Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/11/07
By: Liu Chien-pang, Liang Pei-chi and Kuan-lin Liu

Taipei, Nov. 7 (CNA) Taipei police said Tuesday they are looking for eight individuals

whom they believes may be from the Middle East in the theft of NT$200 million worth of jewelry from the 2017 Taiwan Jewellery & Gem Fair.

According to Che Yu-chi (車宇基), head of the Xinyi Precinct’s investigation team, there is currently an ongoing investigation to track down six men and two women in an apparent jewelry theft that took place Monday night.

Che said the eight are believed to be from the Middle East based on surveillance footage.

Jade Wu (伍穗華), chairwoman of Jurassic Color Diamond whose jewelry was stolen, said at a press conference on Tuesday that three loose diamonds, a sapphire broach, and three jade rings worth a total of NT$200 million were stolen after the annual jewelry fair.    [FULL  STORY]

NAZI INFLUENCE:Five protesters in 2015 were arrested for cutting up flags, sparking a series of appeals over the legality of the act, which was outlawed in the 1930s

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 08, 2017
By: Yang Kuo-wen, Yan Hui-chun and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

The Taiwan High Court on Monday filed a request for a constitutional interpretation by

the Council of Grand Justices on desecration of the flag, saying the Criminal Code penalizing such actions might infringe on freedom of speech, freedom of thought and proportionality.

The request was prompted by the case of independence advocates Chen Yi-ting (陳儀庭), Chen Miao-ting (陳妙婷) and three others, whose conviction for cutting up a dozen flags in 2015 was overturned on appeal by the New Taipei City District Court.

New Taipei City prosecutors appealed the overturned conviction.

High Court judges Chou Ying-wen (周盈文), Lin Meng-huang (林孟皇) and Lin Hai-hsiang (林海祥) decided to suspend the appeal trial to allow time for a constitutional interpretation.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 7, 2017
By: Tsai Yi-chu and Frances Huang

TAIPEI (CNA) – About 75 percent of employees in Taiwan are apprehensive about a

government proposal to change the regulations pertaining to overtime work, as they think it ultimately will affect their health and quality of life, according to a survey released Tuesday.

The survey by 1111 online job bank found that among those who are concerned, 25.7 percent fear they will become physically and mentally exhausted if employers are allowed to set longer overtime hours, as proposed.

According to the poll, 19.1 percent of those who are worried are concerned about longer work days, while 12.4 percent fear they will be forced to work during holidays.

Although the current regulations allow no more than 40 regular work hours per week, 62 percent of employees in Taiwan work long hours every day, the poll showed.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-11-06

Taiwan’s representative to the upcoming APEC forum, James Soong, held a press

conference on Monday ahead of his departure on Tuesday.

President Tsai Ing-wen has appointed the People First Party chairperson to attend the summit on her behalf. That’s due to pressure from China, which prevents Taiwan’s president from attending the event. Soong spoke on Monday about the president’s advice ahead of his trip.

“The president made a point of suggesting that we interact with world leaders in a natural way, and to be frank in sharing our opinions. The government has arranged for one-on-one meetings with leaders from other countries,” said Soong.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese tourist loses citizenship after getting duped into a temporary Chinese passport for trip to Russia

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/11/06
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese tourist has been stripped of his household

registration (hukou, 戶口) and passport after he was reported for having a temporary Chinese passport, which his travel agency had helped him apply for during a trip to Russia, reported UDN.

Last week, a Taiwanese tourist rushed into the the Taichung City Qingshui District Household Registration Office livid after having been notified that he had been stripped of his Taiwan hukou for receiving a China passport. The man, surnamed Yen (顏), said that he was one of 20 Taiwanese who after trip to Vladivostok, Russia in early October unwittingly, “returned as Chinese citizens.”

When Yen requested to have his residence restored and inquired whether he could still go abroad on trips with his Taiwanese passport, he was notified that his passport had also been revoked. Staff at the household registration office contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on his behalf, but they did not provide an official response on the reason why his passport had been cancelled, though sources in the travel industry say he may soon face charges. It is not known whether the other members of the tour have suffered the same punishment as Yen.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/11/06
By: Huang Ya-chuan and Ko Lin

Taipei, Nov. 6 (CNA) A move to dispose of Taiwan’s uranium reserves is expected to be

completed within two years, at a planned cost of NT$150 million (US$4.96 million), Atomic Energy Council Minister Hsieh Shou-shing (謝曉星) said Monday.

A memorandum of understanding was drafted between the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) and an unnamed contractor earlier this year to remove the uranium reserves, Hsieh said in a committee hearing at the legislature.

Hsieh told legislators that an earlier draft was initially agreed between the AEC and French multinational group AREVA TN, but fell through for unspecified reasons.

Negotiations to remove the uranium reserves are ongoing with a new contractor and hopefully the deal will soon be finalized, Hsieh said, adding that the uranium reserves would be shipped out of Taiwan by 2019.    [FULL  STORY]

FAIR AND BALANCED:Most of the six nominees have ties to the DPP, the KMT said, while one nominee said that they are all professors with transparent backgrounds

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 07, 2017
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday urged Premier William Lai (賴清德) to

rescind the Cabinet’s nominations for the Central Election Commission (CEC) to ensure the agency’s neutrality, citing the nominees’ “green background.”

As members of the nation’s statutory agency responsible for managing local and national elections, they should be politically neutral to ensure that elections are fair, just and independent of political influence, KMT spokesman Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said.

“However, most of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration’s six nominees have held positions either in the party or its affiliated organizations. This runs counter to the principle of neutrality to which past commission nominees have usually conformed,” Hung told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

The news conference coincided with a meeting of the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee, which was convened to review for the second time the credentials of the nominees, who are expected to succeed six commission members whose four-year terms expired on Friday.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 6, 2017
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan

TAIPEI (CNA) – Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Monday that the government will

provide 1,442 hectares of land for industrial use as part of its efforts to meet demand for space in that sector over the next five years.

At a press conference, Lai made three proposals for acquiring the land, as the government prepares to launch an initiative this week to tackle what it said were the major obstacles to investment, namely impending shortages of water, electricity, labor and professional talent.

Lai said that by the end of 2022, demand for land in the industrial sector will increase by 1,266 hectares.

In the first instance, the government will seek to tackle the problem by making available 806 hectares of public lands, 371 hectares of which will be offered for rent at preferential rates in the first two years, Lai said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-11-05

Premier William Lai is gearing up to announce new plans to deal with the so-called “five

shortages” which are hampering Taiwan’s economy. Those include shortages of water, electricity, land, talent and labor.

The premier presided over a meeting on Sunday to finalize the government’s plans. He also led a separate meeting to address possible changes to a controversial law mandating that workers must take one day off each week, with a flexible second day off.

A Cabinet spokesperson said on Sunday that the premier is scheduled to hold press conferences nearly every day this coming week to announce the plans for dealing with the five shortages.

The premier will kick things off on Monday with a 9:30 am press conference to announce proposed solutions to the shortage of land. Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s press conferences will deal with water and electricity.    [FULL  STORY]

As the number of foreigners visiting the Taipei Confucius Temple is rising, Taipei City Government is recruiting volunteers interested in providing guide services or performing regular rituals at the popular tourist attraction.

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/11/05
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–As the number of foreigners visiting the Taipei Confucius

Temple is rising, Taipei City Government is recruiting volunteers interested in providing guide services or performing regular rituals at the popular tourist attraction.

The temple hopes to recruit foreign language volunteers who look well-groomed, articulate, and are proficient in languages such as English, Japanese, Spanish, or others, according to Taipei Confucius Temple Governing Board. Volunteers are expected to provide services including guidance for tourists at the visitor information center, historical site tour guiding, as well as support for educational activities and Confucianism related events, according to Taipei Confucius Temple Governing Board.    [FULL  STORY]