Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/01
By: Chen Wei-ting and William Yen

Taipei, Dec. 1 (CNA) Taiwan is expected to increase the number of designated hospitals

and pharmacies that provide medical care and medicine for HIV and AIDS patients in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Friday.

At a press conference to announce the move, CDC Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said Taiwan is expected to see an additional four designated hospitals that provide medical care to HIV and AIDS patients next year, bringing the total number to 73.

Also, designated pharmacies where the patients can obtain HIV medicine and related advisory information will be increased from the current four to 17, said Chou.

In Taiwan, care for HIV and AIDS patients is becoming stable, but it is still mainly offered in major hospitals, added Chou.    [FULL  STORY]

DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENT: The president praised an advanced jet trainer program and reiterated the government’s commitment to building indigenous submarines

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 02, 2017
By: Staff writer, with CNA

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday at a military ceremony reiterated her resolve to

build strong self-defense capabilities for Taiwan.

“Building a capable self-defense will make our military and nation even stronger,” Tsai said, as she presided over a ceremony at Pingtung Airbase to mark the commissioning of 12 P-3C Orion maritime surveillance planes and the decommissioning of the fleet of 11 S-2T Trackers.

The 12 P-3Cs, acquired from the US for US$1.9 billion in 2007, are to replace the aging S-2T maritime patrol aircraft that have been in service for more than 40 years, and are expected to boost the nation’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities, the base said.

Seen as playing an essential role in anti-submarine warfare and in defending Taiwan from China, the aircraft are equipped with torpedoes and depth charges designed to sink fast, deep-diving nuclear submarines and high-performance surface vessels.   [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-11-30

Taiwan’s judiciary, the Judicial Yuan, on Thursday announced a draft bill for citizen

judges to take part in criminal trials in the future.

If the bill passes, a judicial process will involve three professional judges and six citizen judges in cases that have been going on for seven years or more. People 23 years old and above who have completed high school education or higher will be eligible to serve. They must also be a Taiwanese national with residency of more than four months in the municipality of the local court.

Judicial Yuan official Su Su-e explained. “During this period of selecting citizen judges, anyone in the justice ministry, or judges, prosecutors or defendants will have the right to bring up any questions during the selection process. They can either choose to include or not include reasoning for their refusals. Through such a selection process, we will have a group of citizen judges who are unbiased and have diverse values,” said Su.    [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2017/11/30
By: Eryk Smith

Despite now being a ‘city,’ Pingtung residents would be better represented, better funded

and better organized as a part of Kaohsiung.

Earlier this year, a dozen or so protesters stood outside the brand-new Pingtung Train Station (newly elevated and electrified), holding signs calling on the central government to extend the High Speed Rail (HSR) to Pingtung City (屏東市).

“Pingtung is dying. We need transport.” “Give justice to Pingtung! HSR now!” the signs read. The issue has since come up in question sessions, with lawmakers representing Pingtung demanding an HSR link and a subway (MRT) connection with Kaohsiung. Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) administration transport officials have pledged to “look into the matter.”

Let’s be honest: The HSR will not be extended to Pingtung in our lifetimes. A quick look at a map shows how unfeasible the plan would be. The Kaohsiung MRT says there are plans to extend the Orange Line from Daliao (大寮) to Pingtung, which would entail a short hop over the Gaoping River (高屏溪) and this seems like a logical and workable option.    [FULL  STORY]

Dogs might have been cooked for human consumption

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/11/30
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The animal protection service in Keelung is promising a reward of NT$100,000 (US$3,300) to the person who can help find those responsible for the bones of 300 dogs believed to have been killed for human consumption, a practice banned by law in Taiwan.

A person who was out feeding stray dogs Thursday morning found more than 100 bags spread along a remote road outside the center of Keelung, the Chinese-language Liberty Times reported.

Animal protection experts who went to inspect the find said the bones had been cut up and no meat or muscle were still attached, indicating that the meat had been cooked for human consumption. Tests on the teeth led the experts to believe that the bones were the remains of about 300 adult dogs, the report said.

Residents of the area said its remoteness had encouraged some people to dump domestic waste and trash from construction along the roads.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/11/30
By: Wu Hsin-yun and Flor Wang

Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) Poor air quality in southern Taiwan is expected to continue into the weekend, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said Thursday, urging sensitive groups to avoid outdoor activities as a precaution.

As of noon Thursday, air quality in northern Taiwan, particularly Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli, and central Taiwan had significantly improved since Wednesday, when most parts of the country were subject to high levels of PM2.5, according to the EPA’s Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Network. (http://taqm.epa.gov.tw/taqm/en/).

The Air Quality Index (AQI) flashed green (good air quality) or yellow (fair to good quality) in those areas.

However the AQI continued to flash orange at six monitoring stations in southern Taiwan — including Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung — meaning that the air quality in those areas remains unhealthy.    [FULL  STORY]

HAZY DECISION: Lee Ying-yuan said he would step down if the number of days when the air quality index signal is red does not drop by 20 percent by his deadline
By Yang Mien-chieh, Ko Yu-how, Huang Pei-chun and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporters, with

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 01, 2017
By: staff writer

Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Minister Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) yesterday

vowed to resign next year if air pollution in the nation does not drop by 20 percent by May 20.

At a news conference called to discuss the severe haze that covered the western half of the nation on Wednesday, Lee said the EPA has invested NT$200 billion (US$6.66 billion) to enact 14 policies aimed at ameliorating air pollution.

“While changes cannot be effected overnight, we have seen a gradual improvement,” he said.

If the number of days when the air quality index signals red — meaning “unhealthy” levels — does not drop by 20 percent, he would take responsibility by tendering his resignation, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

Beijing has a clear approach to doing what it has long intended.

The Diplomat
Date: November 29, 2017
By: Ian Easton

This Thanksgiving, as millions of American families sat down for turkey dinner and football, a dangerous game of chicken was being played out on the far side of the Pacific. Formations of Chinese bombers flanked by fighter escorts repeatedly circled Taiwan, simulating attack operations. Meanwhile, Chinese spy planes loitered nearby, collecting intelligence needed for refining China’s invasion plan against the island democracy of 23 million people.

Per standard procedure, Taiwanese fighters scrambled to shadow their adversaries, meeting them in aerial engagements that have become more frequent and heated over the past two years. On the ground, Taiwanese generals sitting in buried bunker complexes would have tracked the course of events on digital display screens and alerted air defense missile batteries, making ready to launch at a moment’s notice.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-11-29

President Tsai Ing-wen has issued a harsh condemnation against North Korea for its

missile launch on Wednesday morning. At 3am, North Korea launched the Hwasong-15 missile into Japan’s economic zone waters.

North Korean state media claimed the intercontinental ballistic missile was topped with a super-large heavy warhead capable of striking the US mainland. The missile soared 4,500 kilometers high, the highest altitude recorded by a North Korean missile.

President Tsai said the national security team was aware of the launch as soon as it took place. She has ordered government agencies to closely monitor the situation.
[FULL  STORY]

Cooler weather expected to dispel pollution Thursday

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/11/29
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – By Wednesday evening, parts of Taipei City and New Taipei City

were also covered by an expanding red pollution alert, meaning the air quality would affect all parts of the population, the Environmental Protection Administration said.

On a warm day which saw temperatures rise to 30 degrees Celsius, initially it was the southern part of Taiwan which suffered the most, as winds from the east were held back by the central mountain range and were unable to disperse pollution in the area.

However, by the early evening, air pollution also reached high levels in Central and Northern Taiwan, reaching the capital, the Central News Agency reported.
[FULL  STORY]