Taipei Times
Date: Nov 30, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Chunghwa Post on Thursday said it would launch a slate of commemorative stamps and postcards

featuring Year of the Rat motifs early next month in preparation for the Lunar New Year.

The stamps, valued at NT$6, NT$13 and NT$15, are to be available from post offices nationwide Tuesday next week, as well as at the Postal Museum in Taipei.

The NT$6 stamp features a rat juggling a traditional Chinese coin, symbolizing wealth and good fortune in the coming year, while the NT$13 stamp is decorated with a dancing rat, representing health and happiness.

Radio Taiwan Internatinal
Date: 27 November, 2019
By: Shirley Lin

A religious procession in process[/caption] Religious processions are a regular feature of life in Taiwan. They happen year-round, often coinciding with the birthday of an important god or goddess.

Many of these parades resemble one another, with the same sort of performances and costumes. During a recent procession, though, one temple in central Taiwan, decided to mix things up.

At first glance, a recent temple procession in central Taiwan’s Nantou County looks much like any other. There were the same firecrackers and the same lion dance performances you’ll find somewhere on the streets of Taiwan on any given day.    [FULL  STORY]

Short-range missile developed by National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology will enhance combat capabilities

Taiwan News
Date: .2019/11/27
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A high-ranking Taiwan military official has confirmed the military is testing a new short-range anti-ship missile developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), the Liberty Times reported on Wednesday (Nov. 27).

Since being commissioned in May this year, the research and test vessel, Glorious Star, has been used frequently, the news outlet reported. On Wednesday, the military official confirmed the Glorious Star had been testing a new short-range anti-ship missile developed by NCSIST, according to Liberty Times.    [FULL  STORY]

OUT OF TIME: The grace period for Uber drivers to become legal taxi drivers has ended, and starting from Sunday would face fines for operating outside guidelines

Taipei Times
.Date: Nov 28, 2019
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

Uber drivers found offering taxi services are from Sunday to be fined for contravening the

Transportation Management Regulations (汽車運輸業管理規則), the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.

Authorities are to start enforcing an amendment to Article 103-1 of the rules, which was announced in June, after giving Uber drivers a five-month grace period that included a two-month extension.

The amended rules stipulate that taxi and vehicle rental services are separate businesses, and that passengers using the latter must pay an hourly or daily rate.

While the ministry did not find Uber’s partnerships with vehicle rental businesses illegal, it said that some Uber drivers have been offering taxi services under the guise of a vehicle rental service, which is against the regulations.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/27
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan and Joseph Yeh

Jakarta, Nov. 27 (CNA) The Chinese authorities have asked their Indonesian counterparts to send six

Taiwanese fraud suspects, along with 79 Chinese suspects arrested earlier this week in the Southeast Asian country, to China for trial, Indonesian police told CNA Wednesday.

Yuris, an Indonesia police spokesman, said the 85 suspects were arrested Monday in seven separate raids in Jakarta and East Java's Malang City, acting on intelligence provided by the Chinese authorities.

They are believed to be part of a cross-border telecommunication fraud ring that also operates in Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore, targeting potential victims in China, he said.

According to the results of a preliminary investigation, the ring has scammed at least US$2.5 million over the past year, he added.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 26 November, 2019
By: Paula Chao

The DPP has formally organized a campaign group to seek voters’ support.[/caption] The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) accuses the opposition KMT of sharing the same stance on democracy as the pro-Beijing political establishment in Hong Kong.

The DPP has formally organized a campaign group to seek voters’ support in the legislative and presidential elections on January 11.

The group includes DPP’s vice presidential candidate William Lai and its candidates for “legislators-at-large” who are appointed by the party vote. Lai urged voters to use their ballots to safeguard Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy, as people in Hong Kong did. His call came after pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong won a landslide victory in the district council elections on Sunday.

At the DPP’s headquarters on Monday, DPP political heavyweights, including Chairman Cho Jung-tai and Vice Presidential candidate William Lai, chanted a campaign slogan together. Holding their hands up, they chanted:  “Consolidate the votes to support Taiwan, secure the legislative [majority] to ensure peace. Protect the legislature, protect Taiwan.”    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan English News
Date: November 26, 2019 
By: Phillip Charlier

The director of a Hong Kong-listed company who was named as an alleged high-level Chinese intelligence operative in an explosive media expose in Australia a few days ago was stopped at Taoyuan International Airport Sunday night, and has been restricted from leaving the country after being interviewed by prosecutors.

Xiang Xin (向心) and his wife Gong Qing (龔青) were named by Wang Liqiang as the heads of a front company working for the Chinese intelligence service, during a media interview by Nine News Network, Australia.

According to Wang’s allegations, China Innovation Investment Limited (CIIL) had acquired or funded “many places – restaurants and IT companies” and had invested in Taiwan media companies, exerting an influence on last year’s election reporting to favor pro-Beijing candidates against the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party.

CIIL had been established by staff of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Wang claimed.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/26
By: Emerson Lim

Taipei, Nov. 26 (CNA) Visiting legislators from the United States and Italy urged the Taiwanese people Tuesday to defend democracy amid the worsening situation in Hong Kong.

"Democracy is a precious thing and we have to defend against any attempts to try to circumvent that through any sort of disinformation campaigns or fake news," U.S. Representative Bill Flores said in a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

Flores said he has seen increasing threats against elections around the world, including efforts to upset the elections in Hong Kong few days ago.

He predicted continued efforts to interfere with the upcoming elections in Taiwan, citing the testimony of self-proclaimed spy Wang Liqiang (王立強), who is seeking asylum in Australia.

Taiwan will hold its presidential and legislative elections in January.
[FULL  STORY]