PUNISHMENT? Several DPP members attended the rally despite the party’s ban, but DPP leadership said they would not be punished, because they are not candidates

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 21, 2018
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

Under the Formosa Alliance’s rallying call, tens of thousands of people yesterday

gathered in front of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) headquarters in Taipei, demanding an amendment to the Referendum Act (公民投票法) to allow for a poll promoting Taiwanese independence and rejecting Chinese annexation.

Amendments to the act promulgated in January have lowered the thresholds for proposing and passing referendums, but proposals about changing the national territory, flag and name are still not allowed.

Shouting slogans such as “Taiwan yes, China no” and “[we] want a referendum,” nearly 130,000 people rallied outside the DPP’s headquarters, according to the alliance’s estimate at 3:30pm.

“We should tell the world that we want to establish an independent country,” alliance convener and Formosa TV (民視) chairman Kuo Bei-hung (郭倍宏) said, encouraging people to press the ruling party to amend the law again.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-10-19

President Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan is able to have a positive impact on the international

community. Tsai was speaking Friday while receiving participants in two youth ambassador programs organized by the government.

In her remarks, Tsai shared her thoughts on Taiwan’s position in the world. She said Taiwan is often compared with large countries nearby. But she said that on her trips abroad since taking office, she has found that Taiwan is a capable country by global standards.

Tsai also said she has found that Taiwan is able to contribute to the world. She said that the country’s experience is worth considering, whether in terms of its path to democracy or its road to economic development.

Tsai said Taiwan is a world-class competitor in fields such as agriculture, education, medicine, and technology. She said every time she meets with Taiwan’s medical and technical aid teams abroad, she sees that Taiwan can make the world a better place.
[SOURCE]

A new board game allows students to experience the difficult life choices and hardships of Taiwan’s migrant workers.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/10/19
By: 1095 Culture Studio

Migrant Worker Life is a board game designed for Taiwanese people who want to know more about the country’s 680,000-strong foreign workforce.

The role-playing game allows participants to step into the shoes of a real migrant worker and follow their story, from leaving home, adapting to their new working environment, facing cultural conflicts, and potentially enduring unpleasant labor disputes.

The game’s creators say they want to help people understand and empathize with migrant workers as many Taiwanese are not aware of the full spectrum of issues they face.
[FULL  STORY]

Father claims the girls are Math geniuses studying in Australia

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/10/19
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A pair of sisters aged 7 and 9 from Taiwan were found wandering the streets of Australia with bruises all over their bodies last Saturday (Oct. 13), prompting local police to launch an investigation into suspected abuse and human trafficking involved in the case.

According to local media, the unaccompanied kids were spotted in front of a residential building by police officers on patrol and were taken into care, and Taiwan’s authorities have been contacted for assistance, reported Apple Daily.

The sisters have been identified as the children of a male New Taipei City resident, who works as a Math teacher, said Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau. According to their father, the girls have shown extraordinary talent in mathematics and physics and were sent to Australia for study under the care of his friends.

The cuts and bruises they sustained could be a result of sports activity, the teacher claimed, adding that rock climbing could be the cause. They will be sent home for further investigations, wrote the report.    [SOURCE]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/19
By: Yu Hsiao-han and Chi Jo-yao

Taipei, Oct. 19 (CNA) The annual gay pride parade organized by Taiwan LGBT Pride is scheduled to be held in Taipei on Oct. 27, and will focus on promoting two referendums on amending Civil Code marriage regulations and the Gender Equity Education Act.

The parade, which is based on the theme “Tell Your Story, Vote for Equality,” will kick off in the afternoon in front of the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard, according to Taiwan LGBT Pride.

Although the number of people participating in the parade has increased every year, the march will remain the same as the previous ones with nine groups divided into three main parade routes, the organization said.

To showcase the social and cultural diversity of the nation, Taiwan LGBT called on everyone in the LGBTIQA community to take part in the parade and vote for the referendums it initiated which will be held alongside local elections on Nov. 24.
[FULL  STORY]

INDUSTRIAL CREDITS: Creation of a sustainment center would make Taiwan the go-to for F-16 maintenance in the region and help its indigenous jet-building efforts

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 20, 2018
By: Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Taiwan and the US have agreed to prioritize the development of indigenous depot-level

maintenance and repairs for Lockheed Martin F-16s, a defense official said yesterday.

The program aims to make the nation self-sufficient in meeting the F-16Vs’ maintenance needs, as opposed to shipping the jets to the US for major repairs, said the official, who declined to be named.

Another benefit of the program is to make Taiwan the maintenance center for the F-16 family of jets in the Asia-Pacific region, the official said.

The government has so far allocated NT$110 billion (US$3.55 billion) to upgrade the air force’s F-16A/Bs to F-16V standard, for which the US is to give Taiwan an US$800 million industrial cooperation credit, the official said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-10-18

The Ministry of Labor has found a clear correlation between an employee’s number of overtime hours per month and the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Overworking is a highly contentious issue in Taiwan: there have been frequent protests from workers of different sectors against the high number of overtime hours and the removal of their holidays. There have also been fatal accidents caused by exhausted professional drivers and medical staff who couldn’t stay alert due to long hours.

Working a long number of hours also has increased health risks. The latest findings from the labor ministry shows that most employees who suffered from cardiovascular diseases have worked more than 100 overtime hours in the month leading to the disease, or more than 80 overtime hours within six months before the disease.

A doctor says that a person’s neural system stays constantly active during work. That in turn adds pressure to the heart and other organs. Prolonged pressure, the doctor says, leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.    [FULL  STORY]

Bloomberg
Date: October 18, 2018
By: Samson Ellis  and Miaojung Lin

Taiwan must focus on making itself more valuable to President Donald Trump and accept

its status as a pawn in the great power game between the U.S. and China, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said.

The outspoken former surgeon and potential presidential contender told Bloomberg News that Taiwan shouldn’t overestimate the U.S.’s willingness to defend the island from an attack by its much bigger neighbor. Ko, 59, said Taiwan needed to boost its worth to America by strengthening shared values, such as democracy and economic transparency.

“Taiwan is just a product on a shelf,” Ko said Wednesday at Taipei City Hall. “We have to have a very clear understanding of ourselves.”

Such blunt assessments have helped make Ko one of Taiwan’s most popular politicians since winning election as the capital city’s mayor as an independent in 2014. Should he secure a second term in local elections Nov. 24, he’s considered a strong contender for president, something he repeatedly declined to rule out.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he said.

Ko attributed his political success to offering an alternative to the two factions who have long dominated local politics: the Kuomintang, which sees itself as the rightful ruler of a unified China, and the Democratic Progressive Party, which aspires to independence. He’s also shaken up city policies, suspending work on a 40,000-seat arena intended for last year’s University Games.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council confirms Chinese asylum seeking pair will not be sent back to China, irrespective of asylum application

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/10/18
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) spokesperson

confirmed that Taiwan will not deport the pair of Chinese asylum seekers who arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on Sept. 27, reported CNA.

The MAC said the Taiwan government will ensure that the Chinese pair will be safe during their time in Taiwan, and that their cases will be heard according to Taiwan’s law, previous asylum claims in Taiwan, and international norms.

Two Chinese nationals, Yan Kefen (顏克芬) and Liu Xinglian (劉興聯), were meant to transfer through Taoyuan International Airport en route to Beijing, but instead sought political asylum in Taiwan. The pair are said to hold a “UN Refugee Certificate” and claim that they were persecuted by Chinese authorities.

It was reported last week that the MAC gave assurances to people linked to the pair that they would not be sent to China, irrespective of the outcome of their application.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/18
By: Chiang Chin-yeh and Ko Lin

Washington, Oct. 18 (CNA) A report released Wednesday by the U.S.-China Economic

and Security Review Commission (USCC) suggests that China’s increasing engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is part of a tactic to diplomatically isolate Taiwan.

The report, titled “China’s Engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean,” describes how the country has ramped up its efforts in recent years to strengthen diplomatic, political and security cooperation with the region.

In addition to securing its own economic interests, such as gaining access to the region’s abundant natural resources and consumer markets, China’s efforts in the region include attempts to reduce the influence of the United States, the report said.

According to the USCC report, such efforts have also been aimed at Taiwan, as part of China’s strategy to convince the nine LAC countries — Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Paraguay — to cut diplomatic ties with Taipei and officially endorse Beijing’s “one China principle.”    [FULL  STORY]