Taiwan Tourism Bureau is subsiding trips to five national scenic areas in the south, but what do these destinations have to offer?

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/05/17
By: David Spencer, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — It was announced earlier this week that Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau is going to plow NT$40 million (US$1.3 million) of public money into subsidizing tour groups to visit certain national scenic areas in the south of Taiwan.

Any tour group which is planning to visit attractions at any of the five specified national scenic areas will be entitled to apply for an accommodation subsidy of NT$500 per person and 50% of their total travel costs. The total subsidy is capped at NT$30,000 per tour group or NT$50,000 per tour group if they are visiting Penghu (澎湖).

Using public funds to subsidize tourism in this way is a strategy that is not without its critics. But to the Taiwan Tourism Bureau’s credit, this scheme does seem to be part of a broader strategy to raise the profile of some of the many natural attractions in the south of Taiwan that too many tourists miss out on.

How effective it is remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that the five national scenic areas being focused on have a lot to offer. So, whether you are hoping to take advantage of the subsidy to join a tour to the region, or are simply interested in seeing some of Taiwan’s less-hyped scenery, we have decided to profile each of the five national scenic areas in question:    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/05/17
By: Rita Cheng, Elaine Hou and Evelyn Kao

Washington, May 16 (CNA) A bipartisan group of 172 members of the U.S. House of

Representatives called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to allow Taiwan to participate in its annual global health summit in a letter sent Wednesday to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The group strongly urged Ghebreyesus to allow Taiwan’s unconditional inclusion as an observer in this year’s 71st World Health Assembly (WHA), and in future annual and technical meetings.

The 71st WHA, the decision-making body of the WHO, is set to kick off May 21 in Geneva, but Taiwan failed to secure an invitation for the five-day summit ahead of a May 7 deadline.

Taiwan started its efforts to join the WHO in 1997 but did not get invited to attend the WHA as an observer until 2009.    [FULL  STORY]

‘CARTE BLANCHE’? The KMT said the DPP would use the legislation as a weapon, but the NDC rejected the idea, saying that it was designed to facilitate the collection of data

Taipei Times
Date: May 18, 2018
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

The Executive Yuan yesterday finalized a draft political archives act to declassify political

files held by government agencies, political parties and affiliates that have been classified for at least 30 years.

The draft act is to complement the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例), which was passed in December last year and was designed to facilitate efforts to uncover the truth about the nation’s authoritarian era and promote transitional justice.

The proposal specifies rules to cover the transfer of political data to the government, the uses of such data and the extent to which such data are to be disclosed.

The National Development Council (NDC) would be in charge of collating, preserving and publicizing political files dating from Aug. 15, 1945, to Nov. 6, 1992, that are linked to the 228 Incident, the Martial Law era and the Period of National Mobilization against Communist Rebellion.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/05/16
By Shih Hsiu-chuan

Taipei, May 16 (CNA) The Cabinet on Wednesday introduced a proposal to expand the

coverage of child-rearing allowances to children between the ages of two and four years, as well as measures to help improve access to childcare facilities for preschool-age children at affordable rates, as Taiwan grapples with a declining birth rate.

The financial burden associated with raising a child is one of the many reasons for the nation’s low birth rate and warrants a higher proportion of the government expenditure, Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said.

The government is looking to cap the expense of having a preschool-age child at a subsidized daycare center at NT$16,000 (US$532) per month, Minister Without Portfolio Lin Wan-i (林萬億) said at a press conference.

Lin said surveys indicate the affordable cost for daytime childcare is NT$8,000-NT$12,000, which accounts for 10-15 percent of average disposable income per household in Taiwan.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-05-16

The foreign ministry said Wednesday that Taiwan’s ties with Paraguay are secure and that

all bilateral exchanges are going smoothly.

The words came one day after US Senator Marco Rubio warned that Paraguay, Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in South America, could be the next country to cut off ties. On March 1, the Dominican Republic broke off ties with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with Beijing.

Rubio expressed his concerns on Tuesday, while meeting officials from the US State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. The officials said that the United States believes keeping the status quo is key to maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. They said the US hasclearly expressed its position to Beijing and all its partners in the region.

The foreign ministry expressed gratitude for Rubio’s concern. The ministry also said that it will continue to work to secure Taiwan’s ties with its allies and fight for a more prominent position on the international stage.    [FULL  STORY]

Chinese pressure is again keeping Taiwan out of the world’s biggest health policy meeting.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/05/16
By: Morley J Weston 

The annual World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva is poised to keep Taiwan on the sidelines for a second year in a row, but a group of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) came together today to send an email in protest of the country’s exclusion.

Morley J WestonRepresentatives from several local NGOs hold up signs to protest Taiwan’s exclusion from the World Health Assembly.
For eight years between 2009 and 2016, roughly corresponding to the period that former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was in power, “Chinese Taipei” sent a delegation to the WHA in Geneva, a massive international public health forum held by the World Health Organization (WHO).

In 2017, Taiwan’s luck ran out when Chinese pressure led to Taiwan’s banishment, and the country is expected to have no seat at the table for the second consecutive year. The 2018 assembly will begin on Monday, May 21, and the deadline for online applications closed earlier this week with Taipei uninvited.

Chinese representatives have said that Taiwan was only allowed to attend under the Ma administration because of consensus with Beijing that there was only “one China”, a reference to the controversial “1992 Consensus” that Taiwan’s current President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has so far declined to ratify, and under which both Taiwan and China agree that Taiwan and China belong to “one China” while disagreeing over what exactly the term means.    [FULL  STORY]

Students of Mingdao High School snatched 20 medals

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/05/16
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Inventors from Taiwan’s Mingdao High School claimed 4 golds, 7 silvers, 3 bronzes, and 6 special awards at the 29th edition of International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX) taking place at Kuala Lumpur Convention Center in Malaysia between May 10 and 12.

Among the award winners is a practical “drain hole cover,” which can be used to remove hair in a convenient way. The ingenious invention has caught the eye of Singapore businesses, which expressed interest in acquiring a patent and putting the product into commercial production, reported Liberty Times.

Other inventions from Taiwan recognized at the fair include the eco-conscious “reusable lunchbox carrier” made from corn instead of plastic, the “assistive straw cap” allowing patients to drink water without difficulty, as well as the “body wash device” that helps bedridden patients clean their body in a “bed bath.”

ITEX, an international platform for inventors to market their innovative products, has seen 1,000 entries from 20 countries this year. The products were evaluated by a 130-member panel of judges.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/05/16
By: Lu Hsin-hui, Huang Li-yun and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, May 16 (CNA) The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has decided to field a

candidate for November’s Taipei mayoral race, DPP spokesman Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) said Wednesday.

The DPP’s election strategy committee finalized the decision that day after it decided May 2 to start consultations among party members about potential candidates.

Former Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and Legislator Yao Wen-chih (姚文智) have announced their intention to seek their party’s support to run in the Taipei mayoral race, while former Tainan Magistrate Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智) announced March 3 that he was leaving the DPP after 27 years of membership to run as an independent.

The DPP’s election strategy committee will solicit others who are interested in running, according to Cheng.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 17, 2018
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

Despite the lack of an official invitation, a Taiwanese delegation is to leave at midnight

tomorrow for the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.

The government will work with health and medical associations from around the world to host forums outside the assembly meeting that focus on issues related to antibiotic resistance, dental care for elderly patients and strengthening healthcare systems, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who is to lead the delegation.

The topic of this year’s WHA meeting is universal health coverage and as Taiwan is a world leader in universal health coverage, it us to jointly host with the World Medical Association a forum on the topic, he said.

Chen also responded to a statement by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office yesterday, which said that Taiwan did not receive an invitation because the Democratic Progressive Party government refuses to acknowledge the so-called “1992 consensus,” and accused Taiwan of “playing the sympathy card” to gain support from other nations.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-05-15

President Tsai Ing-wen says that Taiwan’s experience with democracy is its greatest asset

when forging global friendships. In a speech Tuesday, Tsai spoke about the importance of democracy and other values as Taiwan continues to face pressure on the international front.

On Tuesday, President Tsai Ing-wen attended the opening of the annual Overseas Community Affairs Council conference. She spoke about three areas of change her administration has pursued since she took office two years ago.

After discussing industrial and infrastructure plans, Tsai turned to her efforts to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in Taiwan. She said the path Taiwan traveled to democracy is significant, both for Asia and for the world. Tsai said when Taiwan’s voice is suppressed, the country should double down on its commitment to the values of democracy, freedom, and peace.    [FULL  STORY]