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

Four trains painted with Mazu processions are in service now. That’s part of cooperation between a temple in Miaoli County and the Taiwan Railways Administration.

The train begins from Changhua Station in central Taiwan, stops over in Baishatun Station in northern Miaoli County, and arrives in Zhunan Station in neighboring Hsinchu County. The service will run for three months.

In Taiwan, Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea, has a large number of worshippers. Each year, the religious processions carrying her statue through the streets have attracted large crowds.

To introduce the folk religion to more people, a temple in Miaoli County has worked with the railway authorities to decorate four trains with Mazu parades.    [FULL  STORY]

Next round of talks scheduled before mid-April

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/03/28
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan and Japan failed to reach a consensus about fishing in maritime zones, but another round of talks has been scheduled for next month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.

The main issue at stake in the latest two-day meeting in Tokyo was the amendment of the existing maritime zone mentioned in a 2013 accord, the Central News Agency reported.

The agreement covered fishing in an area disputed by both countries, and differences emerged on whether or how much the zone mentioned by the agreement should be expanded.

Taiwanese and Japanese fishing boats can operate freely in a disputed area north of the Japanese islands of Yaeyama and Miyako, but the waters within 12 nautical miles of the Diaoyutai islands are not covered by the 2013 agreement. Japan controls that area, but Taiwan and China also lay claims to sovereignty over the islands.    [FULL  STORY]

there were 1,993 new cases of HIV reported in 2018, down from 2,512 in 2017

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/03/28
By: Duncan Deaeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – HIV cases reported in Taiwan in 2018 dropped 20 percent compared to the previous year, indicating success in treating patients and preventing further spread of the disease, according to doctors at National Cheng Kung University Hospital (NCKUH), which is a leading institution in fighting the spread of HIV and Aids in Taiwan.

According to doctors at the hospital, there were 1,993 new cases of HIV reported across Taiwan in 2018, down from 2,512 in 2017.

In what has proven to be an effective treatment program at NCKUH, doctors at the hospital are aiming to maintain the decline of new cases in Taiwan. To do this, the hospital has been promoting a treatment standard referred to as “90-90-90.”

The “90-90-90” standard aims for 90 percent of those infected to have a clear understanding of their condition via professional diagnosis. The next goal is for 90 percent of those diagnosed to receive regular and effective treatment using antiretroviral therapy. Lastly, 90 percent who receive the therapy will hopefully achieve good results to control further development of the disease.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/28
By: Ku Chuan and Chung Yu-chen

Taipei, March 28 (CNA) Old diesel vehicles will not be gradually phased out as long as

they meet the emissions standard set in the year of their manufacture, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) announced Thursday, following protests over an amendment last year that mandated tighter emissions standards.

Su made the announcement after the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) unveiled a new plan to tackle air pollution caused by diesel vehicles at the Executive Yuan that day.

For about 20,000 diesel vehicles that fail to meet emission standards, Su said, the cabinet has extended the subsidy for owners to purchase new, less-polluting vehicles, according to Executive Yuan spokesperson Kolas Yotaka.

EPA Deputy Minister Chang Tzi-chin (張子敬) noted that with the improvement in diesel quality, the sulfur level in diesel fuel has been reduced from 5,000 ppm to 10 ppm.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 29, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

Demonstrations against nuclear power are to take place simultaneously in Taipei and

Kaohsiung on April 27, environmental groups said yesterday, urging people to support phasing out nuclear power as its advocates are regaining momentum.

The demonstrations would be the first large movement after a referendum abolishing the legal basis for the government’s “nuclear-free homeland by 2025” policy was passed on Nov. 24 last year, National Anti-nuclear Action Platform spokesperson Tsuei Su-hsin (崔愫欣) said.

The referendum, initiated by Nuclear Myth Busters group founder Huang Shih-hsiu (黃士修) and endorsed by former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), was passed after garnering more than 5.8 million votes in favor and 4 million against.

This year’s rallies are scheduled to mark the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986, Tsuei said, adding that nuclear power is not as safe as its proponents have claimed.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan might be shy, but make no mistake — it has much to be proud of

e27.co
Date: 27 Mar, 2019
By: Michael Gregg

It’s exciting to be spending time in a country bursting with such astonishing potential.

Taiwan is nimbly reforming itself from mass commodity producer to high-end creator, profiting from the fast-rising margins that market leadership delivers. Despite short-term fluctuations, its economy is enjoying sustained benefits arising from democratic freedom and decades of economic growth.

This transformation has occurred after a bleak, unspoken era of martial law that only ended in 1987 after almost four decades; the longest imposition by a regime anywhere in the world over that period.

Taiwan now walks on the world stage with a quiet-almost-shy confidence, but the swagger of adolescence is unmistakable in this country’s collective stride.
[FULL  STORY]

Voice of America
Date: March 27, 2019
By: Ralph Jennings

TAIPEI — Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen is scheduled to discuss her government’s foreign relations by video on a panel formed by the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. Diplomatic agreements between the United States and China prohibit formal, high-level Taiwan-U.S. encounters, and China is angered when it feels the United States is edging away from its deal.

Yet the Taiwanese leader’s participation comes as no surprise. Informal U.S.-Taiwan relations have reached new highs under President Donald Trump over the past two years, and hundreds of people in Congress, American think tanks and U.S.-based political action committees have been laying a foundation for that resurgence in relations.

China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s and threatened to take it by force if needed.

U.S.-based Taiwan advocates, American as well as Taiwanese, work daily with ideologically-motivated congress members to elevate Taiwan’s relations with the United States despite opposition from China — or because of it – observers say.
[FULL  STORY]

The April general election in Indonesia will choose the president and members of the country’s legislature

Taiwan News   
Date: 2019/03/27 
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei has urged Taiwanese to give their Indonesian employees time off on Sunday (April 14) so they can vote in the country’s general election.

The mid-April election is to choose the president and members of the country’s legislative branch, the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR).

It is reportedly the first time in Indonesian history the country’s president, vice president, and MPR members will be elected on the same day.

More than 190 million Indonesians are eligible to vote. The figure includes overseas Indonesians, such as those who are working in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/27
By: Liang Pei-chi and William Yen

Taipei, March 27 (CNA) In anticipation of reaching its 10 billionth traveler milestone, the

Taipei Metro is to give the lucky passenger a year of free rides and a laptop computer worth more than NT$30,000 (US$972), according to its website.

A total of 10 passengers — the five preceding and the five following the 10 billionth passenger — will also receive 90 days of free ridership, the website added.

To celebrate the breaking of the 10-billion mark after 23 years of operation, the Taipei Metro has organized a series of activities to create momentum ahead of the milestone, including competitions and tours of metro facilities.
[FULL  STORY]