91 foreigners have received full citizenship since Nationality Act was amended in December 2016

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/06/27
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior (MOI) held a naturalization ceremony on Wednesday (June 26) to formally bestow Taiwanese citizenship on five foreign professionals.

In accordance with Taiwan’s recently amended Nationality Act, the five individuals were able to receive Taiwanese citizenship without giving up their original nationality. Among the five professionals naturalized on Wednesday, three come from a background in education, one works in the financial sector, and one works in the field of culture and arts.

The three professionals in education include an American expert in anthropology who has researched the indigenous people of Taiwan and East Asia for many years, a second American dedicated to missionary work who has served with multiple institutions dedicated to helping disadvantaged communities, and an Australian badminton instructor who coached Taiwan's national team.

In March 2017, the ministry promulgated a supplement to an amendment to the Nationality Act (國籍法) passed by the Legislative Yuan in December 2016, giving special exemptions to the requirement that foreign nationals renounce their citizenship before being eligible to become a Taiwanese citizen.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/06/27
By: Chiang Chin-yeh and Chi Jo-yao

Washington, June 26 (CNA) The United States is committed to a normalized process that will make

Taiwan a "normal" foreign military sales (FMS) partner, but there is no specific timing for any announcement, a U.S. official said Wednesday.

"We're going to treat Taiwan as a normal security systems partner," Randall Schriver, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, said during a discussion held by the Heritage Foundation on the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, when he was asked to comment on reports that a proposed US$2 billion arms sales package to Taiwan has been put on hold for fear of angering Beijing ahead of a planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).

Schriver said the United States is working very closely with Taiwan as a security partner under the Taiwan Relations Act and is making sure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself, particularly at a time when Taiwan is facing more military pressure from China.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 26 June, 2019
By: John Van Trieste

The Taiwanese Hokkien language is set to become the latest of Taiwan’s local languages to get dedicated airtime.[/caption] The Taiwanese Hokkien language is set to become the latest of Taiwan’s local languages to get dedicated airtime. A new TV channel launching soon will bring regular programming in the language into homes across Taiwan.

Taiwan is a linguistically diverse place, and that shows on the local airwaves, where Hakka and 16 indigenous languages all have at least some presence. Now Taiwanese Hokkien, the most widely spoken local language, is set to get its place on the airways as well with a dedicated TV station.

The Hokkien- or Southern Min- language is still spoken in plenty of homes, but these days, even young people who’ve grown up hearing it may fumble with it for lack of active use. At a launch event for the station, famed TV host Janet needed a bit of help to express her wishes for the station’s future in Hokkien. In the end she managed to say that she hopes children will be able to learn the language as they enjoy watching.    [FULL  STORY]

CHINESE aircraft carriers were spotted sailing through the Taiwan Strait, a contested part of the South China Sea.

Express
Date: Jun 26, 2019
By: Clive Hammond

The group of vessels passed through the waters which divide Taiwan and mainland China. According to the South China Morning Post, the Taiwanese Defence Ministry advice the ships were heading towards the port of Qingdao, eastern China. The group was made up of China’s Liaoning aircraft and five escorts.

The ministry’s website read: “Please be reassured that the military is able to exercise joint intelligence to get hold of the strike group’s entire movements and deal with any emergency to ensure national security and regional stability.”

Earlier in June, the ships were seen travelling through Japan’s Miyako Strait.

The ships then entered the US island territory of Guam and the Philippines before going out into the South China Sea.

Longstanding disputes between the two nations have worsened in recent months, with the US backing Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/06/25
By: Joseph Yeh and Chung Yu-chen

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) The top two contenders of the opposition Kuomintang's (KMT's) presidential primary both pledged Tuesday to focus on improving the strained cross-Taiwan Strait relations and to boost the economy if elected.

Speaking during a televised forum involving various candidates, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said cordial cross-strait relations are crucial to the survival of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

A majority of Taiwanese people support maintaining the status quo rather than announcing independence or unification with China, according to Han.

If elected president, Han said, he will promote cross-strait peace and push for the two sides to sign a cross-strait trade-in-goods agreement to boost Taiwan's economy, which he said has been sluggish under the current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 27, 2019
By: Lo Hsin-chung and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Pingtung County Government on Tuesday said it is offering a reward for green iguanas, an

invasive species that has been eating crops and damaging infrastructure.

From Monday to Dec. 20, people who bring in green iguanas at least 20cm in length from snout to vent would be given a package of Eagle red beans for each reptile captured dead or alive, the county said in a news statement.

People should turn in live or newly killed green iguanas to the Pingtung or Chaojhou fire department stations to receive their reward, it said.

Native to the Americas, green iguanas were introduced to Taiwan as pets, it said, adding that many owners abandoned the animals after realizing that a mature specimen could grow to up to 1.5m.

While iguanas are not aggressive, they have been known to scare people and they can eat enough vegetables to affect a farmer’s income, it said.

Left unchecked, a large population of wild green iguanas could endanger life and property by destroying irrigation and ditches, as they burrow for warmth and to reproduce, it said.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 25 June, 2019
By: Paula Chao

Taiwan is likely to resume exports of its pork products next year provided that no outbreaks of the infectious foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) are reported by July 1.

Pork is a staple of many Taiwanese foods like pork braised rice. But for the past 22 years, there has been a fear of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

The government suspended the vaccination program July 1 last year. If no virus is found by next Monday, Taiwan can apply to the World Organization for Animal Health to become an official non-affected area.

Premier Su said the government will send the application in September. Su said he hopes to celebrate with pig farmers next May.    [FULL  STORY]