Landslide caused by heavy rain hems in residents in New Taipei City's Xizhi District

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/06/24
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A landslide brought on by heavy rains over the weekend hemmed in residents of a community in New Taipei City this morning (June 24).

At 8 a.m. this morning as the Central Weather Bureau had issued a heavy rain advisory for 16 counties and cities in Taiwan, a landslide rushed across Xiushan Road before smashing into a nearby apartment building. Xiushan Road immediately became cut off from traffic in both directions.

A resident of the community, Chang Chin-hao (張錦豪), immediately alerted authorities, and the Xizhi District Office also dispatched crews and equipment to clear the road as soon as possible, reported UDN. Chen Chien-min (陳健民), director of the Xizhi District Office, told UDN that the machinery had been urgently dispatched to the scene to clear the road of dirt and rocks.

Initially, residents of the "European Federation" (歐洲聯邦) apartment complex were trapped in their building, completely unable to get out. Because earth and rocks were still falling as crews worked to clear debris, cars were not allowed to pass through.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/06/24
By: Wei Shu and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) EVA Airways announced Monday after a shareholders' meeting that it plans to recruit about 200 flight attendants later this year, including males, for the first time in the company's history.

While all EVA Air's 4,200 flight attendants are currently female, EVA President Clay Sun (孫嘉明) said it will introduce new cabin crew, including foreign and male flight attendants.

There will not be any difference between jobs for male and female flight attendants, and they will be paid at the same rates, Sun said.

The move came against the backdrop of an ongoing EVA Air strike in which some 2,000 flight attendants have participated, leading to cancellations of 911 flights between Monday and Friday.
[FULL  STORY]

‘STUNNING’: The satellite, scheduled for launch at 11:30am in Florida, would be able to collect more accurate worldwide meteorological data, the science minister said

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 25, 2019
By: Chien Hui-ju and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer, in Florida and Taipei

Taiwan would “stun the world” with the precision of weather data collected by the Formosat-7

satellite cluster after it launches this morning, Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) said yesterday.

The satellites, which enter their launch window at 11:30 this morning, are to be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“We are ready to surprise the world with our space technology,” Chen said, speaking to reporters in Florida.

Chen said that he traveled to Florida personally to demonstrate the high level of importance the ministry placed on its cooperation with the US’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Taiwanese scientists would handle the processing of atmospheric data received from the satellite, he said, adding that the quality of Taiwanese space-related research and equipment was the basis for the ongoing close relationship between the ministry and the NOAA.

Formosat-7 would be able to collect more accurate worldwide meteorological data than any other satellite before it, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

Malai Mail
Date: 23 June 2019
By: Jerry Choong

KUANTAN, June 23 — PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang questioned today why some Malaysians opposed Islamic rule when some Eastern countries accepted Western ideas.

“Look at Taiwan and China now. Adam Smith was not Chinese, yet his ideals are easily accepted there.

“Whereas when we as Muslims practise prosperous and mature politics, some disagree with it,” Hadi said in his closing speech at PAS’ 65th Muktamar (annual congress), referring to the 18th century Scottish economist whose free-market ideas formed the basis of modern capitalism.

He also exhorted PAS members to continue their struggle in Islam so that knowledge from the faith remains preserved.

He reminded delegates that PAS, formed by ulama and Islamic teachers, had many members who lived and died for the sake of Islam.    [FULL  STORY]

The Straits Times
Date: June 23, 2019

TAIPEI (XINHUA, DPA) – More than 640 flights will be cancelled from Sunday (June 23) to Friday due to an ongoing union strike against Taiwan's Eva Airways, which is expected to affect over 100,000 passengers, the airline said.

The flight attendants' union announced the strike last Thursday after the two sides failed to agree on a per diem allowance.

As of Saturday, more than 200 flights had been cancelled, with over 40,000 passengers affected.

Eva Air, which is one of Taiwan's two major carriers, has pledged to help arrange flight seats for passengers or help them transfer to flights of other airlines.    [FULL  STORY]

For people who are not good swimmers, playing in the pool under the waterfall is extremely dangerous

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/06/23
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Two college students died after being rushed to local hospitals following a drowning incident inside the pool under Shenshen Waterfall (神山瀑布) in Wutai Township of Taiwan’s southern county of Pingtung on Sunday afternoon (June 23), Central News Agency (CNA)reported.

Wutai Township has the highest mean elevation of any township in Pingtung County.

The county’s Bureau of Fire and Emergency Services said that when the bureau’s emergency responders arrived at the scene, they found friends of the two drowned students were administering CPR on them, but both had lost vital signs, according to CNA. They were sent to Pingtung Christian Hospital and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital for emergency treatment.

Wutai Police Station said the two youths were students of a university, and they went to the waterfall in a group of six. The station added that drowning incidents frequently happen inside the deep pool under Shenshen Waterfall, and for people who are not good swimmers, playing in the water is extremely dangerous.  [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/06/23
By: Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, June 23 (CNA) An ongoing strike by flight attendants of EVA Air will result in the cancelation of 911 flights June 24-28, which will affect more than 100,000 of its passengers who had previous bookings for that period, the Taiwanese carrier said Sunday.

The airline said it will be able to maintain its transportation capacity at about 40 percent over the next five days, but had stopped accepting new bookings since June 21 in order to provide service to the 105,700 customers who had booked flights prior to the June 20 strike to travel in the period June 24-28.

The airline said it will put some of the passengers on its flights that are still in operation and will try to find alternative flights on other airlines for other customers.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said it hoped the matter could be resolved before June 29, when the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union is scheduled to hold a vote on whether to continue the strike.    [FULL  STORY]

‘DEFENSIVE DEMOCRACY’:NPP  Legislator Huang Kuo-chang urged people to stand up to China’s manipulation of the local media regardless of political affiliation or age

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

Tens of thousands of people yesterday rallied in Taipei to protest against media outlets that spread fabricated news for Beijing and called for tighter regulations to counter China’s manipulation of local media.

Demonstrators started arriving on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building as early as 7am, despite the rain, for the protest, which began at 2pm.

The purpose of the rally is to oppose Chinese authoritarianism, said Internet celebrity Holger Chen (陳之漢), who organized the protest with New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌).

China has seriously infiltrated Taiwan’s media and businesses, with CtiTV News (中天新聞) being an obvious example, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

South China Morning Post
Date: 22 Jun, 2019
By: Minnie Chan
       Kristin Huang
       Matt Ho  

• President Tsai Ing-wen’s re-election prospects boosted as Hong Kong protests highlight city’s ties with mainland
• Han Kuo-yu, candidate for Beijing-friendly opposition Kuomintang, says Taiwan will adopt the arrangement ‘over my dead body’

As protesters and police clashed outside Hong Kong’s legislature over the city’s 

extradition bill on Wednesday last week, Taiwan’s pro-independence ruling party was wrapping up its primary poll.

The next day, buoyed by the tensions in Hong Kong, President Tsai Ing-wen, the leader of the self-ruled island, emerged to beat her former premier, William Lai Ching-te, and secure the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) ticket to seek re-election in January.

But it did not stop there – even front-running presidential contenders from the mainland-friendly main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), including former Foxconn chairman Terry Gou and popular Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu, are now telling voters that Hong Kong’s extradition bill proves a 

“one country, two systems”

 for Taiwan similar to the governing formula for Hong Kong would not work for the island.By Saturday, Han had openly criticised the Hong Kong authorities’ handling of the 

controversial legislation

 that would allow the handing over of fugitives to Taiwan as well as to mainland China – a clear shift in position.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan English News
Date: June 22, 2019 
By: Phillip Charlier

Less than two weeks after the first case of fall army worm was detected in Taiwan, the Council of Agriculture (COA) has confirmed a further 150 cases spread widely over the country, and yesterday, June 21, South Korea reported the first confirmed case on Jeju Island.

Statistics released by the Quarantine and Inspection Bureau show that there have been more than 5,000 reports since the first case was confirmed June 10, and a total of 151 confirmed cases as of June 21. Of the confirmed cases, 75 crops were completely destroyed by burying or burning, and 56 treated with pesticides.

Confirmed cases have been found in every county on the main island, and also Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu in the Taiwan Strait. However, the COA emphasized that they were still in the emergency prevention stage, attempting to stop the invasion. As part of the strategy, a NT$10,000 reward is being offered for reports leading to confirmed cases.

Council of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Quarantine and Inspection Bureau.

The COA appealed to farmers to contact the contingency team of the Quarantine Inspection Bureau if they have a suspected case, so that pesticides can by applied under the guidance of experts, urging farmers not to apply pesticides willy-nilly as this may lead to ineffective treatment and pesticide-resistance.    [FULL  STORY]