RESPONSIBILITY: The president urged Taiwanese as individuals and as a nation to reflect on ways to ensure that something like the Holocaust can never happen again

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 26, 2018
By: Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan remains committed to building a future based on human rights and justice while

removing hatred and discrimination, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday at an event to commemorate the Holocaust.

The event marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day was hosted by the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei and the German Institute Taipei.

Republic of China diplomat Ho Feng-shan (何鳳山), who served as consul-general in Vienna from 1938 to 1940, and is credited with helping save at least 2,000 Jews seeking to flee Nazi-annexed Austria by issuing them visas to Shanghai, was also commemorated.

Diplomats, dignitaries, artists, religious leaders and others attended the event at the National Central Library in Taipei.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-02-24

President Tsai Ing-wen says that the government’s reform programs will bring Taiwan

progress. Tsai was speaking Saturday during a visit to her hometown in the southern county of Pingtung.

Tsai said that during her first two years in office, Taiwan’s economy has improved. She pointed to gains in the stock market before the Lunar New Year and an unemployment rate that has hit a 17-year low. Tsai said that in addition to its work on the economy, the government is also pursuing programs of transitional justice and judicial reform. She said that if executed well, these reform programs will make Taiwan a better place.

Tsai also praised the work of Pingtung County Commissioner Pan Meng-an to improve the local economy. Tsai said that under Pan’s watch, the county added 7000 new jobs last year.    [SOURCE]

The News Lens
Date: 2018/02/24
By: Russell Hsiao

Contrary to Beijing’s vague claim, there is apparently no direct communication between

air traffic control systems in Taiwan and China.

On January 4, the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) announced that it was opening four flight routes that are close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

This unilateral decision by the Chinese authorities reneges on an agreement that was reached between Beijing and Taipei in 2015 after a similar move by Beijing provoked a protest by the previous administration on Taiwan and the two sides agreed to hold prior-consultations over air routes for aviation safety.

In the case of M-503, it’s clear that the political signal was intended to express Beijing’s displeasure with the Tsai government.    [FULL  STORY]

Experts in foreign affairs and relations with China come to the foreground

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/02/24
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The government is hoping that the appointments of experienced

hands to take charge of foreign affairs, national defense and relations with China will create a new situation, reports said Saturday.

On Friday afternoon, the government announced that former envoy to the United States Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) would take over as foreign minister, former Army chief Yen Teh-fa (嚴德發) as defense minister, and that former Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) would return to his post.

Chen would be able to be creative with the issue of relations with China since he already served as deputy minister and minister at the MAC and was the author of works on the subject, a government spokesman said.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/02/24
By: Chen Ja-fo, Jay Chou, Huang Tzu-chiang and Kuan-lin Liu

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) The Fisheries Agency and the Taipei Economic and Trade Office

(TETO) in Indonesia are looking into the case of a Kaohsiung-registered long-line fishing boat that was detained by Indonesia’s Coast Guard near the Strait of Malacca on Friday.

The fishing vessel, known as the “Wei Long” (緯龍), obtained authorization to travel to Indian Ocean to fish and was on its way there after a pit stop in Singapore when it was detained by Indonesian authorities.

Coast Guard officers boarded the ship, which had 29 people on it, including a Taiwanese national in a position of authority and Filipino and Indonesian crew members.

Following an inspection of the ship, the Coast Guard tugged the ship to nearby Pulau Karimunbesar, about 30-35 kilometers west-southwest of Singapore.    [FULL  STORY]

REVISIONIST HISTORY: An Academia Sinica researcher cited Chiang Kai-shek’s saving former Taiwan governor-general Chen Yi, only to order his execution months later

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 25, 2018
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) obstinance when dealing with the aftermath of the 228

Massacre played a larger role in sparking the Taiwanese independence movement than the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) corruption after World War II did, Academia Sinica associate research fellow Chen Yi-shen (陳儀深) said yesterday.

Chen made the remark at a forum hosted by the Taiwan New Century Foundation in Taipei marking the 71st anniversary of the 228 Incident, a bloody crackdown launched by the then-KMT regime against civilian demonstrators following an incident in Taipei on Feb. 27, 1947.

The KMT headquarters had during its Third National Congress passed a resolution to relieve Chen Yi (陳儀) of his duty as Taiwan governor-general in light of his handling of the Incident, Chen Yi-shen said.

Presenting a facsimile of the minutes taken during the congress, he said that Chiang, determined to protect Chen Yi, overruled the resolution, citing an article in the KMT’s charter.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan English News
February 23, 2018
By: Phillip Charlier

A man was shot at least 7 times at close range as he sat in his car on a street in Danshui (Tamsui) District, New Taipei City, shortly before 3:00am this morning. Chen Wenzhong, 47, was rushed to hospital, but did not respond to efforts to resuscitate him, and was declared dead at 4:15am.

Chen drove to a residence in Hsinchun Street to pick up his 24 year-old fiance. As Chen sat in his BMW outside the building, a man following on a motorcycle approached the drivers door and fired 8 shots. Chen suffered gunshot wounds to his head, shoulder, and abdomen.

Upon hearing the shots, Chen’s fiance ran down the stairs and found Chen laying in a pool of blood. According to reports in Liberty Times Network and ET Today, the fiance and friends drove Chen to a local hospital, but he had lost vital signs by the time they arrived.

Chen Wenzhong had a number of criminal records, including murder, firearms, and drugs offences. Fifteen years ago Chen was charged and convicted of the murder of Lu Qingfang (呂清芳), the uncle of current DPP legislator Lu Sun-ling (呂孫綾). Lu Qingfang was shot dead as he stood smoking outside the door of the Night Garden Tea House in October 2003.  [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-02-23

The major shake up to the Cabinet focused mostly on top officials in charge of foreign

relations and defense. There was not as big of change in those in charge of domestic affairs.

People are curious about how much influence the premier had on the Cabinet reshuffle. Cabinet Spokesperson Hsu Kuo-yung spoke about the issue on Friday:

“We emphasize again that of course defense, foreign affairs and China policy are under the jurisdiction of the president. She of course would discuss it with the premier as they are part of the Executive Yuan or the Cabinet. They go to the Executive Yuan meetings so she must have exchanged thoughts with the premier [about the Cabinet reshuffle],” said Hsu.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/02/23
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – An article published by the New York Times on Thursday explains

the rationale for mounting actions in the White House that appear to favor Taiwan as a response to China’s increased bullying of the island country and its neighbors, which threatens the balance of power.

It’s not saying the U.S. is exercising justice for the weak, but a sort of manifestation of growing concerns as Beijing has become “more aggressive and intent on expanding its influence globally” and Washington has to balance its power, cautiously, by strengthening ties with Taiwan, which is known for its role in a U.S.-friendly  East Asian geopolitical block and its strategic importance in the Asia-Pacific region.

The article puts together several events happening recently as evidence of warmer ties between Washington and Taipei, including the advancement of a bill in the U.S. Senate aimed to promote visits to Taiwan by warships and by civilian officials at all levels, a gathering of defense contractors scheduled for May, the visit to Taiwan of a delegation led by senior Republican Senator James Inhofe, who met Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen during the visit, and the upcoming inauguration of a new complex owned by the de-facto U.S. embassy on the island, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). A senior American official is believed to be planning to attend its opening ceremony.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/02/23
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Feb. 23 (CNA) Taiwan’s government announced a long-rumored reshuffle of top

Cabinet posts Friday, with the country’s foreign and defense ministries and top agency for China policy all getting new leaders.

Presidential Office Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) is to replace David Lee (李大維) as foreign minister, while Lee will head the National Security Council (NSC), government officials said Friday.

The NSC position was vacated by Yen Teh-fa (嚴德發), who was tapped as defense minister to replace Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬), the officials said.

Wu has been President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) confidant on national security matters since she became Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairwoman in 2014.

He was a key member of Tsai’s transition team after she was elected president in January 2016 and then served as NSC secretary-general for about a year after Tsai assumed office in May 2016, before being transferred to his current position.    [FULL  STORY]