Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/23
By Tony Liao and Lee Hsin-Yin

Washington, Jan. 23 (CNA) A petition to urge the United States government to recognize Taiwan as a country has gathered more than 5,000 signatures as of Saturday, after being put up on the White House website on Jan. 19.

The petition followed another one that asked the U.K. Government and Parliament to recognize Taiwan as a country. As of Saturday, that petition has collected over 19,000 signatures.

The U.S. petition says the United States should reaffirm its commitment to Taiwan, and should stand on the side of democracy, not coercion from mainland China, said the petitioner, whose identity is not disclosed.

“In 1928, the USA was the first government to recognize the Republic of China. Now in Taiwan, the government has become a beacon of democracy and freedom in Asia,” according to the petition.     [FULL  STORY]

’NATIONAL CONCERN’An NTU professor said president-elect Tsai Ing-wen must prioritize the issue of the KMT’s assets and implement full-fledged transitional justice

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 24, 2016
By: Chen Yu-fu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Having won the presidential election and achieved its first ever absolute

majority in the Legislative Yuan, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should seek to utilize its administrative and legislative resources to implement transitional justice and deepen the nation’s democratic system, Foundation for Asia-Pacific Development president Kang Ning-hsiang (康寧祥) said at a forum the foundation held in Taipei yesterday.

Academics also called on the DPP to prioritize the effort to deal with the issue of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) assets and establish a protocol for the transfer of power between different parties.

Without a democratic system, the good life would disappear, Kang said at the forum, which was held to discuss issues relating to sustainable development of governmental systems following the transfer of power.

The nation’s lack of economic success in recent years was the result of the overtly China-friendly policies of the KMT government under President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Kang said, adding that while some Taiwanese have made money, they are now paying the price for the economy being too reliant on China.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: January 22, 2016

Taoyuan City is gearing up for the 2016 Taiwan Lantern Festival next month,

with an estimated 20 million visitors set to experience the event and related activities during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Held for the first time in the northern Taiwan metropolis, the annual event kicks off Feb. 22 and features a 26-meter-high main lantern modeled after the Monkey King from the classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West.” The design was selected to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac.

Taoyuan Deputy Mayor Wang Ming-teh said Jan. 21 that the festival is taking place on a 32-hectare site surrounding Taiwan High Speed Rail Taoyuan Station. “It will be home to an exciting array of exhibits on the city’s rich history and vibrant urban life.

“In addition to the eye-catching lantern lineup, assorted activities are planned spotlighting the region’s diverse cultural scene and dynamic tourism resources.”     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/22
By: Chiu Chun-chin and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) A man was caught trying to smuggle a large sum of

Taiwanese dollars out of the country at the Taoyuan International Airport on Friday.

Aviation police said the 66-year-old man, surnamed Yu (俞), was scheduled to take a plane at 2:15 p.m for Hong Kong, but was stopped at an X-ray check and discovered to have cash worth NT$10.5 million (US$313,770) hidden in a fruit gift box.

On Thursday, another man surnamed Wang (王), was also caught with around NT$1.5 million hidden in a special belt and stockings. The 41-year-old man claimed that he wanted to use the money to buy groceries in Hong Kong.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/21
By: Chiang Yuan-chen and Frances Huang

Seoul, Jan. 21 (CNA) Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), a Taiwanese teenage pop star,

left the recent flag controversy in Taiwan behind, as her girl pop group Twice won the best new performer award in Seoul Thursday evening.

Chou, better known as Tzuyu, and her Twice bandmates were honored as the best new performer in the music disc division at the 30th Golden Disc Awards held in Kyung Hee University.

Broadcast live on QTV, a cable TV station in South Korea, Chou and her fellow Twice members braved the city’s bitter winter weather to make their presence known at the award ceremony. The girl K-pop group, dressed in sexy all-black outfits, drew warm applause from their fans at the ceremony.

A popular South Korean K-pop boy band — SEVENTEEN — also snagged the best new performer award at the Golden Disc Awards.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: January 21, 2016

ROC President Ma Ying-jeou said Jan. 20 that the government is seeking

justice for Taiwan’s former comfort women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese during World War II.

“Japan should formally apologize to these women and pay appropriate compensation,” Ma said. “The government stands by the victims and will not rest until their dignity is restored.”

The president made the remarks at the funeral of 94-year-old former comfort woman Cheng-Chen Tao in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan.

Cheng-Chen was forcibly sent in the early 1940s at age 19 to the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. She was among 58 former comfort women who came forward in the late 1990s demanding apology and compensation from the Japanese government.

“Sadly, it is already too late for Cheng-Chen, who left this world without getting her due,” Ma said. “She was truly a remarkable woman, never failing to show us the bright side of humanity in spite of her pain.     [FULL  STORY]

TRADE FOCUS:The president said that a peaceful political scene is needed for market stability, while ruling out deals with China could be fatal for the economy

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 22, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said that the word “caretaker” was

not in his dictionary, brushing aside calls to leave important decisions to a new administration, while promising to forge ahead on several regional trade agreements.

Following the elections on Saturday last week, which saw the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) win the presidency and legislature in a landslide, DPP officials have called for Ma’s administration to serve as a caretaker government, deferring important decisions to president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

However, at an economic forum on Asian economic growth at the Grand Hyatt Taipei, Ma said that reviving economic growth and dealing with the slump in exports that followed the European debt crisis were global problems, while finding a new competitive edge for the economy was the inescapable responsibility of any Taiwanese leader.     [FULL  STORY]