What’s on this weekend in Taiwan.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/10/28
By: Hsu Chia-yu

Photo Credit: 風雲唱片提供／sho（RAKU MUSIC）

Movies
■ Doctor Strange (奇異博士) / Science Fiction, Fantasy / PG-12 / Trailer
Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is the world’s top neurosurgeon until he is involved in a car accident that crushes his hands. He embarks on a journey of healing only to be drawn into the world of the mystic arts by meeting the immortal Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). Ancient One offers to help Stephen in exchange for Strange becoming their latest disciple in a Secret War against the supernatural evils of the universe.
The film features the Marvel Comics character of the same name, and is the 14th film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Scott Derrickson, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt, Scott Adkins, Mads Mikkelsen, and Tilda Swinton.

■ Forêt Debussy (德布希森林) / Drama / PG-12 / Trailer
Deep in the barren mountains, a mother (Lu Yi-ching) and a daughter (Gwei Lun-mei) live an isolated quiet life. Before living in seclusion, the daughter was a pianist who lost her husband and son. The mother decided to take her away and hid her in the mountains where no one could ever find them, believing this was the only possible way for her daughter to survive. Nevertheless, they have to face nothing but themselves ever since, as well as to confront the endless forest.

“Forêt Debussy” is the Opening Film of 2016 Kaohsiung Film Festival. Directed by Kuo Cheng-chui (郭承衢), it stars Gwei Lun-mei (桂綸鎂) and Lu Yi-ching (陸弈靜).    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/10/28
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The 2016 Taipei Pride Parade, the largest of its kind in Asia, will take place this coming

The photo shows Pride Parade held last year.
By Central News Agency

Saturday. The Ministry of Justice issued an unprecedented statement Friday evening on same-sex marriage ahead of the parade, stating that the new government supports “equality” and will promote amendments to the relevant legislation.

In the statement, Justice Minister Chiu Tai-san said that the new government has taken a clear position on same-sex marriage and backs equality. Chiu also noted that the ministry will adopt an open-minded attitude towards different proposals for amendments to reach that end, while it will also listen to the opinions from different sides.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/10/28
By: Tang Pei-chun and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Oct. 28 (CNA) Several European representative offices in Taiwan will take part

CNA file photo

in a gay pride parade in Taipei on Saturday to show solidarity for equal rights.

The European Economic and Trade Office said Friday that the gay pride parade will be the largest in Asia, which shows that Taiwan is a leader in the protection of gay rights, and it hoped Taiwan could continue to set a shining example.

The offices representing Austria, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the EU as well as Canada and New Zealand will take part in the parade to promote the equality, dignity and tolerance of world LGBTs and the idea that everyone’s human rights should be respected, regardless of sexual orientation.

Representative office personnel will take part in the purple color group and distribute rainbow versions of their national flags.    [SOURCE]

The News Lens
Date: 2016/10/27
By: Mo Tz-pin

It has been three years since Tama Talum was arrested for illegal hunting. His fight continues.

資料照片，非國慶典禮場景。Photo Credit: 蔡英文

The Indigenous Youth Front on Oct. 24 launched an online campaign calling on the government to immediately pardon an ailing aboriginal man accused of illegal hunting and amend laws to protect the rights of indigenous peoples.

Arrested in 2013, Tama Talum was supposed to start serving his jail term last December after being found guilty of illegal hunting, but the Taitung Prosecutors Office postponed his sentence after Prosecutor-General Yen Da-ho (顏大和) filed an extraordinary appeal to the Supreme Court. Tama Talum has been waiting for the Court’s final decision since then.

Tama Talum suffers from pneumonia and was hospitalized after he lost consciousness on Oct. 20, the Chinese-language United Daily News reports.     [FULL  STORY]

November and December holidays still valid

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/10/27
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Lawmakers fight over abolition of holidays. By Central News Agency

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Even if the government’s proposal to abolish seven holidays for workers is approved soon, two projected holidays will still be valid because the new regulations will only take effect January 1, a Cabinet spokesman said Thursday.

The government plan has become mired in heated debate and clashes at the Legislative Yuan, with some labor organizations protesting against the removal of seven out of 19 days off per year.

Because the changes might pass a third and final reading on November 8, media reports speculated that the two holidays still left at the end of the year would be immediately abolished, but Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung said such was not the case.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/10/27
By: Chen Wei-ting and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Oct. 27 (CNA) Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday it will subsidize preventive medicine for 1,000 people at high risk of contracting HIV, to lower their chances of getting infected.

Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞), deputy director general of the ministry’s Centers for Disease Control, said that the World Health Organization has recommended the medicine pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) to help prevent HIV infections, with the results especially good among those who practice unsafe sex.

Lo said that five designated hospitals in southern and northern Taiwan will take part in the pilot program starting next month, and provide a subsidy for the medicine to 1,000 people.

But with a limited budget and the desire to motivate people to take steps on their own to prevent themselves from getting the virus, those who receive the subsidy will still have to shoulder part of the expenses and the self-paid ratio will increase each month, according to Lo.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: October 28, 2016
By: Sun Hsin Hsuan

A review of a disputed amendment to the Labor Standards Act descended into farce for a second time

Lawmakers scuffle at the Social Welfare and Environmental Committee on Thursday on Oct. 27. (CNA)

this week, after fighting broke out again between lawmakers during a committee session.

The Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee was scheduled to reexamine meeting minutes from the session at which the first reading of the amendment was passed on Oct. 5.

The amendment would ax seven statutory vacation days. But the government’s plans to implement a five-day workweek will only guarantee one fixed day off weekly, giving businesses the option to ask employees to work on the other “rest day.”

The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) questioned the legitimacy of the Oct. 5 meeting, claiming that the chair, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ying, had ignored the alternative proposals and objections from KMT lawmakers.    [FULL  STORY]

The electoral costs to the government of proceeding with legalizing same-sex unions in Taiwan are so low it makes no sense to delay the matter any further. And from a moral standpoint, it’s the right thing to do.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/10/27
By: J. Michael Cole

As Taipei prepares to host the largest LGBT Pride parade in Asia on Saturday, the question of legalizing

Photo: J. Michael Cole

same-sex marriage in Taiwan is once again making headlines, this time with a reinvigorated drive by legislators to pass the necessary amendments to make this possible.

After months — years, in fact — of foot-dragging, the stars appear to be aligned for Taiwan to become the first country in Asia to embrace marriage equality. A larger-than-ever number of legislators now support legalization, with former legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) of the Kuomintang (KMT) becoming the latest to do so. And in the judicial branch, likely appointees have also been sending all the right signals.

Ironically, the largest barrier remains the executive branch of government under President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who made marriage equality a major issue in her platform in the lead-up to the 2016 elections. Her strategy of embracing the ideology of a young and activist civil society in the wake of the Sunflower Movement gave rise to a very progressive legislative branch following the elections, contrasting markedly with the elite-driven technocratic and male-dominated executive she constituted after her electoral victory. As a result, on the issue of marriage equality and other matters, the executive has often been at odds with the legislative, even within President Tsai’s own Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: October 26, 2016

U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce reiterated Oct. 25 his

President Tsai Ing-wen meets with U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce June 1 at the Office of the President in Taipei City. (Courtesy of Office of the President)

call for Taiwan to be granted observer status in Interpol, stating “it’s time Taiwan be allowed” to join the organization.

The U.S. representative made the comments in a statement issued ahead of Interpol’s 85th General Assembly to be held Nov. 7-10 in Bali, Indonesia. In the release, he wrote that the “continued exclusion of Taiwan—a strong friend and critical partner of the United States—from this important organization is troubling.”

According to Royce, “global security is needlessly put at risk” because Taiwan is unable to promptly share and receive the latest information about international crime. “Everyone’s security would be improved by Taiwan’s participation in Interpol.”    [FULL  STORY]