Foxconn tycoon says ‘it’s a pity’ referendum results were not considered with new same-sex marriage law

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/05/17
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — When asked to comment on the passage of Taiwan’s landmark

law legalizing same-sex marriage, Foxconn founder and prospective Kuomingtang (KMT) presidential candidate Terry Gou (郭台銘) lamented that the government did not take into account last year’s referendum results.

On Friday (May 17) Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage after 66 of 93 present legislators voted in favor of four key articles guaranteeing same-sex couples the right to marry. When news broke of the law’s passage, Gou, who was on a tour of industries in Hualien’s Shoufeng Township, was asked by reporters what he thought of the new legislation.

Gou gave the following terse reply according to CNA:

“It is a pity that the resulting amendment did not comply with the substance of the referendum, but the Legislative Yuan has its functions and powers. Now that the law has been enacted, we are a country ruled by law, and I respect it.”6

[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/17
By: Stacy Hsu 

Taipei, May 17 (CNA) Taiwan made history Friday as the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, after most lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and a few from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) voted to pass a Cabinet-sponsored bill that gives gay couples the right to get married.

The 27-article bill, titled Enforcement Act of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748, cleared the legislative floor at 3:30 p.m. Friday against the backdrop of loud cheers from tens of thousands of gay marriage supporters gathered outside the Legislative Yuan.

DPP Legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女), a longtime champion of gay rights, expressed gratitude to her colleagues at the Legislature and other same-sex marriage supporters, saying that their efforts have helped “let the rainbow rise.”

The new law will take effect May 24, allowing two persons of the same gender, aged 18 or older, to register a marriage, with at least two witnesses signing the registration document.    [FULL  STORY]

GOOD RAPPORT: FIDH’s leader said that politicians resist change as elections near, but urged people to remember that Taiwan’s ‘very existence is an act of courage’

Taipei Times
Date: May 17, 2019
By: Ann Maxon  /  Staff reporter

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) yesterday said that it would in

October hold its 40th congress in Taipei, the first time the event is to be held in Asia in its nearly 100-year history.

Taiwan has been chosen due to the federation’s long-term rapport with Taiwanese human rights organizations and its concern over marriage equality, FIDH secretary-general Debbie Stothard said.

“When FIDH chooses the location of a congress, in addition to our strong relationship to our members who are in the country — in this case the Taiwan Association for Human Rights [TAHR] — we also consider whether we are here to congratulate the country on their progress on human rights and democracy, or whether we are here to push the state to behave better or to improve their position on human rights and democracy,” she told a news conference.

“We very much hope that Taiwan can create history by passing the marriage equality bill tomorrow [today],” she said, adding that it decided to hold the congress in Taiwan from Oct. 21 to 25 in part due to the LGBT Pride Parade to be held on Oct. 26.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 16 May, 2019
By: Shirley Lin

Economics Minister Shen Jong-chin says the US government’s sweeping ban on

products made by Chinese tech giant Huawei has given Taiwan an opportunity to attract overseas orders.

Shen was speaking Thursday, one day after the US Commerce Department added Huawei and 70 affiliates to its so-called “Entity List”. The move prevents Huawei from buying parts and components from US companies without US government approval.

Shen said there are other core network equipment producers besides Huawei. He said Taiwanese companies that are part of Huawei’s supply chain should take advantage of this opportunity to attract more international buyers for its products.    [FULL  STORY]

Man badly injured by letter bomb in Kaohsiung over NT$10 million debt dispute

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/05/16
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After a businessman was badly wounded by an exploding package in Kaohsiung City on Wednesday (May 15), Kaohsiung police today (May 16) announced the arrest of a man and woman suspected to have plotted the bombing after a debt dispute with the victim, reported CNA.

Gushan District Police said that they believe that the male suspect, surnamed Tai (戴), knew the victim surnamed Feng (馮), who was the owner of a design and engineering company. Police found that the two apparently had a debt dispute over an NT$10 million project.

On Tuesday evening (May 14), the female suspect, surnamed Chung (鍾) allegedly drove Tai to the building where Feng’s company was located on Minkang Street. Surveillance footage showed that Tai then got out of the care and placed a package addressed to Feng in front of his office and left the scene.

The company’s accountant spotted the package and brought it into the office at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning (May 15). At noon that day, Feng was alone in his office when opened the package and it exploded, causing him to suffer extensive injuries.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/16
By: Tang Pei-chun, Huang Ya-shih, Shih Hsiu-chuan and Ko Lin 

Brussels, Rome and Jakarta, May 16 (CNA) Taiwanese in Brussels, Rome and several other European cities, as well as Sydney in Australia took to the streets Thursday to protest Taiwan’s exclusion from the upcoming annual World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva.

Dubbed “Walk with Taiwan” and organized by Taiwan’s representative offices overseas, the events brought together overseas Taiwanese to show support for the country’s participation in the global health organization.

In Brussels, the march drew the participation of about 300 Taiwanese, who waved their national flag and carried banners that read “Support Taiwan, Support Democracy” and “Health for All, Taiwan Can Help.”

Members of the Belgium-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, including Peter Luykx and Georges Dallemagne, also joined the short march from La Monnaie opera house to the Taipei representative office in Square de Meeus.    [FULL  STORY]

GOOD RAPPORT: FIDH’s leader said that politicians resist change as elections near, but urged people to remember that Taiwan’s ‘very existence is an act of courage’

Taipei Times
Date: May 17, 2019
By: Ann Maxon  /  Staff reporter

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) yesterday said that it would in

October hold its 40th congress in Taipei, the first time the event is to be held in Asia in its nearly 100-year history.

Taiwan has been chosen due to the federation’s long-term rapport with Taiwanese human rights organizations and its concern over marriage equality, FIDH secretary-general Debbie Stothard said.

“When FIDH chooses the location of a congress, in addition to our strong relationship to our members who are in the country — in this case the Taiwan Association for Human Rights [TAHR] — we also consider whether we are here to congratulate the country on their progress on human rights and democracy, or whether we are here to push the state to behave better or to improve their position on human rights and democracy,” she told a news conference.

“We very much hope that Taiwan can create history by passing the marriage equality bill tomorrow [today],” she said, adding that it decided to hold the congress in Taiwan from Oct. 21 to 25 in part due to the LGBT Pride Parade to be held on Oct. 26.
[FULL  STORY]

TARIFF EVASION: Local firms have complained that the current fine of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 cannot deter companies from changing their products’ country of origin

Taipei Times
Date: May 16, 2019
By: Lee Hsin-fang and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Executive Yuan today is expected to approve draft amendments to the Foreign Trade

Act (貿易法) aimed at preventing companies from shipping China-made products to Taiwan to receive a “Made in Taiwan” (MIT) certificate of origin, an anonymous source said.

The amendments were published last month by the Bureau of Foreign Trade amid an ongoing US-China trade dispute.

To evade US tariffs on Chinese goods, a number of products from China destined for the US have been found making stopovers in Taiwan to gain an MIT label to conceal their source, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said last month.

Under the amendments, firms found guilty of illegally exporting “strategic high-tech goods” to non-restricted regions, applying and using false certificates of origin, illegally transferring goods, labeling false countries of origin or disturbing trade through undue means would face a fine of NT$60,000 to NT$3 million (US$1,929 to US$96,432), up from NT$30,000 to NT$300,000.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 15 May, 2019
By: Shirley Lin

By 2026, Taiwan will become a super aged society, with at least 20 percent of its population aged 65 or older. The government has been promoting a program called Long-term Care 2.0, but it is also planning to do more.

Taiwan’s society is aging fast. A nationwide long-term care program for the elderly is already in place. But the government plans to inject another US$161 million into building 50 live-in long term care centers over the next four years. That’s to provide for 88 villages and towns around the country that do not yet have long-term care facilities and have only limited resources.    [FULL  STORY]