High-polluting vehicles will also be banned from passing through tourist attractions, including National Palace Museum

Taipei Times
Date: 2017/03/06
By: Sophia Yang,Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Charcoal grilling is lots of fun, with the hot crackling coals usually warming diners up, but very soon this year, charcoal is going to be banned at restaurants in Taipei City to reduce the carbon footprint in light of the city government’s ambitious green house gas emission reduction plan.

Violators will be subject to fines between NT$30,000 and NT$100,000 (US$ 962-US$3,207) under the of Taipei City Sustainable Development Autonomous Ordinance, which is slated to be reviewed in Taipei City Council in early April. According to the new law, the city government will ban charcoal as a fuel for restaurants. Food service operators serving ginger duck hotpot, brick oven pizza and charcoal-grilled barbecue located in Taipei’s residential areas are expected to be most affected.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
17/03/06 20:39:43
By: Huang Ya-chuan, Huang Li-yun and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, March 6 (CNA) Taiwan’s supply of electricity is sufficient for now, and the country

will not face power shortages this year based on current estimates, Economic Affairs Minister Lee Chih-kung (李世光) said Monday at a legislative hearing.

When asked by Kuomintang Legislator Chang Li-shan (張麗善) whether Taiwan will see power shortages in 2017, Lee said “no,” but he admitted that ensuring a stable power supply will take a major effort.

Chang said Taiwan was facing a tightening electricity supply based on data from state-run utility Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) showing a sharp increase in warnings of low power reserves in recent years.    [FULL  STORY]

TIME TO RESTThe agency director-general, who has been in his position since the former KMT administration, has been asked to resign and let the Cabinet do its job

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 07, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday criticized the National Police

Agency for what they called its failure to enforce protest regulations, which has given rise to organized crime and conflict between the public and police.

Hong Kong democracy campaigner Joshua Wong’s (黃之鋒) visit to Taiwan in January was marked by violent protests allegedly organized by criminal groups, while a peaceful demonstration last week commemorating the 228 Incident in Taipei was disrupted by alleged gang members, DPP Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said.

“The agency’s failure to prevent violence could threaten freedom of speech and freedom of association, the most important values of a democracy,” Lo said.

“Tolerance of different opinions is valuable in Taiwan, but peace is the underlying principle. It is unacceptable that violence was used on those with differing opinions. We demand that the agency take a tougher stance on protest regulations and criminal activities camouflaged as protests,” Lo said.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: March 7, 2017
By: CNA

CNA — A tour bus with 23 people onboard is seen after crashing into a roadside home in New Taipei’s Wanli District on Monday, March 6. The driver, surnamed Chen, is believed to have had a heart attack. Chen, 40, was declared dead after being rushed to the Jinshan branch of the National Taiwan University Hospital. None of the 22 mainland Chinese passengers or their local tour guide were injured. The tourists, from Jilin province, are on an eight-day tour of Taiwan. Monday was their second day.
[FULL  STORY]

Presidential office: Government is committed to workers’ rights

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-03-05

Taiwan’s Presidential Office said Sunday that the government is committed to protecting

workers’ rights and interests and will continue its efforts to improve labor conditions in the country.

The statement came a day after the US State Department released the 2016 Human Rights report.

Taiwan’s Presidential Office noted that the exploitation of foreign workers was one of the major issues listed against Taiwan in the report.

Presidential Office spokesperson Sidney Lin said in the statement that President Tsai Ing-wen and her administration are firmly committed to the protection of workers’ rights and interests and have already made several regulatory changes in that regard.

The Dept. of State report cites exploitation of foreign workers and official corruption

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/03/05
By: Matthew Lubin, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The U.S. Department of State accused Taiwan of various

human rights abuses in its “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016” (full report).

The report states that the exploitation of foreign workers is among Taiwan’s major human rights violations, with other abuses including official corruption and domestic abuse. The report adds that lesser concerns include “some media self-censorship with regard to China, vote buying, violations of legal working hours, lack of barrier-free spaces and accessible transportation systems for persons with disabilities, particularly outside Taipei, gender-biased sex selection, and a rise in child abuse.”

The report notes that “as of June, authorities indicted 201 officials, including 23 high-ranking officials, on corruption charges.” Taiwan ranked 31st on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2016 published in February. It ranked fourth in East Asia.    [FULL  STORY]

TEXT MESSAGE:Feng Shih-kuan apologized for the ministry’s disclosure of Ministry of Justice drug test records during a report to a legislative committee on Thursday

Taip[ei Times
Date: Mar 06, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) has apologized to Premier Lin

Chuan (林全) and other members of the Cabinet for his ministry dragging other agencies into a snowballing drug abuse scandal.

The Ministry of National Defense made a formal report to the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Thursday about the discovery of suspected amphetamines and drug paraphernalia at the Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in Taichung on Feb. 20 and drug screening that found eight base personnel testing positive for Category 1 drugs.

The report did not say much about the investigation into the case, but stressed the military’s drug abuse prevention efforts, highlighting the relatively low percentage of military personnel with addiction problems (0.08 percent) compared with groups of citizens regulated by other Cabinet agencies such as the Ministry of Education, which has said there is a 4.66 percent suspected drug abuse rate among students.
[FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: March 6, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration vowed to continue improving

working conditions, after the U.S. State Department criticized Taiwan over its exploitation of and discrimination against migrant workers.

The 2016 “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” released March 3, highlighted Taiwan’s exploitation of foreign workers.

In particular, it identified caregivers and foreign crew members on long-haul fishing vessels as Taiwan’s biggest human rights challenge.

The report said such workers were often victims of domestic violence and corruption.
[FUILL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-03-04

Premier Lin Chuan says that community-centered facilities are an important part of long-

term care for the elderly.

Lin was speaking Saturday at the opening of a neighborhood care station in Hsinchu. He said that community based care is especially important as changes in the structure of society leave many adults with elderly parents become unable to care for them. Lin said that with community-based care, elderly people have the chance to interact with others in their neighborhoods and can receive care where they live.

Lin praised Hsinchu City’s incorporation of technology into the long-term care system, a decision he said can save labor and costs.  [SOURCE]