Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 09 April, 2019
By: John Van Trieste

Former Premier William Lai says he remains committed to mounting a primary challenge

against President Tsai Ing-wen.

Tsai has announced that she will seek another term in 2020. However, her former premier has registered to contest her spot on the Democratic Progressive Party ticket.

The party hopes to maintain unity by either getting the two candidates to run on the same ticket or convincing one of them to drop out of the race. To this end, a group of leading party officials held a mediation session with Tsai and Lai on Monday.

Both candidates reportedly made their thoughts and positions clear during the session, but those in attendance have declined to comment on specifics.    [FULL  STORY]

Po-han Wu was searched then held in a police van for over an hour

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/04/09
By: Ryan Drillsma, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese exchange student in Paris was briefly detained by police for waving an independence banner during Xi Jinping’s recent procession through the European capital.

Sciences Po student Po-han Wu (吳柏翰) on March 27 uploaded a video to Facebook that shows him unfurling a pro-independence flag before being immediately accosted by a police officer, who tackles the flag away from him. The beginning of Xi’s motorcade can be seen in the background.

Wu told independent French media outlet The Observers that he was forced against a wall and searched before being held in a police van for over an hour. The officers told Wu that while on an ordinary day people can demonstrate freely in the city, instructions had been given from higher up to suppress any protests on that particular day.

Wu said the officers returned his passport and student card but refused to give back his banner.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/09
By: Yang Su-min and Chung Yu-chen

Taipei, April 9 (CNA) Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor (MOL) said Tuesday that dairy farms will be allowed to hire up to 400 migrant workers in an effort to help solve the labor shortage problem in that sector, starting the same day.

Hsueh Chien-chung (薛鑑忠), a section chief at the ministry’s Workforce Development Agency, said qualified dairy farms can hire migrant workers in accordance with the procedures for recruiting local laborers.

According to MOL, dairy farms with a minimum of 80 cows that currently employ at least four local farm workers will be eligible to apply to hire one migrant worker, with the minimum monthly wage being NT$28,000 (US$908).

In addition, Taiwan will also allow up to 450 Indonesian youths to work in the agriculture sector every year under an agricultural internship program, with the first group of 75 expected to arrive in May, Council of Agriculture (COA) official Su Meng-lan (蘇夢蘭) said, adding that 118 farms have already put in requests following the announcement of the program in March.    [FULL  STORY]

AVIAN INFLUENZA: China has confirmed this year’s first case of H7N9 infection in an 82-year-old who likely came into contact with animals in the region’s Alxa League

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 10, 2019
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday raised its travel warning for the Inner

Mongolia Autonomous Region to the “alert” level after China confirmed the world’s first case of influenza virus A subtype H7N9 in a human this year.

The Chinese government on Friday last week informed the centers that a case of H7N9 avian influenza in a human was confirmed in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) said.

The patient, an 82-year-old man who began exhibiting symptoms on March 18 and was hospitalized on Sunday last week, was confirmed to be infected with the virus, she said.

The man’s history of exposure to animals was unknown, but he was reportedly likely to have come into contact with animals in Inner Mongolia’s Alxa League area, she added.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 08 April, 2019
By: Paula Chao

The defense ministry says it’s still moving forward with its plan to purchase warplanes

from the United States. Defense Ministry Spokesperson Chen Chung-ji was responding on Monday to reports which said that Washington had suspended its decision to sell Taiwan F-16V fighters. Chen said the reports were incorrect.

Chen said Taiwan not only aims to strengthen its air defense, it has also informed the US of its intention of purchasing 108 M1A2 battle tanks. The military has set aside a budget of NT$30 billion (about US$1 billion) to buy the new armored vehicles. They would replace the existing ones that are mostly outdated.

“The plan to purchase new M1A2 battle tanks is going smoothly. We have an understanding with the United States. We will not comment further before Washington makes a formal announcement. However, as [we] expected, the process is going smoothly and we look forward to good news ,” said Chen.    [FULL  STORY]

RSF urges UN to defy China pressure and respect Taiwan’s right to free information

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/04/08
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on April 7 urged the United Nations to accredit Taiwanese journalists for covering events organized by UN organizations, including the upcoming World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva in May.

In a press release, RSF castigated the UN for refusing to allow Taiwanese reporters to cover its events in past years as a result of ramped up pressure from China, which has violated the Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“The current ban contradicts the fundamental right to free information,” noted Christophe Deloire, secretary-general of RSF, adding that “accrediting bona fide journalists and media is not a political move and should not depend on their nationality or the geographical origin of the outlet they represent.”

China, RSF pointed out, has been engaging in a frantic campaign to suppress Taiwan’s international space by making every effort to isolate the country. For example, Taiwanese journalists were denied accreditation, for the second consecutive year, to cover the WHA in 2018, as was the case during the 2016 triennial Assembly by International Civil Aviation Organization.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/08
By: Sophia Yeh and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, April 8 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and former Premier Lai Ching-te (賴

清德) have met and discussed their positions on the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) nomination of its candidate in the 2020 presidential election, the party’s chairman said Monday.

Lai’s unexpected challenge of Tsai for the DPP’s presidential nomination could result in a primary that DPP officials fear could split the party, and efforts are being made to convince them to run on the same ticket or for one of the two to abandon their bids.

The party assembled a five-member team to try to find common ground between Tsai and Lai and arrange a meeting between the two.

On Monday the two finally met, confirmed DPP Chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), but apparently neither was in the mood for compromise as the deadline for a resolution to the issue move closer.    [FULL  STORY]