Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/26
By: Liu Kuan-ting and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, March 26 (CNA) The Legislature on Tuesday passed a law amendment that creates different penalties for motorcyclists and car drivers caught driving under the influence (DUI) and increases fines for drunk driving.

Under the amendment to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act, scooter and motorcycle drivers convicted of first time DUI offenses will be subject to a fine of NT$15,000- NT$90,000 (US$495-US$2,970), while second-time offenders could face a fine of NT$90,000.

In addition, motorists can be fined NT$30,000-NT$120,000 for first-time DUI offenses, while second-time offenders are liable to a fine of NT$120,000.

For third-time offenses, motorcyclists risk a fine of NT$180,000 and motorists NT$210,000, according to the amendment.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 27, 2019
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday urged people to be vigilant of Web sites

established by third parties that offer application services for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

“There is no reason [for us] to work with a third party to apply for ESTA. Frequently, third parties charge extra fees and sometimes do not have the latest information on the regulations,” AIT spokeswoman Amanda Mansour told a news conference outside the institute’s office on Taipei’s Xinyi Road.

The AIT has announced similar warnings several times, but it would continue to remind people of the problem on platforms such as Facebook, Mansour said.

“If it is more than US$14, you are probably in the wrong place,” she said, adding that the correct Web site for ESTA application is at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 25 March, 2019
By: Natalie Tso

A United States navy vessel and a coast guard ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday. The boats were a guided missile destroyer, the USS Curtis Wilbur, and the Coast Guard cutter Bertholf. It was the third time this year that US vessels have passed through the area.

A US military statement said the ships transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrated the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Despite objections from China, the US military has continued to increase its presence in this strategic channel.
[FULL  STORY]

A temporary halt to the demolition of Daguan Community, a military dependents village in New Taipei, has not answered the question of what comes next for its residents.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/03/25
By: Brian Hioe

The scheduled demolition of Daguan Community, a military dependents’ village, was temporarily called to a halt last week following negotiations between Daguan Community residents and government officials.

Daguan Community is a military dependents’ village in New Taipei that was originally slated for demolitions on March 18th. The New Taipei city government gave residents notice to vacate their homes on March 4, leaving residents with less than two weeks to find new residences.

However, Daguan residents have been facing the threat of eviction for over two years, with New Taipei city government officials claiming that Daguan residents are illegally occupying their land and are not the original residents of the military dependents’ village.

Credit: Brian HioeClashes between protesters and police outside the Executive Yuan on Mar. 6, 2019.
Military dependents’ villages are a form of housing community that military veterans that came with the Kuomintang (KMT) to Taiwan with their families were settled in, but many military dependents’ villages are built of ramshackle structures, with many impoverished, elderly, or infirm residents. In the present, the residents of military dependents’ villages may face eviction from developers working with city governments that wish to redevelop the land.    [FULL  STORY]

The boy was playing League of Legends on his 15th birthday

Taiwan News   
Date: 2019/03/25 
By: Duncan Deaeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In Changhua County, on March 23, a young boy, surnamed Cheng (鄭), committed suicide on the evening of his 15th birthday, by jumping from the third floor of his home onto the concrete below.

The third year junior high school student had an argument with his father, who was angered that the boy was playing League of Legends on his computer, rather than studying for an upcoming exam on March 26.

According to reports at around 9:30 p.m., the father berated his son, who was distracted playing the computer game. The father abruptly shut down the computer, which enraged the boy.

The father then left the room, and sometime later, Cheng threw himself from a third story window, resulting in severe head trauma. The father was reportedly unaware of what his son had done for some time after the incident.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/25
By: Wen Kuei-hsiang and Evelyn Kao

Nauru, March 25 (CNA) The Parliament of Nauru passed a resolution Monday, rejecting

Beijing’s “one China” principle and “one country, two systems” framework, during a visit by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

Nauru President Baron Divavesi Waqa read the resolution, stating that members of the parliament rejected the “one China principle” and “one country, two systems” framework and recognized Taiwan as a sovereign and independent nation. Waqa is the first foreign head of state to have publicly expressed opposition in parliament to China’s “one country, two systems” framework.

Tsai flew to Nauru from Palau on Sunday to continue her eight-day visit to three of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific, including the Marshall Islands.

On Monday morning at the Nauru government building complex, Tsai was given a grand welcome, which included a traditional dance by Nauruan students and a police parade.
[FULL STORY]

‘MAGICAL NEEDLE’: The mayor told a Chinese official that the ‘1992 consensus’ helps cross-strait economic, cultural and sports exchanges to run more smoothly

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 26, 2019
By: Ann Maxon and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday reiterated his support for the so-called

“1992 consensus” at a meeting with China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Liu Jieyi (劉結一) in Shenzhen, China.

Although he had expressed his support for the “1992 consensus” prior to last year’s elections, he found it important to reiterate it due to its importance, Han said.

The “1992 consensus” is the “magical needle that stabilizes the sea,” Han told Liu, alluding to a tale in Journey to the West (西遊記).

With the “1992 consensus,” cross-strait relations, be they cultural, economical, sports or other aspects, would run smoothly, he added.    [FULL  STORY]

Military.com
Date: 24 Mar 2019
By: Dimitri Bruyas

Soon after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen admitted to filing an official procurement plan for 66 F-16V to the U.S., President Trump reportedly provided a “tacit approval” to the matter, even though a formal proposal from Department of Defense and Department of State is needed for Congress to make further decisions.

Before the process of the request, the Trump administration is already known for having encouraged Taiwan to buy weapons from the U.S., and the White House so far has refused to comment nor confirm the issue.

China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang criticized the news on March 22, saying that China urged the U.S. to stop the military transaction with Taiwan, which China believes is a breakaway province.

Since Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush last sold 160 F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan in 1992, succeeding U.S. administrations, including former president Obama, have long refused to sell any fighter jets to Taiwan in fear of angering China.    [FULL  STORY]

Heavenly Way Alliance gang boss’ funeral held in Luzhou on Sunday, March 24

Taiwan News   
Date: 2019/03/24 
By: Duncan Deaeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – On Sunday, March 24, a funeral was held in New Taipei’s Luzhou District (蘆洲) for a former boss of the Heavenly Way Alliance organized crime outfit, Hsiao Zehong (蕭澤宏).

To maintain public safety during the event, attended by thousands of mourners, the New Taipei Police Department deployed over 400 officers, to maintain a secure perimeter and monitor the gangland funeral.
With support from multiple police precincts, roads around the venue were cordoned off, with the nearby Luzhou MRT station under lockdown by police officers. The day’s operation was overseen by the New Taipei Police Commissioner Chen Zhaiwen (陳檡文), reports UDN.

Crowd control officers and surveillance divisions using high quality monitoring equipment as well as aerial drones were employed to ensure the event was orderly with no threat of violence.

Officers were also checking IDs at the perimeter and turning away underage gang members, who are represent the highest risk of violence at such events. Any persons displaying gang symbols or carrying banners were also refused entry to the event.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan English News
Date: March 24, 2019 
By: Phillip Charlier

A driver lost control of his vehicle on an elevated expressway in New Taipei City this morning, and his car bounced over the guardrail and landed in a park more than 20 meters below.

At around 6:55am, a 36-year-old man named Chen was weaving between cars at high speed on a curved section of Provincial Highway 65, between Wugu and Banqiao, when he lost control of his Subaru Forester SUV.

The car slid to the right until the tires hit the traffic separator dividing the four car lanes and the motorcycle lane. Upon hitting the traffic divider, the vehicle was sent airborne, hitting a light pole before flying over the guardrail and falling into the riverside park in Xinzhuang District.

The vehicle landed beside a roller-skating rink, but fortunately no people were present at the time.    [FULL  STORY]