ALL FOR SHOW? Critics accused the mayor of using the disease as an excuse to draw public attention, while the CDC rebutted his allegations of lack of assistance

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 18, 2019
By: Wang Jung-hsiang and Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporters

Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) showed up unexpectedly yesterday morning at the Legislative Yuan to

appeal for more funds to deal with dengue fever, spurring accusations of grandstanding as a prelude to his presidential bid.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) earlier this month said that eight indigenous cases of dengue fever had been confirmed so far this year, all in Kaohsiung.

Han made the visit as lawmakers were holding a special legislative session.

He said that the city’s nine legislators have failed to speak up for Kaohsiung about the spread of dengue fever, so he decided to visit the nine, as well as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus, to call for more subsidies from the central government to help the city combat the disease.    [FULL  STORY]

There are many houses in the park that were built in the architectural style of mansions for rich families about 100 years ago

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/06/16
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) –“Yuanshan Natural Landscape Park,” which is built on the site of former Taipei Children’s Amusement Park (兒童樂園), is open to the public on June 15.

The park preserves the ferris wheel and merry-go-round to remind visitors of the merriment the park had provided their young customers.

The amusement park was built at Yuanshan in 1934 during Japanese rule. It had an area of only three hectares when it was first opened and was Taiwan’s earliest public children’s park. The park is a fond memory for many Taipei citizens.

Taipei Children’s Amusement Park was later enlarged to cover an area of 9.8 hectares, and its name was changed to Taipei Children’s Recreation Center (臺北市立兒童育樂中心). After 80 years of service, Taipei Children’s Recreation Center was relocated to Shilin District.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/06/16
By: William Yen

Taipei, June 16 (CNA) Veteran Filipino game show host and former public servant Arnell Ignacio stole the hearts of over 5,000 people who gathered at an event in New Taipei on Sunday to celebrate the 121st anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence.

Sunday's gathering — one of several events held this past week to celebrate Philippine independence — was geared mostly to Filipino migrant workers, who formed the bulk of the crowd, and they had plenty to keep their attention.

It started with a fun run in the morning, and also included a parade, music performances by rock brands, and a commemoration ceremony attended by officials from both the New Taipei City government and the Philippine representative office in Taiwan.

But more than anybody else, it was Ignacio who drew the most vocal response from the crowd with his comedy and music performances accompanied by rock band G-male.    [FULL  STORY]

The family said that even though the outcome was not what they would like to see, it brought them closure to years of mental torment

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/06/16
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A police officer in Taiwan’s Keelung City identified the body of a woman who went missing in 2016 with a necklace and Facebook photo of hers, helping return her body to her family, Liberty Times reported on Saturday (April 15).

Hsu Yao-bin (許耀彬), a section chief at the First Precinct, Keelung City Police Bureau who has a reputation for identifying unclaimed bodies, received a call from a woman in April. The woman asked him to help look for her 53-year-old sister surnamed Huang, who was reported missing on February 3, 2016, according to Liberty Times.

After listening to the woman, Hsu told her, “I will do my best to help you. Please don’t worry,” the news outlet said.

Hsu found that since Huang went missing, there had been no browsing nor records of her posting on social media. He also compared Huang with more than 100 files of unclaimed bodies, and found that a female’s body was found by coastal anglers on February 13, 2016, according to the news outlet.
[FULL  STORY]

CNA
Date: 15 Jun 2019 

TAIPEI: Images of riot police battling protesters in Hong Kong this week have reverberated in nearby Taiwan where many recoil at what they fear could be their future if Beijing has its way.

Taiwan has been a self-ruled de facto nation in charge of its own affairs and borders for the last 70 years.

But the leaders in Beijing maintain it is part of their territory and have never given up their threat to retake it, by force if necessary.

In an attempt to persuade Taiwan's 23 million inhabitants to consider a return to the mainland, China has touted the framework it devised with Britain to allow Hong Kong to keep its unique freedoms after the city's 1997 handover.    [FULL  STORY]

Transitional Justice Commission had sent letter to ask about authoritarian symbols at the airport

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/06/15
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taitung Airport removed a statue of late President Chiang Kai-shek from a park at the request of the Transitional Justice Commission, reports said Saturday (June 15).

The commission, which was set up as an independent government body last year, has as its mission to investigate the period of authoritarian Kuomintang rule, while also removing symbols of that period. Over the past few years, statues of President Chiang have been daubed with paint or otherwise damaged by activists.

At around 11 a.m. Saturday, a tall crane appeared on the parking lot near the airport, also known as Fengnian, according to the Central News Agency. Workers proceeded to tie up the statue and the crane lifted it up from its pedestal.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/06/15
By: Yeh Tzu-kang and Christie Chen

Taipei, June 15 (CNA) Kaohsiung mayor and presidential hopeful Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) vowed Saturday that China's "one country, two systems" formula for unification with Taiwan will never be put in place in Taiwan if he is president.

"'One country, two systems' can never be implemented in Taiwan. Taiwanese people can never accept it, unless, unless, unless it's over my dead body," Han told tens of thousands of supporters at a rally in Douliu in Yunlin County, saying "over my dead body" in English.

At the rally, Han of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) led the crowd in chanting "reject 'one country, two systems'" and asked his supporters to have faith in him.

Large-scale rally held to support Han's bid to win the KMT presidential primary in Yunlin County

"If I am given the opportunity to lead the Republic of China and become the president of the Republic of China, I promise that 'one country, two systems' will never be carried out on the land of Taiwan," Han said.
[FULL  STORY]

LARVAE RESPONSE: The COA unveiled compensation packages for fields affected by the moth larvae, with payments based on revenue from the three prior years

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 16, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

Pingtung County yesterday became the latest area to report fall armyworms, increasing the number of

confirmed sightings nationwide to 52, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday.

Since confirming the first sighting of the moth larvae in Miaoli County on Monday, the council has been ramping up measures to prevent their spread, as fall armyworms can wreak havoc on corn, rice, sorghum, cotton and eggplant crops, as well as cruciferous vegetables and cucumbers.

Fields affected by the larvae have been excavated and anyone who spots the pest should immediately inform the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, the council said.

As of yesterday, only Keelung, Hsinchu City, Nantou County, Chiayi City and Kaohsiung have not reported sightings, council data showed.

People who report sightings that are confirmed can claim a reward of NT$10,000, with the money available retroactively for reports filed after June 8, the council said on Thursday.    [FULL  STORY]