Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/25
By Christie Chen

Taipei, May 25 (CNA) Hollywood movie star Tom Cruise said he is thrilled to visit Taiwan

for the fourth time and expressed hope that moviegoers will enjoy his new action-horror film “The Mummy.”

“I’m very, very excited to be here. This is my fourth time in this country and I receive such a warm welcome every time. It’s really very special for me,” Cruise said at a press conference in Taipei, which was also attended by co-stars Sofia Boutella and Annabelle Wallis and the film’s director Alex Kurtzman.

Cruise said “The Mummy” offers a different take on what constitutes a monster film.

Horror is different today than it used to be, he said, adding that it is important for storytellers to recognize that people are terrified by monsters but also intrigued and seduced by them.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: May 25, 2017
By: The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Chu Ke-liang’s last bow on the silver screen, “Hanky Panky,” will be

rereleased in theaters Friday with never-before-seen footage — but for one day only.

The tribute to the actor and comedian, who died of cancer earlier this month, includes a scene showing Chu’s character (“Brother Diao”) sending off Huang Xin-yu (played by Amber Hsieh) before she heads abroad, which didn’t make the original release.

“All portions of the film were cherished, but we had to cut some parts out due to length and the overall pace of the film,” director Huang Chao-liang said.

In recent days, members of Taiwan’s film industry have gathered signatures for a petition to award Chu a lifetime achievement award at the next Golden Horse Awards — the Chinese-language equivalent of the Oscars.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/05/24
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is calling for public

support for Taiwanese designer Justin Chou (周裕穎). The up and coming designer is competing against talented designers from 44 countries in the “Global Emerging Designers Contest” held by fashion magazine ELLE.

Despite describing himself as someone who lacks fashion sense, Ko is working hard to solicit votes for Chou through his personal Facebook account. He noted that Chou, who advanced to the top eight with his unique embroidery outfits, is locked in fierce competition with contestants from Malaysia, Brazil, and Serbia. He urges everyone to cast the ballot for the local budding designer via the online platform before June 1.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/24
By: Yu Hsiao-han, Chen Chi-chung and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, May 24 (CNA) Groups opposed to gay marriage in Taiwan protested Wednesday against a Constitutional Court ruling on same-sex marriage, accusing the grand justices of dereliction of duty and infringement on legislative authority.

The groups called for the Control Yuan to launch an investigation into the grand justices that examined the case, claiming they had colluded with pro-gay marriage groups to give a constitutional interpretation in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage.

Earlier in the day, the court said in its ruling that the Civil Code provisions that do not allow same-sex marriage are unconstitutional and it asked the government to amend the relevant laws within two years to ensure the marriage rights of gay couples.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 25, 2017
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Former vice president and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman-elect Wu

Den-yih (吳敦義) on Tuesday said it is likely that he could meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) later this year.

Asked if he would visit China after he becomes KMT chair on Aug. 20, Wu said the most likely time for such a trip, and a meeting with Xi, would be at the KMT-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forum.

He said that he would follow the established mechanisms for such meetings.
Since there is a precedent for the party leaders to meet at the forum, such a meeting could take place “naturally,” he said.

This year’s KMT-CCP forum is to be held soon, Wu said.

KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) met with Xi during last year’s forum in early November.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: May 24, 2017
By: Taipei, CNA

Ho Min-cheng (何敏誠), who started the petition, said Chen, who served as

Taiwan’s president from 2000-2008, had made great contributions to the country and should not be “insulted” by having to live as a convicted criminal.

Ho cited several infrastructure projects completed in Taichung during Chen’s term of office as evidence of his “great contributions” to Taiwan and reason for pardoning him.

“A former president who has done so much for this country should not be imprisoned. His shame is the shame of all Taiwanese,” Ho said, calling on the government to unconditionally pardon Chen.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/23
By: Chu Che-wei and Lilian Wu

Taipei, May 23 (CNA) Taiwan repatriated seven illegal Chinese immigrants on Tuesday,

just days before the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival, which falls this year on May 30.

In line with protocol set out under the Kinmen Accord, the repatriation operation took place on the outlying island of Matsu, witnessed by personnel from the Red Cross Societies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Among the seven people repatriated, four are members of a fraud ring.

The four took a boat to Keelung harbor from China’s Fujian Province in September last year. They then began their fraud operations in Taipei, targeting middle-aged women. They would meet their victims in person and persuade them to hand over cash and other valuables in the name of helping members of their families out of hard times.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-05-23

The head of Taiwan’s external trade office, James Huang, says India offers opportunities

for Taiwanese businesses. Huang was speaking Tuesday while being interviewed alongside India’s representative to Taiwan.

India is one of the major target countries of the government’s New Southbound policy. Huang said that the inclusion of South Asian countries like India is one of the main factors separating the New Southbound policy from the earlier Southbound policy, which focused solely on Southeast Asia.

Huang discussed India’s rapid economic growth, the size of its population, and its young demographic. He said India can become an important market for Taiwan over the next 20 years if Taiwanese businesses are able to seize their chance.    [FULL  STORY]