‘SISTER CHU’: The Kaohsiung mayor deflected questions about the purported selection, saying that she would do what is necessary for Taiwan’s development

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 05, 2018
By: Lee Hsin-fang, Chiu Yen-ling, Ke Yu-hao and William Hetheri  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) on Tuesday agreed to take up the post of Presidential

Office secretary-general, a source close to the matter said, adding that Chen would assume office by the end of the month.

The office is to confirm the appointment after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) returns from an official visit to Swaziland this month, the source said.

The source, a prominent member of the pan-green camp, said that Chen is expected to act as a “barrel hoop” that will tie everyone in the office together.

“Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) once referred to Chen as ‘sister Chu,’ which she found shocking,” the source said, adding that Chen was humbled by the reference.

“Being addressed in this way shows there is a great deal of respect for Chen” within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the source said.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s Legislature on Tuesday passed an amendment to the Civil Aviation Law that prescribes a heavy fine or a prison sentence of less than three years for owners of airlines which closed down operations without any warning

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/04/03
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—Taiwan’s Legislature on Tuesday passed an amendment to the Civil Aviation Law that prescribes a heavy fine or a prison sentence of less than three years for owners of airlines which closed down operations without any warning.

The amendment was passed about one and a half years after the sudden closure of TransAsia Airways Corp in November 2016 that reportedly caused damage to many passengers. The airline decided to suspend operations and shut down indefinitely after two fatal crashes that occurred within months of each other.

The amendment requires closing airlines to file a closure plan with the Civil Aeronautics Administration two months before suspending flights, and stipulates that airline owners who violate the provisions of the amendment and cause serious damage to others will be punished with a fine ranging from NT$20 million to NT$200 million or imprisonment of less than three years.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/03
By: Yang Shu-min and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, April 3 (CNA) The Forestry Bureau announced Tuesday that it is working to revise

regulations concerning wildlife conservation so that a solid ban can be put into force in 2020 against trade in ivory in Taiwan.

The only exception to the ban is that individuals will be allowed to keep ivory only if they possess documentation that proves the products have been legally acquired, the bureau said in a statement.

Taiwan imposed amendments to the Wildlife Conservation Act in 1994 that prohibit trade and public display of ivory unless in recognized special circumstances, said Hsia Jung-sheng (夏榮生), head of the bureau’s conservation division.

At that time, however, in the light of the fact that there were still many local art dealers and seal makers dependent on ivory and who kept a lot of stock, the government took transitional measures to allow trade in declared ivory with the permission of the supervisory authorities, Hsia noted.    [FULL  STORY]

COAL-DRIVEN: The lawmakers want a referendum on coal-fired power plants, saying the DPP government needs to focus on cutting air pollution as part of its energy plan

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 04, 2018
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday delivered 25,000 petitions to the

Central Election Commission (CEC) to back its bid to initiate a referendum on gradually reducing the nation’s reliance on coal to generate electricity.

Although air pollution from coal-fired power plants in central Taiwan is still an issue, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration has decided to allow the expansion of the coal-fired Shenao Power Plant in New Taipei City, indicating that it has failed to devise a viable solution in its energy policy to the problem of air pollution, KMT caucus whip Lin Te-fu (林德福) told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.

“Through directly exercising civic rights, [the KMT] wants to tell President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration that it must come up with measures in its energy policy to reduce air pollution,” he said.    [FULL  STORY]

The benefits of a referendum proposed by the Island of Joy and Happiness Coalition calling for a new Taiwan constitution remain unclear.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/04/02
By:Timothy S. Rich

Last month a group of Taiwanese politicians, including former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李

登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and members of the the Taiwan Solidarity Union, New Power Party, and the Social Democratic Party, called for a referendum for nextyear to write a new constitution for Taiwan, including changing the name to the Republic of Taiwan.

The Republic of China constitution, in effect since 1947, harkens back to an era when Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正) and the Kuomintang (KMT) fought in vain to stave off territorial losses to the Communists, ultimately retreating to Taiwan yet still holding out for unification under their terms and under their legal framework.

Even ignoring how China would respond to the passing of such referendum, the broader tangible benefits to Taiwan appear overstated.

Arguments in favor of altering this constitution gained prominence with Taiwan’s democratization, although a consensus on such changes proved illusory. Yet constitutional reforms to date have remained piecemeal in nature, meeting practical demands without overtly declaring permanent separation from China. Such post-1991 reforms helped entrench Taiwan’s democratization, namely the direct election of the President, while the suspension the National Assembly (國民大會) and the references to Taiwan as the “Free Area of the Republic of China” (“中華民國自由地區”) continues the lip service that de facto independence does not preclude eventual unification. More broadly, the constitution stands in stark contrast to changes in public perceptions that, according to survey data from National Chengchi University’s Election Study Center, show a majority of citizens since 2009 identify as Taiwanese, compared to a third to identifying as both Chinese and Taiwanese.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/04/02
By:  Agencies

TAIWAN TODAY–The Leave No One Behind website was launched April 2 in Taipei City

as part of government efforts demonstrating the nation’s commitment to achieving the World Health Organization’s goal of universal health coverage.

An initiative of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health and Welfare, the portal contains a collection of images spotlighting Taiwan’s decades of contributions to medical care, as well as the need for the country to take part in the 71st World Health Assembly—the decision-making body of the WHO—May 21-26 in Geneva.

Website highlights include photographs and films separated into the categories of Affordable UHC, Biomedical Technology, Global Contributions and Front-line Experiences. Taiwan’s world-leading National Health Insurance system is spotlighted in the first, while its related cutting-edge hardware and innovations are displayed in the second.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/02
By: Yu Hsiao-han and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, April 2 (CNA) Academia Sinica President James C. Liao (廖俊智) said Monday the

academic institution will examine research papers published in Taiwan by a former research fellow following accusations by a university in the United States that he falsified research data.

Liao was referring to a case involving cancer scientist Chen Ching-shih (陳慶士), a former director of Academia Sinica’s Institute of Biological Chemistry from 2014-2017, who has been accused of misconduct in the publication of eight academic papers from 2006-2014 during his tenure as a cancer researcher at Ohio State University (OSU) in the U.S.

According to an OSU report released last Friday, Chen was found guilty of “deviating from the accepted practices of image handling and figure generation and intentionally falsifying data” in 14 instances in eight papers, the American academic journal Science said on its website that same day.    [FULL  STORY]