We talk to a Taiwan drag icon about 15 years at the heart of a vibrant scene, LGBT rights, performing with Jolin Tsai, and spreading the word to the next generation.

The news Lens
Date: 2018/09/30
By: Cat Thomas

The drag scene in Taiwan has exploded in recent years with international drag stars regularly being invited to perform. A myriad local performers can also be found gracing the stage at various venues across Taipei and other cities. The News Lens caught up with Magnolia La Manga, or Mags as she is affectionately known, who has been performing drag for 15 years in Taipei. No stranger to stardom herself, Mags, who is a youthful 39 – or possibly 29 depending on who is asking – has recently featured in the Netflix drama “A Taiwanese Tale of Two Cities”, appeared alongside Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) at the 25th Golden Melody awards and in her “PLAY” music video.

She’s also been involved organizing in a series of educational lectures entitled “What is Drag?” in co-operation with National Taiwan University (NTU)’s gay society, which aim to move the conversation on drag outside of the club and pub environment. A longtime advocate for LGBT rights and active fundraiser for several charities, Mags reflects on how the drag scene has changed and on living in Taiwan at a pivotal time for human rights as marriage equality beckons on the horizon.    [FULL  STORY]

Taichung police answered a call for help and sped a man with severed fingers to a local hospital, where the fingers were later successfully reattached

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/09/30
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taichung police answered a call for help two weeks ago

and sped a man with severed fingers to a local hospital, where the fingers were later successfully reattached, according to a Taichung City Police Department news release on Sep 28.

The release said that the 32-year-old man surnamed Chu was operating a mushroom packaging machine at his home in Xinshe District on Sep 16 when his right middle finger and forefinger were caught in the machine and accidently severed.

In a flurry of shock and worry, Chu’s family forgot to call an ambulance. Instead of an ambulance, Chu’s brother used his own car in an attempt to rush Chu to a major hospital in downtown Taichung for treatment, the police department said.

However, the brother’s car was caught in stop-and-go holiday traffic and the many traffic lights in the Dakeng Scenic Area while time was ticking away.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/09/30
By: Wu Rui-chi and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Sept. 30 (CNA) Two Chinese nationals applied for political asylum from

Taiwan upon their arrival on a transit stop at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport four days ago, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said Sunday.

While awaiting fact-checking and instructions by the relevant authorities for handling the case, the NIA said it is keeping the two men at the airport for the time being because they do not have any legal documents allowing them to enter Taiwan.

The agency did not give any details about the identities of the asylum seekers, citing privacy protection, but said they were found at one of the airport’s terminal buildings, where they asked for political protection from prosecution in China.

Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), the top government body responsible for mainland affairs, said the two men, both of whom were traveling on valid Chinese passports, made the transit stop in Taiwan on Thursday, en route from Thailand to China.    [FULL  STORY]

CRITICIZED: Government agencies taking part in an NSC exercise had no idea what resources were available to them and where to find them, a government official said

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 01, 2018
By: Lo Tien-pin  /  Staff reporter

A four-day drill conducted last month by the National Security Council (NSC) to test

the government’s ability to respond to national security emergencies exposed various problems, and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has called for improvements, a senior government official said yesterday.

The drill, which took place from Sept. 8 to 11, caught many government agencies off guard, as they had “no idea what resources were available and where to find them,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Tsai has asked for more training and improved coordination between government agencies and military units, the official added.

More than 20 government agencies took part in the drill, they said.    [FULL  STORY]

Forbes
Date: Sep 29, 2018 
Ralph Jennings, Contributor

Artificial brains threaten to outnumber real ones in Taiwan, as the island’s prowess in artificial intelligence (AI) continues to grow. Global players such as Google, IBM and Microsoft have all expressed their intentions of developing either AI R&D centers or similar initiatives in Taiwan. These companies could have selected other tech-savvy locations in Asia like South Korea and Shenzhen, China, but they chose Taiwan. Why?

“Taiwan has a lot going for it with AI research,” says William Foreman, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei. “Companies can hire top-quality engineering talent that has earned a reputation for being more loyal and stable, less likely to be poached, compared to others in places like China, where the competition for talent is absolutely fierce.” He also points out the island’s other key advantage is its tech ecosystem that was built up over the decades with support from universities, a tech-centered culture and Internet infrastructure.    [FULL  STORY]

Labour frontbencher, a long-time campaigner against capital punishment, will meet senior judiciary and politicians

The Guardian
Date: 29 Sep 2018
By: Owen BowcottLegal affairs correspondent

Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, flies out to Taiwan this weekend to

lobby against the death penalty in an initiative also aimed at demonstrating the UK’s continued commitment to international legal standards following the EU referendum.

His four-day trip, which is supported by the Foreign Office, will include meetings with the country’s vice-president, minister of justice and senior judiciary. There are more than 40 prisoners on death row in the republic.

Starmer, who was formerly director of public prosecutions, has for many years been a director of the Death Penalty Project, which campaigns for abolition of capital punishment across the world.

According to Amnesty International’s latest estimates, 142 countries have stopped imposing capital punishment in law and practice out of more than 190 states globally. Asia remains one region where the death penalty is still widely used.
[FULL  STORY]

Police conducts anti-gang campaigns in the run-up to the November local elections

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/09/29
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In the run-up to local elections in November, police rounded up 387 suspected gangsters, including five with links to the small pro-China Chinese Unity Promotion Party (CUPP, 統促黨), reports said Saturday.

The CUPP is led by a prominent former gang leader, Chang An-le (張安樂), nicknamed the “White Wolf,” and members have been making headlines occasionally with their involvement in clashes with political opponents.

Police and prosecutors started their second five-day anti-gang campaign last Tuesday with the aim of preventing the involvement of organized crime in the run-up to the November 24 regional and local elections, the Liberty Times reported.

By Friday evening, the campaign had netted 54 leading gang members and 333 of their henchmen, with five of the former having CUPP ties, according to the paper.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/09/29
By: Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Sept. 29 (CNA) Taiwanese airlines on Saturday announced flight disruptions

to various destinations in Japan for Sunday as Typhoon Trami approached the Ryukyu Islands and Japan.

China Airlines said it will cancel flights CI156/CI157/CI172/CI173/CI166/CI167/CI178/CI179 and delay flights CI118/CI119/CI158/CI150.

EVA Airways said all its Taoyuan-Osaka and Kaohsiung-Osaka flights will be canceled, while it will use bigger aircraft on Taoyuan-Okinawa flights BR112/BR113.

Its Taoyuan-Tokyo Narita flights BR196/195 will take off one hour ahead of schedule, and Songshan-Tokyo Haneda flight BR190 will be delayed to Monday.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-09-28

It’s been 34 years since Ming Chuan University students were first invited to help out

with Taiwan’s National Day celebration. With this year’s event coming up, the latest batch of students selected for the job is ready for the big day.

24 lucky students from Ming Chuan University have been selected to work at this year’s National Day event. The students were introduced to the public on Friday. As in previous years, they are energetic, conscientious and well-prepared for the celebrations.

These students are responsible for making sure that distinguished guests attending the event have a wonderful day and that their needs are met. Altogether, the students will be providing services in ten languages.    [FULL  STORY]

Misinformation about how the evacuation of Chinese and Taiwanese citizens was handled contributed to the suicide of a Taiwanese diplomat.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/09/28
By: By Oiwan Lam, Global Voices

Taiwanese diplomat Su Chii-cherng (蘇啟誠) died by suicide on Sept. 14, 2018, while stationed in Osaka, Japan.

According to NHK (Japan’s national broadcasting station), the 61-year-old diplomat left behind a letter saying he was deeply pained by public criticism accusing his office of not doing enough to rescue Taiwanese tourists stranded at the Kansai International Airport in Japan when Typhoon Jebi struck the region in early September 2018.

When mainland Chinese media outlets circulated several stories praising the Chinese consulate in Japan for successfully evacuating its citizens, Taiwanese netizens slammed their own consulate for failing to assist Taiwanese tourists with equal measure.    [FULL  STORY]