Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/28
By: Huang Huei-min and Isabel Wang 

Taipei, Oct. 28 (CNA) An overwhelming majority of people in offshore Kinmen County have voted against having casinos built in their island county, according to the results of the first referendum on gambling held in the county Saturday.

Among the total population of 29,029 eligible voters on the outlying island group, 2,705 voters were in favor of casinos, with 24,368 against the proposal.

The referendum was initiated by Kinmen County Councilor Tsai Chun-sheng (蔡春生) in June, after collecting 5,602 valid signatures — exceeding the 5,178 needed to instigate a referendum.     [SOURCE]

TWO SIDES:The Taiwan LGBT Pride Community used the gathering to promote sex education, while others derided the DPP for stalling on gay marriage legislation

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 29, 2017
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

The 15th annual Taipei lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pride

Parade yesterday drew about 123,000 participants, according to organizers’ estimates, hitting a new record since it was first held in 2003.

At about 1pm yesterday, paraders flooded toward the event’s main stage on Ketagalan Boulevard with 160 attending groups — including the American Institute in Taiwan and 12 groups from Japan and South Korea — divided into nine groups marching along three different routes.

The western route proceeded on Gongyuan Road (公園路), the northern on Zhongshan S Road (中山南路) and the southern on Xinyi Road (信義路).
[FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: October 28, 2017
By: Lee Ming-zong and Kuan-lin Liu

TAIPEI (CNA) – President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took to Facebook Saturday to

express her best wishes for the 2017 Taiwan Pride Parade, which kicked off earlier in the day.

Tsai, who was aboard a plane on an official visit to three of Taiwan’s Pacific Island allies, posted a message about same-sex equality in which she noted that the Constitutional Court has cemented the country’s direction toward marriage equality.

Citing the court’s historic Interpretation No. 748, the president urged the government to come up with laws that abide by the Constitutional Court’s ruling while simultaneously assuring unity of society.

“We will continue to do our best under the guidance of these two principles,” the post reads.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/27
By: Liu Shih-i, Wang Yang-yu and Kuan-lin Liu 

Taipei, Oct. 27 (CNA) The Taiwan High Court awarded on Friday more than NT$700 million (US$23.14 million) to a total of 486 former RCA Corp. workers and their family members who were exposed to toxins at a RCA factory located in Taoyuan County from 1970-1992.

This is the second ruling in a case that dates back to 2004 when over 500 individuals filed a joint lawsuit against the former U.S-based home appliance maker RCA for the pollution its Taoyuan-factory caused to the surrounding environment, which the court determined subsequently led to cases of cancer and other illnesses among former workers and local residents.

This new ruling, which increased the compensation by roughly NT$200 million, came about after a RCA employee association representing the victims appealed the original decision of NT$500 million in compensation, which fell far short of the NT$5.5 billion the victims had sought in their original motion.    [FULL  STORY]

DOMINO EFFECT:Banks filed lawsuits to seize Ching Yang Marine Enterprises’ assets after it failed to pay interest on a loan underwritten by troubled shipbuilder Ching Fu

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 28, 2017
By: Crystal Hsu and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

The Executive Yuan is to investigate the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and

state-owned First Financial Holding Co (第一金控) for their role in a scandal revolving around navy contractor Ching Fu Shipbuilding Co (慶富), Premier William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday.

Lai, speaking to the media before entering the Legislative Yuan in Taipei for an interpellation, said he has named Vice Premier Shih Jun-ji (施俊吉) to lead the probe.

Ching Fu, which was contracted to build minesweepers for the navy, is the subject of a criminal investigation into whether it defrauded First Commercial Bank (第一銀行) and other state-run banks of NT$15.4 billion (US$508.6 million) in a syndicated loan.

First Commercial Bank, the holding company’s main subsidiary, on Wednesday said the loan is in default because the shipbuilder had breached contractual terms.    [FULL  STORY]

Voice of America
Date: October 26, 2017

Taiwan is setting up overseas investment offices across a number of countries to

its south.

The island is also offering to suspend visa requirements for citizens of those nations.

These are the latest actions by Taiwan to expand business with other areas so it can become less dependent on China.

Officials in Taipei hope to improve trade, increase visitors and expand education links with 18 countries in South and Southeast Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand. Stronger ties with those nations, in theory, could reduce the influence of China in Taiwan.

China is now the island’s top trading partner. But the two sides have deep political differences.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-10-26

An amendment to the Civil Aviation Act to include registration, operation,

inspection and violation regulations for the use of drones was passed by the Cabinet on Thursday.

The amendment says any drone weighing more than 25 kilograms must be registered. That applies whether it is owned by a government agency, school or individual member of the public. The vehicle must be registered using the person’s real name. The Civil Aeronautics Administration’s deputy director-general Ho Shu-ping explained. “When a drone weighing 25 kilos drops to the ground, it is heavy enough to cause injury. The main reason for the registration of these vehicles is so that if it affects anyone’s safety on the ground or aviation safety, we want to make sure we know who owns the drone.”    [FULL  STORY]

‘Evil Landlady’ ordered to pay NT$2.7 million in compensation for the death of air conditioning repairman

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/10/26 
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chang Shu-ching (張淑晶), 48, dubbed the “evil landlady”

by local media outlets for swindling numerous tenants over the years, has been ordered to serve 7 months in jail, pay NT$2.7 million US$89,000) in compensation, and could face additional penalties for the death of an air conditioning repairman, reported Apple Daily.

In March of 2014, while working as the business manager of Chunghsing International Development Co. (中興國際開發公司) Chang dispatched a man surnamed Liao (廖) to an apartment in New Taipei’s Xinzhuang District to install a frame to mount an air conditioning unit to the outside of the building. However, because she did not supply a helmet, safety rope, or other safety equipment, when the man stepped out on an old rain cover, he fell to his death. the high court ruled that she must serve 7 months in jail and could be subject to a NT$210,000 fine.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/26
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan 

Taipei, Oct. 26 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) called on the Communist Party of China (CPC) Thursday to begin dialogue with her administration to bring an end to hostilities between the two sides and the fear of war.

In her first response to the just-concluded CPC’s 19th Party Congress that saw Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), also general secretary of the CPC, emerging as a formidable leader, Tsai said that China’s ruling party has entered into “a whole new era of ruling.”

Tsai said that when she was inaugurated May 20 last year, she urged the ruling parties on each side of the strait to begin dialogue. After the CPC’s party congress, she said that “now is the turning point” to change cross-Taiwan Strait relations.    [FULL  STORY]

‘HORRENDOUS ORDEAL’:Cheng Hsing-tse wrote to police officer Su Hsien-pi’s son, telling him that they and their families were all victims who suffered from the tragedy

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 27, 2017
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

The Taichung branch of the Taiwan High Court yesterday acquitted death row

inmate Cheng Hsing-tse (鄭性澤) of all charges, overturning his convictions in a long-running case stemming from the 2002 killing of a police officer in Taichung.

Cheng, 50, maintained his innocence throughout his 14-year imprisonment, of which he spent 10 years on death row.

“I have been waiting for this day for 15 years,” Cheng said in a statement after the verdict. “Up until today, I was a man without a tomorrow. From this moment, I want to start a brand new life.”

Cheng’s case went through seven trials and eight retrials, including the Supreme Court’s 2006 decision to uphold the death sentence.

In March last year, prosecutors applied with the Taiwan High Court for a retrial after new evidence emerged. Cheng was released on bail in May that year.

The details of the case remained unclear. There were doubts regarding the death of police officer Su Hsien-pi (蘇憲丕) and contradictory testimony over who at a Taichung karaoke parlor fired the gun that killed him.    [FULL  STORY]