Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 29 May, 2019
By: Paula Chao

Foreign Minister Joseph Wu is leading a delegation to three of Taiwan’s allies in the

Caribbean region.

Wu will visit Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Saint Lucia. During his trip, he will call on Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Timothy Harris and Governor-General Tapley Seaton, Saint Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves. Wu will exchange views with them on strengthening bilateral cooperation.
[FULL  STORY]

Homeland Preparedness News
Date: May 29, 2019
By: Douglas Clark

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE) and

John Cornyn (R-TX) recently reintroduced The Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act, which is designed to strengthen Taiwan’s world standing in response to increased Chinese pressure and bullying tactics.

“China’s efforts to isolate Taiwan by bullying and pressuring countries, especially in our own Hemisphere, cannot go unanswered,” Rubio said. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing legislation that reaffirms our commitment to the U.S.-Taiwan relationship and allows for the State Department to take diplomatic action against governments that alter diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of China.”    [FULL  STORY]

The Netherland’s Bastiaan Belder said China’s human rights situation is appalling and the EU should demand progress and results

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/05/29
By: Yu-ning Hsu, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Bastiaan “Bas” Belder told Taiwan News on Thursday (May 29) that Taiwan is a democratic beacon to China.

“It is important that the future of Taiwan should depend on the political will of the inhabitants of Taiwan,” said Belder. He hopes that China can one day be a country like Taiwan, where democracy and freedom are upheld.

Belder has submitted four reports on EU-China relations to Parliament. In September 2018, it adopted Belder’s report strongly criticizing China’s appalling human rights record.

The report pointed out the situation in Xinjiang and Tibet had deteriorated tremendously after President Xi Jinping (習近平) took power. “The report touches on all aspects of the EU-China relationship,” said Belder. “The responsibilities to implement [the report] are great.”    [FULL STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/29
By: Matt Yu and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, May 29 (CNA) The Transitional Justice Commission released a documentary Wednesday depicting the stories of people who were placed under political surveillance on Taiwan’s university and college campuses during the 1980s.

The commission, tasked with uncovering Taiwan’s history of political repression during its martial law period from 1949 to 1987, released the 9-minute documentary on Facebook, in which three people who were monitored during that time were filmed taking a look at recorded files regarding how they were put under surveillance.

The three people featured in the film were put under surveillance by the government because of their connections with dissenting student groups at schools, the commission said in a statement.

Yang Bi-chuan (楊碧川), who was put under surveillance for 20 years after being released from prison, where he was jailed for his political views, is now a lecturer on Taiwanese history at several universities.    [FULL STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 30, 2019 
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

Countries planning to sell organic produce to Taiwan would have to sign equivalence

agreements with the nation within one year after the Organic Agriculture Promotion Act (有機農業促進法) takes effect today, Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said yesterday, hailing the act’s implementation as a step forward in agricultural transformation.

The act, which was promulgated on May 30 last year for implementation a year after, aims to protect domestic organic farmers, Chen said.

The agreements mean both sides mutually recognize the other’s organic produce.

At present, 22 countries are allowed to sell organic produce to Taiwan — 16 EU nations, the UK (listed as non-EU), New Zealand, Australia, the US, Canada and Chile.

The World Health Organization has declared computer game addiction a mental illness.

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 28 May, 2019
By: Paula Chao

Playing computer games online is fun and exciting. But if you are glued to the screen for long hours, you may have developed computer game addiction, which the World Health Organization is now calling a mental illness.

Computer game addiction or using electronic devices for too long can hurt your eyesight or worse. It increases your risk of going blind: optometrist Tsai Jing-yao says the excessive amount of blue light emitted from display screens could damage retina.

For those who are severely nearsighted, the risk of cataracts, glaucoma, and retinopathy are ten times higher than they are for other users of electronics. Their risk of going blind from too much screen time is ten times higher, too.

Tsai is urging adults to take a 5-10 minute break after using electronic devices for 30 minutes.    [FULL  STORY]

20 groups of guests will be able to stay at Presidential Office Building to celebrate its 100th anniversary

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/05/28
By: Judy Lo, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Care to stay at Taiwan’s Presidential Building for a night when you visit Taiwan?

2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the Presidential Office Building. In collaboration with the General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC), the Presidential Office will give 20 groups of guests the chance to spend one night at the historic building.

More details will be announced in August on GACC’s website, said GACC Deputy Secretary-General Li Ho-ching (李厚慶), on Monday (May 28). GACC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a video guide about the event on the same day, presented by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

Presidential Spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) confirmed only some areas in the Presidential Office will be open to guests during their stays.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/28
By: Sabine Cheng and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, May 28 (CNA) Taiwanese photographer Yang Tsung-han (楊宗翰) won the top prize in the architecture category at the 2019 Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA) competition with his series of work titled “Tunnel at Night,” according to the list of contest winners released by the organizers.

Taiwan’s Shao An-tse (邵安澤) clinched two gold medals and one bronze, with one gold in the advertising/music category with “Dull and Sulk,” and another gold in the events/music category with “Architecture of Music,” as well as one bronze in the advertising/music category with “Emerging from the Cocoon.”

Taiwanese photographer Shirley Wung (翁富美) took home 12 prizes, including one gold in the architecture category with “Traveling,” five bronze medals and six honorable mentions.

Yang’s winning work will be displayed at an exhibition that will be held at the Moscow Photocenter June 19-23, featuring the category winners of the 2019 MIFA photography contest.     [FULL  STORY]