Page Three

MOTC to raise penalties for traffic rule violations

PUNISHMENT:Drivers who engage in high-risk behavior are to be fined and required to attend a defensive driving course, which would be followed by a test they must pass

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 13, 2017
By: Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) is planning to increase penalties for reckless driving, with people violating traffic regulations to get more demerit points.

The government has been enforcing the demerit points system for more than a decade.

According to regulations, a driver would have their driver’s license suspended for one month if they accumulate six demerit points within six months. The driver would also need to attend a defensive driving course.

If a driver has their driving license suspended twice in one year, their license would be revoked if they commits the same violation again, according to regulations.
[FULL  STORY]

Rain, colder temps forecast islandwide

The China Post
Date: March 13, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

Prepare yourself for a wet start to the week.

Increased cloud cover from an approaching system will bring scattered showers to most

(CNA) Rain is expected for most of Taiwan starting Monday afternoon.

of Taiwan by Monday afternoon, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

Residents in Northern and Eastern Taiwan should be prepared for intensified rainfall in the evening hours.

Temperature wise, warm weather will continue to grace Taiwan until Tuesday. Highs of 25 C and above are forecast for northern Taiwan, while areas of the south and Taitung could see temperatures reaching 28 to 31 C. It’s best to have a light jacket handy in the evening as large temperature drop offs are expected in the north.    [FULL  STORY]

CAA seeks to expand potential penalties for airlines

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-03-11

The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) is working to expand the penalties it can impose on airlines.

The move comes in response the sudden dissolution of TransAsia Airways last year. After months of losses brought on by two fatal accidents, the airline halted operations in late-November without giving prior notice. The unexpected shutdown and the airline’s subsequent dissolution affected thousands of passengers.

For the unauthorized shutdown, the CAA fined the airline NT$3 million (US$97,000), the maximum allowed under the current Civil Aviation Act.

Deputy CAA head Fang Chih-wen now says the CAA plans to draft an amendment to the law. The draft amendment is to be completed within the year. Fang said the CAA will need to discuss the specifics of new penalties with lawyers, the justice ministry, and airlines before work on the draft amendment is finished.    [FULL  STORY]

Opinion: Take heed of ‘one-China’ academic agreements and be armed with sense of danger

To be objective, if those academic agreements are intended to steer students away from the separatism ideology, their clauses should also have labeled discussion of “cross-strait unification” and “one China” issues as no-no.

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/03/11
By: Qui Square, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

It can only be labeled as “unbelievable” the academic agreements several Taiwanese

The photo shows Chung Hua University (Image courtesy of ehu.edu.tw)

universities have entered with their Chinese counterparts not to touch controversial political issues regarding relations across the Taiwan Strait, especially the issue of Taiwan independence, during instruction when there are Chinese students present in any class.

Whether these domestic universities were conscious of the political ramification behind the so-called academic “one-China” agreements or not, the fact that the blatant mistakes were committed by universities, where freedom of learning and research should be regarded as the Holy Grail, was just mind-boggling.

China asked the content of the agreements must include such wording as “course content must not involve any politically sensitive activities or any ‘one Taiwan, one China’, ‘two Chinas’ and ‘Taiwan independence’ activities” as well as “content of learning should not intentionally direct students to get involved in contentious cross-strait political issues.” The compulsory wording itself is objectionable and smacks of speech censorship.    [FULL  STORY]

Cabinet reaffirms goal of phasing out nuclear power by 2025

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/03/11
By: Yu Hsiao-han and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, March 11 (CNA) Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) reiterated on

(CNA file photo)

Saturday that the government’s goal of phasing out nuclear power in Taiwan by 2025 remains unchanged, as protesters held anti-nuclear power rallies around the country.

Hsu said the government will brief the public about its plans later this month, including ways to increase the amount of electricity generated from renewable sources nationwide to 20 percent by 2025.

Other issues such as handling nuclear waste, upgrading to more efficient thermal power plants and steps to decommission the country’s three active nuclear power plants will also be addressed, added state-run utility Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) in a statement.
[FULL  STORY]

Chinese official offers hope on ties

’NEW LANGUAGE:’The All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots president said that he hopes relations ‘start to warm’ following a change of tone in a new CCP report

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 12, 2017
By: Reuters, BEIJING

China plans to formulate “new language” toward relations with Taiwan when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) holds a key congress later this year, a senior Chinese official said on Friday, holding out hope for an improvement in strained ties.

China has heaped pressure on Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office last year, cutting off a formal dialogue mechanism and taking two of the nation’s diplomatic allies in Africa.

China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, suspecting she wants to push for formal independence, a red line for Beijing, although she says she wants to maintain peace with China.

Speaking on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China’s largely rubber-stamp parliament, All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots president and National People’s Congress member Wang Yifu (汪毅夫) said he had always been optimistic about relations with Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Texting employees after hours comes at a price

The China Post
Date: March 12, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — In the first arbitration ruling of its kind in Taiwan, New Taipei City on Saturday awarded NT$2,598 in overtime pay to an employee who had to send work-related messages via Line after regular office hours.

The Labor Affairs Department under the New Taipei City Government announced the decision yesterday of the arbitration case lodged in 2015 by a New Taipei resident who worked for an electronics parts manufacturer and was laid off.

Upon being fired, the ex-employee asked for overtime pay, including for messages sent to management and co-workers after work hours via the popular messaging app Line.

The company had argued that it owed the worker only NT$200 in a monthly phone subsidy.    [FULL  STORY]

National Palace Museum launches two-pronged promotion plan

Taiwan Today
Date: March 10, 2017

Taiwan’s National Palace Museum unveiled March 8 a two-pronged promotion plan

NPM Director Lin Jeng-yi unveils the museum’s new promotion plan to boost international competitiveness and local recognition March 8 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of NPM)

aimed at reinventing the institution through increasing its international competitiveness and bolstering local recognition of its resources, with NPM Director Lin Jeng-yi stating that the initiative will enhance the museum’s professionalism while ensuring its sustainable development.

To further its international reach, NPM will work to strengthen cooperation with prominent museums around the world by integrating resources from various government agencies. It will also promote local culture and heritage abroad by creating a new cooperation mechanism, forging partnerships with overseas institutions and pursuing the signing of memorandums of understanding.

These efforts are expected to further diversify the sources of foreign visitors. According to NPM statistics, the museum, which received 4.67 million total visits in 2016, experienced a shift in its visitor profile last year.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan sets goal of 20% electricity from renewables by 2025

President Tsai reiterates commitment to have 20% of Taiwan’s energy supplied by renewables by 2025

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/03/10
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) Thursday reiterated Taiwan’s

Samuel Leupold, executive at Dong Energy (Left), and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文, right).(By Central News Agency)

commitment to have 20 percent of the nation’s energy supply provided by renewables by 2025 while speaking with executives from a Danish energy company.

“Last year, the percentage of renewables in Taiwan’s energy mix reached 4.8%, the highest in our history. But this level is still too low. Our plan is to reach 20% by 2025,” said Tsai during a meeting with Samuel Leupold, executive vice president of wind power at Dong Energy of Denmark.

Tsai said that the government is going to take steps to reduce the country’s reliance on nuclear and fossil fuels, while taking measures to develop alternative energy sources.
[FULL  STORY]

19 types of baking oil products recalled

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/03/10
By: Liu Chien-pang and Y.F. Low

Taipei, March 10 (CNA) A manufacturer of baking oils and fats in Taoyuan City has been

(Photo courtesy of Taoyuan Department of Public Health)

ordered to recall 19 types of its products that allegedly were made with expired ingredients, the city government said Friday.

During a raid of a factory operated by Far East Oil Mills Co. Wednesday, prosecutors and health officials seized 19 categories of products totaling 906,000 kilograms, including margarine and shortening, that were processed with anhydrous milkfat and margarine that had passed their expiration dates, according to the city’s Department of Public Health.

Health officials also sealed five tanks containing 43,000 kilograms of oil that had exceeded its expiration date, the department said.    [FULL  STORY]