‘COMMON ENEMY’: Protesters in Kaohsiung called on local pollution producers to cut their emissions by 50 percent within three years, while demanding a ban on coal burning

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 18, 2017
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

Thousands of people yesterday marched in Taichung and Kaohsiung, calling on the

government to stop using coal in power generation and end the phenomenon of “one sky, two Taiwans” caused by air pollution predominantly affecting the nation’s southern regions.

The demonstration in Taichung saw most participants dressed in black, which they said represented lungs darkened by air pollution caused by burning coal.

The protesters gathered at Taichung City Council Square at 1pm and outlined the words “no coal” and a map of Taiwan with their bodies for an aerial photograph.

They then marched around the Taichung City Government Building until about 5:20pm.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-12-16

The Cabinet is calling for cross-strait cooperation on issues of air pollution.

On Saturday, Premier William Lai and Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung traveled to the southern city of Kaohsiung. The city is one of two places where activists plan to hold protests Sunday against poor air quality.

Hsu said the government cannot overlook any of the several sources of air pollution that affect Taiwan. He said the government plans to tackle local sources of pollution through actions that include amending the Air Pollution Control Act.

However, Hsu also said that air pollution from across the Taiwan Strait affects Taiwan’s air quality on a seasonal basis, especially during the winter. Hsu said Taiwan hopes to work with Beijing on keeping air pollution in check.    [SOURCE]

As a rally looms, the Tsai administration is finally being forced to get serious about Taichung’s pollution crisis.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/12/16
By: Courtney Donovan Smith (石東文)

After a year and a half of treating the issue of air pollution as something that will be

improved far off in the future, President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration has dramatically shifted course in the past three weeks.

The Cabinet rushed through a proposal on Dec. 14 to tackle the issue in the short term, and Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Minister Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) has announced he will step down if there isn’t a reduction of 20 percent in the number of days marked “red” (unhealthy) on the air pollution scale compared to 2015 levels.

What suddenly lit a fire under the DPP administration? While here in Taichung we snickered that it was probably the recent wave of higher-than-normal air pollution in Taipei that reminded the bureaucrats in the Celestial Dragon Kingdom (天龍國, slang for aloof Taipei) of the issue, the reality is it’s the 2018 local elections – especially in Taiwan’s second-largest metropolis, Taichung.    [FULL  STORY]

Street value of eventual refined product estimated at US$33 million

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/12/16
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – More than 500 kilograms of illegal drugs with an estimated market

value of NT$1 billion (US$33 million) were found inside a fishing boat from China near Penghu County in the middle of the Taiwan Strait, reports said Saturday.

The catch was described as the largest drug haul ever in the history of the islands, according to the Central News Agency.

Law enforcement stopped the Minlong Yu Lian No.60894 from Quanzhou in the Chinese province of Fujian and found 20 packages on board containing 506 kg of raw materials worth NT$100 million, reports said. When refined and converted into drugs, the haul could be sold for ten times as much, according to commentators.

Police detained the five Chinese crew members of the fishing trawler and the Penghu District Court later confirmed their arrest.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/16
By Miao Zong-han, Tzeng Yi-shiuan and Kuan-lin Liu

Taipei, Dec. 16 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) criticized the decision of Spain’s

National Court on Friday to send 121 suspects in a telecoms fraud cause, all of whom are Chinese and Taiwanese nationals, to mainland China.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the MAC condemned the decision, calling it a ploy by China to suppress Taiwan on the international stage.

The MAC reiterated that together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Criminal Investigation Bureau, it would continue to monitor the situation and called on China to cooperate on an investigation into the alleged telecoms fraud so that the arrested Taiwan nationals can be returned to Taiwan as soon as possible.

Spanish authorities arrested a total of 269 individuals for suspected telecoms fraud totaling up to $12 million euros late last year, with 218 identified as Taiwanese nationals.
[FULL  STORY]

WITH HUMILITY: Despite holding on to his position, New Power Party Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang said that the number of ‘yes’ votes sent a clear message

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 17, 2017
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

A recall vote against New Power Party (NPP) Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國

昌) was defeated yesterday after the number of ballots cast by Huang’s detractors in New Taipei City’s 12th electoral district failed to pass the threshold for removing him as lawmaker.

Statistics released by the New Taipei City Election Commission showed that 48,693 constituents voted in favor of recalling Huang, while less than half that number — 21,748 — voted against it, and 483 cast null votes, with a voter turnout of 27.75 percent.

Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), one-fourth of the 255,551 constituents in the electoral district — in this case comprised of Sijhih (汐止), Jinshan (金山), Wanli (萬里), Rueifang (瑞芳), Pingsi (平溪), Shuangsi (雙溪) and Gongliao (貢寮) districts — must vote for the recall of a legislator, and the number of people who vote “yes” must surpass the number of people who vote “no.”    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News has created a list restaurants and hotels in Taipei where Christmas dinners are available in 2017

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/12/15
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — For those who long to enjoy a Christmas dinner this year in

Taipei, Taiwan News has created a list of restaurants, bars and hotels that offer either dine in opportunities or turkey hampers for carry out.

Many places require reservations in advance, so one should move quickly before all the spots are gobbled up as Christmas Day nears.

Prices for such meals vary greatly from one establishment to another, in the list of venues below the approximate cost for a Christmas dinner will be indicated by the number of dollar signs in parenthesis: ($) NT$490-$799; ($ $) NT$800-$999; ($$$) NT$1,000-$2,000 ($$$$) NT$2,001+    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/15
By: Wang Shu-fen and Ko Lin

Taipei, Dec. 15 (CNA) The Directorate General of Highways (DGH) unveiled Friday five

different types of license plates that will be issued to all newly-registered electric scooters and motorcycles beginning next year.

The number plates will be issued to five different types of electric scooters — small light-duty, ordinary light-duty, ordinary heavy-duty, large heavy-duty, and large heavy-duty scooters/motorcycles with a cubic capacity exceeding 550cc or 54 horsepower (hp).

According to the DGH, the definition of small light-duty pertains to scooters with power not exceeding 1.34hp, while ordinary light-duty means between 1.34hp to 5hp, ordinary heavy-duty above 5hp and below 40hp, and large heavy-duty above 40hp and below 54hp.    [FULL  STORY]

POLITICAL PARTIES: Members of political parties controlled by criminal gangs or known to threaten public safety can be prosecuted under the amended act

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 16, 2017
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

Lawmakers yesterday passed an amendment to the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組

織犯罪防制條例) which broadens the definition of criminal organizations, making it applicable when charging members of political parties that are controlled by criminal gangs or known to threaten public safety.

The act formerly defined criminal organizations as standing and for-profit organizations that engage in violence, coercion, fraud, extortion or any other actions punishable by a maximum prison term of five years or longer.

The amendment substitutes “and” with “or,” which effectively widened the definition of criminal groups, which no longer have to be “for-profit” to warrant indictment.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇), who proposed the amendment, said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been covertly commanding Taiwanese criminal gangs to infiltrate demonstrations and protests, as well as cause social disorder.

The situation has worsened to the extent that it threatens national security, and he hopes that the legislation would solve those problems, he said.

The amendment includes a new stipulation against name-dropping: People who imply or claim that they are affiliated with criminal gangs or their members — through actions, words or any other means — to pressure others into selling their assets or shares, relinquishing proprietary rights, cooperating with urban renewal projects, purchasing goods or services, repaying a debt or agreeing to terms laid down during debt settlement negotiations face a maximum jail term of three years and a maximum fine of NT$3 million (US$100,027).    [FULL  STORY]