Taiwan English News
Date: April 5, 2018
By: Phillip Charlier  

A man in Yunlin County handed a gun over to police, and turned himself in, after shooting another man in the thigh on April 3.

On Tuesday morning, Mr. Yang met with a friend who owed him money. After failing to negotiate a resolution, the two quarreled, and Yang took a pistol out and shot his friend in the leg, according to United Daily News.

Mr Yang fled the scene, while the injured man took himself to the hospital. The wound was said to be not life-threatening.

On the evening of the same day, Yang realized he had no chance of escaping from the law, so he turned himself in to police.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/04/05
By:  Central News Agency

Washington, April 4 (CNA) The parents of the Taiwanese student detained in the U.S. for

allegedly threatening to shoot up the school where he was studying issued a statement Thursday asking that their privacy be respected as they navigate through the U.S. criminal justice system.

The statement was issued by Attorney Robert Keller, who has been hired by his parents to defend An Tso Sun, 18, following his March 26 arrest on suspicion of threatening to carry out a terrorist attack May 1 at Monsignor Bonner Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School in Pennsylvania.

“They only ask that their privacy be respected as they navigate through the American criminal justice system. Their focus is on protecting the interests of their son.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/05
By: Wu Jui-chi and Christie Chen

Taipei, April 5 (CNA) Three adults and one child were killed early Thursday in a house fire in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan, fire officials said that day.

The Taoyuan Fire Department said it received a report at 4:48 a.m. about a fire at a two-story house in the city’s Taoyuan District.

A total of 26 fire trucks and 81 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, and the fire was extinguished at 5:37 a.m., according to the department.

The four victims — a 44-year-old woman, a 43-year-old man, a 41-year-old man, and a boy — were found dead, their bodies burned beyond recognition, on the second floor of the house, which was partly made of iron sheeting, fire officials said.    [FULL  STORY]

Dark days are ahead for Hong Kong and Taiwan as Beijing’s hardline strategy continues.

The Diplomat
Date: April 04, 2018
By: Johan Englund

On July 1 last year, Hong Kong marked the 20th anniversary of the handover from Britain

to China. Xi Jinping made his first visit to Hong Kong as the president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for the commemorations. He was received with great pomp and fanfare, but demonstrations and protest marches in the city signaled the significant rise in tensions and anti-mainland sentiments that simmer in the city.

In his speech, Xi starkly discouraged any of the growing calls for greater political freedoms and independence. He drew a red line for anyone using “Hong Kong to carry out infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland.” The message could not be missed, as the Chinese president staked out that “any attempt to endanger China’s sovereignty and security, challenge the power of the central government… crosses a red line and is absolutely impermissible.”

Dim Prospects for Hong Kong

At the moment, prospects and hope for “true universal suffrage” in Hong Kong seem stalled. Reports at the recent National People’s Congress in Beijing indeed further squelched any hope for this. Twenty years ago, when Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty, the city was allowed to retain its own economic and political system under the framework “one country, two systems.” The agreement guaranteed that Hong Kong will function as a special administrative region (SAR) of China until 2047 and ensured that the city will able to exercise political freedoms and civil rights such as a separate legislature, freedom of speech, and independent judiciary.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-04-04

President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday spoke approvingly of the progress of development

in the municipality of Taoyuan.

Tsai was speaking at the opening of the 2018 Taoyuan Agriculture Expo. She highlighted Taoyuan’s development in agriculture, saying that local rice has won awards in the last three years. She also said that Taoyuan is known for its high-quality tea and fruit.

The president also said Taoyuan has made clear strides in implementing smart technologies. She said the city has the potential to be a hub for green energy development. Implementing renewable energy is one of the major goals of Tsai’s administration.

The president said she is confident about Taoyuan’s future, and the government will continue to work with the city government to help future development.    [FULL  STORY]

AIT director names Hualien as one of his favorite places in Taiwan

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

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – American Institute in Taiwan Director Kin Moy (梅健華) posted a

picture of himself in Hualien on Facebook Wednesday in an effort to promote tourism in the region following its deadly February 6 earthquake.

A total of 17 people died in the disaster, and the once-popular travel destination on Taiwan’s east coast has been struggling to attract tourists back.

Kin is the latest in a series of dignitaries to encourage people to return to Hualien. Last weekend, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) spent time in the region buying typical local products, from mochi sweets to a hand-woven hat. Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) also toured the area, and Sophie Chang (張淑芬), the wife of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. founder Morris Chang (張忠謀), took a whole train full of company employees in what was intended to be just the first shift of nine to Hualien.

Kin posted a picture of himself at the entrance of the Cross-Island Highway near Taroko on an AIT Facebook page, the Central News Agency reported. He named Hualien as one of his favorite places in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/04
By: Wang Shwu-fen and Elizabeth Hsu

Kaohsiung, April 4 (CNA) The concept of returning to nature after death is becoming widespread in Taiwan, with an increase of eco-friendly burials nationwide.

However, the trend has driven the southern port city of Kaohsiung to the verge of running out of space designated for “tree burials.”

With an annual growth of up to 60 percent in the number of such burials, the city’s two existing cemeteries with natural burial sections — located in Qishan District and Yanchao District — are running out of space for tree burials, Hsieh Ting-sung (謝汀嵩), head of the Mortuary Services Office of Kaohsiung City, said Wednesday.

The total 1,400 burrows dug next to trees at the cemeteries for the burial of ashes, will soon be unable to be renewed in time for cyclic utilization, Hsieh said.    [FULL  STORY]