their capabilities.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 23, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA

New Taipei Municipal Banqiao Senior High School male students in skirts and shorts pose for a

photograph on campus in New Taipei City on May 11.

Photo courtesy of the Students Association of New Taipei Municipal Banqiao Senior High School

Male students at New Taipei Municipal Banqiao Senior High School will be allowed to wear skirts to school, starting with the new semester in September, in a bid to promote gender equality, the school’s management said yesterday.

The school board last month scrapped a dress code regulation, which stipulated that male students can only wear trousers to school, student affairs division head Lin San-wei (林三維) said.

The move allows male students to wear skirts to school should they choose to without risking punishment, he said.

Female students can continue to wear skirts or trousers to school, he added.    [FULL  STORY]