Page Three

Taiwan advises public to stay away from east coast beaches after Alaska quake

Magnitude downgraded from 8.2 to 7.9

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/01/23
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Magnitude-7.9 quake hit Alaska, followed by tsunami warnings. (By Central News Agency)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Police in Hualien County advised the public to stay away from beaches after a magnitude-7.9 earthquake in Alaska triggered a tsunami alert.

The tremor hit off the island of Kodiak south of the American state at 5:31 p.m. Taiwan time, with eventual tsunami waves reaching Taiwan’s east coast nine to ten hours later, the Apple Daily reported.

While the Central Weather Bureau said Taiwan was unlikely to feel the impact of the quake and tsunami, police in Hualien still cautioned to stay away from the beaches in the east coast region.

However, no relevant warning had been issued by the central government’s disaster relief authorities, which were usually in charge in the case of disasters, the Apple Daily reported.    [FULL  STORY]

FSC mulls establishment of pure digital banks

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/01/23
By: Tsai Yi-chu and Frances Huang

Taipei, Jan. 23 (CNA) The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) is studying the

FSC Chairman Wellington Koo CNA file photo

possibility of allowing the banking sector to open banks that operate exclusively online in a bid to strengthen financial technology in Taiwan, FSC Chairman Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said on Tuesday.

Speaking to the press, Koo said while many banks operating in Taiwan provide clients with online banking services, the country currently bans exclusive digital banks with no physical outlets.

However, in order to improve the competitiveness of the local banking sector, Koo said, the FSC needs to study the feasibility of opening pure digital banks in Taiwan, and has listed this as a priority policy for the commission in 2018.    [FULL  STORY]

Tsai nixes Shih’s minimum wage idea

SHAKING THE MONEYMAKERS: The president said that all employers she has met have told her they have made plans to increase their employees’ salaries this year

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 24, 2018
By: Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter

A proposal by Vice Premier Shih Jun-ji (施俊吉) to raise the minimum monthly wage to NT$30,000 by 2024 by 6 percent annual increments is a “mathematical” but impractical approach, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on Monday during a television interview.

Shih on Tuesday last week said that the goal of raising the minimum monthly wage to NT$30,000 could be achieved in four to six years if the amount is increased by between 6 and 8 percent every year.

Asked if she would pledge to raise the minimum salary to NT$30,000 by 2024, Tsai said the government could not impose such a goal on economic development.

“If the economic conditions are good, if businesses are able to afford raising pay, I believe the salaries will continue to go up even without making changes to the minimum wage,” Tsai said.    [FULL STORY]

Taiwan may include Bitcoin trading in anti-money laundering rules

FX Street
Date; Jan 22, 2018
By: Dhwani Mehta

Taipei-based Economic Daily News reported comments from the deputy minister of justice, Tsai Pi-chung, as saying that  Taiwan is looking into whether to include Bitcointrading platforms in its money laundering prevention rules.

Tsai Pi-chung added that a study report on the matter will be presented to the cabinet next month.

Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these securities. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Forex involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan workers eyeing jobs in Japan, US, S.E. Asia: Survey

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-01-22

A new survey shows 90% of employees in Taiwan want to change jobs after the Chinese New Year. That was the word from the Yes123 Internet job bank. That’s the highest level in nine years. Some 35% said that new changes to the labor laws – which give more flexibility to employers – had prompted the desire to change jobs.

According to the survey, about 82% of employees are considering working overseas. The top three preferred destinations are, in order: Japan, the United States, and Southeast Asia. Those were followed by: Hong Kong/Macau, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Europe, China, South Korea and India. This was the first time that Southeast Asia came in third on the list. A spokesperson for Yes123, Yang Tsung-bin, explains:
[FULL  STORY]

Museum in southwestern Taiwan exhibits Tibetan and Mongolian art and culture

Mei-Ling Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan’s southwestern county of Chiayi is holding an exhibition on Tibetan and Mongolian art and culture until February 10

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/01/22
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—Mei-Ling Fine Arts Museum (梅嶺美術館) in Taiwan’s

Dancers dressed in traditional Tibetan attire pose in front of a ger (By Central News Agency)

southwestern county of Chiayi is holding an exhibition on Tibetan and Mongolian art and culture until February 10.

The organizer had a ger built inside the museum as part of the exhibits to demonstrate the lifestyle of the Tibetan and Mongolian nomad.

During an address at the exhibition’s opening ceremony on Sunday, Chiayi County Magistrate Helen Chang （張花冠）said the Tibetan and Mongolian nomads advocate for nature and it’s hoped that this exhibition will enhance people’s knowledge about the nomads. Visitors can don the Tibetan and Mongolian costumes to experience part of the nomads’ lifestyle during the exhibition, Chang said.

Yang Chia- ming (楊嘉銘 ), an advisor at the Mongolian & Tibetan Culture Center, the Ministry of Culture, said the exhibition mainly features traditional costumes of Mongolia’s and Tibet’s multiple ethnic tribes as well as cultural wares and daily utensils, including the ger, Tibetan tent, Tibetan knifes, hair dresses, necklaces, and even Mongolian shamans’ clothing and masks.    [FULL  STORY]

President says she is fully committed to realizing ideas, ideals

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/01/22
By: Li Shu-hua, Ku Chuan and Ko Li

Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Monday evening that although her administration has not met her supporters’ expectations, she is nevertheless committed to carrying out her ideas and ideals.

“I believe I have not let my supporters down,” Tsai said during an interview hosted by Taiwanese media outlet Sanlih E-Television.

Speaking on the government’s controversial amendment to the Labor Standards Act, the president said although she was not entirely satisfied with the outcome, the reform still managed to strike a fair balance between employers and employees.
[FULL  STORY]

Premier will not to run for New Taipei City: lawmaker

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 23, 2018
By: Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter

While the New Taipei City mayoral seat will be a key indicator of the Democratic

Former premier Su Tseng-chang holds up a book about Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu written by author Lin Hsing-fei in Kaohsiung in an undated photograph.  Photo: Screen grab from Facebook

Progressive Party’s (DPP) performance in the local elections at the end of this year, there is no possibility of Premier William Lai (賴清德) running in the elections, DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) said yesterday.

With the DPP expected to secure re-election in Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan and Taoyuan, and working to prevent the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) from seizing Taipei, New Taipei City would be a major battleground between the two parties in the Nov. 24 election, Tuan said during a radio interview.

While the DPP might lose some cities to the KMT, a possible win in New Taipei City would be interpreted as a landslide victory for the DPP if the KMT fails to secure any of the six special municipalities, Tuan said.    [FULL  STORY]

Wanted Man Hides in Drain for 3 Hours

Taiwan English News
Date: January 20, 2018
By: Phillip Charlier

A man wanted for drugs-related offenses abandoned his vehicle and escaped up a storm-water drain until police hunted him down in Hsinchu County this morning.

Police stopped 52 year-old Mr Deng after he made an illegal right turn on a red light at around 7:00 am this morning. Deng supplied police false information about his identity, but then fled when he realized that police did not believe him. The suspect leaped over a guard rail off a low bridge, then crawled into a drainpipe.

Police called city sewer workers to assist, and spent 3 hours tracing the course of the drain and lifting drain covers in an attempt to locate the suspect.    [FULL  STORY]

Ting to Vie for Taipei Mayor

Formosa News
Date: 2018/01/21

After KMT lawmaker Chiang Wan-an’s shock announcement on Friday that he would not run for Taipei mayor, former KMT lawmaker Ting Shou-chung has officially thrown his hat into the ring. This morning Ting opened his campaign headquarters in the fifth attempt at running for Taipei mayor, with KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-pin, lawmakers and city councilors showing their support.

On the surface, it appears as if the only KMT politicians who plan to vie for this post are Ting and former Cabinet spokeswoman Cheng Li-wun. Meanwhile, the DPP’s strategy is still not clear. Currently only DPP lawmaker Pasuya Yao has expressed interest in running.     [SOURCE]