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Three Kaohsiung universities agree on merger plan

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 11, 2017
By: Wu Po-hsuan and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

National Kaohsiung Marine University and two other schools have agreed to merge, citing the need for a comprehensive marine sciences program.

The merger will lead to the establishment of National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST), from National Kaohsiung Marine University, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences and National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology.

Ministry of Education sources said the three universities would begin preparations for the merger next month, with plans to open the new university in February next year.

University administrators said they expect NKUST to have about 28,000 students, which they said would be the largest science and technology school in the nation.
[FULL  STORY]

Malaysian students: Taiwan wants you to work here

The’ China Post
Date: July 10, 2017
By: Sin Chew Daily/ANN

KUALA LUMPUR — As the government battles opposition to draft and pass laws

Deputy Education Minister Tsai Ching-Hwa (Sin Chew Daily/ANN)

easing the hiring of foreign professionals, Deputy Education Minister Tsai Ching-Hwa (蔡清華) has visited Malaysia to drum up interest there.

“We encourage Malaysians who graduate from local universities to work in Taiwan,” he told The China Post’s fellow Asia News Network member Sin Chew Daily.

But he added that they don’t necessarily need to have graduated from a Taiwanese university in order to be eligible to work here.

Tsai said the Labor Ministry launched a new assessment scheme for foreign students studying in Taiwan in July 2014. The scheme successfully increased the number of foreign students who remain in Taiwan to work after their graduation.
[FULL  STORY]

Wu Den-yih says not ‘soft’ on ex-officials’ China trips

CURBS:The tightening of rules on travel to China is based on an ‘assumption of guilt,’ Wu Den-yih said, adding that they are ‘overly stringent and inappropriate’

Taipei Timnes
Date: Jul 09, 2017
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairperson-elect Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday said he would

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman-elect Wu Den-yih, third left, holds a piece of calligraphy at a joint international art exhibition at Taipei’s Songshan Cihui Temple yesterday. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times

not put too much stock into KMT member Chang Ya-chung’s (張亞中) criticism that he was too “soft” on the Executive Yuan’s tightening of rules on former officials cognizant of sensitive information who plan to visit China.

The Executive Yuan on Thursday passed a draft amendment that introduces more stringent penalties for retired high-ranking military officers and senior political appointees who engage in political activities in China.

Under the draft amendment to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), former high-ranking military officers and political appointees are prohibited from participating in political activities in China for 15 years after they retire. Those who violate the regulation can have their monthly pension payments suspended or face a fine of up to NT$5 million (US$163,345).

According to the new regulations, military officers ranked lieutenant general or higher, deputy chiefs and chiefs of the National Security Bureau, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mainland Affairs Council and chiefs of intelligence agencies are prohibited from attending events and activities hosted by Chinese leaders and making gestures that harm the country’s national dignity, such as saluting flags and emblems, or singing songs that symbolize Chinese political power.    [FULL  STORY]

Deputy education minister talks Southbound Policy on Malaysia visit

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-07-08

Deputy Education Minister Tsai Ching-hwa has highlighted his ministry’s work to further ties with the countries of South and Southeast Asia.

Tsai was speaking Friday during the opening of a Taiwan higher education expo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

He said that his ministry’s work is meant to further the government’s New Southbound Policy, which calls for Taiwan to strengthen ties with both regions.    [FULL  STORY]

Regulations on oBike to be introduced soon: Taipei City Government

Occupying scooter parking or random public space has led the brand to controversies.

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/07/08
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The capital is drafting a proposal for regulating bike-renting systems to be

oBikes in public bike parking (Source: CNA)

submitted to the city council for reviews by the end of the year and implemented as soon as next year, said the Department of Transportation of Taipei City Government.

The proposal came after recent complaints were made against oBike, the Singaporean dockless bike-renting platform ushered into Taiwan this April. The system has now expanded to 10 cities and counties across Taiwan.

oBike offers an alternative to the public bike-renting systems managed by local governments, such as YouBike in the Taipei metropolitan area, but the behavior of some riders has led the brand to controversies, such as occupying parking spaces for scooters, or leaving the bike in random public space or no-parking areas.    [FULL  STORY]

Winning numbers of Saturday’s Taiwan lotteries

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/07/08
By: Chang Liang-chih and S.C. Chang

Taipei, July 8 (CNA) The winning numbers for Taiwan’s “Grand Fortune” lottery (大福彩) Saturday

CNA file photo

were 40, 26, 31, 16, 33, 23, 05 plus the special number 39, Taiwan Lottery Co. said.

Meanwhile, the “Jin Cai 539” (今彩539) lottery’s winning numbers were 26, 14, 04, 09 and 22, and the winning numbers for the “Three Star” (3星彩) and “Four Star” (4星彩) lotteries were 016 and 8679, respectively, it said.
[SOURCE]

Bidding process for naval frame supply to begin

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 09, 2017
By: Aaron Tu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Bidding to supply the frame of the navy’s new amphibious assault ship, priced at NT$3.6 billion (US$117.6 million), is to take place tomorrow, military sources said.

The first bidding in April failed to attract offers due to the low overall budget, sources said.

Despite minor revisions, the amount of allotted funding has not changed, the Ministry of National Defense said.

The project, codenamed Hong Yun, is to receive NT$6.2 billion in funding starting in 2021, of which NT$3.6 billion is allotted for the frame while the remaining funds are to be used for weapon and technical support systems, sources said.    [FULL  STORY]

Ma blasts ‘flimsy’ evidence; Chen Shui-bian a no-show

‘I AM NOT GUILTY’:The prosecutors are out of touch with reality, and based their case on flimsy evidence and hearsay, former president Ma Ying-jeou said

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 08, 2017
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Two former presidents embroiled in separate legal battles were summoned to courts yesterday.

Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), on medical parole, did not show up at the Taiwan High

Former president Ma Ying-jeou, left, leaves the Taipei District Court for lunch recess yesterday. He was attending a court hearing in a case over charges of leaking state secrets. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times

Court, while former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) defended himself at the Taipei District Court.

Tseng Te-shui (曾德水), the presiding judge at the Taiwan High Court, summoned Chen and his defense lawyers to appear at yesterday’s hearing for a retrial of allegations of bribe-taking and corruption during a series of bank mergers.

Chen and his attorney, Jerry Cheng (鄭文龍), applied beforehand to be absent from the hearing, while the two other lawyers, Shih Yi-lin (石宜琳) and Hung Kwei-san (洪貴參), said medical evaluation was not part of their professional training and they were unable to give opinions on Chen’s health situation.

Tseng proceeded with the hearing, despite Chen’s and his legal team’s absence, and reviewed video of Chen’s appearances at social functions.

Tseng said the former president had been walking and speaking in a normal manner, and that he had not seen signs of stuttering or impairment when talking with others.

“The video also showed Chen held conversations with other guests, was able to eat with chopsticks at dinner banquets and held a glass as a gesture of appreciation to other guests. His hands were not shaking as they did before,” Tseng said.    [FULL  STORY]

Tsai expresses concern over Kyushu floods

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-07-07

President Tsai Ing-wen has expressed her concern over the severe flooding that has affected

Huang said President Tsai has expressed concern over Kyushu floods. (CNA photo)

Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu.

At least three people are confirmed to have died and 20 people are missing after heavy rainfall on Wednesday caused rivers to burst their banks. Some 400,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, mainly in Fukuoka and Oita prefectures.

Presidential Office spokesperson Alex Huang relayed the president’s message on Friday:

“The president has been very concerned after learning [of the flooding]. This morning her concerns were expressed through Presidential Office secretary-general Joseph Wu to the head of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, Mikio Numata. The president and the people of Taiwan express their deepest concern and condolences. The secretary-general also conveyed to Mr Numata that we are willing to offer any assistance and hope the affected area can return to normal as soon as possible,” said Huang.

The BBC has reported that more than 7,000 rescue workers, including police officers and soldiers, have been sent to the affected area.    [SOURCE]

Does Taiwan’s education systems offer value for money?

It is the 5th most expensive on earth, but does Taiwanese education really offer value for money?

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/07/07
By: David Spencer, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

As the father of a toddler, my wife and I have been thinking a lot about the pros and cons of the

Math class at Chu Jen Junior High School in 2007. (By Wikimedia Commons)

Taiwanese education system of late as we try to decide whether to school our daughter here or back in the UK. We have spoken to teachers, parents, and students to learn their views.

So, the news that Taiwanese parents spend the 5th highest amount in the world on educating their children, is something that got me thinking about whether, given the huge outlay required, the Taiwanese education system really offers value for money.

In the UK, Taiwan enjoys a strong reputation for education, along with many other East Asian nations. Indeed, with the OECD ranking Taiwan as the joint-fourth best place in the world to get an education, many of our friends in the UK have assumed that we will want to educate here.

Andreas Schleicher, the OECD Education Director claims that their rankings allow countries “to compare themselves against the world’s education leaders, to discover their relative strengths and weaknesses, and to see what the long-term economic gains from improved quality in schooling could be for them.”    [FULL  STORY]