The China Post
Date: July 2, 2016
By: Joseph Yeh

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s military on Friday apologized after the Navy accidentally fired a

(FILES) This file photo taken on October 10, 2007 shows
(FILES) This picture taken on October 10, 2007 shows a model of a home-grown supersonic Hsiung-feng III (Brave Wind) ship-to-ship missile in Taipei during the first military parade in 16 years.
Taiwan’s military authorities said a lethal anti-ship missile was “mistakenly” launched and fell into the Taiwan Strait as ties between the island and former bitter rival China deteriorate. / AFP PHOTO / SAM YEH

supersonic anti-ship missile during a drill Friday morning that struck a Taiwanese fishing vessel in the waters off Penghu, killing one and injuring three.

Punishments were administered to seven Navy personnel responsible for the accident, a military official added. Navy Command Headquarters Commander Adm. Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光) also said he will take responsibility and face punishment over the incident.

Speaking during an emergency press conference at the Defense Ministry in Taipei, military spokesman Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) issued sincere apology over the “unfortunate accident” that caused the death of a skipper surnamed Huang (黃) while aboard the Kaohsiung-registered vessel Hsiang Li Sheng (翔利昇).

Another three injured individuals were sent to the hospital in Tainan. They suffered relatively minor injuries and were all discharged from the hospital after medical treatment, Chen noted.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/01
By: Lu Hsin-hui and Jay Chen

Taipei, July 1 (CNA) The Republic of China (Taiwan) Navy said that one of its 500-ton patrol boats based in southern Taiwan launched a supersonic anti-ship missile by mistake early Friday.

The Chinchiang (PGG-610) was undergoing a drill inspection when the missile was launched by mistake, the Navy said. The ship was said to be inside the Zuoying military base when the accident occurred.

The missile went into waters off the islands of Penghu and did not cause any injuries, according to the Navy.

An investigation is under way to find out the cause of the incident, it said.

The Hsiung Feng III reportedly has a range of about 300 kilometers.      [SOURCE]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-06-30
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Siangyang mountain house on the Jiaming Lake trail will be closed for two months to stop Formosan black bears from coming to search for food scraps in the house after 10 sightings of the animals so far this year, the Taitung Forest District Office said on Thursday.

Jiaming Lake has become a popular hiking destination in recent years, with nearly 30,000 visitors every year, and the number of visits from April to June is close to 7,000. Such frequent visits apparently have not startled the bears.

According to the forest office’s investigation, Formosan black bears were sighted twice in 2013, three times in 2014, four times in 2015, but 10 times in only two months this year.

According to hikers and forest administration officials, a Formosan black bear mother with two cubs were spotted coming to the Siangyang mountain house to search for food, and a young black bear was seen searching for food scraps in the mountain house, while feces from black bears after eating food scrapes were also spotted near the house.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’ News
Date: June 30, 2016

President Tsai Ing-wen attended a donation ceremony for notebooks and tablets by Taiwan-headquartered firm AsusTek Computer Inc. June 29 in Guaria, around 180 kilometers southeast of the Paraguayan capital Asuncion.

Tsai, who is visiting the South American nation as part of a nine-day trip to Republic of China (Taiwan) diplomatic allies Panama and Paraguay, was accompanied at the event by Paraguay’s new Minister of Education Enrique Riera Escudero, ROC Ambassador to Paraguay Alexander Tah-ray Yui and AsusTek’s South American Regional Manager Hsieh Hsiao-min.

“The donation is expected to help bridge the digital divide,” Tsai said while addressing the ceremony at Gral Andres Rodriguez Public School. “I am pleased to see Taiwan’s businesspeople making continuous efforts in their overseas host communities to helping ensure the fair and equal use of digital resources among local people of different socioeconomic backgrounds.     [FULL  STORY]

’PLAYING HAPPILY’:DPP legislators shouted that a ‘shadow’ committee meeting had ignored legislative rules, which they said prohibited agenda changes on short notice

Taipei Times
Date Jul 01, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

A scheduled meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Social Welfare and Environment Hygiene

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Kun-yuh yesterday attempts to put a chair on the convener’s podium during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Social Welfare and Environment Hygiene Committee while Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators occupy the podium. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

Committee was empty most of yesterday following fierce inter-party bickering over agenda-setting rights, with the committee’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) majority refusing to agree to late night changes by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏), the committee’s co-convener.

A group of KMT lawmakers — including many non-committee members — occupied the convener’s podium early yesterday morning, sparking a shouting match with DPP committee members, with DPP Legislator Wu Kun-yuh (吳焜裕) seemingly swinging a chair at KMT lawmakers while banging it against the podium desk.

“Labor rights have become a major social issue over the past few days and according to legislative rules, committee conveners have the right to make agenda changes when major issues come up,” Wang said, adding that DPP co-convenors of other committees in the past had made similar changes at short notice.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 1, 2016
By: Yuan-Ming Chiao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Premier Lin Chuan on Thursday justified the Cabinet’s decision to eliminate seven public holidays, saying that keeping the days would adversely affect stock market trading and the economy.

When making the decision to eliminate the seven days, the premier had considered the impact of the public holidays on the local bourse, according to Cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan.

The Cabinet said it tried to overcome “complexities” including large differences between employers and workers, and said government ministries needed to explain their policies with empathy in order to reduce social tensions.

FSC Backs Cancellation

Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) said it strongly supported the cancellation of the seven days, which would keep local trading aligned with international markets.     [FULL  STORY]

Reuters
Date: June 30, 2016

Taiwan said it had rejected a plan by China’s Luxshare Precision Industry Co to invest in Merry Electronics Co on Thursday, the first rejection of Chinese capital in a technology firm under the new Democratic Progressive Party government.

Scrutiny of Chinese investment has intensified since Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP took office in May, with $1 billion in investment in Taiwan’s chip sector planned by Beijing-backed Tsinghua Unigroup still awaiting approval.

Merry Electronics, which makes headsets, speakers, amplifiers and other small acoustical devices, is considered a market leader in its field and in Taiwan and Thursday’s decision was issued by the Investment Commission, which reviews inbound and outbound investment.     [FULL  STORY]