Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/11
By: Yang Sheng-ju, Frances Huang, Stanley Cheung and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Sept. 11 (CNA) Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲), who

has been held by the Chinese authorities since March on charges of “subversion of state power,” pleaded guilty during a brief court appearance in China’s Hunan Province Monday.

Lee was remanded back into detention after the hearing.

Sentencing on the case will be issued on a yet-to-be-decided date, a judge at the Yueyang City Intermediate People’s Court announced.

According to a video published by the court on its Weibo microblogging site, Lee admitted to “attempting to subvert state power” in cooperation with Peng Yuhua (彭宇華), a Chinese citizen who has created several discussion groups critical of the government.    [FULL  STORY]

NO CONNECTIONA man named Peng Yuhua stood trial alongside Lee, accused of creating a social media group, but rights advocates say they had never heard of him

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 12, 2017
By: Reuters, BEIJING

Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲) yesterday confessed in a

court in China to attempting to subvert the Chinese government, according to videos of his trial released by Chinese authorities, although his wife refused to recognize the court’s authority.

Lee, a community college teacher known for his pro-democracy and rights activism, went missing after entering China on March 19.
Chinese authorities later confirmed that he was being investigated on suspicion of damaging national security.

Lee said that he accepted the charge of subversion and expressed regret in videos of his comments released on social media by the Yueyang City Intermediate People’s Court in Yueyang, Hunan Province.    [FULL  STORY]

‘Good Eye Taipei’ shares six design accessory shops in Taipei you might not have heard of before.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/09/10

Taiwanese independent accessory design brands in recent years have gone beyond the local scene and gained international attention.

22 Design Studio is one of the most symbolic examples. Their classic concrete rings and earrings were first sold at local creative bazaars and slowly made their way to New York’s MoMA Store. A decade later, their product line has extended to concrete stationery and watches. Olivia Yao Jewellery is also a noteworthy jewelry brand that holds a firm place in the designer accessory world with their dainty pieces made of gold alloys. Other notable accessory design shops include changchang and Mano. Jewelry aside, fashionable eye-wear are also within reach in Taipei. CLASSICO, for example, sells semi-handmade glasses specially designed to suit Asian face shapes.

Whether for gifts or to add to your own closet, “Good Eye Taipei,” a bilingual Taipei city guide, recommends six unique accessory design stores in Taipei.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/10
By: Lawrence Chiu and Elizabeth Hsu

Changsha, China, Sept. 10 (CNA) The mother of Taiwanese human rights advocate

Lee Ming-che (李明哲), who is being held in Hunan Province, China on charges of subversion of state power, arrived in Changsha City in China on Sunday to attend her son’s court hearing.

Kuo Hsiu-chin (郭秀秦) arrived in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan, at 2:24 p.m., accompanied by two Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) coordinators and legal consultant Hu Yuan-lung (胡原龍).

Faced with a barrage of questions by reporters at the Changsha airport, Kuo said nothing but “thank you” in a soft voice. She and company then boarded a van and departed for Yueyang, a prefecture-level city in northeastern Hunan.

The Yueyang Intermediate People’s Court is scheduled to hear Lee’s case on Monday. Earlier Sunday, Lee’s wife Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜) flew from Taipei to Shanghai en route to Changsha.    [FULL  STORY]

Internal opposition:Free Taiwan Party Chair Tsay Ting-kuei said some DPP members seemed opposed to pardoning Chen and called for a vote to reveal legislators’ stances

Taipei Times
0Date: Sep 11, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

A coalition of Taiwanese independence groups yesterday joined a petition calling for

former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to be pardoned and urging President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to amend the Amnesty Act (赦免法) to clear legal obstacles for pardon by the end of this year.

The coalition has renewed a campaign to seek amnesty for Chen, who served more than six years of a 20-year sentence for corruption before being released on medical parole in 2015, but still faces other criminal charges.

Taiwan Society chairman Chang Yeh-sen (張葉森) said he believes there were judicial flaws in Chen’s corruption trial, including what he said was false testimony from former Chinatrust Financial Holding Co vice chairman Jeffrey Koo Jr (辜仲諒), as well as Chen’s conviction for having political influence instead of proven criminal acts.

Tsai had promised judicial fairness for Chen before she was elected last year, while Premier William Lai (賴清德) had severeal times called for Chen to be pardoned, Chang said, calling on the two to start the pardon process.    [FULL  STORY]

Design events have become a new phenomenon for Taipei locals. From fashion to handcrafted goods, the city is far from short of artsy affairs.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/09/09

Large-scale design events began to pop up in Taipei only about a decade ago but have been flourishing.

In 2005, CAMPO Life Art Carnival, an artsy cultural fair, was first founded, and a year later, the Simple Life Festival was put together by Taiwanese musicians — connecting music and creative markets. Then in 2007, Taiwan Designers’ Week became the center of attention for the city’s creative scene. These events not only give space for local Taiwanese to interact with designers but also initiate conversations around Taipei’s design philosophies and aesthetics.

“Good Eye Taipei,” a new bilingual Taipei city guide, recommends four unique design events in Taipei.

One cyclist was in a serious condition and one woman had minor injuries.

Taiwan News
Date:2017/09/09
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Three people were hit by falling rocks in Hualien’s Taroko

National Park near the Tunnel of Nine Turns (九曲洞) Saturday afternoon, leaving a Japanese cyclist in a serious condition, according to the Hualien County Fire Department.

The accident is said to have taken place on a stretch of the Central Cross-Island Highway (174 km) in Taroko National Park near the closed trail Tunnel of Nine Turns.

The Fire Department said after receiving a report at 2:44 p.m. that three people were struck by falling rocks, they sent out fire engines to their rescue.

The Fire Department said among the three casualties, a cyclist from Japan who had been hit on the head suffered serious injuries and partial loss of consciousness before being sent to the hospital.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/09
By: Yeh Su-ping and Kuan-lin Liu

Taipei, Sept. 9 (CNA) The Taiwanese government is doing everything in its power to

ensure the safe return of human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲), who has been detained in China since March, the Presidential Office said Saturday.

Several government departments have been working tirelessly to protect both Lee and the country’s dignity, Presidential Office spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) told the press as Lee’s wife prepares to depart for China to attend his trial.

The activist’s wife Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜) told reporters Saturday that she is travelling to China the following day, not to challenge or argue with anyone there, but to see justice done.    [FULL  STORY]