Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/14
By: Kuan Jui-ping and William Yen

Taipei, Dec. 14 (CNA) A delegation from the Kingdom of Swaziland’s Ministry of Foreign

Photo courtesy of Taiwan Hakka Culture Development Center

Affairs and International Cooperation visited the Taiwan Hakka Museum in Miaoli, central Taiwan on Thursday, and were surprised to find that the phrase “thank you” in Hakka is very similar to that in their native tongue, “Siyabonga,” according to the center’s director.

The delegation which included Minister Mgwagwa Gamedze, Principal Secretary Joel Nhleko, Ambassador Thamie Dlamini and other dignitaries was accompanied by Jeremy Liang (梁洪昇), director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Protocol.

The museum, under the Taiwan Hakka Culture Development Center arranged for local children from Tunglo Elementary School to tie Hakka style scarfs around the guests’ necks and recite a Hakka nursery rhyme.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date  Dec 15, 2017
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said the Taipei District

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alicia Wang, left, yesterday criticizes the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for leaking information about a probe into the party’s sale of assets while former president Ma Ying-jeou served as party chairman at a news conference in Taipei as KMT Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu looks on.  Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

Prosecutors’ Office has become a weapon of political persecution and urged the Ministry of Justice to explain why details about an ongoing investigation into former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) alleged underselling of former state-run enterprises were leaked to the media.

Prosecutors should not apply double standards in their adherence to the principle of nondisclosure of details on cases under investigation, KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.

Lee was referring to a lawsuit that Ma filed against Chief Prosecutor Shing Tai-chao (邢泰釗) and head prosecutor Wang Hsin-chien (王鑫健), who Ma said had illegally leaked “distorted” details on the KMT’s sale of Central Motion Pictures Corp, Broadcasting Corp of China and China Television Co to reporters, leading to false media reports.    [FULL  STORY]

Chinese media circles ‘Taiwan mountains’ on image from ‘island encirclement patrol’

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/12/13
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Images of Chinese warplanes on Monday appearing to fly within

Mountains of Taiwan supposedly circled in red. (Weibo image)

view of Taiwan’s mountains have been posted by Chinese media sites on Weibo, causing much consternation and concern in Taiwan, if they indeed were that close.

People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) spokesman Colonel Shen Jinke said on Monday (Dec. 11), that a group of aircraft composed of Xian H-6 Bombers, Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, Shenyang J-11 fighter jets, Tupolev Tu-154 reconnaissance planes, and an air refueling tanker conducted a routine “island encirclement patrol” to “safeguard national sovereignty.”

Chinese media outlets then embellished the story by posting images on Weibo of the warplanes with what appears to be mountains in the distant background, which are circled in red and then described as “Taiwan’s mountains.”    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-12-13

Premier William Lai says that the government is taking steps to fight air pollution caused

Air pollution can be a particular problem in central and southern parts of Taiwan, like in the southern city of Kaohsiung, pictured here. (CNA file photo)

by power plants. Lai was speaking Wednesday before attending an international energy forum.

Responding to suggestions that the government might develop nuclear power, Lai said the government will instead make amending the Air Pollution Control Act a priority. The Tsai Ing-wen administration has made eliminating nuclear power by 2025 an important plank of its domestic policy.

Lai said that government will use tools like an amended law on air pollution to help clean up Taiwan’s air.

Lai also said the percentage of Taiwan’s power generated from coal-fired plants is expected to drop, while the amount of power derived from natural gas will rise. At the same time, he said facilities and equipment meant to cut down on pollution will be installed at power plants. Taiwan will also bring in coal that has been treated to reduce sulfide levels.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/13
By: Ku Chuan and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) Taiwan has no plan to follow the United States’ lead and recognize

CNA file photo

Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and does not intend to move its representative office in Israel from Tel Aviv, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said Wednesday.

Antonio Chen (陳俊賢), director-general of the ministry’s Department of West Asian and African Affairs, made the remarks in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement on Dec. 6 that the United States formally recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and plans to relocate its embassy there.

When asked by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) at a legislative hearing whether Taiwan recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Chen said “No,” adding that the representative office in Israel remains in Tel Aviv.    [FULL  STORY]

NewsWeek
Date: 12/12/17
By: Christyina Zhao and Reuters

China’s military sent fighter jets, bombers and surveillance aircraft to patrol the self-

China unveils its J-20 stealth fighter during an air show in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China, on November 1, 2016. The Chinese air force conducted patrols on Monday near Taiwan amid invasion threats from a senior Chinese diplomat.
REUTERS

governed island of Taiwan on Monday.

The “island encirclement patrol” took place after a senior Chinese diplomat threatened that Beijing would invade Taiwan if any U.S. warships made port visits there.

Aircraft, including H-6K bombers, spy jets and Su-30 and J-11 fighter jets, were all part of the aerial mission in which the jets flew over the Miyako Strait in Japan’s south and the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines.

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Shen Jinke, an Air Force spokesman, described the patrols as “routine” and “planned” to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity on the military branch’s microblog. He added that the sea patrols aim to “test real combat capabilities” of the forces.
[FULL  STORY]

As the foliage has not yet totally turned red, members of the public are advised to plan ahead to visit the place in two or three weeks to catch its peak color.

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/12/12
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—As the calendar moves into late autumn, the leaves of deciduous

File photo of deciduous cypresses at Lishan Farmers Square in Taipei’s Nangang District. (Photo courtesy of GEO)

cypresses at Lishan Farmers Square (麗山農民廣場) in Taipei’s Nangang (南港）District are changing colors. As the foliage has not yet totally turned red, members of the public are advised to plan ahead to visit the place in two or three weeks to catch its peak color.

According to the Development Association of Jiuru Community, where the deciduous cypresses are located, the trees will achieve peak color in two or three weeks.

The deciduous cypresses surrounding Lishan Farmers Square in Jiuru Community are beautiful in form and the leaves are delicate and soft like feathers. When the Northeast Monsoon arrives, the leaves turn from green to yellow, yellow to orange, and orange to red. The changes in the colors are dazzling, according to Taipei’s Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO).    [FULL  STORY]