Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/03
By: Evelyn Kao 

Taipei, Dec. 3 (CNA) A funeral service was held Sunday for Hou Wu-chung (侯武忠), a doctor who succumbed to pancreatic cancer Nov. 20 at the age of 55 after having provided medical services to underserved areas of Penghu for over 20 years.

The service was held at a cemetery in Penghu’s Magong City.

During the ceremony, Presidential Office Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) presented a presidential citation on behalf of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to Hou, which was received by Hou’s wife, Chen Hui-chuan (陳惠娟).

In return, Chen handed a letter of suggestion to Wu, proposing that a Hou Wu-chung commemorative park and hall featuring his statue be established in Baisha Township and expressing hope that the government will place greater importance on improving medical care to the outlying islands of Penghu.    [FULL  STORY]

MADE IN CHINA? Software and hardware were allegedly bought from China, despite rules against such purchases, and then reported to have been manufactured locally

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 04, 2017
By: Hsieh Chun-lin, Wu Cheng-fong and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office and the Agency Against Corruption have discovered that National

Immigration Agency (NIA) officials bought biometric equipment from China for use in the e-Gates in the nation’s three major airports, sources said on Saturday.

The biometric equipment, which has been in use since 2012 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Kaohsiung International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), allows fast-track passport control for frequent travelers by using biometric verification methods such as facial recognition and fingerprint identification, and might have been compromised by China-made software and equipment, sources told the Liberty Times (the sister paper of the Taipei Times) on condition of anonymity.

The allegation has alarmed government investigators and security experts, who fear the e-Gates would be vulnerable to hacks by China or other groups seeking to obtain privileged information, or to circumvent travel restrictions on criminals or others, sources said.    [FULL  STORY]

Tsai says minesweepers ‘scandal’ an isolated case and she is confident the military can remedy the situation

South China Morning Post 
Date: 02 December, 2017

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen vowed Friday to forge ahead with her administration’s policy of building military equipment at home despite an ongoing procurement scandal.

Speaking at a commissioning ceremony held at a military base in Pingtung, southern Taiwan, Tsai called the scandal involving minesweepers for the navy an “isolated case” that would “not change the course of bolstering the indigenous arms industry”.

Tsai said she was confident that the military would correct the wrong and learn a lesson from it, thus helping itself establish a better system and create a better environment for advancing the development of the indigenous military industry.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-12-02

Taiwan and the UK have agreed to further economic ties with dialogue on energy and

trade in agricultural products.

The agreement came as the two sides met in London Saturday for the 20th round of bilateral trade talks. Taiwan’s chief representative at the meeting, Vice Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua, said dialogue on energy and agricultural products will begin next year.

During the meeting, the two sides also discussed bilateral investment, protections for intellectual property rights, financial services, and cooperation on renewable energy.

International Trade Minister Greg Hands, the chief British official at the meeting, said that as the UK prepares to leave the European Union, Taiwan’s economy and the Taiwanese market present opportunities for British businesses.    [FULL  STORY]

Six employees treated after ammonia leak

Taiwan News 
Date 2017/12/02
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – An explosion followed by an ammonia leak at an ice factory in Kaohsiung injured six workers, including Vietnamese staff, reports said Saturday.

Around noon, a compressor exploded at the plant near the Qianzhen fishing harbor, causing a substance suspected of being ammonia to leak, the Central News Agency reported.

One person was taken to hospital where fluid was found in his lungs, while five others were treated for dizziness. At least two of the employees were surnamed Nguyen and were thought to be Vietnamese citizens, reports said. None of the injured was in any critical danger.

About 10 staff members, also including foreign workers, took refuge on the roof of the structure as a precautionary measure, reports said.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/02
By: Elaine Hou and Kuan-lin Liu

Taipei, Dec. 2 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is keeping watch of the latest developments in Honduras amidst protests and violence following the presidential election there, with a spokesman for the ministry confirming Saturday that all Taiwanese nationals in the country are safe.

According to MOFA spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章), no Taiwanese nationals or embassy officials in Honduras have been hurt in the violent demonstrations that have followed the presidential election of Nov. 25.

The demonstrations ensued after opposition leaders accused incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez’s government of manipulating the vote count in the president’s quest for re-election.    [FULL  STORY]

‘ONE CHINA’:The amendment aims to work around Chinese spies’ actions not being considered ‘foreign aggression’ due to the Constitution including China in the nation

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 03, 2017
By: Tseng Wei-chen  /  Staff reporter

The Legislative Yuan’s Judicial Committee is tomorrow to review a draft amendment to

the Criminal Code proposed by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) stipulating that Chinese spies and their collaborators should be convicted of “offenses against the external security of the state” (外患罪).

None of the punishments stipulated in the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法), the National Security Act (國家安全法), the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法) and the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法) are strict enough to deter spies, Wang said.

While those laws have been amended over the past few years to stipulate stricter penalties, they are still too lenient and have proven ineffective in deterring spies, he said.

Former Chinese People’s Liberation Army intelligence officer Zhen Xiaojiang (鎮小江), the mastermind behind the nation’s most serious security breach, in 2015 received a four-year prison term under the National Security Act.

Retired major general Hsu Nai-chuan (許乃權) was given a 34-month sentence for colluding with Zhen, with his pension payments to resume once he leaves jail.

Had the pair been tried under the Criminal Code, they could have received a life sentence or the death penalty.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-12-01

President Tsai Ing-wen says the government’s determination to make Taiwan self-

sufficient in building military hardware will not be affected by a setback in shipbuilding. Tsai was speaking Friday at a ceremony marking the formation of a P-3C anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft fleet in the southern county of Pingtung.

Tsai said the fraud scandal involving a contract that Ching Fu Shipbuilding won from the defense ministry in 2014 has caused “temporary” problems. The company was contracted to build minesweepers for the navy but is on the brink of bankruptcy. Tsai said however that making Taiwan self-sufficient in building military hardware has never been an easy task, and the setback won’t change the government’s direction.    [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2017/12/01
By: David Green

As Nasdaq cheers Taipei-based OwlTing, Taiwan is on the cusp of allowing its dynamic

blockchain innovators to make significant global impact.

As Bitcoin hovers around US$10,000, and the the Nasdaq Stock Exchange gears up to run futures contracts in the cryptocurrency next year, remarkable things are occurring in Taiwan’s cryptocurrency and blockchain community.

On Monday, Nov. 27, Nasdaq ran a digital banner congratulating Taipei-based OwlTing on launching “OwlNest” the world’s first hotel management service based on blockchain.

Over the weekend, more than 200 people attended Taiwan Blockchain Summit in Taipei, primarily Taiwanese investors in their forties with a smattering of International visitors thrown in for good measure. The event was organized by Blockcamp, which has become a rallying point for blockchain-related business through its Taiwan Blockchain Alliance events series. Speakers included Kuomintang congressman Jason Hsu (許毓仁), the man behind Taiwan’s “sandbox” fintech experimentation bill, as well as presenters from various companies touting initial coin offerings (ICOs).    [FULL  STORY]

Three men considered as suspects in arson which killed one employee: reports

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/12/01
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Three men suspected of involvement in the arson attack on a

goose restaurant in New Taipei City which killed one person were arrested before boarding a flight to Singapore at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Friday.

On Thursday evening, a number of men stepped out of a black car in Tucheng, New Taipei City, to throw a Molotov cocktail at a well-known restaurant. The fire caused by the attack caused the death of one employee, while the owner’s wife was gravely injured, and three more people also sustained injuries.

Earlier Friday, reports said police had detained a man and a woman in Taichung who might have been involved in the attack.

At 4:30 p.m., three men who were about to board a flight to Singapore were intercepted by customs officials, and sent for questioning to the Tucheng police department, the Chinese-language Liberty Times reported.    [FULL  STORY]