Chen San-yuan, who has so far caught 45 million creatures since he began playing “Pokemon Go” in 2016, says he started using a number of mobile phones because more devices mean more captures .

News 18
Date: March 30, 2019

Taipei: A 70-year-old man here rides long distances daily with 24 smartphones on his bicycle to chase his passion: hunting Pokemons.

Among tens of thousands of Pokemon hunters in Taipei, Chen San-yuan stands out as the most popular as he has so far caught 45 million creatures since he began playing “Pokemon Go” in 2016, Efe news reported.

This game of augmented reality requires players to seek and capture characters — from the Pokemon saga, which are hidden at real places — and fight with them, which require wide movements and gathering of many players.

Chen is Taoist Master of divination and Feng Shui — an ancient system that establishes rules about architecture and the arrangement of objects to ensure good fortune.
[FULL  STORY]

CTiTV accused of spreading fake news and biased reports

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/03/30 
By:: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Students at Shih Hsin University in Taipei launched a petition against the Want Want China Times Group after accusing it of spreading fake news, reports said Saturday.

The group’s CTiTV television station is known for its pro-Chinese, pro-unification and pro-Kuomintang programs, and was recently fined by the National Communications Commission (NCC) in connection with its numerous broadcasts about Kaohsiung City Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).

Students at two of Taiwan’s most prestigious colleges, National Taiwan University and National Chengchi University, recently accused outsiders of forcing student restaurants to show CTiTV programs and went on to demand a ban on the TV station, the Central News Agency reported. College management said they would not interfere with the choice of channels.

Late on Friday, the students at Shih Hsin launched a petition titled “I’m a Shih Hsin (student), I oppose Want Want China Times.” The NCC already fined the CTiTV news service for failing in basic journalistic duties of checking sources for news sources, so the group should not continue to blacken the reputation of true journalism, the students said.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/30
By: Hung Chien-lun and Chung Yu-chen

Taipei, March 30 (CNA) Four instruments made from the debris of an earthquake and a tsunami that devastated northeast Japan in 2011 will be the centerpiece of a concert in Taipei on Sunday.

The “tsunami instruments” — two violins, a viola and a cello — were crafted by Japanese master luthier Muneyuki Nakazawa, using wood left behind by a tsunami that ravaged northeast Japan in the wake of a magnitude 9 earthquake on March 11, 2011.

At a benefit concert in Taipei on Sunday, the Taiwanese Qiyan Chamber Orchestra will perform Beethoven’s String Quartets and the music of late Taiwanese composer Tyzen Hsiao (蕭泰然).

Nakazawa, 78, said Friday at a news conference in Taipei that he was delighted to show his gratitude in a personal way for the support Taiwan provided in the wake of the 2011 disaster that left more than 18,000 people dead or missing.    [FULL  STORY]

FOREIGN IMPORTS: The CDC said that while 21 cases in Taiwan this year have been contracted locally, 17 cases have been contracted abroad, including seven in Vietnam

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 31, 2019
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday confirmed a case of measles imported

from China and advised people to watch out for symptoms, as reported cases have risen across the region.

The patient, a Taiwanese businessman in his 30s, visited Shanghai and Suzhou City on Feb. 20 to 27, the CDC said, adding that he developed a fever, cough and rash after returning home and was hospitalized on Mar. 8.

He tested negative for measles-specific antibodies, but had the cough for about three weeks after being discharged, the CDC said.

The man sought more treatment on Mar. 22 and tested positive for measles on Friday, the centers said, adding that he most likely became infected in China.    [FULL  STORY]

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

The Presidential Office has expressed its appreciation to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for speaking out for Taiwan at a congressional hearing.

At the hearing, Pompeo said that Washington is taking steps to stop Beijing from isolating Taiwan in the international community. Pompeo also reiterated Washington’s assurances to Taiwan as well as the importance of Taiwan-US ties.    [FULL  STORY]

The event showcases a wide array of local and international artistry

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/03/29
By: Ryan Drillsma, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following four successful, consecutive years of otherworldly art and music performances, the fervid fun carnival Urban Nomad Freakout returns to Taipei’s Tiger Mountain on April 13 and 14.

The 2019 installation will feature an array of over 30 international bands and DJs across three stages. Attendees can expect to encounter a wide range of genres, from the piano post-rock of Sunday headliners Mouse on the Keys to the experimental electronica born of local creative spirits.

This year also introduces a Circus stage featuring aerial acrobatics, fire jugglers, pole dancers, balloons, belly dancing and many more special surprises, prioritizing crossover performances that allow artists to unleash their creative synergy.

Urban Nomad Freakout has each year attracted around 1500 people over the course of its two days. This year, however, is expected to be the festival’s biggest ever, with a total forecasted attendance of over 2000 among the main festival and two pre-party events.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/29
By: Elaine Hou, Lin Yu-li and Ko Lin

Taipei, March 29 (CNA) Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Friday blasted

China for what it called “barbaric behavior” after Taiwan’s representative in the Czech Republic was forced out of an economic meeting held recently in the Central European country.

Wang Chung-I (汪忠一), head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Prague, was removed from the meeting after a Chinese embassy official there protested his participation, according to a foreign ministry statement.

The economic conference on March 27, held for the 19th year, was organized by the Czech Ministry of Trade and Industry and saw the participation of more than 100 officials from abroad.

The “barbaric actions” undertaken by China will only make more Taiwanese reject the “one China” principle touted by China’s leaders, MOFA said, and it blamed China’s Foreign Ministry as the biggest culprit for the continued deterioration of cross-strait ties.
[FULL  STORY]

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

The number of people being cremated or getting “green” burials is increasing, the

Ministry of the Interior said yesterday ahead of Tomb Sweeping Day, which falls on Friday next week.

Cremations reached a record of 96.3 percent in 2017, up from 88.1 percent in 2008, ministry data showed.

The ratio of green burials — such as tree, flower and sea burials in which incense is not burned and steles are not erected — increased from 0.47 percent in 2008 to 4.5 percent in 2017, meaning 7,743 people were buried that way in 2017, the data showed.

Local customs are evolving with an aging population, while funeral operations and facilities have been modernized and made environmentally friendly, the ministry said.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan English News
Date: March 28, 2019 
By: Phillip Charlier

A 19-year-old man crashed into the guardrail of a bridge after losing control of his motorcycle on a mountain road in Chiayi County yesterday, and plunged 15 meters into a boulder-strewn stream bed below.

Fortunately, the man landed on a discarded mattress, and survived the fall with only minor injuries, including a busted knee, and a mild concussion.

At around 5:00pm, Mr Cheng (程 ), 19, was riding a heavy motorcycle on Provincial Highway 3 (Inner Mountain Highway), in Chiayi County’s Zhongpu Township, when he lost control of his vehicle while rounding a bend, and crashed into the guardrail of the Yougu Bridge.

While the guardrail stopped Cheng’s motorcycle, Cheng flew over the guardrail and fell 15 meters into the stream bed.    [FULL  STORY]