Politics abhors a vacuum, and with the KMT struggling for support there is scope for a new opposition to mount a challenge to the DPP’s grip of Taiwan’s national politics. But who will lead it and where will they come from? Courtney Donovan Smith forecasts Taiwan’s political future.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/09/25
By: Courtney Donovan Smith (石東文)

In my previous article “As KMT Digs Its Own Grave, DPP Plans Its Burial,” I explored

how the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is on the one hand marginalizing itself with its own structural, historical and ideological straightjackets, and on the other is having much of its remaining power sources held over from the martial law era stripped away by the current administration of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

The marginalization of the KMT will open a huge political vacuum for new opposition to form to the DPP. There is no way to know for sure what form it will take, but that has never stopped anyone attempting to read the tea leaves. Whatever political forces emerge from the status quo in Taiwan, they will arise from an intriguing confluence of local political structures and personalities, international trends and economic changes, and take place against a backdrop of a nation straining to break away from the deep historical divisions that have so far informed its identity.
[FULL  STORY]

The 2017 National Day fireworks will be held in Taitung for the first time with several intriguing activities

By  Taiwan News
2017/09/25 18:00

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – 2017 Taiwan’s National Day fireworks display will take place for the first time in Taitung County, featuring a spectacular 36-minute-long fireworks show and hot air balloon night glow event.

The 2017 National Day Fireworks event is expected to light up at Taitung Forest Park (台東森林公園) starting from 19:00 and run until 19:36 on October 10. The Taitung County Government, which will be hosting the National Day activities this year will bring joy, warmth, and amusement to locals as well as foreigners who participate in the event.

According to the head of Taitung County, Huang Chien-ting (黃健庭), starting from October 6 through October 11, several interesting activities to celebrate the Double Ten Holiday will be held, including hot air balloon rides and fireworks shows. Visitors can enjoy events that feature unique characteristics of Taitung including an indigenous dance competition, handicrafts, live picnic music, and bike tours.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/25
By: Wu Jui-chi and Kuan-lin Liu

Taipei, Sept. 25 (CNA) The Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office charged five people

Monday for alleged distribution of trade secrets.

Five former employees of local firm Inotera Memories were charged with violations of the Trade Secrets Act, the Copyright Act, and the Criminal Code for allegedly taking classified documents from their former employer and passing them to a Chinese company last year.

According to prosecutors, five men, three of whom are surnamed Chang (張) and the others named Fan (范) and Chen (陳), were all management-level officials at Inotera Memories, now known as Micron Technology Taiwan after an acquisition that was completed last December. The five left the company between September and November last year.

Following Micron’s acquisition of Inotera Memories, the company suspected that the five, who were headhunted by a Chinese wafer producing company, stole classified company documents.    [FULL  STORY]

APOLOGIES:Taipei’s cultural affairs department said it was sorry a cross-strait music festival ended in shambles, while police said their response should have been better

Taipei Times
Date:  Sep 26, 2017
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

The Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs yesterday voiced deep regret that a cross-

strait concert was canceled on Sunday after protests descended into violence, while Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said there was no negligence on the part of the city government.

The “Sing! China: Shanghai-Taipei Music Festival” at National Taiwan University’s (NTU) athletic field, promoted by the Taipei and Shanghai municipal governments, and cosponsored by the Chinese reality television show Sing! China, was called off about two hours after its start after protests about the way the school was referred to by promoters, about damage done to the sports field and about students’ rights to use the athletic field.

The concert had been scheduled to run from 2pm to 10pm, but at 4pm organizers announced it was being halted.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-09-24

A Radio Taiwan International program has picked up two Golden Bell Awards – the

nation’s highest broadcasting award – for delving into the topic of aging prisoners.

The program – Listen to Taiwan at 9 – is hosted by award-winning RTI broadcaster Chan Wan-ru along with Associate Professor Dai Sheng-feng of National Chung Cheng University’s Department and Graduate Institute of Criminology. They picked up the Social Care Program Award, and also an award for hosting.

 

For the program Chan and Dai traveled to correctional institutions throughout Taiwan to get a first-hand understanding of the problem with aging prisoners, which mirrors the aging population of Taiwan as a whole.    [FULL  STORY]

MISSOULA, Mont. – The following is a press release from the office of Senator Steve Daines

NBC Missoula
Date: Sep 24, 2017
Courtesy of Senator Steve Daines

U.S. Senator Steve Daines, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today returned from a security and trade mission to South Korea and Taiwan to receive an update on the nuclear threat of North Korea and expand markets for Montana products.

Daines traveled to the Korean Demilitarized Zone to see the border known as the 38th parallel, he also visited Yeonpyeong Island to better understand the challenges that the military faces being in close proximity to North Korea. Daines then participated in a classified strategic briefing with General Brooks, Commander of United States Forces Korea/UN Command/Combined Forces Command. Additionally, he met with U.S. Air Force Colonel Steven Edwards from Missoula, Montana.

Daines met with South Korea’s defense minister, Song Young-moo where they discussed the security situation and danger along the border due to North Korea’s ongoing provocations.    [FULL  STORY]

The arrival of the Meizhou Mazu statue from the deity’s original temple in China has caused a stir with Taiwanese believers, who scrambled to see the deity at the Cihui Mazu temple in downtown Banqiao, New Taipei City on Saturday night.

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/09/24
By George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—The arrival of the Meizhou Mazu statue from the deity’s

original temple in China has caused a stir with Taiwanese believers, who scrambled to see the deity at the Cihui Mazu temple in downtown Banqiao, New Taipei City on Saturday night.

Many of the believers from other parts of the island took tour buses to the local temple, where the statue of Mazu from the Meizhou Mazu Temple, stayed overnight.

The Meizhou Mazu Temple on Meizhou Island in Putian, Fujian Province, where Mazu was born and became a goddess, is universally regarded as the original temple of all other Mazu temples around the world.      [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/24
By: CNA reporters and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Sept. 24 (CNA) Sing China Music Festival, a cultural activity supported by the cities of Taipei and Shanghai, was called off Sunday afternoon following a protest by students and others at National Taiwan University (NTU).

The protest was initiated by NTU student Tsai Hsuan-chi (蔡炫錡), who complained that the school’s sports field was damaged and student rights’ to use the athletic field were affected.

Protesters splashed banners, chanted slogans and stormed onto the stage while supporters of the festival shouted back, creating tension as both sides confronted each other.

Four people were injured during ensuing scuffle, and police arrested a man surnamed Hu on charges of injuring an NTU student. Hu was taken to Da’an Police Station for investigation.    [FULL  STORY]

PARTY CONGRESS:The DPP chair said the public wants a more efficient government with a clearer division of power. She said the party must be ready to face challenges

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 25, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter

Constitutional reform is needed to build a more functional democracy for Taiwan,

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday as she called on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to come up with new narratives and policies to respond to domestic and international changes.

In a speech to the DPP’s 17th National Congress in her role as party chair, Tsai hinted at ways the Constitution could be amended to improve the electoral system, implement constitutional human rights protection and enhance the separation of powers.

“Veteran members of our party helped Taiwan gain democracy. The mission of our generation is to build a more functional democratic constitutional system for Taiwan,” Tsai told the afternoon meeting in Taipei.    [FULL STORY]

Lonely Planet
Date: Sep 23, 2017
By: Una-Minh Kavanagh

For PC gamers, being away from their beloved console for long periods of time can

be a bit stressful, but for one hotel in Taiwan catering for the geeky guest is not an issue. i hotel, located in the Taoyuan District near the international airport, offers its customers more than just a bed to lie in. In a complete breakaway from the norm, the hotel boasts an incredible selection of gaming stations with two in each room rigged with i5-7400 processors, 16GB of RAM, GTX 1080 Ti GPU and DXRacer gaming chairs.

Not only that, but when you’re caught up with the latest League of Legends or Dota 2 session, you can then plonk onto the bed and check out the latest eSports channel on the 46″ inch TV screen in the room. The lobby itself also is a sight to behold as i hotel have an impressive large gaming arena installed just in case you want to game with friends.

Each room costs around $100-a-night, but the hotel also does hourly rates if you’re just looking to have a gaming session. There’s a $12-an-hour rate during weekends which jumps to $75 for 15 hours. YouTuber Joeman has a walk-through of the hotel, and while you might not speak Chinese, you can definitely appreciate what’s on offer there.    [FULL  STORY]