The China Post
Date: May 8, 2017
By: By Stephanie Chao

In a turbulent period when the government is undertaking reforms of its own, a group

of doctors has opened a five-star private clinic in hope of instilling a new awareness among patients and enabling change in Taiwan’s medical environment.

Doctors’ Doctor Clinic is the brainchild of former National Taiwan University Hospital superintendent and National Taiwan University College of Medicine professor emeritus Lee Yuan-teh, along with a group of experienced middle-aged doctors and retired professors.

Their clinic, which began official operations in late April after a trial period, is located on the third floor of the Taipei World Trade Center’s International Trade Building, furnished with a low-key color scheme and warm lighting complemented by soft classical music. The clinic provides “expert clinics” overseen by middle-aged doctors and “professor clinics” by retired professors.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-05-06

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung says Taiwan’s exclusion from the World Health

Assembly (WHA) would be damaging to human rights. Chen was speaking on Saturday.

Efforts to secure an invitation to this year’s meeting after eight years of attending as an observer have yet to yield results. With the registration deadline approaching, Chen said Taiwan is still making necessary preparations for the assembly.

However, Chen said that even if Taiwan is not invited, Taiwanese representatives will still travel to Geneva. He said it is possible that they will hold an international press conference there.

Chen said these Taiwanese representatives will tell the international community that health is a basic human right that knows no borders.    [SOURCE]

Decision follows mass sick leave by 21 colleagues

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/05/06
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT, 遠東航空) announced

Saturday evening it was taking 17 laid-off flight attendants back after their colleagues disrupted flights earlier in the day.

The 17 had been sacked without warning after they had protested about a pay dispute with the company. Saturday morning, 21 of the 46 flight attendants due to work that day suddenly took sick leave, leading to the cancellation of flights to Harbin and Penghu and affecting hundreds of passengers.

In the evening, FAT issued a statement saying it welcomed the 17 to return to the company beginning Monday May 8 and to discuss their willingness to keep working at the airline and to reach a consensus about the payment issue. FAT also apologized to the passengers whose travel had been affected Saturday.
[FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: May 7, 2017
By: CNA

Pingtung Christian Hospital Vice President Lin Lien-feng (林連豐) shares his research findings on hepatitis C at a press event, Saturday, May 6. Lin said that hepatitis C treatment among prisoners in Pingtung has the relatively high success rate of 95 percent, largely because prisoners live in a closed and structured environment that supports their treatment. Unlike hepatitis C sufferers in the general population, prisoners have little chance of forgetting to take their medications, Lin said.
[SOURCE]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-05-05

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan’s top China policy-making body, says

the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should consider “structural cooperation.” That’s the word from MAC Deputy Minister Lin Cheng-yi on Friday.

Lin was speaking at the opening of a seminar on the 30th anniversary of cross-strait exchanges. Lin said China has unilaterally suspended systematic cross-strait negotiations but Taiwan is still working to keep the channels of communication open. Lin said the two sides should set aside their differences, find common ground and hold talks without preconditions.

Lin also urged China to jointly develop a new model of cross-strait interactions.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese organic food manufacturer caught selling expired almonds and cashews

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/05/05 19:14
By: Judy Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Kaohsiung

City prosecutors suspect Mother Nature (春橋田股份有限公司), a Taiwanese organic food manufacturer repackaged expired almonds, cashews, brown sugar and other raw materials which have entered organic food retail stores and have been consumed.

Expired food products confiscated from Mother Nature’s factory and company amounted to a total of 29 metric tons, and more than four company officials including company founder Hsu Li-ching (許立經) were detained by prosecutors, and are being held on NT$300,000 (US$ 9945) in bail.

Among the seven expired products, including cashews, almonds, brown sugar, and cereals that were being misleadingly labeled as “healthy organic foods,”it was found almond kernels (光之杏) sold by the company had the longest expiration, dating back to August 2009, said head of FDA Southern Taiwan Management Center Yang Chien-Hui (楊千慧).    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/05
By: Chen Chih-chung, Chang Che-fong and Y.F. Low

Taipei, May 5 (CNA) Many people in Taiwan are in favor of increasing the penalties

for drug-related offenses as a way to deter drug abuse, according to a survey released by a local non-profit organization Friday.

In the survey conducted by the Grassroots Influence Foundation, 84.14 percent of respondents agreed that drug abuse poses a serious social problem in Taiwan, but 75.48 percent said they do not support the idea of decriminalizing drug abuse.

To curb drug abuse, 44.61 percent of respondents expressed support for increasing the penalties for drug-related offenses to curb drug abuse, compared with 9.92 percent who said family education should be strengthened.    [FULL  STORY]

’CONTINGENCY’:Groups were incensed at a brochure by the Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee that equated ROC flag bearers to Islamic State militants

Taipei Times
Date: May 06, 2017
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said he would work out a solution “that

everyone can accept” with the International University Sports Federation on whether spectators at the Taipei Summer Universiade in August can bring the Republic of China (ROC) flag to sports venues to cheer for the national team.

The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) on Thursday reported that a brochure printed by the Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee on maintaining order during the Games has listed “pro-localization or pro-independence group members” who bring ROC flags to the sporting events as a “contingency” that could arise during the Universiade alongside Islamic State militants.

“People who strongly support localization or independence might exploit the public’s ignorance about the Olympic model and look for trouble by brandishing the national flag,” the brochure said.    [FULL  STORY]