Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-02-24

The Water Resources Agency (WRA) says there are no plans to begin phase-one water

rationing in the southern city of Tainan. That’s despite a continued shortage of water in the surrounding area.

Under phase-one water rationing, water pressure is lowered in affected areas between 11:00pm and 6:00am each day. The WRA says it is exercising caution amid concern about the impact water rationing would have on local residents.

So far, the WRA says that recent rainfall has had a limited impact on the water shortage in Tainan. Water levels in the area’s reservoirs remain low. As of Saturday, the Zengwen and Wushantou reservoirs held a combined 198 million tons of water. However, farmers in the surrounding area will need around 180 million tons of water for their first rice harvest of the year.    [FULL  STORY]

Reporters get into squabble with businessman

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/02/24
By: Matthew Strong,Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Shilin District Prosecutors Office is opening an investigation

into Chang Yung-yuan (張永源), the only individual named in a new list of sanctions by the United States against North Korea.

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump and the Treasury announced a list of mostly companies which would be targeted because they had allegedly violated United Nations sanctions against the communist country.

Chang, the only individual on the list, was reportedly suspected of supplying North Korea with coal.

Since his company was registered in Taipei’s Neihu District, the Shilin District Prosecutors Office opened a case against him, but was not planning to question him for the time being, the Liberty Times reported.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/02/24
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) A total of 47 civic groups took to the streets in Taipei on Saturday to mark the 71st anniversary of the 228 Incident, urging the public to learn from history and continue to fight injustices and human rights violations in today’s world.

The roughly 300 participants, including 99-year-old Taiwan independence movement pioneer Su Beng (史明), gathered at Rixin Elementary School at 1:30 p.m. and marched past four sites connected to the 228 Incident.

The 228 Incident describes an anti-government uprising and the subsequent brutal crackdown in early 1947 that left tens of thousands of people dead or imprisoned.
[FULL  STORY]

144 updated F-16 fighter jets ready in Taiwan by 2022
 
Taiwan News
Date: 2018/02/23
By: Renée Salmonsen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — South Korea’s recent purchase of F-16V fighter jets will put

money into American and Taiwanese pockets.

Taiwan and the United States were the initial investors of the F-16V, with Taiwan originally fronting US$38 billion toward the aircraft’s development, according to Now News. Even though the original plan was abandoned and many changes have taken place since, whenever any country purchases or upgrades an F-16V, Taiwan and U.S. alike continue to receive dividends.

The first of such F-16V sales was to Bahrain in September 2017, according to Now News.

The Republic of Korea Air Force will spend around US$1.2 billion on military upgrade by replacing 134 KF-16 fighter aircrafts with F-16V jets. The F-16V jets are an advanced version of the American Lockheed F-16 jets. In 1996 South Korea was authorized to produce 140 F-16s, which was called KF-16s to mark the country of manufacture.      [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese president picks new foreign and defence chiefs as she seeks closer contact with the United States

Date: 23 February, 2018
By: Lawrence Chung

Taiwan has appointed two men well-versed in American affairs to top security and foreign relations jobs as the island tries to engage the US in its grand strategy to counter military intimidation from the mainland.

The appointments were part of a partial shake-up of the island’s cabinet, which saw the replacement of heads of the foreign, defence, mainland, labour and veterans’ affairs ministries.

Presidential Office chief Joseph Wu, 64, will be sworn in as foreign minister on Monday, taking over from David Lee, 69, who has been named secretary general of the National Security Council.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-02-23

Premier William Lai on Friday presented awards to the officers and organizations who

made an outstanding contribution to the government’s latest drug crackdown operation.

Earlier this year, Lai called on the six major drug enforcement agencies in Taiwan to collaborate on drug crackdown operations. During an eight-day long operation, some 8,000 police officers intercepted and seized over four tons of illegal drugs. The officers also caught 431 suspects who were involved in the production and trafficking of the drugs.

At the award ceremony on Friday, Lai presented awards to officers and organizations that made an outstanding contribution during the drug operation. Lai said that the latest operation has been effective because the different government bodies, including police agencies, maritime and border officials have worked together. He also said the operation was different than those in the past because officers have sought out the suspects in local communities and those involved in drug production.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/02/23
By: Taiwan Today,Agencies

During his 20 years at the helm of the Central Bank, “Gov. Perng adopted flexible monetary and foreign exchange policies and advanced forward-looking reforms to the nation’s financial system,” Lai said.

According to the premier, under Perng’s leadership the Central Bank responded swiftly and decisively to the myriad challenges Taiwan has faced over the past two decades, including the Asian financial crisis in 1997, massive earthquake that struck Sept. 21, 1999, and U.S. subprime mortgage collapse and subsequent global financial meltdown.

During the two financial crises, the bank adopted effective monetary measures to inject liquidity and soothe the foreign exchange market, Lai said, adding that these actions helped soften the blow on Taiwan and accelerate the country’s economic recovery.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/02/23
By: Liu Chien-pang and Ko Lin

Taipei, Feb. 23 (CNA) Five people have been arrested in two raids on the operational

bases of a crime ring that was allegedly committing telecommunication fraud in central Taiwan against people in China, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Friday.

One of the five suspects, identified only by his last name Wang (王), is believed to be the ringleader, according to the CIB’s Ninth Investigation Corps, which was responsible for handling the case.

The arrests were carried out in two separate raids, with Wang and his two accomplices arrested on Jan. 3 and the other suspects nabbed on Feb. 5, authorities said.

During the raids, local authorities found several pieces of equipment possibly related to the scam, ranging from laptop computers to mobile phones and fake official Chinese documents.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 24, 2018
By: Chen Yu-fu and Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporters

Whether office items retrieved by former National Women’s League chairwoman Cecilia

Koo’s (辜嚴倬雲) daughter were indeed all personal effects has devolved into a he-said-she-said situation, with the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee yesterday maintaining that the location where the league supposedly stored its financial records was found empty.

A source with knowledge of the matter, who requested anonymity, said that after asking the league to hand over archives and financial documents predating 2006, the committee received an overview listing the league’s account books, archives and financial records that were relocated in May last year.

However, when committee staff followed league employees’ instructions and inspected a unit within a residential building on Taipei’s Dehui Street, it had already been emptied, a committee member said, also speaking on condition of anonymity.

The committee member said that testimony provided by a dozen league employees the committee had questioned so far — including league deputy secretary-general Nancy Nee (汲宇荷), the driver who helped deliver the documents and league staff who packed the records — all pointed to the league’s official documents being sent to Koo’s residence.
[FULL  STORY]