Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/06/15
By Miao Tsung-han and Lilian Wu

Taipei, June 15 (CNA) Executives of several government financial institutions will not attend a cross-

strait financial forum in the wake of Panama’s decision to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, a local newspaper reported Thursday.

The Economic Daily News said that following Panama’s defection on Tuesday, the government has instructed the Taiwan Financial Services Roundtable (TFSR) not to attend the forum scheduled to be held in Xiamen on Sunday.

The TFSR, an organization set up in 2005 under the guidance of the Financial Supervisory Commission, is one of the four co-sponsors of the forum. The other three are Beijing-based Financial News, Xiamen City government and the economic bureau under the Taiwan Affairs Office.

Those that have withdrawn include Shih Jun-ji (施俊吉), TFSR board chairman and Taiwan Stock Exchange chairman; Wu Tang-chieh (吳當傑), TFSR secretary-general and Hua Nan Financial Holdings chairman; and Kuei Hsien-nung (桂先農), chairman of Taiwan Insurance Institute.   [FULL  STORY]

FRONT-PAGE SPREADS:The firm said it would reduce its Sincheng Township activities to about 250 hectares and be willing to undergo an environmental assessment

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 16, 2017
By: Kuo Chia-erh / Staff reporter

Amid a growing backlash against Asia Cement Corp’s (亞泥) business interests in Taiwan, the company

yesterday took out front-page advertisements in several Chinese-language newspapers to announce that it would reduce its mining operations in Hualien County by 40 percent.

The company said it would restrict its mining operations in Sincheng Township (新城) to about 250 hectares, 150 hectares less than the 400 hectares that the government has approved.

It said it would also agree to conduct an environmental impact assessment on its mining operations if necessary, once a proposed revision of the Mining Act (礦業法) passes the legislature.

The announcement came after Premier Lin Chuan (林全) on Wednesday said that the government would, in a week, review the renewal of the firm’s mining rights.

There has been widespread criticism of the company’s mining activities at the Sincheng site in the wake of the death of award-winning documentary filmmaker Chi Po-lin (齊柏林) on Saturday last week in a helicopter crash.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: June 15, 2017
By: The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A former Taichung government official said Thursday that ex-Taichung mayor Jason

Hu had been admitted to a hospital for an examination due to a lingering cold.

Wang Chiu-tung, former head of Taichung City Government’s Civil Affairs Department, told local media that Hu had stayed at a hospital for a check-up, citing persistent cold symptoms.

He assured reporters that the former mayor was now feeling fit both physically and mentally.

Media had reported that Hu checked into intensive care unit (ICU) of China Medical University Hospital, which provides specialized care for critically ill patients.

The hospital declined to comment on the news on Thursday, but Wang and Kuomintang Legislator Lu Shiow-yen both confirmed that Hu was admitted to the ICU.    [FULL STORY]

‘Formal relations with a microstate may be consistent with Taiwan’s claims of sovereignty, but it does little to prevent conflict with China in the future. Unofficial support from countries like the US provide such assurance.’

The News Lens
Date: 2017/06/13
By: Central News Agency

Experts in Taiwan and abroad voiced concern Tuesday that Panama’s switch of diplomatic recognition

from Taipei to Beijing may not be an isolated case.

Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela announced on Monday that the Republic of Panama and the People’s Republic of China had established diplomatic relations. Taiwan immediately ended all cooperation with Panama and has called home its embassy personnel.

Jou Jyh-bang (周治邦), a professor of National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of National Development, said “it’s a big loss for Taiwan.” Jou said Panama was an important diplomatic ally of Taiwan because of its strategic position and its Panama Canal, the world’s busiest transportation route.

“The severance of ties between Panama and Taiwan was due to the lack of a breakthrough in cross-Taiwan Strait relations since the coming to power of the new government,” Jou said, referring to President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration that took office on May 20, 2016.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/06/13
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–In response to a statement made by a deceased Taiwanese director that the

cement mine near Taroko Gorge in eastern Taiwan featured in his 2013 documentary was dug much deeper than three years ago, the boss of the mine said on Tuesday that the pit was dug deeper to minimize the area impacted by the mining and the dipper pit would be good for raising fish in the future.

The statement was made by Chi Po-lin (齊柏林) before his death in a helicopter crash on Saturday while surveying an area in the east coast for the sequel to the 2013 documentary.

Chi’s “Beyond Beauty—Taiwan from Above” released in 2013 documented Taiwan from an aerial perspective offering a glimpse of Taiwan’s natural beauty as well as the effect of human activities and urbanization on its environment. The documentary won Best Documentary at the 50th Golden Horse Awards.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/06/13
By: Jalen Chung, Chen Wei-ting, Huang Li-yun, Chen Cheng-wei, Yang
Shu-min, Wei Shu and S.C. Chang

Taipei, June 13 (CNA) Hon Hai/Foxconn Technology Group Chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) voiced his

frustration at the inefficient way in which Taiwan’s government approves major construction projects on Tuesday, saying unless absolutely necessary, he would “try his best not to return to Taiwan.”

Gou was complaining about the start of a project to build a modern medical center in Taipei that he said has been delayed repeatedly by bureaucratic red tape.

“If administrative efficiency in Taiwan does not improve, we will fall behind the United States by a very very big margin,” he said at a ceremony to launch the building of an advanced cancer treatment center he donated to National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH).

“I know it is useless to talk about many things given the current situation in Taiwan. Let’s just try to get things done instead,” said Gou, who presides over the world’s largest contract electronics making business, which pays NT$10 billion （US$330 million) in taxes to the government annually.
[FULL  STORY]

ICE COLD:Cross-strait relations might become difficult after Panama’s move toward China, and Tsai should explain the ramifications for Taiwan, academics said

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 14, 2017
By: Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA

Academics yesterday voiced concerns that Panama’s switch of diplomatic recognition from Taipei to

Beijing might not be an isolated case.

National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of National Development professor Jou Jyh-bang (周治邦) said “it is a big loss for Taiwan” after Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela announced that Panama was establishing diplomatic ties with China.

Panama was an important diplomatic ally because of its strategic position and the Panama Canal, the world’s busiest transportation route, Jou said.

“The severance of ties between Taiwan and Panama was because of a stagnation in cross-strait relations since the new government came to power last year,” Jou said, referring to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who took office on May last year.

Panama’s decision has left Taiwan with only 20 diplomatic allies, Jou said, adding that Taiwan’s diplomatic ties are mostly based on strategic investment and helping allies develop agricultural and healthcare systems.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: June 13, 2017
By: The China Post with CNA

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Panama has severed diplomatic ties with the Republic of China, the latest setback

for Taiwan on the international stage as Beijing continues its efforts to cow and constrain Taipei.

In an announcement Tuesday, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela announced his government was establishing diplomatic relations with rival mainland China, calling it a “true country.”

Foreign Minister David Lee (李大維) announced later that Taiwan is cutting diplomatic ties with Panama.

“To safeguard our nation’s sovereignty and dignity, we’ve decided to terminate diplomatic ties with Panama immediately,” Lee said at a press conference at which he also expressed Taiwan’s “deep anger and regret” toward Panama’s decision.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan has more foreign women than men, but this is not equal among the nations.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/06/12
By: Morley J Weston

The foreign community in Taiwan is a diverse bunch, from students to English teachers, from factory workers to engineers, domestic helpers to tech entrepreneurs.

Of the nearly one million non-ROC residents living in Taiwan, there is a distinct gap between men and women; Nearly all of the foreign women living in Taiwan are from Indonesia and China. Eastern Europeans in China have a nearly equal sex ratio, but the rest of the world is mostly dominated by men.

The following maps attempt to show the discrepancy in visual form, but government data always has holes. They are derived from official data of legal residents who have registered with the government; surely there are tens of thousands more foreigners on improper visas slipping through the cracks.

Full data can be found on the National Immigration Agency’s website.    [SOURCE]

Webizens spread awareness of crimes committed around Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/06/12
By: Renée Salmonsen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Based on the Ministry of the Interior’s (內政部) public data, webizens created

a comprehensive map of sexual assault, abuse, and robbery cases against women and children around Taiwan.

The map is composed of cases from last June. According to online statements, primary creator, webizen czio, felt that most people do not believe that domestic abuse or other crimes occur in their neighborhoods, and they want to raise awareness, as well as spread a warning, about this reality.

Taichung City (台中市) had the highest number of criminal cases, 60, the second highest in Miaoli County (苗栗縣), 53, and the third highest in Taoyuan City (桃園市), 43.

The purpose of the map is not to suggest that there are ‘criminal hot spots’ nor to induce panic, says Taoyuan Police Department Women and Children’s Protection Division Chief, Su Ching-bin (蘇慶彬). The map instead shows that these crimes can happen anywhere, in populated, urban areas as well as in places poorly lit and without security cameras.    [FULL  STORY]