Heat alert issued for 13 cities, counties as Taiwan’s capital sees highest June temperature since 1896

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/29
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The mercury hit 38.9°C in Taipei Monday afternoon (June 29), the hottest the Taiwanese capital has ever recorded in the month of June, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

After experiencing a record-breaking 38.4 degrees for the year 2020 last Tuesday (June 23), Taipei again broke its record for hottest June temperature on Monday, surpassing the previous 38.7°C recorded on June 1, 2016. It was also the hottest day ever recorded in Taipei in the month of June since the CWB started weather records in 1896.

The figure was recorded at 1:15 p.m., the CWB noted.

The bureau also issued heat warnings for 13 cities and counties. An orange alert was issued for Taipei, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, and Kaohsiung, while a yellow alert was given to New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Taitung, and Yilan.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/29/2020
By Matt Yu and Emerson Lim

Taipei, June 29 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) announced measures Monday to make Taiwan's military reserve force a more reliable backup for the regular forces in protecting the county amid increased military movements around Taiwan.

Tsai made the announcement during an award ceremony held at the Armed Forces Reserve Command to recognize military officers and reservists who made significant contributions in the fight against COVID-19, especially in the production of surgical face masks.

One measure involves building a reserve force that has similar combat capabilities to the regular Armed Forces by having them carry the same weapons and gear as full-time military members, Tsai said.

Other measures involve synchronizing the mobilization of manpower and strategic resources and establishing closer collaboration between the reserve force and different government departments and agencies, Tsai said.    [FULL  STORY]

‘BASELESS ACCUSATIONS’: Ker Chien-ming said it was not possible to drop Chen Chu’s nomination, while KMT lawmakers accused their DPP rivals of ‘homicidal behavior’

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 30, 2020
By: Chiu Yen-ling and Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporters

The Legislative Yuan is to vote on President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) nominations for the Control Yuan on July 17 after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators regained access to the legislative chamber yesterday after it was occupied by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers for about 19 hours.

The Legislative Yuan had been scheduled to meet yesterday morning to discuss its planned extraordinary session, but more than 20 KMT lawmakers on Sunday afternoon broke into the main chamber and occupied the legislative speaker’s podium to protest Tsai’s nomination of former Presidential Office secretary-general Chen Chu (陳菊) to be Control Yuan president.

The KMT caucus asked whether Chen was qualified, given that during her tenure as Kaohsiung mayor from 2006 to 2018, the Control Yuan launched 58 investigations into her team, including 30 cases of corrective measures and three impeachments.The KMT lawmakers blocked entry to the main chamber with chairs and chains, but their occupation ended at about 11:15am when DPP legislators broke the chains with bolt cutters.
[FULL STORY]

Global Times
Date: 2020/6/28
By: Liu Xuanzun

Two bombers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly approached the island of Taiwan from the east after crossing the Miyako Strait on Sunday, after PLA aircraft conducted at least eight sorties to Taiwan's southwestern "airspace" in June alone.

The two H-6K bombers on Sunday flew through the Miyako Strait from the East China Sea, entered the Pacific Ocean, approached Taiwan Island from the east, then returned to base via the same route, according to a press release by Japan's Defense Ministry Joint Staff on the same day.

Taiwan media said Sunday that there have been no similar missions by the PLA recently, and the Taiwan military was still confirming if the PLA bombers indeed returned from the same route they came, or returned after crossing the Bashi Channel.

By flying through airspace to the east of Taiwan, the PLA showed it can not only strike targets in western Taiwan, but also on the eastern side of the island. From there, PLA warplanes can also conduct anti-access and area denial missions and keep foreign interventions away, a Chinese mainland military expert told the Global Times on Sunday under condition of anonymity.    [FULL  STORY]

BBC News
Date: June 28, 2020

Taiwan has hosted one of the world's few gay pride marches at a time when most countries have cancelled them because of the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 200 people thronged Liberty Square in Taipei, saying they were "marching for the world" during the LGBT pride season.

Organiser Darien Chen said it was an honour to march when nearly 500 other events globally had been cancelled.

Last year Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/28
By:  Central News Agency

A Vietnamese migrant worker was stabbed to death in New Taipei on Saturday evening after a revenge attack over a prior alcohol-fueled altercation with a group of men, the authorities said.

The victim, whose name was not yet released, was pronounced dead after being sent to MacKay Memorial Hospital's Tamsui branch by emergency services, New Taipei's Fire Department said.

The man died after suffering heavy loss of blood from the stab wound on his right chest, the department said.

The fire department dispatched first responders when they received a report at 7:33 p.m. of the victim needing immediate medical attention near the intersection of Guanhai Boulevard and Zhongwu Street in the city's Bai District.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus taiwan
Date: 06/28/2020
By: Liu Kuan-ting, Justin Su, Wen Kuei-hsiang and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, June 28 (CNA) Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) caucus members occupied the legislative speaker's podium Sunday ahead of a general discussion set for the next day at the Legislative Yuan, calling on President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to withdraw the nomination of former Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊) to head the Control Yuan.

The Legislature is set to hold a general discussion on whether an extraordinary session should be held as scheduled from June 29 to July 22, following inter-party negotiations scheduled to start 8:30 a.m. Monday.

However, ahead of the meetings, more than 20 KMT legislators stormed into the Legislative Yuan Sunday, blocked entry to the main chamber with chairs and chains and spray painted the words: "no endorsement for political crony Control Yuan nominees," in the chamber.

The spray painted "no endorsement for political crony Control Yuan nominees." / Image from a KMT lawmaker's video

The KMT caucus issued a statement Sunday strongly criticizing Tsai's nomination of Chen as the new head of the Control Yuan and its newly established National Human Rights Commission.    [FULL  STORY]

IRRESPONSIBLE ATTITUDES? Some experts say the NHI system does not do enough to educate the public, or pay doctors to talk to patients, about healthy lifestyles

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 29, 2020
By: Wu Liang-yi / Staff reporter

While the life expectancy of Taiwanese newborns in 2018 reached 80.69 years, the number of years people spent in poor health hit a record high at 8.41 years, Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics showed on Saturday.

Healthy life expectancy is calculated by a person’s life expectancy minus the time they spend in ill health, such as the loss of mobility, disabilities and chronic disease, based on medical records and calculations about the years they live with disabilities.

The number of years that Taiwanese spend in poor health is increasing slowly, but steadily, rising by 0.46 years, or five-and-a-half months, between 2012 and 2018, Department of Statistics Lee Chiu-yen (李秋嬿) said.

The trend corresponds to the phenomenon of Taiwan becoming a superannuated society, said Chiou Hung-yih (邱弘毅), a professor of public health at Taipei Medical University.
[FULL  STORY]

• As Beijing tightens its grip on the city, Taipei says it will help Hongkongers who move over – though there are few details for foreign companies
• The island has a similar culture to the city and cheaper labour, but barriers include scarcity of finance-sector talent and a lack of clarity over incentives

South China Morning Post
Date: 27 Jun, 2020
By: Ralph Jennings

After 20 years working in Hong Kong, for multinationals as well as her own firm, Yee Ming Tan moved to Taiwan a decade ago for her partner. For global firms on the lookout for a regional office, Tan said, the cost of living there is lower, the quality of life higher and the cities safer. But Hong Kong makes it easier to do business, she says, requiring less research to set up a business and less work to follow all the rules.

“The runaround with the different government departments is pretty difficult. Of course, if you’re resourceful you would hire a lawyer, but normally it is quite a challenge,” said Tan, 53, the Malaysian-born operator of an executive coaching firm.

Taiwan has said it will help Hongkongers seeking to move over in the wake of Beijing’s tightening grip over the city, with a national security law set to be passed as early as this week. A government office due to open next month in Taipei will offer individual Hongkongers humanitarian assistance, including finding jobs or setting up businesses.But Taiwan has not released too many details about whether it would offer special incentives for businesses considering leaving Hong Kong, especially foreign firms mulling over an exit strategy.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan has transformed itself into the “anti-China” in the Czech domestic debate.

The Diplomat
Date: June 27, 20209
By: Filip Šebok   

On June 9, Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil summoned a press conference to announce

a long-expected decision on an issue that had animated a domestic political debate for months: his planned visit to Taiwan. Vystrčil surprised few when he confirmed that he will visit the self-ruling island at the end of August. This was presented as a heroic decision in the face of Chinese pressure by some and a blatant attempt to disrupt ties with China by others. How has Taiwan become such a hot topic in this small Central European country?

While ostensibly a foreign policy topic, the Taiwan issue in the Czech Republic has become a proxy battleground for opposing domestic camps. The China-friendly camp, represented by President Miloš Zeman and his political allies, sees the visit to Taiwan as an affront to the China-friendly policy they have advocated in the past several years, arguing that it will hurt the country economically.

For this reason, Zeman’s office has been doing its utmost to stop the visit, which was originally to be conducted by Vystrčil’s predecessor in the office of Senate president, Jaroslav Kubera. In this effort, Zeman’s office has even solicited the support of the local Chinese Embassy, asking for its statement on the impact of the visit on Czech-China ties. The statement, later delivered to Kubera via the president‘s office, directly named Czech companies whose business in China would be hurt should the Taiwan visit go on. Curiously, more pressure against the Taiwan visit seems to have come from domestic actors rather than China directly, although Beijing has also repeatedly let its displeasure known in no uncertain terms.    [FULL  STORY]