‘INDISPENSABLE PARTNER’: Taipei has been endeavoring to work with the US and other nations to protect values shared internationally, President Tsai Ing-wen said

Taipei Times
Date: May 02, 2019
By: Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff writer, with CNA

The US Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed Concurrent Resolution 13 reaffirming the

US’ commitment to Taiwan and to the implementation of its Taiwan Relations Act (TRA).

The US House of Representatives version of the resolution was passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on April 9.

The resolution was introduced on April 4 by US Senator Cory Gardner, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy.

It was cosponsored by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James Inhofe and US senators Robert Menendez and Edward Markey, among others.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 01, 2019
By: Chen Yun and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Civil Human Rights Association yesterday said that it would launch a petition for a

referendum to deny parole to those who are serving a life sentence for abusing infants or children to death.

Association founder Ken Chang (張凱鈞) told a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei that there is a lack of administrative and legislative action to counter the increasing number of child abuse cases, adding that known cases of might only be the tip of the iceberg.

The association proposed offering subsidies to whistle-blowers and increasing the number of volunteer workers.

Abusing children to death is considered manslaughter, Taiwan Children’s Rights director-general Wang Wei-chun (王薇君) said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 30 April, 2019
By: Shirley Lin
Twice each year, Manhattan sees a phenomenon called the Manhattan Solstice or Manhattanhenge. During these events, the setting sun aligns with the street grid, and sunset takes place between rows of buildings. A similar phenomenon, dubbed “Taipeihenge” has also begun to attract notice in Taipei. Residents looking to see “Taipeihenge” soon are in luck.

For five days, people in Taipei will be able to witness “Taipeihenge”, when the path of the setting sun lines up perfectly with east-west streets in the city.    [FULL  STORY]

The National Committee on American Foreign Policy concluded the risk of conflict for the 2020 presidential election means all sides should `exercise restraint’

Taiwan News 
Date: 2019/04/30
By: Ryan Drillsma, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A United States think tank has suggested Taiwan, China and the U.S. adopt “zero accident” policies to prevent conflict over the next two years.

The National Committee on American Foreign Policy, a New York-based non-partisan advisory organization, held a dialogue entitled Cross-Taiwan Strait Relations: Managing Triangular Dynamics on April 3-4. The forum concluded the risk of conflict across the Taiwan Strait will escalate in the run up to the 2020 Taiwan and U.S. presidential elections, therefore all parties should “exercise restraint” and “avoid surprises.”

Around 30 scholars and former government officials from Taiwan, China and the U.S. were invited to attend the closed-door meeting headed by Brookings Institute fellow Ryan Hass. Attendees included American Institute in Taiwan Chairman James Moriarty, the institute’s former chairman Raymond Burghardt, and Justin Yifu Lin, an economist who defected from Taiwan to China in the 1970s.

The report stated the U.S. representatives said the next two years will be particularly sensitive, and all parties should exercise restraint and find common understanding. Taiwan should refrain from enacting new laws or initiating referendums likely to provoke China, it said, and China should refrain from diplomatic, economic and military oppression of Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/30
By: Yeh Su-ping, Liao Yu-yang and Chung Yu-chen

Taipei, April 30 (CNA) The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) proposed on Tuesday to

hold a presidential primary in late May if efforts to forge a consensus between the two main contenders falls through.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who led her party to a major defeat in local elections in 2018 and has fared poorly in polls against potential opponents in the 2020 presidential election, is facing a serious challenge for the DPP’s nomination from former Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德).

The party had originally planned to hold a primary between the two in mid-April but pushed it back into May to leave more time to find a solution that avoids a fierce internal primary battle.

Under the proposal, if no solution is found by May 22, Tsai and Lai will hold policy presentation forums from May 24 to 26, followed by a primary consisting of one or more public opinion polls held from May 27 to 31.    [FULL  STORY]

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

A well-known Hong Kong bookstore founder, Lam Wing-kee, says his saga can serve as

an example for Taiwan. His comments came Monday in an exclusive interview with RTI.

Lam’s bookshop in Hong Kong, Causeway Bay Books, is best known for selling publications banned in China. He was arrested after crossing the Hong Kong border into Shenzhen, China, in October, 2015. Chinese authorities detained Lam for nearly eight months before his release in 2016. Lam remains a wanted person for “selling books illegally.”

Authorities in Hong Kong have proposed changes to extradition laws that could allow for the transfer of suspects to mainland China for trial. Concerned about his personal freedom, Lam traveled to Taiwan last Thursday. He has been granted a one month stay.

If Hong Kong passes changes to its extradition laws, Lam says that could pave the way for the arbitrary extradition to China of Hong Kong residents and foreign nationals who are on the wanted list. He says his own experience should serve as an example for Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2019/04/29
By: Nick Aspinwall

A delegation of Taiwanese indigenous peoples recently traveled to the Philippines, where they joined in the growing indigenous opposition to a China-funded irrigation project.

Election season is in full throttle in the Philippines, and Tabuk, the capital of the mountainous northern province of Kalinga, has fully embraced the tarpaulin-dotted fervor enveloping the archipelago at large as local and parliamentary candidates brave the brutal heat in their quests for votes. This year, electoral madness served as the backdrop to Cordillera Day, an annual celebration held on April 24 by the local Igorot, a catch-all term encompassing the handful of indigenous tribes which make up about two-thirds of Kalinga’s population.

Cordillera, a region consisting of Kalinga and five neighboring provinces, is known for its sprawling and lush mountain vistas dotted with tracts of farmland from which many of the region’s residents make a living. It is also known for a culture of fierce indigenous-led opposition to efforts by outsiders to develop the land – and as of late, Tabuk has become a hub for the fight against the China-funded Chico River pump irrigation project. Residents of Tabuk, neighboring Pinukpuk, and surrounding villages fear the project will disrupt their ways of life and say they were not properly consulted before a controversial loan agreement was inked by the Chinese and Philippine governments.

Taiwan’s indigenous population understands the bad blood towards Beijing. In January, 31 indigenous representatives signed an open letter to Chinese leader Xi Jinping decrying his Jan. 2 speech on Taiwan, in which he called unification between China and Taiwan “inevitable.” At this year’s Cordillera Day, mutual enmity towards the Chinese government became common ground for the Igorot attendees, who traveled to Tabuk from throughout the region, and a delegation of Taiwanese indigenous peoples visiting on a trip organized by the Hunter School, founded in 2005 by Paiwan writer and hunter Ahronglong Sakinu to educate young people about Paiwan culture.    [FULL  STORY]

Prague mayor looking to send Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to Taipei instead of China after China cancels shows

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/04/29
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to news that China has canceled a China tour of the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra in retaliation for refusing to exclude a Taiwanese diplomat, the Czech city’s mayor suggests that the orchestra play in Taipei instead.

Since becoming Mayor of Prague, Zdenek Hrib has been a thorn in the side of the authoritarian communist regime in China as he openly opposes the “one China” clause in the sister city agreement signed by Prague and Beijing, welcomes dissidents from Tibet, and has met with Taiwanese leaders, including President Tsai Ing-wen last month.

After refusing to exclude a Taiwanese diplomat from a meeting held by the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Industry in March, China’s Ministry of Culture announced that it will be canceling several scheduled trips to China by Czech cultural organizations, including the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, reported the Prague Daily Monitor. The orchestra had originally been scheduled to perform in Chinese cities in September and October of this year.

In response, Hrib, who first came to Taiwan as an exchange student, praised the Philharmonic for standing up to pressure from China and not renouncing their city, reported Blesk. He said that the shows could be scheduled with partner cities other countries, including Taipei.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/29
By: Matt Yu and Chung Yu-chen

Taipei, April 29 (CNA) Two American vessels sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) on, an unprecedented move used to highlight the international nature of the strait’s waters, a military expert said Monday.

Lu Li-shih (呂禮詩), a retired lieutenant commander of Taiwan’s Navy, told CNA that Sunday’s passage was different from others because the two vessels turned on their AIS, allowing them to be monitored on the app MarineTraffic, which displays near real-time positions of ships and yachts worldwide.

According to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, it is not mandatory for vessels used for official and military purposes to have their AIS in operation at all times, Lu said.

In the past, the United States only disclosed passages through the Taiwan Strait in a press release, Lu said.    [FULL  STORY]