Page Three

Almost 80% of employers plan wage raises at average 4.7%: poll

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/18
By: Chiu Po-sheng and Frances Huang 

Taipei, Dec. 18 (CNA) Almost 80 percent of employers in Taiwan are planning to raise wages next year amid continued optimism that the local economy is on the road to recovery, according to the results of a survey released Monday by an online job bank.

In addition, the average wage hike employers have agreed to for next year will hit 4.7 percent, the survey shows.

The planned wage hike for 2018 is higher than the average of a 3.9 percent increase in 2017, the job bank said.

It said many employers expressed optimism about the local economy after the government and several leading think tanks forecast that Taiwan’s gross domestic product (GDP) will grow at a pace of more than 2 percent.    [FULL  STORY]

Military upgrades cyberwarfare unit: official

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 19, 2017
By: Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The military’s Cyberwarfare Group has been renamed the Cyberwarfare Wing after an expansion and reorganization to meet rising Chinese cyberthreats, a defense official said on Sunday.

A unit of the Information and Electronic Warfare Command, the wing saw an increase in personnel from less than 600 to between 800 and 1,200, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The wing is the only military formation outside of the air force that is organized as a wing, a basic deployable unit of maneuver roughly equivalent to an army or marine brigade or a naval fleet, the official said.

Wing Commander Colonel Chen Yung-shun (陳永順) has been combing the nation’s higher education institutions to find recruits with the appropriate skill sets for the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, the official said.    [FULL  STORY]

Thrilling hikes alongside face-sized spiders in Taiwan’s version of Yosemite

TAROKO NATIONAL PARK, TAIWAN

Los Angeles Times
Date: Dec 17, 2017
By: Christopher Reynolds

Taroko National Park, once of Taiwan’s most popular parks, includes dramatic Taroko Gorge. Trails, tunnels and bridges lead visits through a tropical mountain landscape along and above the gorge’s Liwu River.

Before I tell you about the Zhuilu Old Trail, I should confess that the day before I got there, I failed my first Taiwanese test of fortitude.

Guide Steven Chang and I were hiking alongside the Shakadang River in Taroko National Park, a medley of gorges, mountains, jungles and waterfalls that is Taiwan’s tropical answer to Yosemite.    [FULL  STORY]

Cold air mass brings new wave of pollutants: EPA

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-12-17

Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) says the arrival of a cold air mass on Saturday brought with it increased air pollutants.

The EPA cautioned residents of the offshore islands of Matsu, Kinmen and Penghu about the impact of haze on Sunday. The administration also warned people in parts of southern Taiwan about increased dust emissions along local rivers.

The arrival of the cold air mass on Saturday raised the density of PM2.5 particulates across northern Taiwan, but air pollution across Taiwan proper improved on Sunday morning.

An EPA official said that as wind speeds slowed down late on Sunday, the impact of the pollution also fell.    [FULL  STORY]

Study of Taiwanese women; sleep problems may contribute to infertility

The research also showed a strikingly low number of Taiwanese women developed infertility problems

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/12/17
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A 10 year longitudinal study on Taiwanese women has revealed that infertility presents a likely correlation with sleep disorders.

The study was conducted by a team researchers led by Dr. I-Duo Wang of the Tri-Service General Hospital and National Defense Medical Center in Taipei.

It was conducted over the years 2000 to 2010 on 16,718 women that had been recently diagnosed with sleep disorders before the start of the research. For comparison, a group of 33,436 women who did not have sleeping problems were also monitored for the research.

The average age of women at the start of the study was 35 years old, with the minimum age of participants being 20, and the oldest being 45, according to the research paper.
[FULL  STORY]

Chinese military reconnaissance and tactical aircraft circle Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/17
By: Lu Hsin-hui and William Yen

Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) military reconnaissance and

Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense

electronic warfare aircraft circled Taiwan Sunday, flying through the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines, and then through the Miyako Strait, between Japan’s Miyako and Okinawa Islands, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND).

According to a MND press release, National Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) took command at the joint operations command center and monitored naval and aerial intelligence on the PLA aircraft maneuvers.

While planes and ships were dispatched to safeguard Taiwan’s sea and airspace, the MND reassured the people of Taiwan that the situation was under control, according to the MND.
[FULL  STORY]

FEATURE: Internet could play key role in local elections

‘INTERNET WATER ARMIES’: KMT politicians tend to hire professionals to manage their Facebook pages, while the DPP tends to rely on internal teams, a consultancy owner said

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 18, 2017
By: Yang Chun-hui and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

In addition to visiting electoral districts and expanding their local influence, people hoping to run in next year’s local elections have been placing an emphasis on digital strategies to engage with younger voters.

The nine-in-one elections are to take place either on Nov. 24 or Dec. 1 next year, pending a final decision by the Central Election Commission.

More young people are using Facebook as their main communication platform and consider Professional Technology Temple (PTT) — the nation’s largest online academic bulletin board — an important channel for news and political discussions, and politicians are giving more consideration to their Facebook pages, and online trends and discussions.

Politicians such as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡), who is seeking party nomination to run for New Taipei City mayor, and Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), spokeswoman of former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) office who is seeking nomination from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to run for Taipei city councilor, have posted videos and photos, and engaged with voters through live streams on Facebook.
[FULL  STORY]

Possible port visits to Taiwan by US warships angers Beijing

Asia Times
Date: December  17, 2017
By: Emanuele Scimia 

The United States may re-establish port-of-call exchanges in Taiwan for warships of both countries, a move that has brought a strong protest from the Chinese government.

The controversial idea is contained in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2018, which President Donald Trump signed into law last Tuesday. Congressmen on Capitol Hill called on the commander-in-chief to consider resuming regular port-of-call exchanges between the United States Navy and its Taiwanese counterpart.

Beijing immediately lodged a formal protest with Washington. Now it is up to Trump to decide whether US naval vessels will dock at Taiwan ports in the future. Taiwanese leaders likely would gladly barter port visits by US warships for the possibility of buying US-made submarines. But in military terms, mutual port calls and subsurface combat assets are of equal importance to the security of the island.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan rescue team on standby after Indonesia earthquake

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-12-16

A search and rescue team from New Taipei is on standby to help in the aftermath of a 6.9 earthquake that struck Indonesia late Friday.

The earthquake hit the western part of the Indonesian island of Java, killing at least one and leaving many injured. A large number of buildings in the area reportedly collapsed during the earthquake, with others left damaged.

The New Taipei-based search and rescue team says it has experience responding to earthquakes in Taiwan. The team says it has put together a group of 37 rescuers and two rescue dogs along with an array of search and rescue equipment. It also says it is ready to leave for Indonesia at any time, and is awaiting instructions from the National Fire Agency.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry says that according to its initial understanding, no Taiwanese nationals were killed in the earthquake. A foreign ministry spokesperson says that Taiwan’s representative office in Indonesia will remain in close contact with Indonesian authorities.    [SOURCE]

Taiwan’s Executive Yuan releases report on ‘Eliminating Discrimination Against Women’

The report covers data in Taiwan from 2013 to 2016, highlighting government efforts to promote women’s rights

Taiwan News  
Date: 2017/12/16
By: Taiwan Today,Agencies

TAIPEI (Taiwan Today) –The Executive Yuan released Dec. 14 its third national report on

(Image: Pixabay)

the implementation of the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), highlighting efforts by the government between 2013 and 2016 in promoting women’s rights on all fronts.

According to the Cabinet-level Gender Equality Committee, Premier Lai Ching-te said during a review meeting of the report Nov. 30 that gender equality is a universal value and also one of the country’s fundamental principles.

No one should be subject to unfair treatment because of their gender, religious beliefs, ethnic origins or cultural background, the premier said, adding that it is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone can live in an environment free of discrimination and prejudice.    [FULL  STORY]