The conspiracy over Tsai’s dissertation is baseless but it could still have political ramifications

Taiwan Ne5ws
Date: 2019/09/28
By: David Spencer, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

KAOHSIUNG (Taiwan News) – – Many U.S. citizens still firmly believe that Barack Obama, the country’s first African American President, should never have held the highest office in the land.

The group, who are commonly referred to as "birthers," maintain the view that Obama was ineligible for the Presidency because he was not born in the U.S., as is required under Article Two of the US Constitution. They argued that he was born in Kenya rather than Hawaii, as he claimed.

There was never a shred of evidence to support these wild claims. Indeed, during his first election campaign in 2008, Obama published the short form of his US birth certificate and in 2011, with his political opponents still chomping at the bit, he published the long version too.

Despite this categorical proof of Obama’s U.S. birth, his opponents persisted in their outlandish conspiracy theories. Whether motivated by racism, political opportunism, or plain bitterness at losing elections to him, the rumors would not go away. But they are now viewed by all but the most entrenched political opponents as baseless and a crass attempt at political smearing.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/28
By: Hsu Hsiang, Chen Yi-hsuan and Ko Lin

Taipei, Sept. 28 (CNA) Terry Gou (郭台銘), founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., called on his supporters Saturday to cast their votes wisely in the 2020 legislative elections.

Gou made the comments while addressing supporters at a gathering held at the Syntrend Creative Park in Taipei.

In his speech, he also apologized for giving up his intention to run for president in January next year.

Instead, Gou asked that his supporters turn their attention to the Legislative Yuan, and help vote only the most suitable candidates into office.    [FULL  STORY]

COVERT GAMBLING OPERATIONS:Councilors questioned the city government’s handling of the establishments, at one of which someone reportedly lost NT$10m

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 29, 2019
By: Tsai Shu-yuan and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Taichung city councilors have demanded that the city government establish a local ordinance to

manage themed restaurants, to which Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) responded by saying that she would instead endeavor to shut down every one of the restaurants that is contravening gambling regulations.

City councilors across party lines broached the subject at a council meeting on Friday, with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taichung City Councilor Lai Chia-wei (賴佳微) showing pictures of the interior of a restaurant featuring dice and cards, as well as a picture of children watching adults clustered around a gambling table.

“The picture demonstrates that even minors are allowed to enter,” Lai said, alleging that as long as children had money, even they could have a seat at the table.

She said that Taichung is rapidly becoming a city of vice and sin, home to an illicit sex trade and gambling.

One can easily find more than 20 casino-themed restaurants on Facebook, many of which only provide an address after a person adds them on the messaging app Line, Lai said.
[FULL  STORY]

Epoch Times
Date: September 28, 2019
By: Olivia Li0, Epoch Times

A number of Taiwan’s non-governmental organizations have called on Taiwanese citizens to participate in a parade scheduled for Sept. 29 that supports Hongkongers’ protest against the extradition bill. In an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Epoch Times on Sept. 26, Hong Kong legislator Eddie Chu Hoi-dick noted that when facing the Chinese authorities’ suppression and encroachment tactics, cowardice and appeasement serve no use. He called on the people of Taiwan to stand hand-in-hand with Hong Kong citizens against the Chinese regime, as the regime wants to control both territories.

Chu, a Hong Kong social activist and politician, graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong where he majored in English Studies. In 2016, he contested the 6th Legislative Council election and won the election with 84,121 votes, the highest among all candidates, without any party backing.

Hong Kong and Taiwan Are on the Front line

Chu explained that the main purpose of his trip to Taiwan is to encourage Taiwanese to participate in the march, on Sept. 29, themed “Support Hong Kong’s fight against totalitarianism.” It’s part of a global event where rallies and parades will be held in more than 20 countries on the same day.

“In fact, the threat of communist totalitarianism is not an issue that only Hong Kong and Taiwan are facing, it is an issue the whole world must work together to resolve. Therefore, people all over the world should stand up against the Chinese communist regime. This is especially true for Hongkongers and Taiwanese, because we are on the front line of this battle,” Chu said.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 27 September, 2019
By: Leslie Liao

As National Day approaches, preparations for the celebration in Taipei are in full swing. Attendants working during the ceremony represent the best Taiwan has to offer, and they are undergoing strict training to ensure that their work on the day of the ceremony will be nothing less than stellar.

These students from Mingchuan University are training to become attendants for the upcoming National Day celebrations. They are the best and brightest Taiwan has to offer.

Everywhere you look, you’ll see attendants in training that resemble popular celebrities. One young woman is said to look like Taiwanese actress Kwai Lun-mei. One of the young men, meanwhile, resembles K-pop star T.O.P. The mother of one student even mistook him for actor Chris Wu in a recent ad.    [FULL  STORY]

Defense News
Date: Sep 27, 2019
By:: Mike Yeo

MELBOURNE, Australia – Taiwan is seeking to modernize and lengthen the reach of its artillery with the decision to purchase self-propelled howitzers, even as it weighs acquiring or developing its own long-range artillery rockets.

During a hearing of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Taiwanese Defense Minister Yen Teh-fa confirmed to legislators that Taiwan will seek to acquire the BAE Systems M109A6 Paladin self-propeller howitzer from the United States.

Yen did not reveal how many howitzers would be sought, although local media reports in July stated that Taiwan was looking at acquiring 100 howitzers.

The Taiwanese army’s artillery units are already operating the older M109A2 and M109A5 variants, as well as the M110A2 self-propelled howitzer and the towed M114 howitzers.   [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan ranked 2nd in Asia in terms of annual working hours

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/09/27
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese worked the fourth-most hours in the world in 2018, according to a Ministry of Labor (MOL) report.

The average number of hours worked in Taiwan last year was 2,033 hours, two hours less than 2017. Thus, the country retains the dubious distinction of working the fourth-most hours when compared to the nearly 40 countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), trailing only Singapore, Mexico, and Costa Rica in terms of annual working hours clocked, reported CNA.

Statistics show that Singapore led the pack with 2,330 hours worked per capita. Mexico came in second at 2,035 hours, Costa Rica was in third at 2,121 hours, and South Korea and Japan trailed Taiwan at 2,005 hours and 1,680 hours, respectively, according to the report.

From 2008 to 2018, Taiwan saw its annual working hours per capita reduced by 122. South Korea saw 204 fewer hours worked, Japan reduced its average work time by 91 hours, and Costa Rica saw its drop 271 hours.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/27
By: Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Sept. 27 (CNA) The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) on Friday decided on a route that would extend Taiwan's high-speed rail line from its current southern terminus in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County.

The ministry picked the route from four proposals because it would cost the least (NT$55.4 billion, or US$1.78 billion), take the shortest time to build, and have the smallest impact on Kaohsiung residents, said Deputy Transportation Minister Huang Yu-lin (黃玉霖).

The plan will be sent to the Executive Yuan for final approval by the end of October, Huang said, adding that it could take one year to design it and nine years to build before starting operations in 2029.

The 17.5-kilometer extension would link the final stop of the high-speed rail line — Zuoying Station — and Liukuaicuo Station on the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) Pingtung line, which is one stop west from the TRA Pingtung Station, Huang said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan Internartional
Date: 26 September, 2019
By: Jake Chen

The economics ministry has set a goal of boosting solar power output to 6.5 gigawatts in 2020.

During a report session at the Cabinet on Thursday, Deputy Economics Minister Tseng Wen-sheng said that solar power output surpassed 2 gigawatts in September, which accounted for a record-high 4.8% of total power output.    [FULL  STORY]