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Protestors call for university autonomy

FLIP-SIDE: While some people protest in support of the university, others have criticized a committee for failing to satisfactorily investigate conflict-of-interest allegations

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 22, 2018
By: Staff writer, with CNA

About 200 people yesterday rallied outside the Taipei Guest House in Taipei demanding

Scores of National Taiwan University teachers, students and alumni yesterday protest outside the Ministry of Education in Taipei, demanding that it respect university autonomy and approve the appointment of NTU’s president-elect before the new semester starts.  Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times

that the government respect National Taiwan University’s (NTU) autonomy, as controversy over the appointment of NTU president-elect Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔) shows no signs of dying down.

“We are strongly opposed to the political interference that has obstructed the legal NTU presidential election process and prevented Kuan from taking office,” NTU School of Veterinary Medicine professor Chou Chung-hsi (周崇熙) said.

Chou led NTU students, faculty and alumni in chanting slogans such as “keep your political hands off our campus” and “we want a president.”

NTU political science professor Su Hung-dah (蘇宏達) said he joined the rally not because he is personally in favor of Kuan, but because his election was legal.    [FULL  STORY]

Get discounted coffee for first day of work after New Year holiday

Chain stores such as Starbucks, Cama Café, and 7-Eleven will offer coffee discounts on Wednesday

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/02/20
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Happy times always end in a blink of an eye. After six easy days

(Photo courtesy of Engin_Akyurt/Pixabay)

of the Lunar New Year holiday, people will return to work on Wednesday, Feb. 21.

In case of fatigue, distraction, anxiety, or simply a loathing for work after the week-long holiday, many businesses are launching discounts on coffee and drinks to help people get a dose of caffeine and stay awake.

Here is a list of the discounts offered by popular coffee shops, convenient stores, and fast-food restaurants in Taiwan.

Taipei Metro releases earthquake SOP following latest tremor

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-02-20

The Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation has released its protocols for dealing with

A Taipei metro employee monitors the system from a central control room. (CNA photo)

earthquakes. That’s following a magnitude 5.3 earthquake which rocked Yilan County in northern Taiwan late on Monday night.

Regular earthquakes have rattled nerves in Taiwan after a magnitude 6 temblor shook the east coast city of Hualien on February 6, killing 17 and injuring 285. Monday night’s quake did not cause any damage or injuries, but the Taipei City metro system – also known as the MRT – did slow down trains in keeping with protocol.

The metro system on Tuesday explained its procedures for dealing with earthquakes, to help raise awareness. The system is equipped with ten seismographs at different locations, and the response to a quake depends on the level of intensity recorded on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale.    [FULL  STORY]

As Hualien Recovers, Focus Shifts to Reviving Tourism

The News Lens
Date: 2018/02/20
By: TNL Staff

Hualien’s county magistrate wants to use vouchers to lure in tourists.

Following the powerful earthquake on Feb. 6, 2018 that left 17 dead, Hualien County

photo credit: Reuters/達志影像

Magistrate Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) called on the central government to make vouchers available to tourists in order to help the area rebuild.

Fu made the appeal on his Facebook page on Feb. 18, insinuating that the NT$60.5 million (US$2.07 million) promised by the central government to help in rebuilding efforts was not enough. He implored citizens to visit Hualien to pump more dollars into the local economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism.

The local economy is losing approximately NT$50 million per day.
In March 2009, Taiwan’s central government issued consumer vouchers worth NT$3600 (US$115) to each citizen to stimulate the local economy following the global financial crisis in 2008.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese-American throws hat in ring for Congressional bid

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/02/20
By Tsao Yu-fan and Ko Lin

Los Angeles, Feb. 19 (CNA) When Jay Chen (陳介飛) declared his intention to seek the nomination of the Democratic Party for the 39th Congressional District of California in January, the news of his bid attracted a wave of support from outside the United States.

A Hacienda Heights resident and son of immigrant parents from Taipei and Chiayi, Chen attended Hacienda Heights public schools and earned a Navy Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship to attend Harvard University, from which he graduated with honors.

Although currently the only Taiwanese-American politicians in Congress are Grace Meng (孟昭文) and Ted Lieu (劉雲平), the lifelong Democrat said he will do his utmost to serve his district and hopes that his relatives and friends back in Taiwan can be proud of him should he receive the nomination.    [FULL  STORY]

Group urges rights for ‘stateless kids’

MIGRANT WORKERS: There are about 1,300 stateless children facing urgent problems, such as lack of access to health and medical services, the Legal Aid Foundation said

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 21, 2018
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan should amend relevant laws to deal with the issue of “stateless children” born to

Legal Aid Foundation deputy chief executive officer Lin Tsung-hsien speaks at the launch of a book about stateless people’s rights in Taipei on Dec. 28 last year.  Photo: CNA

migrant workers, a legal expert said yesterday, citing hundreds of undocumented children born in the nation annually.

These children face obstacles in receiving education and healthcare, and are being deprived of their basic rights, Legal Aid Foundation deputy chief executive officer Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) told a seminar in Taipei.

“On average, 700 babies are born to migrant workers in Taiwan each year. About one-quarter of them are unable to register and obtain residency status, because their parents are foreigners on work contracts for a few years only,” Lin said.

“About 1,300 of these children are stateless and some of them have no place to live, while others are cared for by single parents. They face urgent problems, including lack of access to health and medical services,” he said, citing data provided by Harmony Home Association.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan and EU mark 30th anniversary of consultation mechanism

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-02-19

This year marks the 30th anniversary of a consultation mechanism between Taiwan and

Kao said Taiwan and the EU have made tremendous progress in their relations. (CNA file photo)

the EU.

Foreign Ministry official Anna Kao called the annual consultations the most important mechanism for dialogue between the two sides. Kao is in charge of European affairs.

Kao said the mechanism covers cooperation in the areas of trade, national security, information security, human rights, education, science and technology, and labor rights.    [FULL  STORY]

What Will It Take to Improve Taiwan’s Air?

Taiwan’s air pollution has already launched protests, but tackling its sources will involve some very tough choices.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/02/19
By: Timothy Ferry

“When the weather gets cold, the issue of air pollution heats up,” says Tsai Hung-teh (蔡鴻德), director general of the Environmental Protection Administration’s Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control. During the winter months, he notes, the air quality in central and southern Taiwan often registers in the red zone – considered unhealthy – on Taiwan’s Air Quality Index (AQI).

Photo credit:Ellery ＠ Ｗikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0

But the situation appears due almost as much to the polluted air sweeping across the Taiwan Strait, carried on prevailing winter winds blowing in from China, as it is to locally produced emissions. In fact, argues Tsai, “the air quality is actually getting better in Taiwan.” He says that Taiwan has significantly reduced many of the most prevalent and dangerous pollutants, including suspended particulates, volatile organic compounds (VOC), and sulfuric oxides (SOX).

Yet these points do not hold much weight with environmentalist activists from Taichung and Kaohsiung, who allude to past industrial policies that spurred first Kaohsiung and then Taichung to develop as manufacturing centers while Taipei served as a corporate, commercial, and political hub with much less polluting industry.

Allen Chen, a marine biologist at Academia Sinica and a prominent figure in Taiwan’s environmental movement, recalls growing up in Taichung before the city became heavily industrialized. “I remember the blue skies and clean air, and I never imagined that smog would become an issue there,” he says. “But now when I visit my parents in Taichung, I can hardly see blue skies anymore. In the last 20 years everything has changed.”    [FULL  STORY]

Magnitude 5.3 earthquake jolts northeastern Taiwan

An intensity level of 5 was felt in northeastern Taiwan’s Yilan County

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/02/19
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A magnitude 5.3 earthquake shook northeastern Taiwan’s Yilan County at 10:47 p.m. this evening (Feb. 19), according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

Map of quake from Central Weather Bureau.

The earthquake was centered 19.1 kilometers southwest of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 46.5 kilometers, according to CWB data.

An intensity level of 5 was felt in Yilan County, while an intensity level of 4 was felt in Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, New Taipei City, and Nantou County. An intensity level of 3 was felt in Hualien County, Taipei City, Miaoli County, and Taichung City, while an intensity level of 2 was felt in Central Changhua County, Central Keelung City, Yunlin County and Lienchiang County.

An intensity level of 1 was felt in much of the rest of Taiwan, with the exception of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties.     [FULL STORY]

Communications with U.S. smooth despite statement: Taiwan envoy

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/02/19
By: Chiang Chin-yeh and Joseph Yeh

Washington, Feb. 18 (CNA) Communications between Taiwan and the United States

Taiwan’s representative to the U.S. Stanley Kao (高碩泰)

remain smooth and bilateral relations strong despite a U.S. official’s recent comment that the U.S. does not recognize the Republic of China (Taiwan) as a country, Taiwan’s top envoy to the U.S. said Sunday.

Stanley Kao (高碩泰), Taiwan’s representative to the U.S., said in Washington D.C. on Sunday that the R.O.C.’s status as an independent, sovereign state is a fact and the “status quo.”

“Communications between Taiwan and the U.S. over the matter have been smooth as we have expressed our stance, and they clearly understand it,” he said.

The government will continue to defend the nation’s democratic values and way of life, he added.    [FULL  STORY]