Sudden rockfall likely consequence of rain

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/07/20
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

A young truck driver died Saturday (July 20) after rocks hit his vehicle (photo courtesy of Taichung Fire Department). (By Central News Agency)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A 25-year-old truck driver died after falling rocks hit his vehicle on a road in Central Taiwan Saturday (July 20).

The man, surnamed Lee (李), had gone to work in the Taichung City area of Deji during the morning, the Ministry of Transportation said. On his way home, shortly before noon, a completely unexpected rockfall surprised him, with a large chunk denting the truck cabin and killing him, the Central News Agency reported.

Rescue workers arrived at the scene half an hour later but were unable to help him. An initial survey suggested the rockfall was the consequence of persistent rain in the area.

The driver’s death led to the closure of the road during the noon period, while a further investigation was needed before a decision to reopen it for the evening could be reached, reports said.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/07/20
By: Stacy Hsu, Wen Kuei-hsiang and Lin Hung-han

Denver, July 19 (CNA) American Senator Cory Gardner on Friday urged the United States to stand

with Taiwan, which he said is facing growing threats, a6nd he touted the ties between the two democracies as stronger than ever.

Gardner, who represents Colorado, made the remarks before joining Colorado Governor Jared Polis and about 700 Taiwanese expatriates in attending a banquet held to welcome President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

"We can look no further than Hong Kong to see the threats that Taiwan faces and the challenges that Taiwan faces. That is why it is more important than ever that we stand with Taiwan," said Gardner, who chairs the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.

He was referring to the situation in Hong Kong where protests have erupted in recent months since the government put forward a controversial extradition bill that would have allowed authorities there to extradite crime suspects not just to Taiwan and Macau, but also China, where the legal system is seen as capricious at best.    [FULL  STORY]

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES? Hong Kongers seeking to extend their stay in Taiwan have encountered hurdles, while inquiries about residency have been increasing

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 20, 2019
By: Chung Li-hua  /  Staff reporter, with CNA and Bloomberg

Taiwan would handle the issue of Hong Kong residents arriving in the nation to seek political asylum

“appropriately based on humanitarian considerations,” President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said.

Tsai, who is on a state visit to Taiwan’s Caribbean allies, made the remark when asked about a report by Radio Free Asia on Thursday that about 10 Hong Kong protesters have arrived in Taiwan to seek political asylum since the storming of the Hong Kong Legislative Council building on July 1 following a series of demonstrations against a bill that would allow people to be extradited to China.

The individuals have been given shelter by non-governmental organizations, the report said.

A Taiwanese lawyer who helps Hong Kong residents come to Taiwan told the broadcaster that they have encountered technical difficulties when seeking to extend their stay in the nation.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 19 July, 2019
By: Leslie Liao

Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration will begin using aerial drones to assess beach litter as early as next year. Environmental sanitation head Tsai Lin-yi says that the administration has begun trial assessments.

The decision to use drones comes in response to a survey conducted by Greenpeace and the Society of Wilderness that was released earlier this month. A total of 13 beaches in Taiwan have been classified as heavily polluted. The Cabinet has already called on relevant agencies to begin clean-up procedures as soon as September.    [FULL  STORY]

More than 30 protesters arrive in Taiwan to seek shelter from prosecution

The Guardian
Date: 19 Jul 2019
By: Agence France-Presse

Taiwan’s government has said it will provide assistance to Hong Kongprotesters seeking sanctuary, after local media reported dozens of activists involved in an unprecedented storming of the city’s parliament had fled to the island.

The pledge risks infuriating Beijing but comes as Taiwan gears up for a presidential election where a dominating issue will be relations with the mainland – which regards the self-ruled island as its own territory and has vowed to seize it.

More than 30 Hongkongers who fear prosecution for their involvement in the ransacking of the finance hub’s legislature on 1 July have arrived in Taiwan to seek shelter, Taiwan’s Apple Daily said, citing unnamed sources.

The report said the activists were staying in various locations and that some were receiving assistance from local NGOs.    [FULL  STORY]

Poll also finds resistance against fake news

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/07/19
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – More than 65 percent of Taiwanese say they are willing to fight to defend the country’s democratic system against military force by China, according to an opinion poll released Friday (July 19).

The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy commissioned the survey from the Election Study Center at National Chengchi University. The annual poll about democratic values has been conducted since 2011, but for the first time it also included questions about fake news, the Central News Agency reported.

Turning to the willingness of people to defend democracy against the use of force by China, 36.3 percent of respondents said they were “very prepared” to fight in order to defend Taiwan, with 31.9 percent saying they were “prepared.” Only 10.2 percent said they were not willing and another 10.3 percent completely unwilling to fight.

Compared to the previous annual survey, the number of people willing to fight had risen, while the number of those not prepared had dropped slightly.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/07/19
By: Wen Kuei-hsiang and Chung Yu-chen

Castries, St. Lucia, July 18 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) addressed the Parliament of St.

Lucia Thursday, touting the mutual benefits of bilateral cooperation and saying there is no concern Taiwanese loans could ever become debt traps.

While project loans will come from Taiwanese banks, Tsai said, the work will be contracted out to Saint Lucia's companies through Taiwan's Overseas Engineering and Construction Company, meaning Taiwan will hire local workers.

"This model of cooperation ensures that both our peoples can participate and reap the benefits. There will be no issue of 'debt traps,' unlike some other cooperation models," she said, adding that she believes in mutually beneficial projects rooted in strong communication and collaboration.

Tsai's comment came in the wake of accusations in the West that China is using its Belt and Road Initiative (B.R.I.) to exert control over and trap countries that join the transnational infrastructure investment scheme into debt.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan Internatinal
Date: 18 July, 2019
By: Paula Chao

It’s official! The controversial populist mayor of Kaohsiung, Han Kuo-yu, will face off against incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan’s 2020 presidential elections. The main opposition party — the Kuomintang (KMT) — made the announcement on Monday following nation-wide telephone polls.  

The news came during President Tsai’s four-country tour of the Caribbean, which is set to draw to a close on July 22. 

In this week’s Taiwan Insider, Natalie Tso and Andrew Ryan delve into the latest stories involving these two top candidates. We hear from two political analysts about Han’s popular appeal. In Taiwan Explained, Natalie also gives a 60-second intro to US transit stops by Taiwan’s presidents, and why they are significant.      [FULL  STORY]

Facebook is on the cusp of launching its cryptocurrency Libra, and Taiwan should prepare for it.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/07/18
By: Hsin Hsiao

“Hey, I will messenger you 20 Libras for the dinner” may very soon be what people say after meals in the near future.

Libra, the latest cryptocurrency to be released by Facebook, is under intense scrutiny on its potential to become a worthy challenger of sovereign currencies like the US Dollar or British Pound.

In the latest US Congress hearing, Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio slammed Facebook for its “breathtaking arrogance” in attempting to launch Libra after multiple privacy breaches last year.

​​Ever since the rise of Bitcoin, new crypto coins seem to come into the market every year, why the fuss about Libra?    [FULL  STORY]

Southwest and Southeast Taiwan face torrential rain until SaturdayTaiwan News
Date: 2019/07/18
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Even though Tropical Storm Danas left Taiwan relatively unscathed and sea alerts were lifted early Thursday (July 18) evening, especially southern parts of the island should still expect heavy rain before Saturday (July 20).

The Central Weather Bureau scrapped the last sea alerts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, predicting the storm was setting course for the island of Okinawa in South Japan.

A low pressure area west of the Philippines was unlikely to strengthen into a tropical storm, but it was still strong enough to bring torrential rain to southwestern and southeastern parts of Taiwan, according to the Central News Agency.    [FULL  STORY]