Taipei Times
Date: Apr 11, 2018
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

Nearly 200 people wearing white T-shirts and caps yesterday afternoon protested in front

of the Taipei City Council building and handed Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) a petition against fines the city government imposed on residents of 1,675 illegal residential units in a commercial zone in Neihu District (內湖).

The residential units were found by the city government last year in a 105 hectare area along Neihu’s Mingshui and Jingye roads near the MRT Jiannan Road Station, although the area was designated for commercial and recreational use in 2003.

From March to August last year, the Taipei Department of Urban Development informed residents that they would face fines under the Urban Planning Act (都市計畫法) for living in illegal residential units.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-04-09

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu is set to take on a new position as secretary-general of the

Presidential Office. A formal announcement is expected on Wednesday.

Chen was originally scheduled to step down as mayor once her term expires at the end of the year. But she said Monday that Taiwan is facing a critical juncture in its development, and her desire to help President Tsai had prompted her to make the decision.

Chen said her early departure is not going to affect the operations of the Kaohsiung City Government. However, she declined to comment on who will fill in as acting mayor prior to the year-end elections.

A political prisoner-turned-politician, Chen has been the mayor of Kaohsiung since 2006.
[SOURCE]

Is your house tainted by radioactive tailings?

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/04/09
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Is your house tainted by radioactive tailings? Taiwan’s Atomic Energy Council (AEC) on Monday released a list of buildings which are potentially irradiated. If your house is on the list, find a qualified radiation inspector to determine if it is safe to live there.

According to the list, 28 buildings in Taipei, 51 in New Taipei, and 33 in Taoyuan are considered potentially tainted, and these property owners have also yet to complete the requested inspections to clear worries. The council urged owners of the listed properties to conduct the inspections to make sure the properties are safe, and to mail the hard copy of the inspection report issued by qualified radiation physicists to the council.

The mailing address is: 5F, No. 80, Sec. 1, Cheng-gong Rd., Yonghe District, New Taipei City 234, Taiwan.

For the full list of potentially tainted buildings in Taipei City, New Taipei, Taoyuan, please go to the AEC website.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/09
By: Chen Wei-ting and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, April 9 (CNA) TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, revealed EVA Air Monday

as a winner in four categories of its second annual Travelers’ Choice Awards for Airlines, including fifth place in Top-10 World’s Best Airline Award.

Besides its placement among the world’s top 10, EVA Air, one of Taiwan’s largest carriers, made the Top-10 Major Airlines in Asia list (no ranking order), and Best Business and Premium Economy Classes in Asia.

“We’re thrilled to recognize the global TripAdvisor community’s favorite airlines and shine a spotlight on the carriers around the world that provide the very best flying experiences, including EVA Air,” said Bryan Saltzburg, senior vice president and general manager of TripAdvisor Flights.    [FULL  STORY]

Former Premier and two DPP lawmakers have reportedly been dissuaded from running in favor of Su Tseng-chang

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/04/08
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – To win the only one of the country’s six special municipalities not

currently governed by the ruling party, Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has reportedly tapped former Taipei County Magistrate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to run for New Taipei mayor, reaching consensus within the party on who is best suited to beat the KMT nominee.

Former national police chief Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) , who served as vice mayor the past few years, recently won the Kuomintang primary to be its candidate in the upcoming New Taipei City mayoral election, while the DPP has yet to announce its candidate for the election.

All of Taiwan will hold local elections on November 24, and since the New Taipei City Mayor and KMT member Eric Liluan Chu (朱立倫) is reaching the end of his second and final term, both the KMT and DPP are looking for new contenders.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/08
By: Shine Chen and Shih Hsiu-chuan

Shanghai, April 8 (CNA) Former Taiwan vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) is expected

to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) at the Boao Forum for Asia, a regional dialogue platform in which China plays a leading role, that opened Sunday.

Taiwanese media covering the annual conference held in Hainan province have been asked to coordinate coverage of a closed-door Siew-Xi meeting, ending speculation as to whether the two men would meet, and in what form, during the four-day forum that ends April 11.

Siew heads a delegation of Taiwanese entrepreneurs attending the forum in his role as honorary chairman of the Cross-Straits Common Market Foundation.    [FULL  STORY]