Page Three

Alleged rape by union leader to be probed

The China Post
Date: May 6, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Prosecutors are looking into a woman’s claims that she was sexually assaulted by a Taoyuan trade union leader and others.

The woman, whose alias on Facebook is “Ms. Y,” has accused Yao Kuang-chu, secretary general of the Taoyuan Confederation of Trade Unions, of sexually harassing and assaulting her when she was employed by the organization.

Ms. Y claims Yao is not the only one in the confederation who sexually assaulted her. She claims that she worked for the confederation for a year, and that the alleged perpetrators had forced her to state that the sexual acts had been consensual.

The city police’s Children and Women Protection Division said Friday they had started a probe on behalf of the district prosecutors and that social workers had tried to contact Ms. Y Thursday night to arrange an interview.    [FULL  STORY]

Premier pushes New Southbound policy

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-05-04

Premier Lin Chuan is calling for closer trade ties with countries targeted by the

The Cabinet is calling for closer trade ties with countries targeted by the government’s New Southbound policy.(CNA photo)

government’s New Southbound policy. The policy is aimed at promoting closer economic and cultural ties with Southeast Asian countries, as well as India, Australia and New Zealand.

Lin spoke at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, close to the one-year anniversary of the policy’s announcement. Cabinet spokesperson Hsu Kuo-yung spoke on behalf of the premier.
Hsu said, “The New Southbound policy is a very important government project. We must be practical in promoting it. This is especially true in the strengthening of trade relations and regional cooperation, and exchanges of human resources. Every ministry will need to plan and work with the office of economic and trade negotiations to implement these plans.”    [FULL  STORY]

Editorial: Even without an invite, Taiwan should travel to the WHA

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/05/04
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Certain international meetings involving Taiwan return each year on the calendar.

One, coming shortly after the summer closes, is the General Assembly of the United

Then-Health Minister Lin Tsou-yen at last year’s WHA. (By Central News Agency)

Nations, when Taiwan, unable to attend, tallies the number of diplomatic allies who spoke out in its favor.

Another is the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which not so much involves the question whether Taiwan will be allowed to participate, but who will represent the president.

A third such occasion, coming in spring, is the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.

For eight consecutive years, Taiwan received an invite from the secretariat of the World Health Organization to attend its decision-making body as an observer.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan recorded one new cancer case every 5 minutes, 6 seconds in 2014

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/04
By: Chen Wei-ting and Y.F. Low

Taipei, May 4 (CNA) One person was diagnosed with cancer in Taiwan every 5

CNA file photo

minutes and 6 seconds in 2014, 12 seconds faster than in the previous year, according to the latest available statistics released by the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) Thursday.

In 2014, Taiwan saw 103,147 new cancer patients, an increase of 4,004 from the previous year, the administration said.

For the ninth consecutive year, colon cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the country, followed by lung, breast, liver and oral cancer, in that order, the HPA said.    [FULL  STORY]

Demolition protesters block premier’s car

Taipei Times
Date: May 05, 2017
By: Abraham Gerber and Chen Wei-han / Staff reporters

Protesters blocked Premier Lin Chuan’s (林全) car and allegedly threw road cones at

Protesters clash with police on Jinan Road in Taipei yesterday. Photo courtesy of Daguan Self-help Group

it at his home in Taipei yesterday as they sought to halt a planned demolition of homes in New Taipei City.

About 12 students affiliated with the Taiwan Anti-Forced Eviction Alliance struggled with police as they blocked the car as it emerged from his residence, throwing themselves onto the hood before being dragged off by police.

The protesters called for Lin to “face the music.”

The group supports residents of the Daguan (大觀) community in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), with the community facing demolition ordered by a nearby military retirees’ home that owns the land.    [FULL  STORY]

US military espionage trial of Taiwan-born officer set to begin

The China Post
Date: May 5, 2017
By: AP

NORFOLK, Virginia – A military trial is set to begin for a Taiwan-born navy officer

In this Dec. 3, 2008, photo released by the U.S. navy, Lt. Edward Lin, a native of Taiwan, speaks in the U.S. (Sarah Murphy/U.S. Navy/AP)

accused of passing military secrets to China or Taiwan.
Lt. Cmdr. Stephanie Turo, a Navy spokeswoman, confirmed on Wednesday the espionage trial in Norfolk will begin Thursday.

Lt. Cmdr. Edward C. Lin is accused of failing to report foreign contacts and passing along secret national defense information. He is being held in a navy brig in Virginia.

Court documents do not reveal whom Lin is accused of spying for. But officials told The Associated Press last year that the country involved is China or Taiwan, and possibly both.

Civilian defense attorney Larry Younger declined to comment. Lin’s sister, Jenny Lin, wrote to members of Congress last year and said the Navy lacks evidence to support the charges.    [FULL  STORY]

Confidence in Tsai down as first year in office nears end: Survey

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-05-03

A new survey by online newspaper My Formosa shows that public confidence in President Tsai Ing-wen has fallen since she took office.

In the survey, 40% of respondents reported having confidence in the president whereas almost 44% say they are not confident. The largest drop in confidence was among those aged 20 to 29. Only 36% of respondents in this age bracket said they have confidence in Tsai, compared to 67% when she took office last May.

Meanwhile, overall satisfaction with Tsai’s performance sits at around 32%, while 57% of the public are dissatisfied. New Power Party lawmaker Hsu Yung-ming said during a radio interview Wednesday that compromises in Tsai’s reform agenda are drawing criticism.

“There might need to be some compromises at the end in some areas of reform. These compromises will leave both sides unhappy: those who are affected by reforms will feel that though you’ve made a compromise, you’ve still hurt their interests. And those who expect reforms will feel that you haven’t gone all the way and compromised in the middle,” Hsu said. “The labor law reform was one example of this: both employers and employees are not satisfied with it.”    [FULL  STORY]

Detained activist’s wife to focus on international help

Taipei Times
Date: May 04, 2017
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The wife of detained rights activist Lee Ming-che (李明哲) has told the BBC’s

Lee Ching-yu, the wife of human rights advocate Lee Ming-che, who is being detained in China, talks at a news conference in Taipei on April 4. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

Chinese-language Web site that she plans to seek international help to win her husband’s release instead of trying to reach a private understanding with Beijing.

In the interview, which was conducted late last month, but only released on Tuesday, Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜) talked about how she and her husband met and his health problems.

Lee Ching-yu said her appeals to the international community were aimed at maximizing the exposure for her husband’s case through the media and academics.

Lee Ming-che was detained by Chinese authorities after entering Zhuhai via Macau on March 19.    [FULL  STORY]

Gov’t infrastructure bill hits another roadblock

The China Post
Date: May 4, 2017
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Kuomintang (KMT) protests against the government’s Forward-

Lawmakers fight over a microphone cord at the Legislative Yuan on Wednesday, May 3, as the Kuomintang protests against the government’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development plan. (CNA)

looking Infrastructure Development plan took a musical turn Wednesday, with cymbals, gongs and whistles deployed as opposition lawmakers continued to bring a legislative review to a standstill.

The initial review of the draft of the Special Act for Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Plan was again ensnared in chaos, as opposition KMT legislators continued with a procedural blockage that had begun Tuesday.

The opposition legislators hurled slogans and insults at their ruling-party counterparts during a scheduled joint meeting of a legislative committee, with the review session making no progress as a cacophony of KMT lawmakers shouted “objection” after the agenda was confirmed.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s NGO provides sexual service for the severely disabled

Three free sessions are available qualified applicants

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/05/03
By: Maggie Huang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Sexuality and disability is a complicated issue. A small Non-Governmental Organization called “Hand Angels” in Taipei is solving a problem that many able bodied people may never think about. The volunteers are providing sexual services to the severely disabled.

The 52-year-old founder, Vincent, developed polio three months after he learned to walk. He said that he started up the organization because of his own difficult life journey. He told BBC in an interview: “Whenever I see disabled people like me, I feel for them. I see myself in them.”

While many developed countries have started paying attention to sexual needs of the disabled, sex is increasingly characterized as a right everyone should be able to enjoy. There are already many organizations providing sexual services for severely disabled people in some western countries and Japan.    [FULL  STORY]