In the aftermath of Saturday’s Chin Poon fire, workers’ rights and firefighter’s groups are demanding a streamlined approach to safety at industrial sites – and are calling on Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor to step up.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/05/04
By: Nick Aspinwall

Tuesday’s May Day labor protests brought several thousand workers and union members to the streets of Taipei. Protestors demanded wage hikes across the board in response to stagnant salariesand called for a referendum to reverse recent changes to the Labor Standards Act (LSA) which granted employers more flexibility in managing overtime pay, mandatory leave, and rest days.

The rally was also attended by firefighters, who called for better workplace safety standards and labor inspections at potential industrial fire sites – demands which are particularly poignant after last Saturday’s Chin Poon (敬鵬工業) factory fire in Taoyuan claimed the lives of five firemen and two Thai migrant workers.

According to Ministry of Labor (MoL) data, Chin Poon has been fined 10 times since last year for violations of the LSA and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). Control Yuan member Kao Feng-hsien (高鳳仙) said the factory contained highly flammable and explosive materials, making it difficult to safely fight the fire.

Zhu Zhiyu (朱智宇) of the National Association for Firefighter’s Rights (消防員權益促進會) described the scene of the fire as disorganized and chaotic, saying that firefighters did not receive clear, concise information from Chin Poon to safely fight the blaze.    [FULL  STORY]

A bit of alcohol mixed with a lovers quarrel resulted in an accidental homicide 
View Count 1438  

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/05/06
By: Renée Salmonsen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On May 2 a boyfriend and girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王)

and Liu (劉) respectively, were walking along a river in Taichung when the couple began to fight and Liu pushed Wang into the river then walked away, not realizing that she had pushed Wang to his death.

Taichung vice police chief Shen Chin-chung (沈錦忠) said in a statement today that Wang’s body was discovered on Friday with a cellphone and no other identification, reported CNA.

“At first we thought Wang’s death was an accident but then we realized that there was no vehicle near the scene of the crime,” said Shen. Police got in touch with Wang’s little brother, as the cellphone was registered under his name, and were then able to confirm Wang’s identity.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/05/06
By: Elaine Hou and Shih Hsiu-chuan

Taipei, May 6 (CNA) Following a statement from the United States government

criticizing China’s request that American airlines not list Taiwan as a country on their websites, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday expressed thanks to Washington and urged the international community to resist such demands made by Beijing.

The White House issued a statement Saturday rejecting China’s attempted interference with a number of American carriers over the name of Taiwan.

According to the statement, the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration on April 25 sent a letter to 36 foreign airlines, including a number of American carriers.
[FULL  STORY]

IDENTITY: The Presidential Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday issued statements after the US rebuked Beijing over its demand to US airlines

Taipei Times
Date: May 07, 2018
By: Nadia Tsao and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter in WASHINGTON, with staff writer and CNA

The Presidential Office yesterday expressed gratitude to the US for its concern over

China’s request to US and international airlines to change how they refer to Taiwan, while Washington’s action drew mixed response from others in Taiwan.

Taiwan would continue to support and strive for regional stability and cross-strait peace, despite Beijing’s constant efforts to suppress its international space, Presidential Office spokesman Sydney Lin (林鶴明) said.

The White House on Saturday issued a statement denouncing China’s demand that US and foreign airlines change how they identify Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau on their Web sites.

The statement came after the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration on April 25 sent a letter to American Airlines, United Airlines and 24 other airlines, enjoining them to remove all descriptions of Taiwan as a country from their Web sites and promotional materials.    [FULL  STORY]

The Hill
Date: 05/05/18
By: Max Greenwood

The White House lashed out at China on Saturday after the country’s aviation authority sent letters to several major airlines scolding them for referring to Taiwan as a country.

“This is Orwellian nonsense and part of a growing trend by the Chinese Communist Party to impose its political views on American citizens and private companies,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

Sanders also vowed that “China’s efforts to export its censorship and political correctness to Americans and the rest of the free world will be resisted.”

“The United States strongly objects to China’s attempts to compel private firms to use specific language of a political nature in their publicly available content,” she said.    [FULL  STORY]

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

Taipei, May 5 (CNA) The 2018 Europe Fair kicked off Saturday in Taipei showcasing European culture, cuisine, food and beverages, interactive games, as well as on-site live performances as part of worldwide celebrations for Europe Day on May 9.

Addressing the event attended by European diplomatic dignitaries, European Union (EU) representative to Taiwan Madeleine Majorenko said it provides an opportunity to bring Europe to Taiwan and Taiwan to Europe.

“Whether you come (to the EU) as tourists, students, or maybe to work one day, you are most welcome,” said Majorenko, the head of the European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) in Taipei. “Europe will always welcome you with open arms.”

Europe Day is observed on May 9 every year to mark the anniversary of the Schuman declaration, a speech delivered by then French foreign minister Robert Schuman in 1950 that led to the creation of what is now the EU.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan English News
Date: May 5, 2018 
By: Phillip Charlier

More than 100 guns were intercepted by customs police at the Port of Keelung, April 29, and 6 suspects were arrested last night in Sanxia District of New Taipei City, as police continue a crackdown on organized crime groups ahead of municipal elections to be held in November this year.

The cache of 109 firearms was found in a shipping container of injection molding machines sent from Hong Kong. The cache included 102 handguns, 5 assault rifles, a sub-machine gun, a semi-automatic shotgun, and 12,378 rounds of ammunition.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau suspects that organized crime groups may have imported the arsenal in order to cause strife and interfere with the up-coming nation-wide municipal elections to be held later this year, according to Apple Daily.

 

Police raided a warehouse in Sanxia District after a 24 year-old man named Chen took consignment of the goods. Chen was arrested along with five accomplices.

According to Liberty Times, Chen is unemployed, and his family is in financial dire straits, with his father being chased by a landlord for rental arrears. Chen claims that he was offered NT$100, 000 to take consignment of a shipment. While he suspected it contained something illegal, he needed the money.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/05/05
By:  Central News Agency

Taipei, May 5 (CNA) Offshore wind power projects along Taiwan’s western coast will

mark a new chapter in energy transformation and underscore the country’s commitment to the development of renewable energy, President Tsai Ing-wen said Saturday.

Not only will the projects provide a new source of power, but also help create 20,000 new jobs, Tsai said at a ceremony held in Changhua County.

Earlier this week, the government announced the results of its tender for offshore wind power sites to be built off the country’s west coast. The projects for 10 offshore wind farms, which will have installed capacity of 3,836 megawatts by 2025, have been awarded to seven developers.    [FULL  STORY]

INTERFERENCE? The committee reviewing the acquisition of TBC was told that an investor looking to manage a cable TV network from overseas was a risk, FTV said

Taipei Times
Date: May 05, 2018
By: Tseng Te-jung and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Formosa TV (FTV, 民視) has accused Hon Hai Group (鴻海集團) chairman Terry Gou

(郭台銘) of politically motivated censorship of the media after Taiwan Broadband Communications (TBC, 台灣寬頻通訊) cut access to FTV-owned channels yesterday morning.

TBC said it removed the channels Formosa News, Formosa Taiwan and Follow Me TV from its service because FTV had not authorized TBC to use its channels.

FTV last year packaged the three channels in one deal, but TBC only wished to broadcast Formosa News.

An inability to arrive at a solution necessitated National Communication Commission (NCC) intervention. The NCC ordered FTV to grant TBC temporary access to its channels until May 15.   [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-05-04

Air pollution is a serious health hazard that leads to about 7 million deaths a year. That’s

the word from the World Health Organization’s latest report about the world’s air quality.

The World Health Organization says 90% of the world’s population is breathing polluted air. This air pollution causes about 7 million deaths a year, and 94% of the victims are from mid to low income households. The world’s most polluted areas are in Southeast Asia and the West Pacific.

Particulate matter or PM is the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. In terms of PM 2.5 to 10, Delhi, India leads the world with 292 micrograms per cubic meter. Following Delhi was Cairo, Egypt with 284 micrograms and then Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka with 147. Mumbai in India was next at 104 and the next two cities were in China – Beijing at 92 and Shanghai at 59 micrograms per cubic meter.    [FULL  STORY]