Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/30
By: Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh 

Taipei, May 30 (CNA) All of the nation’s most cutting-edge weapons systems were featured in a large-scale joint anti-landing drill in Pingtung County that involved all branches of the military on Thursday as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercises.

The joint air-sea anti-landing drill that simulated an invasion by Chinese military by sea with air support began around 9 a.m. at a seashore military drill ground in the southern county.

In response, Taiwan’s military deployed F-16 fighter jets and Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDFs), Knox-class frigates and the Thunderbolt-2000, a new artillery multiple launch rocket system, to deter the invading force.

AH-1W Cobra attack helicopters and AH-64E Apache helicopters also took part, while, CM11 and CM22 armored vehicles and CM-34 Clouded Leopard eight-wheeled armored vehicles were also deployed.    [FULL  STORY]

WHITE TERROR: The move is aimed at removing the stigma that victims and their families have been carrying, while emphasizing the urgency of transitional justice

Taipei Times
Date: May 31, 2019
By: Chen Yu-fu and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Transitional Justice Commission yesterday overturned the guilty convictions of 2,006

political victims of the White Terror and authoritarian eras, including former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊).

Former Examination Yuan president Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Huang Hsin-chieh (黃信介) and activist Shih Ming-te (施明德) were also part of a fourth group of people to be exonerated by the commission.

Lu, Chen Chu, Yao, Huang and Shih had been on the staff of Formosa Magazine (美麗島).

The list also includes former Free China (自由中國) magazine staff members Lei Chen (雷震), Ma Chih-su (馬之驌), Fu Cheng (傅正) and Liu Tzu-ying (劉子英).    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 29 May, 2019
By: Paula Chao

A Taiwanese study shows that a moderate daily intake of pineapple can help improve “eye floaters”, or spots in one’s vision.

The study by Fooying University Hospital and Tajen University was published in the April edition of the Journal of American Science.

Pineapples are sweet, juicy and delicious! But the mouthwatering fruit also has medicinal effects. A study done by Taiwanese researchers shows that daily intake of 100 to 300 grams of pineapples over a period of three months will help improve “eye floaters”.

Over half of a group of 388 patients who complained of spots in their vision said their problems have gotten less severe after eating one slice of pineapple a day over three months. 62% of those who consumed two slices a day reported an improvement and nearly 70% of those who ate three slices a day said their “eye floaters” have been alleviated.    [FULL  STORY]

CNN
Date: May 29, 2019
By Ben Westcott, CNN

Taipei, Taiwan (CNN)The Chinese government has slammed Washington for engaging with Taipei and ordered the Trump administration to cease diplomatic engagements with the island, after a highly unusual public meeting between top officials from the US and Taiwan.

In May, US national security adviser John Bolton met with one of Taiwan’s top defense officials, National Security Council Secretary-General David Lee, who was visiting the US. Taiwan’s official news agency CNA said it was the first meeting between the top security advisers of both governments since 1979, when Washington severed formal ties with Taipei.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Monday that Beijing “deplored and strongly objected” to the meeting and urged the US to stop “having official exchanges or upgrading substantive relations with Taiwan.”

Taiwan and China were separated at the end of a bloody civil war in 1949 and officially the US only has official diplomatic relations with Beijing.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/29
By: Wang Cheng-chung and William Yen

Taipei, May 29 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) inspected a military drill Wednesday that involved the mobilization of over 200 personnel deployed to sweep out enemy forces airdropped into Taiwan.

The exercise, part of the annual Han Kuang live-fire exercises, was conducted at an army base in Hukou Township, Hsinchu County.

In addition to the 200 Army personnel, the exercise involved Apache attack helicopters and Black Hawk utility helicopters, as well as CM-11 Brave Tiger tanks, according to the Republic of China Army (ROCA).

Tsai was briefed on the details of the exercise as she watched it, which took approximately 20 minutes to complete.    [FULL  STORY]

FACILITATOR: Caucus whip Ker Chien-ming played a key role in the negotiations after he persuaded William Lai that Ko Wen-je should be included in the polls for comparison

Taipei Times
Date: May 30, 2019
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

The mechanisms for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential primary were

settled yesterday, including to conducting public opinion polls on both landlines and mobile phones.

Officials in President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) camp said that the process best reflects the current political situation and would yield the strongest candidate for the party.

After deliberation at a DPP Central Executive Committee meeting, a consensus was reached that the two opinion polls would count for 50 percent each and that they would take place from June 10 to June 14.

Tsai and former premier Willam Lai (賴清德) agreed to hold one televised presentation at a date to be fixed by the party executive, committee members who were at the meeting confirmed.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 29, 2019 
By: Ann Maxon  /  Staff reporter

The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday unveiled a draft act that would require Taiwanese

who take part in activities related to Chinese infiltration to disclose details about their connections in China.

The draft anti-annexation and anti-infiltration act (反境外敵對勢力併吞滲透法) would require all Taiwanese people and organizations that help an enemy state, government or organization infiltrate Taiwan to disclose on a government Web site their relationship with the enemy entity, as well as information about their related activities and finances, NPP Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) told a news conference in Taipei.

Activities that would be considered as providing assistance to an enemy entity include helping it distribute propaganda, develop organizations and recruit members, solicit support for the election or recall of certain candidates or referendum proposals, and acquire key infrastructure or politically sensitive technologies, he said.

Taiwanese people and organizations taking part in the aforementioned activities and failing to disclose such information would be fined between NT$1 million and NT$10 million (US$31,762 and US$317,622), the bill says.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 28 May, 2019
By: Leslie Liao

Four Taiwanese fighter jets successfully took off and landed on sections of National Freeway Number One Tuesday morning. The maneuvers were a part of the 35th Han Kuang military exercise.

An F-16V fighter jet, a Mirage 2000, an Indigenous Defense Fighter, and an E-2K airborne early detection craft all landed on sections of the highway near Changhua County in central Taiwan. The jets then took off in the same order from the improvised runway.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: May 28, 2019

Taiwan is set to feature as one of two theme countries at the Performa 19 Biennial performing arts festival in New York, according to the Ministry of Culture May 24.

Contemporary artworks and the development of performing arts culture in theme nations Taiwan and Sweden will be spotlighted at the Pavilion Without Walls during the Nov. 1-24 event. Four Taiwan artists—Chou Yu-cheng, Huang Po-chih, Su Hui-yu and Yu Cheng-ta—have also been invited to create new art projects at the festival.

Speaking during a meeting with biennial founder Roselee Goldberg May 23 in the U.S., MOC Minister Cheng Li-chiun said that Taiwan’s free and democratic society has nurtured a thriving arts and cultural scene. Performa provides a major international platform for local artists to showcase their talents, she added.

According to Goldberg, her visit to Taiwan last year reshaped her understanding of contemporary art development in Asia. Inviting Taiwan to serve as a theme nation at this year’s event is born of her desire to strengthen cultural exchanges between Taiwan and the U.S., she said.