Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/09/06
By: Lu Hsin-hui and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Sept. 6 (CNA) The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) reiterated Tuesday its opposition

to the opening of casinos in the outlying island county of Penghu, saying that setting up casinos is not the only option for developing tourism.

Penghu should promote its own development using an ecological, sustainable or cultural approach that combines its tourism resources, DPP spokesman Huang Shih-cho (黃適卓) said in a statement, in response to a second referendum to be held in Penghu Oct. 15 on whether to allow casinos to be opened there.

He said the DPP will do its utmost to protect Penghu’s sustainability and does not wish to see any damage to the archipelago’s distinctive natural environment, unique culture or its rich and versatile ecological attributes.

Gambling is not allowed on Taiwan proper, but the Legislature passed an amendment to the Offshore Islands Development Act in January 2009, allowing outlying islands to establish tourist casinos if their residents say “yes” through referendum.     [FULL  STORY]

‘CHANGING WORLD’:Legislator Kolas Yotaka said that the Tibetan spiritual leader supported Tsai Ing-wen’s apology last month to Aborigines as part of ‘a good trend’

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 07, 2016
By Chiu Yen-ling, Hsiao Ting-fang, Chen Hui-ling and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer

The Legislative Yuan will always welcome people from any country if they are willing to help spread

democracy and freedom, Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) said yesterday in response to reports that the Dalai Lama was enthusiastic about a possible return to Taiwan.

“The Legislative Yuan very much welcomes those who facilitate the promotion of democracy and freedom,” Su said when asked about a lawmaker’s invitation to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader to visit Taiwan and speak at the legislature.

The Dalai Lama on Monday said he would be glad to visit Taiwan again after New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) asked him during a trip to India to speak at the Legislative Yuan.

Lim said that peace can only be achieved if people from different countries are willing to work together.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: September 7, 2016
By: Sun Hsin Hsuan

Railway workers have threatened to strike unless the government acts to enforce legal working hours,

holidays and overtime pay, warning that current working conditions had already proved fatal.

Led by the newly established Taiwan Railway Union, more than 300 workers protested outside the Transportation Ministry Tuesday.

They described the rail service as beset by labor disputes and long-term staff shortages, calling on the state-owned Taiwan Railways Administration to increase recruitment and improve working conditions.

Specifically, the demonstrators said rail workers were not being given adequate rest time or overtime pay as stipulated by labor laws.

Current work schedules abide by a “day, night, rest day” rule. Under the rule, employees work a daytime shift from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., then, 24 hours later, begin a night shift from 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., which is the morning of their rest day.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s rising emphasis on high-quality lifestyle has spurred a wave of new homegrown brands offering everything from premium accommodations to inventive cuisine.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/09/06
By: Matthew Fulco

Taiwan ranked as Asia’s third-happiest country behind Singapore and Thailand in a report released in

March by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Columbia University’s Earth Institute. Overall, Taiwan came in 35th in the world, well ahead of arch-rival South Korea (58th), and up from 46th when the survey was first launched in 2012.

The report uses Gallup World Poll data to evaluate 156 countries and territories. Factors analyzed include GDP per capita, life expectancy, personal freedom, social support, and perceptions of corruption.

The results of the survey are indicative of a paradigm shift in Taiwanese culture. Put simply, lifestyle has become king. The island that was once the source of laments about pollution, gridlocked traffic, and marathon working hours is embracing a more enlightened way. Work-life balance, environmentalism, and craft beer are in. The six-day workweek (obligatory in most companies as recently as a decade ago), nuclear power, and all-you-can drink buffets stacked with fake alcohol – once a fixture of Taiwanese nightlife – are out.     [FULL  STORY]

The groups are requesting re-evaluations and amendments to policies and laws that might affect residential rights including the Urban Planning Law, Land Expropriation Act and the Urban Renewal Act.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/09/05
By: Mo Tz-pin

About 40 organizations opposed to forced evictions took to the streets of Taipei this morning to protest against what they say is the lack of attention paid by the Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) administration to the issue.

Activists from all over the country gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard to protest against Tsai for not reaching out to the victims of forced evictions or expropriation and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for neglecting the nation-wide issue.

National Chengchi University professor Hsu Shih-jung (徐世榮) was at the protest and said the DPP was a “suppressor, depriver.” Hsu, who for years has been involved in those issues and has been consulted by the government, added that the administration should focus on dealing with current issues, not past unresolved cases.

The groups are requesting re-evaluations and amendments to policies and laws that risk affecting residential rights including the Urban Planning Law, Land Expropriation Act and the Urban Renewal Act. They are also calling for the establishment of a public-hearing system to supervise the progress of land development plans and boost the transparency of government plans.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-09-05
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

In a twist of events, and due largely to parents’ refusal to send their children to a farther school, students of an elementary school located closely to a highly polluting industrial area go to the same school as before after the central government briefly ordered them to go to another area school to avoid exposure to potentially hazardous air pollution.

Ciaotou Elementary School’s Syucuo branch is located only 900 meters from the highly polluting petrochemical industrial area in Mailiao Township, Yunlin County, where Formosa Petrochemical’s Sixth Naphtha Cracking Plant is based.

Two weeks ago, the Executive Yuan ordered the students in the high risk school to go to Fengrong Elementary School in neighboring Lunbei Township. But the concern for the school children’s health has been met with refusal and protests from student parents.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/09/05
By: Sophia Yeh and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, Sept. 5 (CNA) Taiwan’s Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Monday proposed that the state

give every citizen 65 years or older NT$12,000 (US$382) a month as part of its three-tier pension reform proposal.

The party, which was founded in 2015 and has no seat in the Legislature, offered its ideas on pension insurance and called on all sectors of society to submit concrete proposals on the thorny issue.

The issue of reforming Taiwan’s pension system has become very controversial after the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) initiated a process to seek consensus on cutting the pensions of retired military personnel, civil servants and public school teachers to reduce the burden on government coffers.

On Saturday, nearly 150,000 retired and current public sector employees took to the streets of Taipei in a protest against the proposed cuts.     [FULL  STORY]

SOFT POWER:Minister Without Portfolio John Deng said the sincerity of Taiwanese and their work ethic gives the nation an edge over its neighbor across the Taiwan Strait

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 06, 2016
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

The Executive Yuan yesterday outlined an implementation plan for the government’s “new southbound

policy,” which is aimed at boosting ties with 16 ASEAN and South Asian nations, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

The plan is based on four principles — economic cooperation, special talent exchange programs, resource sharing and regional integration — and will pave the way for a regional economic community, Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中) said.

Businesses that are among the nation’s flagship industries, such as oil refining, power generation, environmental protection, electronic toll collection and the Internet of Things, will be the first to be marketed to partner nations, Deng said.

A trade office “Taiwan Desk” is to be established in other nations to streamline communication between local governments and Taiwanese businesses, he said.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: September 6, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Newly appointed Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman Tien Hung-mao (田

弘茂) expressed hopes of engaging in dialogue with senior mainland Chinese authorities over an alternative to the “1992 Consensus” on Monday, saying that current cross-strait relations cannot get any worse.

Tien, speaking during a radio interview, said that while top Chinese authorities have yet to say anything about cross-strait relations, he hoped that he still had room for both sides to agree on an alternative solution to the “1992 Consensus.”

“(The alternative solution) could allow us to reach mutual respect and understanding,” Tien said. Tien said that any alternative to the “1992 Consensus” must be forged on terms that Beijing can fully accept.

“Cross-strait relations are at their worst at the moment,” he said. “It cannot get any worse.”

Tien also said that comments by Taiwan Affairs Office head Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) are not sufficient to represent the stance of senior Chinese representatives     [FULL  STORY]