Radio Taiwan Iternational
Date: 2017-06-02

A short film about Taiwan’s historic decision on same-sex marriage was shown at an

event in Geneva on Thursday. The event was the annual awards ceremony of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).

Taiwan’s Constitutional Court ruled on May 24 that it was discriminatory and unconstitutional to deny same-sex couples the right to marry. The landmark ruling paves the way for Taiwan to become the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, within the next two years.

Following the ruling, Taiwan’s representative office in Geneva contacted the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association, which provides information to the LGBT community. The office also contacted Equal Love, a group that has been campaigning for same-sex marriage. The result was a 90-second spot on Taiwan’s march towards same-sex marriage that was shown at ILGA’s ceremony. The short film won plaudits from audience members from various countries.    [FULL  STORY]

TRANSPORT INTERRUPTIONS:Operations were suspended at Songshan airport for more than two hours, while mudslides caused closures on Provincial Highway No. 2

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 03, 2017
By: Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA

A hovering front and southwesterly airstream yesterday dropped more than 600mm

of rain over a few hours in the nation’s northern coastal regions, killing one person and injuring five as of 8pm, authorities said.

The New Taipei City Fire Department said the torrential downpour caused 12 roads in the city to be closed, as well as schools and businesses in Bali (八里), Jinshan (金山), Sanjhih (三芝), Shihmen (石門), Tamsui (淡水) and Wanli (萬里) districts, adding that 256 people were evacuated and 156 were displaced.

New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) and New Taipei City Department of Social Affairs Director Chang Chin-li (張錦麗) visited Mackay Memorial Hospital in Tamsui to offer their condolences to the family of the deceased.

Chu said he would authorize district and school administrators to decide when to reopen after assessing the situation.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: June 3, 2017
By: The China Post

The WannaCry ransomware swept the globe in late May, infecting over 300,000

computers in 150 countries and regions. According to a survey, a total of 5,500 cases of infection were reported in Taiwan — the fourth highest in the world — including a suspension of the CPC Corporation’s website and mobile payment services for a day. In total, 799 computers of Taiwan Power Company’s computers were hit, as well as several computers in medical and education research institutions.

Online Ransomware Explodes by 7.5 Times; Cost of Cyber Security Skyrockets

Amid an increasing threat to information security, Trend Micro pointed out in a 2016 information security assessment that the number of ransomware viruses had increased by 752 percent last year, causing global businesses to lose up to US$1 billion. Another form of online ransom, the Business Email Compromise, has illegally obtained US$3 billion over the past two years. According to another report from Trend Micro, “the establishment of data protection officers is desperately needed since corporate leaks of information have become a common occurrence.”
[FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: June 2, 2017
By: The China Post

Heavy rain in Taiwan brought flooding to large swaths of northern Taiwan on Friday

as the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) upgraded its weather warnings to cover the northeast coast.

Multiple rain induced disasters have been reported, include a tractor falling into a ravine in New Taipei’s Gongliao District. The driver of the vehicle has since been rescued and dispatched to hospital.

The resulting floods and imminent threat of more rain have prompted authorities to cancel school in New Taipei’s Shimen, Jinshan, Wanli and Sanzhi districts.

New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu has cancelled all previously scheduled events for the day and is making inspection tours of disaster areas.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-06-01

Premier Lin Chuan has said he feels sorry about Taiwan’s exclusion from the World

Health Assembly (WHA).

The WHA is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization. It meets in Geneva every year. After a number of years of attendance as an observer, Taiwan was unable to attend this year’s WHA due to obstruction from China. Taiwan’s health minister nonetheless led a delegation to Geneva and held bilateral meetings with representatives from other nations.

Lin told the Cabinet on Thursday that Taiwan’s medical expertise has long been acknowledged by the international community. He said it is important for Taiwan to take part in decisions related to global health issues and make its contribution. Lin expressed gratitude for the nations that voiced support for Taiwan, and called on the health ministry to continue to push for Taiwan’s participation in future WHA meetings.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/06/01
By: George Liao,m Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–The competition of “swimming across the most beautiful bay

in the world” will take place in Taiwan’s offshore Penghu County in the early morning on June 4, 2017, and the focus of the event will be the “island to island” swimming as in the past, according to the Penghu County Government.

Penghu is the name of an archipelago situated off the west coast of Taiwan, in the middle of the Taiwan Strait.

The county’s education department said that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the annual “swimming across Penghu Bay” event that was first held in 2003.

More than 10,000 swimmers have participated in the event over the years, the department said.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/06/01
By: Miao Tsung-han and Christie Chen

Taipei, June 1 (CNA) Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday called on

Beijing to reflect on the Tiananmen Square incident (or June Fourth massacre), a series of demonstrations in China in 1989 that culminated on June 4 with a deadly government crackdown at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

Freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law are universal values and common ways of life cherished by people around the world, Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正), deputy head of the MAC, said at a regular press conference.

The MAC hopes that China will “think carefully about the historical significance and important revelations of the June Fourth incident,” and “rationally respond to its people’s demands to implement democracy and protect human rights,” in order to facilitate a more open, fair and just society, Chiu said.    [FULL  STORY]

INTERMEDIARY:The new center’s mandate is to manage social housing and execute renewal projects, but its first task will be to manage a housing unit for Universiade teams

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 02, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

A national housing and urban renewal agency is to be established to manage public

housing and private renewal projects as well as speed up urban redevelopment, the Cabinet announced yesterday.

The new agency is to receive initial funding of NT$40 billion (US$1.33 billion), while the estimated economic benefits are likely to be more than NT$140 billion, Deputy Minister of the Interior Hua Ching-chun (花敬群) said after the Cabinet approved a draft act on a national housing and urban renewal center.

The center is to be an independent government-funded executive agency, responsible for managing social housing, facilitating as well as executing renewal projects, selecting construction companies and making investments.

The center’s first task will be to manage an athletes’ village in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), a 3,409-unit public housing complex that is to house teams competing in the Taipei Universiade in August, Hua said.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: June 1, 2017
By: The China Post news staff and CNA

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan has been listed 41st on the 2017 Global Peace Index (GPI)

and the sixth most peaceful country in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the GPI rankings that were released Thursday.
The GPI, issued annually by the Sydney-based non-profit Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) since 2007, ranks 163 countries that account for 99.7% of the world’s population.

The index gauges global peace by taking into account 23 factors within three main domains — the level of safety and security in society, the extent of domestic or international conflict, and the degree of militarization.

The Australian institute uses a 1-5 scoring system to gauge each indicator, with a high score indicating a low level of peacefulness.    [FULL  STORY]