The China Post
Date: November 30, 2016
By: Yuan-Ming Chiao

Kuomintang (KMT) politicians and employees descended on the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement

Former KMT Legislator Wu Yu-jen stands atop a police barricade during a protest outside the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee (IGPASC) in Taipei, Tuesday, Nov. 29. (CNA)

Committee (IGPASC) in Taipei twice on Tuesday, demanding to enter the premises before being held back by a large police contingent.

Tensions were high after party staff from seven northern localities were summoned to KMT headquarters to be briefed on the party’s downsizing plans. The KMT is suffering under the strains of a financial crisis, which it blames on government asset seizures. According to the KMT, staff at the party’s headquarters would be reduced from 134 to 80, while local chapter employees would be cut from the current 609 to 230.

Demanding their wages be returned to them, 200 employees of the opposition party, led by Taipei City Councilor Wang Hung-wei, “strolled” from KMT headquarters to the IGPASC Tuesday afternoon demanding to meet face-to-face with its convener, Wellington Ku, just minutes after their downsizing briefing.

There they were held back by three layers of police and barricades around the committee compound.    [FULL  STORY]

Channel News Asia
Date: 29 Nov 2016

BEIJING: China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday (Nov 28) that it had made representations to

China makes representations to Singapore over troop carriers in Taiwan

Singapore after the city-state’s armoured troop carriers were seized by Hong Kong customs en route from Taiwan.

Beijing stated its opposition to “any form of official exchanges with Taiwan, including military exchanges and cooperation”, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing, urging Singapore to “stick to the ‘One China’ principle”.

China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong’s Communist forces won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists fled to the island.

The shipment of nine Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles (ICV) and associated equipment belonging to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has been held by Hong Kong Customs since last Wednesday “due to a request for routine inspections”, said Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF).    [FULL  STORY]

Five Taiwanese luxury hotels won prizes at the 10th anniversary gala for the prestigious World Luxury Hotel Awards

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/28
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Five Taiwanese hotels took away awards at the 2016 World Luxury Hotel Awards held at the St. Regis in

Howard Beach Resort Kenting won Best Luxury Beach Resort at 2016 World Luxury Hotel Awards(By Central News Agency)

Doha, Qatar, including four local brands.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the prestigious World Luxury Hotel Awards offers recognition to global, continental, and country hotels in over 60 categories and across 50 different countries, all based on votes cast by the public.

At the annual gala, three Taiwanese hotels won awards in the country division, including Fleur De Chine Hotel for Best Luxury Family Hotel; Hotel Royal Chiao Hsi, for Best Luxury Mountain Resort; and Mandarin Oriental Taipei, for Best Luxury Hotel Brand. Two Taiwanese hotels won in the the regional division, including Howard Beach Resort Kenting for Best Luxury Beach Resort and Grand Mayfull Hotel Taipei for Best Luxury New Hotel.

Of these five winning hotels, four were local Taiwanese brands, the only exception was the relative newcomer, the Mandarin Oriental Taipei, which is a part of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, a member of the British-owned Jardine Matheson Group.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/28
By: Hsieh Chia-chen and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Nov. 28 (CNA) Recognizing the growing drug problem on campuses across Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) ordered an all-out effort on Monday to arrest drug dealers and help juvenile addicts.

During a meeting of government and ruling party officials, Tsai heard a briefing from Justice Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三), who said the drug problem among juveniles has reached “concerning” levels and called for immediate action.

The Executive Yuan has adopted nine strategies to combat the increased level of drug taking among young people, including cracking-down on drug dealers, seizing dealers’ illicit profits and establishing a national drug fighting database, Chiu said.

The government is also developing a “protective network” to help addicts kick their habit, with strict penalties for anyone who undermines such rehab programs, according to the minister.    [FULL  STORY]

LEADERSHIP CRISIS?The Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation’s chairman said the ratings plunge reflects Tsai’s lack of understanding of what young people worry about

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 29, 2016
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) approval rating has sunk to 41.4 percent, according to the latest poll

At a news conference in Taipei yesterday Taiwan Opinion Poll Foundation president You Ying-lung presents the results of a survey on public opinion on the government’s performance during its first six months in office. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times

by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation, lower than her disapproval rating for the first time in the foundation’s polls, suggesting a leadership crisis.

The poll was released yesterday to mark Tsai’s six-month anniversary of taking office.
The poll found her approval rating had dropped to a new low of 41.4 percent, while her disapproval rating had climbed to 42.6 percent.

Tsai had an approval rating of 69.9 percent and an disapproval rating of 8.8 percent in May.

“The Tsai administration has been in office for six months and found itself at odds with the majority of the public. Few administrations have experienced such [a rapid fall in popularity],” foundation chairman You Ying-lung (游盈隆) said. “It is clear that Tsai is facing a crisis of political authority and personal leadership.”    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 29, 2016
By: Sun Hsin Hsuan

TAIPEI, Taiwan — More than 10,000 same-sex marriage advocates held a sit-in outside the Legislature

Marriage equality supporters sit outside the Legislative Yuan on Monday, Nov. 28, as experts and civic group representatives debated inside over whether to pass amendments to the Civil Code. (Sun Hsin Hsuan, The China Post)

on Monday, the day of the last public hearing before a legislative committee proceeds with the second reading of a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage.

Supporters waved rainbow flags and held banners reading “no discount on human rights,” and “special treatment is discrimination,” as they staged a peaceful sit-in outside the Legislative Yuan, urging marriage equality.

Inside the Legislative Yuan, experts, civic groups and legislators debated whether the legalization of same-sex marriage would benefit society.

At the core of the debate is whether the protection of same-sex couples’ human rights could go as far as an amendment to the nation’s fundamental law.

Opponents argued that instead of amending the Civil Code, a special partnership act could guarantee same-sex couples spousal rights equivalent to those entitled to heterosexual couples by law.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 28, 2016
By: CNA

This photo shows scant tour buses parked at the Hualien Tourism Sugar Factory on Sunday, Nov. 27. This image marks a stark contrast with a few years ago, when the factory’s parking lot was bustling with activity and filled with tour buses over the weekend. The latest statistics show that mainland visitors dropped 34.7 percent between May 20 to Nov. 22 — among which tour groups fell 51.2 percent and individual travelers dropped 10.1 percent.   [FULL  STORY]

Jianshih’s Siouluan Village, which is surrounded by mountains and blessed with a river valley and a suspension bridge, has become a well-known attraction for photographers

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/27
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Jianshih and Wufeng in Hsinchu County are among the best places in Taiwan for maple leaves chasers as maple trees in these two townships change to beautiful yellow and red colors in December every year.

Hsinchu County has many nice places for admiring maple trees at this time of the year, but many visitors choose the Jianshih area because they can drive along County Way 120 and Township Way 60 and admire the yellow and red maple leaves that cover the originally green mountains along both sides of the highways.

Jianshih’s Siouluan Village, which is surrounded by mountains and blessed with a river valley and a suspension bridge, has become a well-known attraction for photographers who like to take pictures of colorful maple leaves.

If looking at maple leaves from a distance is not satisfying, visitors can go up the mountains to the Syaroko Historic Trail that connects Jianshih and Wufeng townships and was used as a hunting trail by the Atayal tribe in the old days. Visitors are said to be able to smell the maple trees and touch falling maple leaves along the trail at this time of the year.    [FULL  STORY]