Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-10-01

Taiwan is set to celebrate its 107th National Day on October 10th with one of the usual

highlights a performance by the military. Last Friday, the country’s Tri-Services — the army, navy and air force — held a rehearsal in front of the Presidential Office in preparation for the big day.

Members of the Tri-service honor guard twirl their rifles in unison. Precision is key – no step out of time, no movement out of place. The two leaders of the honor guard also wield their swords with perfect timing.

Military police maneuver 54 heavy motorcycles through the open intersection, capturing the attention of the media. This year marks the first time that the ‘rapid reaction unit” will be demonstrating their skill for avoiding obstacles.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese Communist shrine creator Wei Ming-jen beats ‘tactical retreat’ to Hong Kong to avoid bill for demolition and assault charges

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/10/01
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A day after crews began tearing down his Communist Chinese

shrine in western Taiwan, its creator beat a “tactical retreat” to Hong Kong, leaving his sister to foot the NT$5 million (US$163,000) bill to pay for the demolition.

On Sept. 27, a day after demolition work began on his illegally constructed Communist Chinese shrine, Wei Ming-jen (魏明仁) reportedly fled to Hong Kong, where he was interviewed by Chinese media outlet CRNTT. In the interview, he described his move as a “tactical retreat” much like Mao Zedong’s Long March in the 1930s.

In response, the Changhua Prosecutor’s Office told CNA that Wei is being fined NT$100,000 for obstruction of official duties in trying to block workers from cutting off

power and electricity to the illegal building. Also, he is facing charges for assault after punching a civil servant in the face on the same day work crews came to cut off power.

The Prosecutor’s Office said that if he fails to appear in court for these two cases, a warrant will be issued for his arrest and he will be restricted from leaving the country (if he returns to Taiwan). Changhua County Magistrate Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) told the media that he had no comment on Wei’s escape, and the NT$5 million fine for the cost of the demolition of the Communist complex would instead be levied on his sister, Wei Su-tan (魏素丹), as it was registered in her name.    [FULL  STORY]

As the weather turns cooler, the cosmos flowers at Fushoushan and Wuling farms in Taichung City’s Heping District are in full bloom

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/10/01
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—As the weather turns cooler, the cosmos flowers at Fushoushan and Wuling farms in Taichung City’s Heping District are in full bloom, according to a Chinese-language Liberty Times report on Monday.

The flowers will continue to bloom until the end of October, but the best time to enjoy the view is before October 10.

Cosmos flowers can be seen at a couple of places on Fushoushan Farm, but the flower field near the tea factory is the most beautiful, according to the report.

The Fushoushan Farm management said the best time to appreciate the cosmos flowers on the farm is between now and October 10.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/09/30
By: Elaine Hou and William Yen

Taipei, Sept. 30 (CNA) Wyoming State Governor Matt Mead arrived in Taiwan Sunday on

a six-day visit to preside over the opening of a Wyoming trade office and take part in various business-related exchanges, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement.

The ribbon-cutting, scheduled to take place Wednesday, will be followed by a reception to celebrate the opening of the Wyoming Pacific Asia office based in Taipei, according to the ministry.

During his stay, Mead will also attend the 2018 U.S.-Taiwan Business Day in Taipei Thursday, and meet with government officials and businesses representatives to strengthen exchanges in trade, energy and agriculture, MOFA said.

It is the third time Mead came to Taiwan for a visit since he assumed office as Wyoming governor in 2011.   [FULL  STORY]

MEETING STORMED: The KMT’s William Tseng said that because the majority of allegedly forged signatures were found in DPP-controlled cities, it was clearly a set-up

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 02, 2018
By: Ann Maxon  /  Staff reporter

Central Election Commission Chairman Chen In-chin (陳英鈐) yesterday said that the

commission is politically neutral, after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators accused it of colluding with local governments to create the false impression that the party forged signatures for its referendum proposals.

The commission has been “treating every referendum proposal by the same standards” and found forged signatures from cities across the nation in proposals, not just those where the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds office, Chen said at an Internal Administration Committee meeting.

Shortly before the meeting, a dozen KMT legislators had stormed into the room with placards accusing the commission of colluding with the DPP to thwart a KMT referendum proposal, calling on Chen to step down.

The KMT delivered 488,125 signatures for a proposal to reduce air pollution initiated by KMT Legislator Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), but the commission said the number was 497,193, while local governments said it found 77,000 of the signatures might have been forged, KMT caucus secretary-general William Tseng (曾銘宗) said.    [FULL  STORY]

Visitors can enjoy the views of airplanes flying over the Keelung River against a backdrop of blooming sunflowers

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/09/30
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—About 230,000 sunflowers are in bloom across about 6,600 square meters on the banks of Taipei’s Rainbow Riverside Park. The best time to enjoy the flowers is between now and the first half of Oct., the Hydraulic Engineering Office (HEO) said in a press release on Sep 28.

The blooming sunflowers are located near McArthur Bridge No. 2 on the Neihu side of the river. Visitors can take the MRT Xindian – Songshan Line (Green Line) to Songshan Station, walk across the Rainbow Bridge, and then walk in the direction of McArthur Bridge No. 2 for about 20 minutes to arrive at the destination, according to the HEO.

As the sea of sunflowers is situated in the flight path of flights transiting through Taipei Songshan Airport, visitors might be able to capture the scene of airplanes flying over the Keelung River against the backdrop of blooming sunflowers if they are lucky, the agency said.

The golden yellow flowers always turn towards the sunlight, earning the name of “sunflower.”      [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/09/30
By: Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Sept. 30 (CNA) Indonesian pop star Siti Badriah’s trademark dancing and

singing mesmerized her countrymen at the New Taipei City Plaza in Banciao Sunday as thousands of Indonesians in Taiwan swarmed into the plaza to see the show.

Heating up the plaza with her dangdut music, a genre of Indonesian folk and pop derived in part from Hindustani, Malay and Arabic music, Siti’s hour-long show was part of New Taipei’s annual Indonesian cultural festival.

During a post-show interview, Siti noted that Taiwan was the destination for her first overseas performance in 2012.

Sunday’s show marked her third visit to Taiwan and she said she was amazed that her fans were as enthusiastic as her last visit in 2016.    [FULL  STORY]

SUSPICIONS RAISED: The CEC said that it would decide tomorrow whether to file a complaint against the KMT over purported signatures from people who had died

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 01, 2018
By: Lin Liang-sheng and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Central Election Commission (CEC) should proceed with the Chinese Nationalist

Party’s (KMT) referendum proposal for reducing thermal power generation, KMT spokesperson Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said yesterday, adding that blocking it would be an obstruction of public opinion.

The commission on Saturday said that there was a strong possibility that the amount of irregularities found among the petition forms submitted could constitute criminal behavior.

Of the 497,193 petition forms the KMT submitted for a proposed referendum to reduce air pollution, which was initiated by KMT Legislator Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), 11,849 signatures, or about 2.38 percent, belonged to people who had already passed away before the signature collection began, it said.

The commission said it is bound by Article 241 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法), which stipulates that “a public official who, in the execution of his official duties, learns that there is suspicion that an offense has been committed, must report it.”    [FULL  STORY]

Arkansas Times
Date: on Sep 28, 2018
By: Max Brantley 

Secretary of State Mark Martin is set for  another international junket, this one toTaiwan, flying business class courtesy of the Taiwanese government.

The news release says the occasion is US Business Day and Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council “invited Secretary of State Mark Martin to represent Arkansas at the event.

He will first travel to Houston on Friday for a meeting with the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office, and then on to Taiwan for the event, said the release.

A spokesman said the Taiwan government and Martin is flying business class “as are all their invited guests.”    [FULL  STORY]