SECURITY SHIELD: The team comprises of 26 helicopters and will be trained to master aviation and maintenance skills to bolster the army’s combat capabilities, the army said

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 12, 2017
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The army yesterday officially commissioned its UH-60M Black Hawk combat team after

verifying the fleet’s initial combat capability.

The team from the 602nd Air Cavalry Brigade under the Aviation and Special Forces Command has 26 Black Hawk utility helicopters that the army bought from the US.

The helicopters are known for their adaptability to different combat environments and are capable of conducting airstrikes, carrying out logistics and rescue missions, and conducting airborne command operations, the army said in a statement.

The team will be trained to master aviation and maintenance skills to bolster the army’s combat capabilities, and it forms a powerful security shield in the Taiwan Strait, the army said.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: December 11, 2017


10 new emerging tourist cities in 2018 including Taitung /photo credit to AP IMAGES
2017 is coming to an end, have you decided where to travel next year yet? According Booking.com, there are “10 new emerging tourist cities in 2018” for consideration, preventing traveling-lovers from getting tired of those classic scenic spots. Whether it’s a sunny beach holiday, a city full of historical culture, or a culinary journey to meet the taste buds, they’re all included right here. Guarantee that you take note of the beauty of the city that you didn’t see before.    [FULL  STORY]

Reuters
Date: December 10, 2017
By: Reuters Staff

BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) – A threat by a senior Chinese diplomat to invade Taiwan the instant any U.S. warship visits the self-ruled island has sparked a war of words, with Taipei accusing Beijing of failing to understand what democracy means.

China considers Taiwan to be a wayward province and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. The United States has no formal ties with Taiwan but is bound by law to help it defend itself and is its main source of arms.

Beijing regularly calls Taiwan the most sensitive and important issue between it and the United States. In September, the U.S. Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2018 fiscal year, which authorizes mutual visits by navy vessels between Taiwan and the United States.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-12-10

The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy on Sunday presented a coalition of Malaysian

NGOs with the 2017 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award.

The recipient is the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, known as Bersih 2.0. Bersih, which means “clean” in Malay, was initially founded in 2006 by political parties and NGOs with the objective of pursuing electoral reform. It was re-launched in 2009 as Bersih 2.0 by 93 NGOs with a wider agenda of monitoring all sides of the political divide and representing the diversity in Malaysian civil society.

Bersih 2.0’s chairperson, Maria Chin Abdullah, said Sunday upon receiving the award that it was a recognition of the struggle for democracy and human rights in Malaysia. She said the coalition has “brought home the idea that democracy is possible,” and that Malaysians have “crossed ethnic lines, broken the culture of fear, and are united to work for democracy and democratic governance.”
[FULL  STORY]

The first weekend of December I fulfilled my longtime wish of visiting the villages of Dali (大禮) and Daitong (大同) up in the mountains of the Torako Gorge in eastern Taiwan 

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/12/10
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–The first weekend of December I fulfilled my longtime wish of

visiting the villages of Dali (大禮) and Datong (大同) up in the mountains of the Torako Gorge in eastern Taiwan in a three-day journey, and my conclusion is that it’s a trip worth taking.

I started driving to Hualien on Saturday (December 2) afternoon under soggy weather conditions. Rain was especially harder in the area around Suao, Yilan. But when I entered the Hualien portion of the Suhua Highway (蘇花公路), there was no rain and the ground was dry. I was happy because that meant the hike up to the Datong and Dali area of the Taroko National Park was practicable and my longtime dream would finally come true.

I arrived in Xincheng Township (新城鄉), which is located at the eastern entrance of the Taroko National Park, just before dark fell, and found a bed and breakfast to stay overnight. I walked around Xincheng’s old street area on Saturday night and found that Xincheng is a very quiet and peaceful town.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/10
By: Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Dec. 10 (CNA) Visiting Reporters Without Borders (RWB) President Pierre Haski

on Sunday said Taiwan’s diversified online media allows free expression of different views despite worry in some quarters that Taiwan’s mainstream media is being controlled by China-backed companies with a political agenda.

Answering questions by a student after a speech in Taipei, Haski said similar concerns have been raised in his country France, where it is believed that nine French billionaires have control over about 80 percent of the private media.

Haski said it was his understanding that some Taiwanese think the local media is being by controlled by China with the aim of spreading a specific political agenda in Taiwan society.

However, Haski said, he is also aware that Taiwan has a diversified media culture, especially its online services.    [FULL  STORY]

TRANSFORMATIONS: President Tsai Ing-wen said that it would be a pity if the pain caused by authoritarianism is simplified to the issue of whether to change street names

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 11, 2017
By: Su Fang-ho and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) yesterday announced that a National Human

Rights Museum is to be formally founded on May 17 next year in Jingmei Human Rights Memorial and Cultural Park (景美人權文化園區) in New Taipei City and the Green Island Human Rights Culture Park on Green Island (綠島).

Cheng made the announcement at an event marking International Human Rights Day at the Taipei Guest House that was attended by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), human rights campaigner Linda Arrigo and a number of survivors of political persecution and their families.

The nation owes a debt of gratitude to the survivors of political persecution, who three decades ago during the Martial Law era resisted the authoritarian regime and bought the freedom Taiwanese enjoy today with their blood and tears, Cheng said.   [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-12-09

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je has voiced his support for a measure that would lower the voting

age in referendums from 20 to 18.

The measure is part of a bill to amend the Referendum Act. The bill passed its second reading in the Legislature Friday.

During an interview Saturday, Ko said that setting the voting age for referendums at 18 is becoming a global norm. However, he said he was surprised to see that polling on the issue showed that fewer than half of voters want to see the age for voting in referendums lowered.

However, Ko said that 18-20 year-olds can be tried for crimes under Taiwan’s criminal code. He said he supports lowering the age for voting in referendums in the interests of striking a balance between responsibilities and rights.    [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2017/12/09
By: Darice D. Chang

The long-awaited Chthonic movie will be released December at Kaohsiung Film Festival,

but considering the band’s political stance and esoteric music, will it be too much for a Taiwanese – much less an international – audience?

Comedy and metal music don’t make for easy bedfellows, “Metalocalypse” (an adult anime series) antics aside, but as fans of international Taiwanese black metal sensation Chthonic know well, the band is as notorious for their quirky ways as their heavy music.

A full three years after initial filming, their upcoming movie is a hilarious hodgepodge of brash youthful energy, political commentary, Hollywood-grade action and cult-classic grade quirk. “Tshiong” (衝組), a Taiwanese term translating roughly to ‘rebellious’ or ‘brash’. The pronunciation in Taiwanese tshiong zois a parody of frontman Freddy Lim’s Taiwanese name, which is homophonous. For those unfamiliar with Lim, he is a founding member of Taiwan’s New Power Party, an opposition party created in 2015 to sustain the tide of pro-independence sentiment that swept the nation in during the Sunflower Movement.    [FULL  STORY]

Beware of cyber swindlers peddling fake iPhone X on Facebook

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/12/09
By: Renée Salmonsen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In just one week, 148 cases of fraudulent iPhone X

transactions occurred around Taiwan, according to the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB).

Of the 165 cases of fraud reported from November 27 to December 3 to the CIB, 148 of those cases were of false iPhone X transactions via Facebook.

The age of duped buyers ranged between 26 – 36, and 71 were male, 77 were female.    [FULL  STORY]