Taiwan has embraced cuddly mascots and humour to ease public anxiety about the new coronavirus and educate on best practices

Yahoo News
Date: February 16, 2020
By: Amber WANG

Taipei (AFP) – While China deploys stern communist slogans in its battle against a deadly new coronavirus, democratic Taiwan has embraced cuddly mascots and humour to ease public anxiety and educate on best practices.

Images of cute animals have featured in daily social media updates from government agencies to tackle disinformation and prevent the spread of infections.

The health ministry has deployed a cartoon "spokesdog" — a Shiba Inu called Zongchai — that has proved a hit with hashtags of his name going viral and posts shared hundreds of thousands of times.

Recent contributions have included advice on hygiene and quarantine regulations as well as reminding people to use face masks judiciously given the ongoing shortages since the new virus exploded in China.

"Leave face masks for the people who need them, frequently wash your hands with soap, reduce touching your eyes, nose and mouth with your hands," read one update.    [FULL  STORY]

The end of conscription has left the army critically undermanned.

Foreign P+olicy
Date: February 15, 2020
By: Paul Huang

As threats of military aggression from China grow, the island nation of Taiwan needs a credible military deterrent more than ever. But Taiwan’s military is in a crisis it can barely admit exists.

Even as the military refits itself with flashy U.S. arms purchases, such as M1 Abrams tanks and F-16V fighter jets, its front-line units are hollowed out, and the entire reserve system is so dysfunctional that few experts or serving military personnel believe it can make a real military contribution in the event of a war. These problems are well documented but continue to be downplayed, if not outright ignored, by Taiwan’s political leadership—and there is no clear plan to solve the crisis.

On paper, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) has 215,000 budgeted positions among all branches, of which 188,000 are soldiers and the rest civilian employees. Only 153,000 of those positions were filled in 2018—just 81 percent of the personnel the military should have. But even that number doesn’t tell the complete story.

According to a Taiwanese army lieutenant colonel in active service, who asked for only his last name, Lin, to be used, all the army’s front-line combat units he knows of—including armor, mechanized infantry, and artillery troops—currently have effective manpower levels of between 60 and 80 percent. This figure is consistent with Taiwanese media reports, which cite MND figures provided to Taiwan’s parliament, the Legislative Yuan, acknowledging that few front-line units have more than 80 percent of their positions filled.    [FULL  STORY]

In addition to the blooms, visitors can also take hot spring baths, savor aboriginal cuisine, and attend the Feb. 22 indigenous night party

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/02/16
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Blooms of cherry and peach blossoms in the mountainous area of Jianshi Township (尖石鄉) in Hsinchu County are providing a good alternative for people who avoid going abroad for a vacation during the COVID-19 outbreak, said Jianshi Mayor Zeng Guo-da (曾國大) in a press conference on Saturday (Feb. 15), according to CNA.

In addition to the blooms, visitors can also take hot spring baths, savor aboriginal cuisine, and attend the Feb. 22 indigenous night party, Zeng said.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 02/16/2020
By: Liu Chien-pang, Lu Tai-cheng and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Feb. 16 (CNA) Taiwan's National Policy Agency (NPA) on Saturday announced that it recently smashed "the largest drug ring in southern Taiwan," arresting its ring leader and many members, with the busts touted as likely to reduce the nation's source of illicit drugs by at least one-third.

Speaking at a press event in Taitung to announce the arrests, NPA Director-General Chen Ja-chin (陳家欽) said the ring, founded by a man identified only by his surname Lin (林), has worked with drug rings throughout Southeast Asia for decades.

The Taiwanese criminal gang operated its own smuggling boats and cars enabling them to move the drugs safely from one country to another. It also had its own storage facilities and distribution channels, according to Chen.

In the past, the fact such drug rings usually set up "break points" in their smuggling operations made it difficult for police to track down the heads of the groups, Chen said.    [FULL  STORY]

BOOK LAUNCH: Researchers have published 27 volumes that include testimonies from victims of the White Terror era and their families, Academia Historica’s president said

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 17, 2020
By: Yang Chun-hui and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

A group of social activists yesterday called on President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to have all remaining

symbols of White Terror era presidents removed or relocated before the end of her second term.

As someone who lived through the White Terror era, it is his greatest wish to see the symbols of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) — particularly the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall — “dealt with,” activist Wang Wen-hung (王文宏) said.

Wang, who represents the families in Kaohsiung of victims of the 228 Incident and White Terror era, made the comment during a news conference at Academica Historica in Taipei announcing the release of three new books on the period.

Wang said that he had not learned until he was 18 years old that his father had been beaten to death during the 228 Incident.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 14 February, 2020
By: Leslie Liao

The travel and tourism industries has taken a hard hit due to the COVID-19 outbreak

Taiwan’s government has set aside NT$4.4 billion ($146 million USD) to offset losses in the tourism sector due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

A spokesperson for the tourism bureau says that travel agencies that had to send tourists from China home early can begin applying for subsidies next week. However, subsidy applications for losses stemming from a halt in sending tour groups abroad or receiving further tour groups in Taiwan must wait at least another week.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s state-owned distilleries also in full drive to produce rubbing alcohol

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/02/14
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is ramping up production of protective gear amid the threat of the Wuhan coronavirus, with factories going into overdrive manufacturing surgical masks and alcohol-based disinfectants.

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) inspected a manufacturer of facial mask machinery on Friday (Feb. 14) to ensure that the 60 machines procured by the government will be put to service starting Saturday. The period of the equipment’s delivery has been reduced from six months to just one month, thanks to the joint effort of the public and private sectors, he said.

The additional capacity will translate into 6 million more masks a day by as early as late February. Taiwan is poised to emerge as the second largest surgical mask producer worldwide with daily production reaching 10 million, Liberty Times quoted Su as saying.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) also toured a distillery in southern Taiwan the same day to inspect the production line of alcohol used for disinfection, reported CNA. Owned by Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL), Longtian Distillery (隆田酒廠) has joined with distilleries in Pingtung, Taichung, Hualien, and Yilan to boost supply of 75-percent alcohol solution, a much sought-after product which is experiencing similar shortages to facial masks.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 15, 2020
By: Su Meng-chuan and Wu Hsin-tien  /  Staff reporters

Using a rice cooker to “dry steam” surgical masks for three minutes can have a sterilizing effect, an

experiment by Chung Shan Medical University Department of Occupational Safety and Health associate professor Lai Chane-yu (賴全裕) and his team showed.

However, after dry steaming, the mask would have a lower filter efficiency compared with new masks, Lai said on Monday, adding that the method should only be considered if there is an insufficient supply of masks or they need to be reused in an emergency.

The team conducted several tests for cleaning N95 respirators, and found that a 70 percent alcohol solution, bleach, high-pressure sterilization and rice cooker were all effective sterilization methods, Lai said.

Dry steaming masks for three minutes using a rice cooker can kill up to 99.7 percent of germs, he said, adding that this method lowered the mask’s filter quality by the least — about 10 percent.
[FULL  STORY]