Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/03
By: Edward Tsao and Christie Chen

Los Angeles, Jan. 3 (CNA) China Airlines (CAL, 華航), Taiwan’s largest carrier,

won the International Trophy at the 127th Rose Parade held in Pasadena, California on New Year’s Day with a float titled “Venture to Majestic Taiwan.”

It was the 12th time that China Airlines has won the International Trophy and the 25th award the airline has garnered since first participating in the parade in 1987.

The theme of this year’s float was the Flying Fish Festival, which is unique to the indigenous Tao (達悟) people on Orchid Island, to showcase the natural beauty of Taiwan, CAL said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-02
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A rational approach to the issue of importing pork

from the United States might be a necessary evil if Taiwan wants to get into line with the international community, said I-Mei Foods Co. General Manager Luis Ko.

The topic of whether or not to import US pork which might contain residues of the leanness-enhancing drug ractopamine has become an issue in the run-up to the January 16 presidential election, with the relaxation of the import ban expected to be the price Taiwan has to pay for being allowed to join the Trans Pacific Partnership.

As the CEO of a leading food company, Ko has 40 years of experience in dealing with a variety of foodstuffs and 30 years of practical experience with food testing. Over the past year, he has also published several books about food safety, with another one due out this year about “Milk, Eggs, Meat.”     [FULL  STORY]

An Aboriginal member of the Japanese Imperial Army survived alone in the jungles of Indonesia for 30 years before returning to an unfamiliar homeland

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 03, 2016
By: Han Cheung  /  Staff reporter

On Jan. 8, 1975, nearly 30 years after the end of World War II, former Imperial

Japanese Army soldier Nakamura Teruo finally returned home.

It was a different place from what he had known. His native land was no longer part of Japan. His son, who was an infant when he left, was now a father of four children, and his wife had remarried. Everyone was calling him Lee Kuang-hui (李光輝) — a name he had never even heard of when he departed for Indonesia with the Takasago Volunteer Unit in 1944.

A member of the Amis people, Western reports have his Aboriginal name as Attun Palalin, while local sources call him Suniuo, which is what this article will go with.

Even though the Takasago were a volunteer army in name, Suniuo says he was forced to enlist. Shortly after he landed on Morotai Island in Indonesia, the Allies arrived and secured it as a base. Suniuo lost contact with his group during this time.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-01
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – CPC Corporation, Taiwan, officially closed its

Kaohsiung refinery Friday after 25 years of operation, but residents of nearby Houjing found that 10 out of 42 storage tanks at the facility still contained oil products.

The residents, who have been worried about pollution and other dangers posed by the plant, entered the premises Friday morning for a “tour of inspection” to see whether it really had stopped operating by the end of 2015, as the government promised.

After they accused CPC of fraud over the presence of 100,000 liters of oil products in the storage tanks, the company said it would need ten days before presenting an overall plan and timetable to empty the tanks and tear down the facility.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
2016/01/01
By: Huang Li-yun, Tsai Pei-chi and Frances Huang

Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) Ridership on the Taipei metro system on New Year’s Eve and early New Year’s Day exceeded 3 million passengers, breaking the previous record, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. (TRTC, 台北捷運) said Friday.

The Taipei subway system transported about 3.03 million passengers in the 24 hour period from 6 a.m. Dec. 31 to 6 a.m. Jan. 1, an increase of 66,000 from a year earlier, TRTC statistics showed.

With the expansion of the the city’s MRT network, ridership on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day has been growing to record-breaking numbers, the TRTC said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date:  Jan 02, 2016
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) on

Thursday night for the city government’s New Year’s Eve countdown party and to celebrate the new year.

The star-studded party was organized by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism and a coalition of private enterprises, including Taipei 101, SET-TV media group and Union Bank of Taiwan.

Taiwanese techno diva Jeannie Hsieh (謝金燕) appeared before the crowd on an elevator platform and began the event by performing one of her hits, sending the audience gathered in the plaza in front of Taipei City Hall into a frenzy.

Accompanied by a group of back-up dancers, Hsieh performed six songs while going through several very quick costume changes.   [FULL  STORY]