HAN KUANG DRILLS: A hiker telephoned authorities after spotting possible wreckage. The crash site was later found on Wufenshan and the air force has grounded its F-16s

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 05, 2018
By: Yu Tai-lang, Lo Tien-pin, Wu Sheng-ju and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

The pilot of an F-16 air force jet that went missing yesterday while taking part in the live-

fire drills of the annual Han Kuang exercise has been confirmed dead, after rescuers found body parts and other items on Wufenshan (五分山) in New Taipei City.

The air force’s forensic science unit confirmed that the remains belonged to 31-year-old Major Wu Yen-ting (吳彥霆) of the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement last night.

Searchers had found blood-stained pieces of the pilot’s anti-G suit and other clothing, as well as body parts in trees at the crash site, it said.

The confirmation of identification came just hours after officers from the 5th Tactical Composite Wing had held an evening press event at the Hualien Air Force Base.
[FULL  STORY]

Kyodo News
Date: June 2, 2018

An annual Taiwan-Japan tourism forum opened in the central Taiwan city of Taichung on

Friday, with both sides agreeing to bring forward the goal of 7 million two-way tourist exchanges by one year to 2019.

Commenting on the target figure, Yeh Chu-lan, head of the Taiwan Visitors Association, said, “We’re almost there, only one small step away.”

According to government data, more than 6.5 million people traveled between Taiwan and Japan in 2017, up from just under 6.2 million the previous year.

Of that figure, the number of Taiwanese visitors to Japan exceeded 4.6 million, an increase of more than 320,000 from the previous year.    [FULL  STORY]

Police dumbfounded by scheme to avoid suspicion

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/06/02
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A 40-year-old man with the surname Wu (吳) was arrested this

week in Longtan District, Taoyuan on charges relating to drug distribution. As the man’s property was being searched, police found fake press credentials posted on the man’s vehicle.

The fake press credentials were handmade and suggest that the man is a reporter. The fake papers were conceived in an effort to hide the man’s activities and dissuade searching of his vehicle by police.

Officers were shocked and in disbelief over the nature and execution of Wu’s scheme.

He was arrested after a lengthy police investigation which began after an anonymous tip-off late last year. Police allege that Wu has previous drug-related convictions and has been in hiding in recent times.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/06/02
By: Yu Hsiao-han and Romulo Huang

Taipei, June 2 (CNA) The Buddhist Tzu Chi Stem Cells Center (BTCSCC) has made more than 5,000 bone marrow donations since it was established in October 1993, benefiting patients in 31 countries around the world, according to a statement from the center Saturday.

The 5,000th donation was made on May 22, BTCSCC said.

More than 420,000 potential bone marrow donors are registered with the BTCSCC, it added.

The center said that donating bone marrow is almost like donating blood and that it does not cause great pain and has no negative impact on the donor’s health.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 03, 2018
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) announced on Facebook and Instagram that the city’s

debt has dropped below NT$100 billion (US$3.35 billion), marking the highest rate of debt repayment by a local government in Taiwan.

Ko posted on both online platforms, along with a photograph of him sitting at his desk on Friday reading official documents and the quote: “All we did was work hard every day. Do what should be done and avoid what shouldn’t be done, and a lot of money will remain at the end of the year.”

“Today, the Taipei City Government has officially left the NT$100 billion debt club,” he wrote.

Taipei had NT$146.8 billion in debt when he took office, Ko said, but about NT$52 billion was repaid over the past three-and-a-half years, reducing the debt to about NT$94.8 billion — a reduction per capita from about NT$54,000 to NT$35,000.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-06-01

President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday attended a ceremony marking a milestone in Taiwan’s move towards building its own trainer jets for fighter pilots. This is part of a government policy launched last year to make the country more self-sufficient in terms of military hardware, while also creating a new industrial supply chain. The policy also aims to see the country produce its own warships, including submarines.

The president said she is pleased that her pledge to stimulate a national defense industry is starting to take concrete form.

“Taiwan will continue to move towards the world, and let the world know that we are a member of the international community that cannot be excluded. Taiwan will continue to strengthen its defensive capabilities. This is because we cannot rely on charity or concessions to uphold peace and stability but must rely on ourselves and our strength. Today, witnessing a concrete step towards self-sufficiency in defense, this again shows that if we will only move forward firmly, Taiwan’s progress will not be nullified,” said Tsai.

That was President Tsai Ing-wen speaking on Friday.    [SOURCE]

An Indonesian fisherman complained of being given the cold shoulder by the local labor office despite several complaints of abuse.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/06/01
By:  Nick Aspinwall

An Indonesian fisherman named Safrudin appeared at the offices of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan today, the country’s parliament, to recount a story of abuse and malnourishment at the hands of his employer in Yilan County, Taiwan.

Speaking through an interpreter, Safrudin – wearing a baseball cap and a mask to conceal his face – told Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Mary Chen (陳曼麗) and several officials from the Ministry of Labor (MoL) that his working conditions had deteriorated to the point where he had to leave his job as an offshore fisherman on the Man Chen No. 66 and seek shelter.

The case comes in the immediate aftermath of a Greenpeace investigation into abusive practices within Taiwan’s lucrative fishing industry. A series of reports by The News Lens further details a dangerous environment for workers, laden with corporate complicity and regulatory weakness.    [FULL  STORY]

Fire contained by 50 firefighters and 10 fire engines in 8 hours

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/06/01
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Late Thursday evening a fierce fire erupted at a 500 ping (1650m²) factory at Chuan-hsing Industrial Zone (全興工業區) in Shengang Township, Changhua County. The fire took eight hours to contain and no-one was injured.

The fire was quickly out of control due to the flammable nature of the chemical factory and the plastics inside. The heat from the burning plastics made fighting the fire difficult, as the blaze was too hot to get close to.

The fire was contained by 7.00 a.m. Friday by 50 firefighters and 10 fire engines.

FTV reports that Lin Meng-hung, Deputy Director of the Environmental Protection Bureau of Changhua County said that the blaze was not reported within one hour and the company will be fined according to Article 32 of the “Air Pollution Law”
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/06/01
By Su Mu-chun and Ko Lin

Taipei, June 1 (CNA) Assembly of Taiwan’s new advanced jet trainers (AJT) officially began Friday with a launch ceremony held at the Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) in Taichung.

The AIDC, known for developing the country’s indigenous Ching-kuo fighter, has been commissioned by the Ministry of National Defense to design and manufacture 66 of the advanced jet trainers, with the first prototype scheduled to be rolled out in 2019 and flight testing expected to be conducted starting in June 2020.

The advanced trainers are scheduled to be delivered by 2026 and will replace the military’s AT-3 trainer aircraft and F-5 fighter jets, which are over 30 years old.
[FULL  STORY]