Tsai to be formally invited to Paraguay president-elect Mario Abdo Benítez’s inauguration on August 15

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/07/17
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) will be formally invited to attend the inauguration of Paraguay president-elect Mario Abdo Benítez on August 15, reported CNA.

Deputy head of MOFA’s Latin America and Caribbean Department, Chang Chun-fei (張俊菲) said that Paraguay had extended its wish for Tsai to attend the inauguration through oral and written means, during a regular press conference today.

Chang added that an official invitation will be sent by the Paraguayan Embassy in Taiwan this afternoon.

Abdo Benítez of the center-right Colorado Party won the 2018 Paraguayan general election, beating liberal Efraín Alegre on April 22, 2018.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/07/17
By: Phoenix Hsu and Ko Lin

Taipei, July 17 (CNA) Yang Kuo-shu (楊國樞), professor emeritus of psychology at

National Taiwan University (NTU), died early Tuesday at the age of 86, according to the university’s psychology department.

Yang passed away peacefully in his sleep at the NTU Hospital’s Bei-Hu Branch, the department said on its Facebook page.

According to NTU, Yang had taught at the school since 1959, and served twice as director of the psychology department, during which he contributed greatly to the development of social psychology in Taiwan and across Asia.

An NTU alumni of the department of psychology, Yang was also a research fellow at the Institute of Ethnology at Academia Sinica and a former president of the Asian Association of Social Psychology.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 18, 2018
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Nearly 70 percent of Taiwanese support the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office’s

decision to reopen a case and indict former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on allegations of financial irregularities arising from the sale of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-owned media outlets, a poll by the Taiwan NextGen Foundation showed yesterday.

The survey found that 67.7 percent of respondents supported the probe, while 23.4 percent opposed it, foundation director Wang Chih-sheng (王智盛) said.

According to the poll, 49.3 percent of respondents think Ma is guilty, while 39.3 percent believe in his innocence, Wang said. “However, the result is heavily influenced by people’s political affiliations, as a majority of those who think that Ma is guilty said they identify with the pan-green camp, and most of those who believe in his innocence are pan-blue camp supporters.”

During Ma’s first term as KMT chairman from 2005 to 2007, the party sold three media outlets — Central Motion Picture Corp, China Television Co and Broadcasting Corp of China.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-07-16

Newly-appointed Justice Minister Tsai Ching-hsiang took office on

Monday… the former head of the Investigation Bureau hit the ground running, mapping out his future goals.

Tsai urged justice ministry staff not to be overly centered on their own areas of expertise. He urged them to act quickly to crack down on fake news.

As for the protection of national security and investigations into major crimes, Tsai said the two are equally important and should complement one another. He said ministry staff, in particular, must shoulder the responsibility of preventing infiltration by hostile foreign forces.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan English News
Date: July 16, 2018 
By: Phillip Charlier

A student lost vital signs, was resuscitated, and underwent brain surgery, after being hit with a brick during a fight with a classmate at a military prep school in Kaohsiung City today, July 16.

During breakfast at the Chung Cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School this morning, two students had an argument after one student requested another to provide him with a cup of milk tea.

According to media reports, the two second-year students, Chen, 17 years-old, and Luo, 18, went to the toilets to fight it out. During the fight, Luo suffered a busted lip.

Classmates separated the pair and persuaded them to go to class. However, after reaching the classroom, Luo went outside and found a brick laying in the grass. Luo took the brick into the classroom and slammed it into the back of Chen’s skull.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/07/16
By:  Central News Agency

Taiwan’s state-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and the Maritime Disaster Prevention Center (MDPC) of Japan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Monday to cooperate on responses to toxic chemical disasters.

The pact will help promote exchanges of ground and sea rescue expertise, strengthen toxic chemical disaster response capabilities, and make both sides better at handling environmental pollution accidents, said Hsieh Yein-rui (謝燕儒), head of the Environmental Protection Administration’s Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau.

The MOU will also help forge a public consciousness of always being prepared for danger so that when a crisis occurs, its effect will be minimized, Hsieh said during the signing ceremony held at the ITRI’s headquarters in Hsinchu County.

The ITRI, Taiwan’s top industrial research institute, set up the country’s first Emergency Response Information Center in 1996 to deal with toxic chemical disasters around the nation.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/07/16
By: Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, July 16 (CNA) Taoyuan Metro Corporation (TMC) announced

Monday that all journeys on the airport mass rapid transit (MRT) line between Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan will be reduced by NT$10 (US$0.3) from October.

The service, which started in March 2017, has made a profit, said Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) during a city council session, adding that the company now wants to give back to its customers.

TMC added that the price cut will be introduced on Oct. 1 and is likely to boost ridership as previous promotional campaigns have seen a positive response.

Existing campaigns, including 20 percent off for Taoyuan citizens and transfer discounts, will continue, it said.    [FULL  STORY]

DIALOGUE: The US needs a better understanding of Taiwan’s policy direction and the minister intends to improve communication and gain policy support

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 17, 2018
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) yesterday departed on a nine-day visit to the US to boost policy communication between the two nations and garner greater US support for Taiwan’s cross-strait policy.

From today to Monday next week, Chen is to meet with US officials and Heritage Foundation members, including giving a keynote speech on cross-strait ties at a seminar cosponsored by the council and the think tank.

It is to be the ninth seminar jointly held by the council and the Washington-based think tank. It comes at a time when tensions between the US and China are escalating and Beijing is increasingly flexing its muscles at Taiwan.

Against such a background, the US needs a better understanding of Taiwan’s policy direction and Chen’s visit is intended to improve communication between the two sides, while gaining US support for Taiwan’s cross-strait policy, council officials told reporters.
[FULL  STORY]