A daily breakdown of Taiwan’s top stories and why they matter.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/01/14
By: TNL Daily News

Taiwan’s new Executive Yuan lineup was announced on Sunday, a group which will strive to be “in touch with the public” and committed to promoting young politicians, according to Cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka.

Several ministers will retain their posts under new Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), including Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Culture Minister Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發), Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), and minister without portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳).

Minister of Labor Hsu Ming-chun (許銘春) and Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) will also stay on. Former Taipei mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) will become the Minister of Transport and Communications, and Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) will take up his previous post as minister of education, a position that has seen high turnover under President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).    [FULL  STORY]

Tsai Ing-wen calls for the people to defend Taiwan’s democracy

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/01/13
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that now is the most crucial point for Taiwan, noting cross-strait tensions and concerns surrounding African swine fever, during a speech in Taipei on Jan. 13.

Tsai called on the people to defend Taiwan and its democracy, adding that she is confident that 2019 will create a better future for Taiwan.

Tsai made the comments during a lunch held in Taipei City put on by a volunteer supporter group.

During her speech, Tsai suggested that her Democratic Progressive Party lost the battle of the nine-in-one local elections late last year, but they had not lost the war. Tsai went on to say that the new cabinet will be formally established on Jan. 14.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/01/13
By Matt Yu, Phoenix Hsu, Sabine Cheng,
Wen Kuei-hsiang, Yeh Su-ping and
William Yen

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) The Executive Yuan confirmed Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) will remain in her position in the new Cabinet, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka announced on Sunday.

Kolas made the announcement at a press conference that also confirmed the heads of other ministries.

In a Facebook post, Cheng said she had decided to remain after a series of telephone conversations with Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) who praised her work.

Cheng had announced in a Facebook post Friday that she planned to step down following the collective resignation of former Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and his Cabinet.
[FULL  STORY]

NO TIME TO WASTE: Several key ministers would stay on, as premier-designate Su Tseng-chang felt that this would help them push government policy forward faster

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 14, 2019
By: Chen Yu-fu and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The guiding principles behind premier-designate Su Tseng-chang’s (蘇貞昌) Cabinet would

be “immediately capable, in touch with the public, communicate well and promote young politicians,” Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said yesterday.

Kolas made the remarks at a news conference with incoming Executive Yuan secretary-general Li Meng-yen (李孟諺) to announce the new Cabinet lineup.

Kolas would remain in her position, as Su has asked her to stay, she added.

Several key ministers would stay on in their current roles, incoming Executive Yuan secretary-general Li said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan English News
Date: January 12, 2019
By: Phillip Charlier

Two men were arrested today after an attempted armed robbery of a taxi driver in Shuangxi District, New Taipei City in the early hours of the morning.

Two unemployed residents of the rural Ruifang and Shuangxi districts, a 25-year-old man named Huang, and a 27-year-old named Lin, hatched a plan to obtain some money to tide them over the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays.

At around midnight last night, Huang hailed a taxi at the Ruifang train station and asked the driver to take him to a location in Shuangxi District. Lin followed the taxi on a scooter on which the pair planned to make a getaway after the robbery.

While traveling on a remote mountain road with little traffic, Huang told the driver that he had an urgent need to urinate, and asked him to pull over. When the driver complied, Huang pulled a combat knife, put it to the driver’s neck, and demanded he hand over the money.    [FULL  STORY]

Prosecutors could charge driver with negligent homicide: reports

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/01/12
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A seven-year-old girl died after she fell off a forklift truck in Taichung Saturday.

A woman named Lin (林), 59, had taken her two granddaughters to visit a family friend, Hsu (許), 64, in the central Taiwanese city’s Taiping District, the Liberty Times reported.

The man invited the two girls to sit or stand with his grandson on the forks of the forklift truck while he took them for a ride around the area, reports said.

However, one girl fell off and was seriously injured when the vehicle hit her. She was taken to the closest hospital, which decided to have her transferred by ambulance to a major hospital. Due to excessive loss of blood, doctors were unable to save her and she was pronounced dead at 2:12 p.m., the Central News Agency reported.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/01/12
By: Ku Chuan, William Yen, Elizabeth Hsu and Frances Huang

Taipei, Jan. 12 (CNA) Incoming Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) will officially name Acting Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) to head the agency after he takes office next week, senior political sources said Saturday.

In addition, Su is expected to promote incumbent Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Deputy Minister Chang Tzi-chin (張子敬) to EPA minister, the sources said.

Su asked several current Cabinet members to be part of his team Saturday after being named by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Friday following the collective resignation of outgoing premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and his Cabinet, the sources added.

Chen is an experienced academic and an agriculture specialist cultivated by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) over many years.    [FULL  STORY]

QUARANTINE CHECKS: The crew might not be fined for storing the pork, because they were not attempting to smuggle it into Taiwan, the COA said

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 13, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

Coast guard personnel yesterday confiscated raw pork from a Chinese ship in the nation’s

contiguous zone near Penghu County, officials said.

The oil supply vessel was detected in waters about 20 nautical miles (37km) southwest of the county’s Cimei Township (七美) and increased speed after a coast guard patrol broadcast several warnings, the Coast Guard Administration said in a news release.

Coast guard personnel intercepted and boarded the ship, finding 10kg of raw pork packed in its onboard refrigerator, Fleet Branch official Chan Wen-chung (詹文中) said by telephone, adding that the ship’s crew claimed the pork was for their own consumption.

The pork was transferred to Council of Agriculture (COA) officials for disposal, and the coast guard took the six crew members to Magong City (馬公) for further questioning to determine whether they contravened the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), Chan added.
[FULL  STORY]

KMT Legislator Jason Hsu said government inaction could lead to Taiwan’s ‘next major scandal.’

The News Lens
Date: 2019/01/11
By: Michael Garber 

On Thursday, Jan. 10, in front of assembled media, the director of Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency (FA) and a Ministry of Labor (MOL) official sustained an hour-long barrage of criticism of their departments’ performance by legislators and labor representatives, who once again accused the FA and MOL of not doing enough to protect the human rights of foreign migrant fishermen aboard Taiwan’s fishing fleet.

In a press conference convened by Kuomintang (KMT) legislator Jason Hsu (許毓仁), he described a dire lack of respect for the human rights of migrant fishermen aboard Taiwan-flagged fishing boats. This has been highlighted by the U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report for Taiwan in each of the five years from 2014 to 2018, which have highlighted ongoing work abuse and debt bondage in Taiwan’s fishing industry, along with recent European Union criticisms of Taiwan’s inaction in combating illegal fishing. Taiwan has also been criticized for insufficient anti-money laundering practices by the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG).

The press conference comes one month after London-based NGO Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) released a video revealing alleged shark finning and killing of whales, turtles and dolphins on board several Taiwanese-flagged and owned vessels on the high seas. At the time, the FA said it had commenced an investigation into the blood-curdling allegations, substantiated by photos and videos provided by former crew members.
[FULL  STORY]

Convicted ‘pretty boy’ sex offender captured northeastern Taiwan’s Yilan County after fleeing 300km

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/01/11
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A convicted sex offender, who preys on teen girls by disguising himself to look like an effeminate Kpop idol, was captured today in northeast Taiwan after breaking his ankle monitor and fleeing 300 kilometers on Thursday (Jan. 10).

25-year-old Pan Chun-hao (潘俊皓), who had been under a strict curfew since being convicted of the statutory rape of a minor, on Thursday broke his ankle monitor and fled his residence in eastern Taitung County. Today, Pan was arrested after the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) placed a warrant for his arrest and released his full name and appearance, including hexagonal star on his left forearm.

Early last year, Pan was sentenced to six months imprisonment for having sexual intercourse with a minor under the age of 14. Due a prior record of other criminal acts such as theft and intimidation, when was released on parole on June 26 of last year, he was placed under a curfew which only allowed him to leave his home from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, and required him to wear an ankle monitor at all times.

However, at 4 p.m. on Thursday, the Taitung Prosecutor’s Office found that his ankle monitor was functioning abnormally. When police tried to track down the location of the device, they finally discovered that it had been destroyed and discarded near Dafu Railway Station in Hualien County’s Fenglin Township, reported ETtoday.    [FULL  STORY]