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Draft amendment aiming at tighter regulation of drones announced in Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/03/16
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Flying drones in Taiwan is expected be more tightly regulated in the future as the country’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) made an advance announcement of a draft amendment to the Civil Aviation Law that aims to strengthen management of drones above 250 grams.

Even though there are regulations regarding applications for operating drones and penalties for violations, more effective management is needed to prevent drones from flying around uncontrollably and to ensure safety at a time when more and more people take an interest in flying the devices, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said.    [FULL  STORY]

Almost 60% of Taiwanese working overseas located in China

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/03/16
By: Chen Cheng-wei and Frances Huang

Taipei, March 16 (CNA) Almost 60 percent of Taiwanese people working overseas in 2015 were located in China, making it the most favorable destination for local jobseekers, according to government statistics released Thursday.

The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said that a total of 420,000 Taiwanese worked in China in 2015, accounting for 58 percent of the total 724,000 working overseas. That is the latest year for which such statistics have been compiled.

In 2015, the number of Taiwanese employees located in China fell slightly from 427,000 in 2014, when the ratio stood at 58.84 percent, the DGBAS said.
[FULL  STORY]

Ex-agent detained amid spy allegations

RECRUITMENT:A former National Security Bureau agent allegedly tried to pay cash and offer safe passage to an intelligence officer in exchange for national secrets

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 17, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

A former National Security Bureau agent responsible for protecting former vice

Former vice president Annette Lu, center, shakes hands with a bystander at an event organized by the Tainan Bureau of Social Affairs at the National Tainan Living Art Center yesterday. Photo: Tsai Wen-chu, Taipei Times

president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) was detained on suspicion of espionage, prompting lawmakers to call for increased penalties for people caught spying for China.

Major Wang Hung-ju (王鴻儒), a former agent of the Special Service Command Center, was arrested on Monday for allegedly attempting to develop a spy network for China.

Wang allegedly attempted to recruit a Military Police Command intelligence officer surnamed Tseng (曾) to gather information about operations in exchange for a large cash payment and safe relocation to China if Tseng was exposed. Tseng rejected the offer.

From left, Democratic Progressive Party legislators Chen Chi-mai, Lee Chun-yi and Chao Tien-lin at a news conference in Taipei yesterday call for increased penalties for people caught spying for China. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

Wang’s activity was discovered by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau during a probe into Taiwanese businessman Ho Chih-chiang (何志強), who in 2010 was sentenced to 14 months in prison for attempting to recruit a security bureau official to collect information about overseas national security officials; the security bureau’s satellite communication system; Taiwan’s Japan policy and “secret diplomacy”; the Tibetan independence movement; and Falun Gong activities.

Wang, a former military police officer, was transferred to the security bureau’s special service unit in 2002 to protect Lu.

He retired in 2003 and was allegedly recruited by Chinese intelligence operatives in 2009.   [FULL  STORY]

Gov’t launches Anti-Money Laundering Office

The China Post Friday
Date: March 17, 2017
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Anti-Money Laundering Office (洗錢防制辦公室) was officially

Premier Lin Chuan, third left, oversees a ribbon-cutting ceremony launching the Executive Yuan’s Anti-Money Laundering Office on Thursday, March 16. (Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan)

opened Thursday, with the Justice Ministry announcing that regulations to monitor specific government officials, lawmakers and individuals with close ties could be rolled out to crack down on crime.

A newly revised Money Laundering Control Act was passed by the Legislature this January and will come into effect on June 28. The office will form part of the Tsai administration’s latest efforts to roll out measures in order to force adherence to the law

Government officials have noted the need to open such an office due to Taiwan’s poor performance in the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering review.  [FULL  STORY]

Science ministry to invest NT$5 billion in AI research

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-03-15

The science ministry is planning to invest NT$5 billion (US$1.6 million) into research

The science ministry is planning to invest NT$5 billion (US$1.6 million) into research centers for artificial intelligence technology. (Photo by CNA)

centers for artificial intelligence technology.

That was the word from the head of the ministry, Chen Liang-gee, on Wednesday.

Chen said that artificial intelligence (AI) will be Taiwan’s next global industry. He said the investment will boost the overall operating capacity of Taiwan’s internet and fund the construction of three to four R&D centers.

Chen said the development of AI requires talents from many disciplines, including biomedicine, psychology and neuroscience. He said the R&D centers will attract top talent from around the world and boost technological innovation.    [FULL  STORY]

Taxman cracks down on Uber Taiwan

Agents seize office equipment and bank account

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/03/15
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The taxman sent officials to the headquarters of Uber Taiwan

Uber supporters in Taiwan. (By Central News Agency)

Wednesday to seize office equipment and to the Deutsche Bank to freeze NT$11.84 million (US$383,000) in company savings over NT$51.24 million (US$1.66 million) in unpaid business taxes.

For years, the Taiwanese government and San Francisco, California-based ride-sharing app Uber Technologies Inc. have fought out a war, which escalated with the company announcing last month it was suspending services in the country amid the threat of higher fines through new legislation.

The National Taxation Bureau of Taipei accused the Taiwanese branch of the company of tax arrears dating from 2015, and put the matter into the hands of the Administrative Enforcement Agency of the Ministry of Justice, reports said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan to produce own avian flu vaccines

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/03/15
By: Yang Shu-min and Lilian Wu

Taipei, March 15 (CNA) The Council of Agriculture (COA) said Wednesday that it will

COA Minister Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢)

not buy avian flu vaccines from overseas but will produce them itself, amid criticism that it has squandered a lot of money buying imported vaccines, only to end up destroying them after they reached their expiration date.

“We’re not planning to buy them this year,” COA Minister Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) said.

He made the remarks in a report to a legislative committee on the situation of the nation’s avian flu outbreaks and quarantine measures.

Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) of the opposition New Power Party cited statistics to show that the COA spent NT$39.48 million (US$1.28 million) on avian flu vaccines between 2012 and 2015, but destroyed them without putting them to use.
[FULL  STORY]

Cross-strait oversight bill demanded

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 16, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

Ahead of the third anniversary of the Sunflower movement, a coalition of democracy

Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang yesterday stands alongside cardboard cutouts of President Tsai Ing-wen and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming at a protest outside the DPP’s headquarters in Taipei. 2 Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

advocates yesterday called on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to honor its pledge to pass a cross-strait oversight bill that has been awaiting review for several months.

A number of protesters rallied in front of the DPP headquarters in Taipei, calling on President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) and other party leaders to attend an anniversary event to be held at the legislature on Saturday.

The event, scheduled to begin at 7pm, will call for the implementation of a regulatory mechanism for cross-strait negotiations.    [FULL  STORY]

Local leaders’ workweek law qualms grow

The China Post
Date: March 16, 2017
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The central government is meeting a growing chorus of local government leaders expressing qualms over Taiwan’s new workweek regulations.

The central government is meeting a growing chorus of local government leaders expressing qualms over Taiwan’s new workweek regulations.

Earlier this week, Nantou County Magistrate Lin Ming-chen said that he would outright refuse to implement the workweek law in his county and that he had instructed officials to find loopholes regardless of possible repercussions.

After Nantou’s opening salvo, more local leaders began to air their doubts over the new amendments, which stipulate higher overtime pay, cap overtime and enforce a “one fixed, one flexible” day off per week scheme.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Reacts to Former President Ma’s Indicment

DPP spokesperson says Ma and Huang have ‘seriously damaged’ Taiwan’s democracy, and Ma’s indictment proves he interfered in legal procedures.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/03/142
By: TNL Staff

Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was today indicted for leaking

Photo Credit: Reuters/達志影像

classified information.

The Taipei District Public Prosecutor’s Office after a six-month investigation has charged Ma with violations of the Communication Security and Surveillance Act and the Personal Information Protection Act related to a wiretapping case in 2013.
Ma maintains his innocence.

The case will be heard at the Taipei District Court and a decision is expected by March 28. The charges carry a maximum sentence of three years each.
[FULL  STORY]