Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-05-21

Several high-profile delegations from Taiwan have arrived in Geneva on the eve of

this year’s meeting of the World Health Assembly, which is the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO). The groups will not be participating in the meeting, however, because they never received an invitation.

Taiwan first participated in the WHA as an observer in 2009 and had participated every year until this year. This year’s exclusion is being seen as a move by Beijing to limit Taiwan’s international participation under President Tsai Ing-wen.

The Taiwanese delegations in Geneva include a group of lawmakers, largely from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and an affiliated party. Also on hand are government officials in charge of Taiwan’s National Health Insurance program, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Health Promotion Administration.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/05/21
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–Taiwan’s Council of Grand Justices (大法官) will announce

the ruling on a case concerning same-sex marriage on May 24, which experts said is expected to have deep ramifications on the development of same-sex marriage in Taiwan.

The case arose from gay rights advocate Chi Chia-wei’s (祁家威) being turned down while applying for marriage registration with his male partner at the Household Registration Office in Wanhua District, Taipei City. An administrative lawsuit ensued, but the administrative court ruled against Chi.

Chi thought the section of Taiwan’s Civil Code defining marriage as an agreement made by the “male and the female parties” has stripped same-sex couples of their right to marriage and therefore is unconstitutional.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/21
By: Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, May 21 (CNA) Taiwan’s health and welfare minister has called for the

country’s allies to stand behind its bid to attend the upcoming session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva as an observer, according to an interview by the Reuters news agency.

Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) told Reuters on Saturday that Taiwan hopes its allies will stand up to China’s “coercion and threats” that have shut it out of the United Nations’ annual WHA.

“I have to call on China to realize the traditional wisdom of Chinese culture, which is that people are won over by goodwill instead of coercion and threats. That is how a big country should present itself to the world,” Chen said in the interview.
[FULL  STORY]

WHA EXCLUSION:In a meeting with Minister of Health Chen Shih-chung three leaders of the World Medical Association voiced their support for Taiwan’s inclusion

Taipei Times
Date: May 22, 2017
By: Reuters, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Taiwan hopes its allies stand up to China’s “coercion and threats” that have shut it

out of the UN’s annual World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) told reporters on Saturday.

Thousands of delegates from the WHO’s 194 members are to attend the meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, that opens today, but Chen’s delegation and Taiwanese media are barred.

Chen and his delegation on Saturday arrived in Geneva hoping to meet with officials from nations participating in the WHA meeting while protesting Taiwan’s exclusion from this year’s event.

Taiwan had hoped to attend this year’s session of the WHA — the decisionmaking body of the WHO, which runs through Wednesday next week — as an observer, as it had done the past eight years, but it did not get an invitation from the WHO because of China’s opposition.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: May 21, 2017
By: CNA

Stephen Yates, an adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump’s transition team, saw

opportunities for greater cooperation between Taiwan and the United States under new leaders but warned that better communications were needed to strengthen ties.

Speaking at a forum organized by the World Taiwanese Congress and Taiwan Nation Alliance on Sunday, Yates said he believes there will be both opportunities and challenges for Taiwan-U.S. relations with the two countries now governed by new leaders.

In terms of opportunities, Yates said closer cooperation could lead to openings on trade, national defense, and a widening of Taiwan’s international space.
[FULL  STORY]

A photo story of Lee Ming Chee Protest at Liberty Square on May 19.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/05/20
By: Kuan Chen

A small rally was held in Taipei yesterday calling for China to release Taiwanese

human rights activist Lee Ming-che (李明哲), who was detained after entering Guangdong two months ago.

Lee, 42, has not been heard from since leaving Taiwan on March 19. China has not disclosed where he is or what charges he faces. More than 40 human rights activists and supporters braved heavy rainfall in the capital last night to attend the rally at Liberty Square.
[FULL  STORY]

Cash worth NT$680,000 was stolen: reports

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/05/20
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Taiwanese tour guide was robbed in France by two men

who ran off with at least NT$680,000 (US$22,600) in cash.

The incident occurred Thursday morning on a plaza in the town of Oullins near Lyon as a Taiwanese group was leaving its hotel and boarding a tour bus, reports said. Two men snatched a bag containing 35,000 euro, 6,000 Swiss francs and 1,000 Japanese yen in cash, for a total value of NT$1.36 million (US$45,000), according to early reports in the French media.

The two men escaped by car with what amounted to money paid by the tourists in the group, reports said. The Taiwanese travelers continued on their way while police were investigating the case following an interview with the 51-year-old guide, who was described in French media reports as “Chinese.”    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/20
By: Chen Wei-ting and Lilian Wu

Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Taiwan-based China Airlines confirmed Saturday that one of its flight attendants was taken into custody by investigators for carrying illicit drugs into Taiwan after arriving on a flight from Amsterdam.

The flight attendant was found to have a small amount of marijuana and ecstasy in her luggage and was turned over to agents of the Investigation Bureau.

She was later turned over to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office on suspicion of having violated the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act.    [FULL  STORY]

JETS AND HELICOPTERSThe PLA has reportedly enacted decapitation strike military drills against Taiwan, a strategy used to remove the leader of a hostile opposition in war

Taipei Times
Date: May 21, 2017
By: Lo Tien-pin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Ministry of National Defense is considering asking the US for an additional 300

Block I-92 Stinger missiles, citing growing threats from Chinese jets and armed helicopters, an anonymous ministry source said yesterday.

Han Kuang military exercises in the past two years have shown that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) rapid upgrades to jets and armed helicopters have increased the threat to Taiwanese armed forces.

The ministry said that it was mulling options to upgrade the anti-aircraft capabilities of all armed forces, and equipping brigade-strength units with shoulder-launched missiles was one of the options discussed.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 20, 2017
By: CNA

Former Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) won the election for chairman of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), on Saturday.

The KMT announced that Wu collected 144,408 votes, or 52.24 percent of the votes cast, to win the six-way election that also included incumbent KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱).
[SOURCE]