Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/06/12
By: Ku Chuan, Huang Li-yun and Y.F. Low

Taipei, June 12 (CNA) The Cabinet reiterated Monday the government’s resolve to move away from

nuclear power, as it sought to reassure environmentalists who were protesting against the recent reactivation of a reactor at the country’s second nuclear power plant.

The government remains committed to the goal of decommissioning the three operational nuclear power plants as scheduled and making Taiwan nuclear-free by 2025, Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said.

Six months after it was shut down for annual maintenance, the No. 1 reactor at the second nuclear power plant located in New Taipei City resumed operation last Saturday with the approval of the Atomic Energy Council (AEC).

The decision, however, drew strong protests from environmental groups, which gathered outside the Executive Yuan on Monday, saying that Premier Lin Chuan (林全) was ignoring public safety and should resign.    [FULL  STORY]

‘AUTHORITARIANISM’:A light rail project that costs NT$30 billion was described with a few hundred words, suggesting a hasty process, publisher Rex How said

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 13, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

Publisher and former national policy adviser Rex How (郝明義) has launched an online petition urging

the government to conduct a thorough review of and hold a public debate on the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program to prevent unnecessary spending.

The eight-year, NT$882.49 billion (US$29.24 billion) project is expected to be approved in the extraordinary legislative session starting tomorrow, but How and a coalition of campaigners yesterday launched a signature drive to call on the government to re-examine the program.

They asked the government to elucidate the necessity of each of the infrastructure projects in the program, their source of funding, and benefit and social impact, as well as possible alternatives to each program and an estimated number of jobs to be created.

The drive was launched through the National Development Council’s policy discussion forum, as the government is required to reply to any petition launched on the forum which is signed by more than 5,000 people within two months.   [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: June 12, 2017
By: The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Family conflict surrounding Taiwanese comedian Chu Ke-liang’s (豬哥亮) resurfaced

on Monday with a 1,000-word statement by his eldest daughter.

Chu’s eldest daughter, Hsieh Ching-Yen, decried the media’s focus on her step-sister Twinkling Ting (謝金晶), who had been photographed visiting Chu in the hospital when he was still alive.

Through a statement, Hsieh Ching-Yen said she recognized Jeannie Hsieh as her “only sister.”

Hsieh Ching-Yen said she and Jeannie Hsieh would remember their father in their own way, away from the public eye.

She said the two would not attend the funeral on June 20 or appear in public for any other related events.    [FULL  STORY]

Civic forces, particularly students, are playing critical roles in advocating for same-sex unions in Taiwan.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/06/11
By: Roman Ziqing Chen

On May 24, Taiwan’s Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Code’s definition of

marriage was unconstitutional. The court stipulated that the Legislative Yuan, the island’s lawmaking body, must amend laws to accommodate same-sex marriage within two years. The decision was the first of its kind in Asia, and the island has been widely applauded for its progressive move toward greater protection of LGBT rights.

This result did not come as a surprise to many people. With a strong reputation for its generally LGBT-friendly environment, Taiwan hosts a vibrant queer scene, from its inclusive nightlife to its annual gay pride parade, from queer grassroots groups to supportive civic organizations.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date 2017/06/11
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–With summer heat sizzling, taking a trip to Yujing (玉井),

the hometown of mango, in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan, to savor its well-known mangos and mango ice would be most befitting to make the summer feel cooler.

Yujing is the distribution center of mangos in Tainan’s mountainous area, and there are many kinds of mangos in the area, including Taiwanese Mango, Irwin, Haden, Keitt, and Jin-Hwang. Of which Irwin mango is the staple of the area and the tastiest.

A must-visit place for mango lovers during the mango season is the Yujing Vegetable and Fruit Market (玉井果菜市場) near the Yujing District Office. Visitors can find all kinds of mangos at the market selling at much lower than average prices. However, fruits here are usually sold by the box or basket.  [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/06/11
By: Chang Ming-hsun and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, June 11 (CNA) The recent heat wave has seen an uptick in the number of people suffering from heat related ailments, with 123 related hospitalizations from June 1-10, according to statistics from the Health Promotion Administration (HPA).

The number represents a recent spike in cases after 83 people sought treatment for heat-related ailments from June 1-8, HPA data showed.

In May, the number of people seeking emergency treatment for heat symptoms totaled 160, according to the HPA.

There are several tips to prevent heat-related problems, the HPA said, adding that these include wearing comfortable, light-colored, breathable and quick drying clothes, using sunscreen and other protective measures when outdoors, and drinking at least two liters of water a day, even if not thirsty.    [FULL  STORY]

101 TRIBUTE:To honor filmmaker Chi Po-lin, Taipei 101 yesterday lit the top of the building with the Chinese characters for the title of his award-winning documentary

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 12, 2017
By: Yang Yuan-ting / Staff reporter, with CNA

Preliminary findings of an investigation into the helicopter crash that claimed the

life of award-winning filmmaker Chi Po-lin (齊柏林) and two others show the helicopter did not run into gondola cables or power lines and there was no fire before the crash, Aviation Safety Council (ASC) investigator Lee Pao-kang (李寶康) said yesterday.

Lee and other ASC investigators yesterday arrived at the site of Saturday’s crash in Hualien County’s Fengbin Township (豐濱).

Chi was using the helicopter, a Bell 206B-3 owned and operated by Emerald Pacific Airlines (凌天航空), to film footage for a sequel to his 2013 documentary Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above (看見台灣) when it crashed in a mango orchard in a mountainous area of the township, killing the 52-year-old Chi, pilot Chang Chi-kuang (張志光), 53, and Chi’s assistant, Chen Kuan-chi (陳冠齊), 25.
A Fengbin resident who witnessed the crash said she heard the sound of a propeller and then saw the helicopter flying near Changhong Bridge (長虹橋), descending at 70? before crashing and belching smoke.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: June 11, 2017
By Christie Chen, CNA Sunday,

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Chinese names of the filmmaker Chi Po-lin (齊柏林) and his

award-winning documentary “Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above” (看見台灣) were displayed on the Taipei 101 Tower on Sunday, June 11, as Taiwan marked the passing the filmmaker who died in a helicopter crash in Hualien on Saturday.

Chi gave up many things to pursue his dream of documenting Taiwan through aerial photography.

He mortgaged his house, borrowed money from friends and quit his job as a civil servant at the age of 47 — just three years before qualifying for a lifetime pension — all to make his 2013 documentary “Beyond Beauty”, which became the highest grossing documentary in Taiwan’s history.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-06-10

The Cabinet has held a regional anti-drug forum in the southern city of Tainan. The

purpose of the forum was to communicate the government’s anti-drug strategy to officials from seven local governments in southern Taiwan.

During the forum, Cabinet Secretary-General Chen Mei-ling said that the list of criteria for would-be school principals will be expanded to include what she called anti-drug actions. Chen said this is in order to keep drugs out of Taiwanese schools. At the same time, she said that local police forces will step up patrols of known hotspots for drug use in an effort to keep students away from drugs.

Chen said that the fight against drugs is an important policy for both President Tsai Ing-wen and Premier Lin Chuan. She said that between Tsai’s inauguration last year and the end of February this year, authorities have seized over 5,600kgs of drugs. Chen said that this is a notable increase. At the same time, she said that May saw the seizure of a sizable amount of heroin and the raw material used in amphetamine production.    [FULL  STORY]

Helicopter was not equipped with black box flight recorders

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/06/10
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – As darkness fell Saturday, the Aviation Safety Council (ASC,

飛安會) decided to postpone until Sunday a visit to the site in Hualien County where award-winning filmmaker Chi Po-lin (齊柏林) and two others died in a helicopter crash.

The death of the 52-year-old director, who had just begun to work on a sequel to his massive hit documentary “Beyond Beauty – Taiwan from Above” (看見台灣), shocked many in Taiwan Saturday, eliciting condolences from President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and from many cultural icons.

The Bell 206 helicopter run by Emerald Pacific Airlines (凌天航空) had taken off from Chishang in Taitung County around 10 a.m. Saturday, and crashed in the mountains near Fengbin in Hualien County about two hours later.    [FULL  STORY]