Taipei Times
Date: Sep 25, 2015
By: Abraham Gerber  /  Staff reporter

Pro-independence groups yesterday rallied outside the Executive Yuan to call for the

resignation of Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國), following China’s decision to unilaterally replace the “Taiwan compatriot permit” (台胞證) with electronic cards.

“There is no way we can tolerate this kind of a premier,” 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign director Chen Chun-han (陳峻涵) said, criticizing Mao for saying that he only learned about China’s decision through media reports.

Chen said the Ministry of the Interior’s push to unify Taiwan’s National Identification Card with other government-issued ID cards might be connected with China’s electronic card push.

The “Taiwan compatriot permit” paper booklet is issued by the Chinese government and serves as the primary identification document for Taiwanese traveling in China. Following the Chinese announcement, people applying for a new “Taiwan compatriot permit” are issued an electronic card; existing paper permits remain valid until their expiry date, Beijing said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/23
By: Wang Cheng-chung and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Sept. 23 (CNA) The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA, 民航局) will present

draft law amendments for legislative consideration later this month that will regulate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a Cabinet official said Wednesday.

The draft amendments to the Civil Aviation Law will also cover aerial photography, airspace and equipment after relevant rules are finalized in a Cabinet meeting scheduled for the following day, the official said.

The new measures will serve as a regulatory framework and come in response to the increasing number of UAVs and remote-controlled camera drones appearing in the skies over Taiwan. They will impose stricter regulations on camera drones weighing 15 kg or over, including mandatory certification for the vehicle and operator.

Under the new rules, remote drones weighing 15 kg and over will be subject to the authority of the CAA, while those weighing less than that will come under the jurisdiction of respective local governments, according to the official.     [FULL  STORY]

Bangkok Post
Date: 23 Sep 2015
By: WRITER: AFP

TAIPEI – Taiwanese authorities said Wednesday they would prosecute 129 people for

illegal gambling on pigeon races — part of a broader investigation into the sport after animal rights group PETA filed complaints.

More than Tw$66.6 million ($2 million) was seized from the Fengyuan Pigeon Club in the central city of Taichung, according to the district prosecutors office.

US-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) submitted the results of its investigation last year to Taiwanese authorities, saying pigeon racing kills 1.5 million birds a year on the island.

“This particular club we found to have gambling offences but we didn’t find there’s a situation of animal abuse,” Hung Jia-yuan, director of Taichung’s prosecutors office, told AFP, adding investigations would continue elsewhere.

The main suspects in the gambling case face a maximum of three years’ imprisonment, while others may be fined.     [FULL  STORY]

Daily Mail
Date: 23 September 2015
By Becky Pemberton For Mailonline

Donning mini skirts and skyscraper heels, scantily-clad females wait in neon-lit glass kiosks by the side of roads for men to pull up so they can totter out to greet them.

But there is more to the situation than meets the eye. They may be dressed to grab attention, but it is their tasty betel nuts that stimulate customers.

These beautiful and provocative ‘Betel nut girls’ in Taiwan are responsible for pedalling the stimulative fruit from around 60,000 booths, many along the main roads.

There are an estimated 60,000 booths in operation around the country, manned by females designed to attract attention.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-09-23
By: CNA and Staff Reporter

The United States has reiterated that its long-term position and policy toward Taiwan

remain unchanged, spokesperson for Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Eleanor Wang said Tuesday.

Commenting on the upcoming meeting between President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping slated for Sept. 25 in Washington DC, Wang said that based on the experiences in the past years when US presidents met with Chinese leaders, the “Taiwan issue” had always been mentioned.

However, National Security Advisor Susan Rice reiterated recently that the US policy and the position it has persistently held toward Taiwan remain unchanged.

Wang said the development of relations between Washington and Beijing should not affect either the interests of Taiwan or the six-point guarantee made by the US based on the Taiwan Relations Act, nor should it affect US-Taiwan exchanges and cooperation in any aspect.     [FULL  STORY]

WASHINGTON BRIEFING:US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Daniel Russel said that the US would not paper over its differences with China on important issues

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 24, 2015
By: William Lowther  /  Staff reporter in WASHINGTON

US officials are reassuring Taiwan that no matter what Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近

平) says about it during his summit with US President Barack Obama this week, Washington will not change its current policies.

“It is normal for a Chinese leader to raise Taiwan,” US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel told a media briefing on Tuesday.

“We will always make clear when the issue arises that we place great importance on stability across the [Taiwan] Strait,” he said. “We respect the right of the people on Taiwan to exercise their democratic rights and will continue to counsel restraint on the part of Beijing in order to maintain trust and stability.”

Speaking at the same event, Daniel Kritenbrink, senior director for Asian affairs at the US National Security Council, said that the US respected Taiwan’s democratic process and had a long-standing position on cross-strait issues based on the “one China” policy, the six communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA).     [FULL  STORY]