Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/04/07
By:  Central News Agency

Taipei (CNA) – Taiwanese nationals with foreign spouses from Southeast Asia made up

about 40 percent of all transnational couples married last year, the first time since 2005 the number has surpassed that of Chinese spouses, according to the Ministry of the Interior (MOI).

According to the latest findings by the MOI, a total of 21,097 transnational couples married in Taiwan in 2017, accounting for 15.3 percent of all 138,034 marriages in the country.

This marks a six-year high in the number of foreign spouses, but in 2017 the number of spouses from Southeast Asia was also 4 percent higher than the number from mainland China.

In 2017, there were 8,569 Southeast Asian spouses, accounting for 40.62 percent of all transnational couples, followed by 7,634 mainland Chinese spouses, making up 36.19 percent and 1,316 or 6.24 percent from Hong Kong and Macau. Spouses from elsewhere accounted for 16.96 percent of the total.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/07
By: Lin Mo-zo and Kuan-lin Liu

Taipei, April 7 (CNA) The sixth Taiwan-Philippines science and technology meeting will

focus on outlining bilateral medical and agricultural cooperation projects, Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) said Friday.

The next Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) – Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) Joint Science and Technology Commission (JSTC), the date and place of which have yet to be determined, will focus on outlining bilateral medical and agricultural cooperation projects, Chen told CNA.

“The next meeting will focus on medicine and agriculture as well as the usual topics of disaster prevention and relief work relating to volcanos, ocean (based incidents), typhoons and earthquakes (VOTE),” he said.    [FULL  STORY]

WIDENING THE SCOPE: At the launch of the Formosa Alliance, members said they would pressure the government to allow plebiscites on sovereignty

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 08, 2018
By: Ko Yu-hao and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday urged Taiwanese to use a proposed

referendum as an expression of Taiwan’s sovereignty at the launch of the Formosa Alliance in Kaohsiung.

The deepest wish of Taiwanese has always been to be in charge of their own nation, Lee said, adding that due to the limitations imposed by the international situation, this wish has remained unfulfilled.

Now is the opportunity for all Taiwanese to abandon their prejudices and push for Taiwan’s participation in the international community under the name “Taiwan,” he said.

Yesterday’s launch was attended by former premiers Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) and Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃), former presidential advisers Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) and Wu Li-pei (吳澧培), late democracy activist Deng Nan-jung’s (鄭南榕) daughter, Deng Chu-mei (鄭竹梅), as well as 3,000 supporters of the new alliance.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-04-06

Premier William Lai visited the Hakka Romance Avenue on Friday that covers the northern

Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli counties.

Lai said the avenue is part of President Tsai Ing-wen’s policy to preserve Hakka culture, rejuvenate Hakka-related industries such as tea plantation, and attract young people to rural areas.

A Zhong Zhao-zheng Literary Life Park is under construction in Taoyuan. The park aims to honor the Hakka writer’s contributions to Taiwanese culture and literature. It is slated to be completed by the end of May.
[FULL  STORY]

Rain doesn’t have to stop play.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/04/06
By: Monica Mizzi

When it’s pouring down in Taipei, it can feel like there isn’t any other option than to stay at home. Events get cancelled, friends call off hanging out, and you’re left with no contingency plans.

Rainy weather in Taipei is no doubt frustrating, but it shouldn’t deter you from heading out! Next time the weather takes a turn for the worst, check back on this handy guide of 12 things you can do when it’s raining in Taipei.

This is the first part of a two part series. Be sure to look out for part two, where we’ll share another dozen rainy day activities to keep you dry and smiling.    [FULL  STORY]

Woman being questioned for possessing forbidden weapon

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/04/06
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Taiwanese woman was detained at the entrance of Hong Kong Disneyland Friday morning because she was found in possession of pepper spray, reports said.

The woman, who was not identified in media reports, showed up at the amusement park on Lantau Island around 10 a.m. Friday, the Chinese-language Liberty Times reported.

During the regular security check at the entrance, staff found a pepper spray in her possession and called police.

She was detained on suspicion of carrying an illegal weapon and taken for questioning by the Lantau Police Department, the Liberty Times reported.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/06
By: Liu Te-chan and Kuan-lin Liu

Bangkok, April 6 (CNA) Taiwan’s half-century old Sheng Ping Troupe Company performed a puppetry show at this year’s Bangkok International Book Fair on Friday to delight visitors with a traditional Taiwanese form of entertainment.

The performance took place at the Taiwan pavilion, themed “Tai-Thai Reading,” and told a story about the repercussions of human beings’ destruction of the environment.

The puppet show was accompanied by live music from traditional Chinese instruments, such as the suona (a Chinese double-reed woodwind instrument), erhu (sometimes known as the Chinese two-stringed fiddle), and a gong.

While not everyone in the audience understood the words spoken, the performance captivated them, allowing them to understand Taiwan’s culture through the movement of the puppets, said Taiwanese lawmaker Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), who attended the fair.
[FULL  STORY]