RUMOR:The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said that vaccination is not the best way to deal with the H5N2 virus and culling is to continue

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 25, 2015
By: Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter

The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine on Friday disputed

accusations in the media that alleged recent bird flu outbreaks were related to unauthorized inoculation with vaccines illegally imported from China, saying that the vaccine viruses and the viruses affecting local birds are different strains.

A report by online news outlet News and Market earlier this week said that highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N2, which is responsible for many of the bird flu cases reported since last month, could be linked to a commercial H5N2-based vaccine developed by a Chinese university.

The report said that unlicensed veterinarians in Taiwan purchased the vaccines online and vaccinated fowl in local farms, thereby introducing the H5N2 viruses into Taiwan.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/25
By: Liu Chien-pan and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Oct. 25 (CNA) A Taiwanese woman working as a private tutor in Yilan County was swindled out of a large sum of money over the past few months by a Facebook friend claiming to be a U.S. national, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Sunday, releasing a fraud warning for virtual communities.

The woman surnamed Huang lost nearly NT$340,000 (US$10,464) in cash to the man, whom she said she became acquainted with on FB in August, the CIB said in a report.

Calling himself “James from the United States,” the “friend” had since early September began to find excuses to borrow money from her, such as being robbed, suffering from a shortage of money and being unable to use credit cards, the woman was cited as saying in the report.     [FULL  STORY]

’LIPS AND TEETH’:The president used his speech as an opportunity to celebrate what he called ‘the closely intertwined relationship between Taiwan and the ROC’

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 26, 2015
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said that commemorating the 1945 recovery of

Taiwan by the Republic of China (ROC) is an unshirkable responsibility of each and every ROC president.

Ma made the remarks at a celebration marking the 70th anniversary of “Retrocession Day” at the Zhongshan Hall in Taipei, where the then-ROC government accepted the surrender of Japan.

Retrocession Day, on Oct. 25 is the day the KMT say Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and his Nationalist forces liberated Taiwan in 1945 after 50 years of Japanese occupation and Taiwan’s supposed return to Chinese rule.

“On the 70th anniversary of Taiwan’s retrocession, we chose to expand the scale of the annual celebration, because today is also the day we celebrate the closely intertwined relationship between the ROC and Taiwan, which are as close as lips and teeth,” Ma said.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-25
By: CNA

Taiwan and Puerto Rico on Monday signed a reciprocal agreement that allows citizens of

each side to obtain a driver’s license in the other state by showing a non-commercial driver’s license and without having to take written or road tests, according to a statement by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Miami.

The agreement was signed by Philip TY Wang, director general of the TECO in Miami, and Miguel Torres-Diaz, secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works of Puerto Rico, on behalf of their respective states, TECO said.

Deputy Secretary of State of Puerto Rico Javier Gonzalez witnessed the signing ceremony, which was held at the Puerto Rican State Department, TECO said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/25
By: Milly Lin and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Oct. 25 (CNA) When it comes to bravery, the employees responsible for exploration and production operations at the state-run energy supplier, CPC Corp., Taiwan (中油), are the epitome of heroes for their willingness to serve in foreign countries where security is an issue.

CPC has been conducting crude oil and natural gas exploration in Chad since 2006, and is expecting production to begin in 2019, said Liao Tsang-lung (廖滄龍), CEO of CPC’s Exploration and Production Business Division, in a recent interview with CNA.

Having been deployed to an African country torn apart by a wide gap between rich and poor, the personnel must be able to adapt themselves to the harsh living conditions in the exploration areas there, Liao said.

In addition to receiving inoculations against epidemic diseases including A-type encephalitis, the workers at this outpost have to be equipped with quinine in the event of contracting malaria, according to Liao.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-10-25
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Kaohsiung city government is looking for 200 temporary workers to help its plight

against the dengue fever epidemic, reports said Sunday.

The city is offering an hourly wage of NT$120 (US$4) for the duration of two months.

The short-term recruitment come as part of Executive Yuan’s NT$42 million (US$1.4 million) fund set up for the purpose of assisting the southern Taiwanese city hire personnel, cleaning equipment and pesticides required to combat the disease.

The offering will encompass field operators whose primary job is to eradicate mosquito breeding sites, in-house assistants, pesticide controllers, and dengue fever prevention workers, reports said.

According to the city’s department of health, the temporary job application will begin on October 26 to 29, with interviews to be conducted on the 29th.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-25
By: CNA

Taiwan’s special forces will be featured in a three-episode program produced by

Discovery Channel that will have its Taiwan premiere next week, the channel said Friday.

The program will feature stories about the rigorous training that soldiers in the ROC Navy’s special service company and the Army’s paratroopers have to undergo, Discovery Channel said in a statement. The program will be aired in Taiwan every Monday, with the first episode broadcast Oct. 26, it said. The program will also be broadcast in other countries in Asia starting from November, it added.

The production team spent eight months following the training regimens of the two military units, the statement said.

Viewers will get a glimpse of the Navy special service company’s training, including unarmed combat, fieldcraft, long-range shooting, rappelling and other skills, the channel said. Also featured in the program is the unit’s counter-terrorism training at sea.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-10-24
By: Jocylin FC, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Same sex marriage in Taiwan has been discussed since 2001. Although

there are no recognition of same sex unions in Taiwan, city of Taipei has allowed city registrations for same sex couples since June 17, 2015. Taipei city held a joint wedding ceremony which allowed same sex couples to participate for the first time on October 24. Mayor Ko Wen-je hosted the event personally.

Taipei city held a join wedding ceremony in the afternoon of October 24 and the administration welcomed same sex couples. The event invited Taipei city mayor Ko Wen-je as the chief witness of the ceremony. The invitation for same sex couples in a joint wedding public event is unprecedented.     [FULL  STORY]