Reuters
December 15, 2015

The Obama administration is expected as soon as this week to authorize the sale of two guided missile frigates to Taiwan, U.S. congressional sources said on Monday, in spite of China’s opposition to the deal.

“We’re expecting an announcement as early as this week,” a Republican congressional aide said. Another congressional aide said the notification from the administration was expected “any time now.”

The sale would mark the first time in four years that the United States has shipped arms to Taiwan, the longest gap in such arm sales in nearly four decades.

It comes a year after Congress passed the Naval Transfer Act authorizing the sale of up to four Perry-class frigates to Taiwan in December 2014.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-12-15
By: Central News Agency

Nearly 80 percent of Taiwan’s workers want to change jobs before the Lunar New Year, and

Nearly 80% want to look for new jobs: survey. Central News Agency

they hope to see their salary increase by nearly NT$8,000 (US$244) a month, according to the results of survey by an online recruiting firm released Tuesday.

The survey found that two months ahead of the Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 8, 2016, 78.6 percent of respondents have considered changing jobs, up 7.3 percentage points from the previous year and the highest percentage since the financial crisis eight years ago.

Of those, just over three quarters said they have taken action by sending out their resumes.

The reasons cited for wanting to change jobs included low salary (40.3%), no chance of promotion (30.9 percent), the employer’s lack of future prospects (30.5 percent), dissatisfaction with the job (28.2 percent), and no raises for too long (26.8 percent).     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/12/15
By: Liu Jian-bang, Zoe Wei and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Dec. 15 (CNA) Some 30 labor activists stormed into the Ministry of Labor (MOL) building Tuesday to protest against a law amendment which will cut the number of officially designated holidays per year from 19 to 12 from 2016 onwards, as part of the government’s plans to implement a universal 40-hour work week.

Taiwan has enforced a 40-hour, five-day work week system for civil servants since 2001, but the Labor Standards Act was not correspondingly amended to allow the country’s entire workforce to enjoy the same treatment.

Workers who do not have a 40-hour work week are currently eligible to take the extra official holidays under the ministry’s current rules.

The MOL therefore pushed for an amendment to the Act that would apply the 40-hour work week system to the entire workforce by cutting the number of national holidays.     [FULL  STORY]

SLOW TRANSITION:The new law will require the labor ministry to offer ‘appropriate supporting aids’ to people working in negatively impacted industries and companies

Taipei Times
Date:  Dec 16, 2015
By: Alison Hsiao  /  Staff Reporter

The legislature yesterday passed the Act of Providing Support in Response to Trade Liberalization (因應貿易自由化調整支援條例), stipulating that the government should establish a fund to assist negatively impacted industries to weather any damage caused by market liberalization.

The act states that the “fund for supporting and adjusting [the impacted industries] to trade liberalization” should be established by the Executive Yuan, which provides a legal and financial basis for future governmental measures aimed at supporting industries and individual enterprises.

The new law, which still needs the president’s approval before being promulgated, would require the Ministry of Labor to offer “appropriate supporting aids” to people working in negatively impacted industries and companies.     [FULL STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-12-15
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Taipei District Prosecutors Office questioned two members of

Prosecutors question NTU staff over MG149. Central News Agency

staff at National Taiwan University as witnesses in the case of the special account set up by Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je, reports said Tuesday.

During last year’s mayoral election campaign, the Kuomintang accused the independent candidate of having set up a so-called “MG149” account which could be used for money laundering and other dubious financial practices. Ko, who worked as a surgeon at the NTU’s prestigious hospital, said the account was legal and helped young physicians and students fund their research.

On Tuesday afternoon, the prosecutors summoned two women employed at the hospital’s research and development department for questioning about the case, reports in the media said, naming the two as Lee and Yeh.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/12/15
By: Hsieh Chia-chen and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Dec. 15 (CNA) A visiting former White House official said Tuesday that stability in cross-Taiwan Strait ties has been a foundation for the rapid advancement of relations between Taipei and Beijing and between Washington and Beijing in recent years, and he attributed the achievements to the efforts made by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

Evan Medeiros, former senior director for Asian Affairs on the National Security Council, made the remarks at a ceremony in which he was conferred with the Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon by Ma in recognition of his efforts to promote relations between Taiwan and the United States.

Medeiros is currently managing director and practice head for Asia of Eurasia Group, a leading global political risk research and consulting firm.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: December 15, 2015

President Ma Ying-jeou said Dec. 14 that the ROC government is committed to promoting

President Ma Ying-jeou addresses the General Assembly of the Regional Islamic Dawah Council of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Dec. 14 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of the Presidential Office)

freedom of religion and enhancing the understanding of Islam in Taiwan.

“The relationship between the ethnic Chinese and Islamic worlds dates back more than 1,300 years,” Ma said. “Although Muslims are a minority group in Taiwan, the government is working tirelessly to safeguard their rights.”

The president made the remarks during the opening ceremony of the 16th General Assembly of the Regional Islamic Dawah Council of Southeast Asia and the Pacific (RISEAP) in Taipei City.

Held for the first time in Taiwan, the annual gathering was attended by more than 80 religious leaders and scholars from 23 countries and territories in the region. These included RISEAP President Abdul Taib Mahmud and Deputy President Ridzuan Wu.     [FULL  STORY]

Death and Taxes Magazine
Date: December 14, 2015
By: Jamie Peck

When she isn’t chasing runners around a marathon route, the woman is an actress

Taiwan’s Keelung Marathon inspired its contestants to run faster than usual when its organizers hired a helpful ghost to hang out along the marathon route.

According to the Star Daily Standard, organizers of the December 8 marathon hired the ghost in an effort to scare contestants into greater success. Looking vaguely like the girl from Japanese horror film Ringu in a childlike outfit accessorized with eye-covering hair and a white parasol, she hung out at the marathon’s halfway point — which happened to be in the middle of the woods — and waited for runners to pass by. “I didn’t dare frighten people by hiding in the woods,” she told Taiwanese news media. “I just waited for them to encourage them.” Sometimes she “encouraged” them a little extra by running after them. As it turned out, the tactic worked, with numerous runners posting personal bests during the race.