Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-10-05

Legislature President Su Jia-chyuan has unveiled the motion graphics design of this

year’s National Day celebrations. Su, who is the chair of the preparatory committee of the National Day celebrations, spoke at a press conference on Thursday.

The honor guards twirl rifles. The beautiful voices flow from an aboriginal choir in Nantou County. They are just a part of the National Day celebrations on October 10th.

The theme of this year’s event is “Taiwan, Together”. For the first time, motion graphics design is being used for this important celebration. The design that highlights the diversity and inclusiveness of the Taiwanese people has been well received by the public.    [FULL  STORY]

Your daily bulletin of Taiwan news, courtesy of ICRT.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/10/05
By: International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT)

Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is taking legal action against a American writer who claims the Taipei mayor was involved in live organ harvesting in China.

Ethan Gutmann earlier this week told reporters that Ko acted as a broker for rich Taiwanese seeking to receive organ transplants across the Strait.

Gutmann also claimed Ko created “incentives” for Chinese doctors to harvest live organs and was aware many of those organs came from Falun Gong members.

Ko has filed a defamation lawsuit against Gutmann at the Taipei District Prosecutors Office.    [FULL  STORY]

Paraguayan delegation led by President Mario Abdo Benitez will attend the celebration too

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/10/05
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – As preparations are underway at Taiwan’s Presidential Office for the National Day celebrations on October 10, two allied leaders are set to attend the celebrations and will be accompanied by the countries’ top officials.

Caribbean ally Saint Lucia announced Friday that Prime Minister Allen Chastanet will arrive in Taiwan with a five-member delegation, including the Minister of Economic Development, Guy Joseph.

Chastanet last visited Taiwan in November 2017 to meet President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who expressed hope that the two countries would continue to expand exchanges and offer each other steadfast support. During his stay, Chastanet will meet with Tsai, Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and several other top-level officials.

Also, the President of Taiwan’s only South American ally, Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benitez, is set to attend the National Day celebrations, after he accepted Tsai’s invitation to join the event during her state visit in August.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/05
By: Ko Lin, CNA staff writer 

From prayer rooms that cater to Muslims to the diversity of food available at school

cafeterias, university campuses in Taiwan have in recent years been stepping up efforts to accommodate the increasing number of Southeast Asian students pursuing higher education in the country.

The enrollment of students from Southeast Asian countries and India in colleges and universities in Taiwan has tripled over the last decade, said Bi Tzu-an (畢祖安), who heads the Ministry of Education’s Department of International and Cross-strait Education Affairs.

Just 10 years ago, Indian and Southeast Asian students who took up university and post-graduate studies in Taiwan stood at roughly 8,000, according to the education ministry.

In 2016, students from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries taking up tertiary education in Taiwan accounted for 28,000, a figure that had risen to 38,000 the following year, ministry statistics show.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-10-04

Representatives of medical staff in Taipei protested on Thursday against being forced to

attend training classes during their vacation time.

Members of the Taipei Doctors Union held a protest against the policy that forces medical professionals to take training courses during their vacation time.

There are a number of courses for medical professionals. They range from general training courses, such as dealing with fire emergencies, to more specific ones such as procedures in intensive care units. Hospital staff members often have to take over 100 hours per year out of their vacation time for these courses. Failing to do so would subject them to a pay deduction.

The protestors said they have proposed a collective agreement with the hospitals to put time spent on training courses in their work hours. A Taipei City Department of Labor official also believes job-related training should not cut into employees’ vacation time.
[FULL  STORY]

The New York Times
Date: Oct. 4, 2018
By: Amy Qin

NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan — As dusk falls at Lehua Night Market, the fluorescent lights flicker on and the hungry customers start trickling in, anxious for a taste of the local delicacies that give this island its reputation as one of Asia’s finest culinary capitals.

Neatly arranged pyramids of plump fish balls. Bowls brimming with tapioca balls bathed in lightly sweetened syrup. Sizzling oyster omelets, hot off the griddle. Deep-fried sweet potato puffs, still dripping with oil.

Take a bite of any of these dishes and you’ll discover a unique texture. But how exactly do you describe that perfectly calibrated “mouth feel” so sought after by local cooks and eaters alike?    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/10/04
By: Taiwan Today,Agencies

The arts, culture and cuisine of Singapore will be celebrated at the monthlong Asian Art Festival that kicks off Oct. 6 at National Palace Museum Southern Branch.

Focusing on a different country from the region each year, the event underscores the efforts of the institution in southern Taiwan’s Chiayi County to improve local understanding of the diversity of Asian civilizations, according to NPMSB.

A major highlight of the festival is an exhibition on the traditional culture and lifestyles of the Southeast Asian country’s Peranakan— descendants of Chinese immigrants to the region between the 15th and 17th centuries.

Visitors will learn about tok panjang—a lavish feast reserved for special occasions like Lunar New Year or family reunions—and the sarong kebaya, a smart long-sleeved blouse paired with a tubular skirt.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/04
By: Yeh Su-ping and Ko Lin

Taipei, Oct. 4 (CNA) A delegation of Vatican officials will visit Taiwan later this month for a

joint seminar with Fo Guang Shan, the largest buddhist monastery in the country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) and the monastery will hold an international Christian-Buddhist symposium in Kaohsiung, deputy head of MOFA’s European Affairs Department Chen Hsing-hsing (陳欣新) said.

Some 60 participants from 16 countries will attend the seminar to promote mutual understanding between the two religions, Chen said.

They will include the secretary and undersecretary of the PCID Msgr. Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot and Msgr. Indunil J. Kodithuwakku K., Chen said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 05, 2018
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

Several additions to the Patient Right to Autonomy Act (病人自主權利法) would make

patients the main subject of informed consent, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Wednesday

The act gives patients the right to refuse life-sustaining treatments if they are terminally ill, are in an irreversible coma or a permanent vegetative state, have advanced dementia or meet other conditions announced by authorities.

It is to be promulgated on Jan. 6 next year.

The ministry on Wednesday released the Enforcement Rules for the Patient Right to Autonomy Act (病人自主權利法施行細則) and the Regulations Governing Healthcare Facilities that Provide Advance Care Planning (提供預立醫療照護諮商之醫療機構管理辦法), which aim to complement existing rules, and clarify terms and execution requirements.    [FULL  STORY]