Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/03/04
By: Chang Jung-hsiang and Romulo Huang

Taipei, March 4 (CNA) The 2017 Taiwan International Orchids Show opened in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan on Saturday with the participation of exhibitors from 28 countries, the organizers of the exhibition said that day.

With the theme of “Discover Sustainable Orchids,” more than 20,000 blooming orchid plants are being displayed at the exhibition site which are divided into four main exhibition halls.

The annual exhibition, considered as one of the three main international orchid shows, aims to prosper the orchid industry, increase the global trade, foster general public’s interest in appreciating the beauty of orchids and promote tourism in Taiwan.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 05, 2017
By: Tseng Wei-chen and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

A draft bill aimed at reducing unlawful aggression by local organizations with known ties

to China would treat certain public disturbances as “foreign aggression,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said.

Wang’s remarks come following the alleged attempted assault of Hong Kong democracy advocate Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) in January by a group said to be led by Chang Wei (張瑋), the son of China Unification Promotion Party founder and former gang leader Chang An-le (張安樂).

Prosecutors on Friday indicted members of the group on charges of interfering with public functions.

Since the DPP took office in May last year, Chinese-influenced forces have repeatedly caused disturbances in Taiwan under the guise of legitimate demonstrations, Wang said.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-03-03

The culture minister, Cheng Li-chiun, has defended the decision to withdraw from sale Chiang Kai-shek

dolls from the late president’s memorial hall in Taipei.

Bobblehead likenesses of Chiang have been deemed inappropriate as they may seem to make light of the authoritarian legacy of his regime in Taiwan’s history. The government has made the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall a subject for transitional justice reforms. In the future, the hall and museum complex will emphasize the country’s progress from dictatorship to democracy.

On Friday, the culture minister said Chiang dolls would still be available elsewhere and that the effect on sales outlets at the memorial hall would be minor.

“We won’t be affecting other sales channels. If people want to buy [these dolls], they will still be able to buy them. They and related products are only being removed from the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Dolls and similar consumer products make up less than 10% of turnover for three stores on site, it’s around 9%, so the effect on overall revenue will not be large,” said Cheng.    [FULL  STORY]

Northerners have the best cold coping capacity, while southerners are more sensitive to temperature changes

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/03/03
By: Judy Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taipei, (Taiwan News)—Taiwan might be a small country, but people residing in the northern, central and

southern parts of the country’s “apparent temperatures” are similar to those from three different climate regions, say netizens.

“Apparent temperatures” represents how temperatures are perceived by people, during cold spells people might feel the weather is more frigid than the actual temperature shown on the thermometer.

Taiwanese illustrators Chico & Chica’s comic strip depicts the cold tolerance level of people from different regions of the island with northerners being the best at coping with the cold, those from central Taiwan in second, while southerners are least tolerant.

The mark for northerners to start feeling chilly is 10 degrees Celsius, 15 degrees Celsius for mid-Taiwan citizens, and 20 degrees Celsius for southerners.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/03/03
By: Yang Shu-min and Ko Lin

Taipei, March 3 (CNA) Three more farms were confirmed as infected with the highly pathogenic avian

influenza H5N2 virus, and another one each with H5N8 and sub-type H5 viruses on Friday. Meanwhile, poultry at two of the five farms has been culled, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said.

Since Jan. 1, 69 poultry farms in Taiwan have been confirmed as infected with highly pathogenic avian flu and 504,800 birds have been culled, the bureau said.

Currently, the number of farms confirmed as infected with H5N6, a virus transmittable to humans, stands at 11, it added.   [SOURCE]

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 04, 2017
By: Shih Hsiao-kuang and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

A spat between Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Central Policy Committee director Alex Tsai (蔡正元) and

former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) office entered day three yesterday after Tsai criticized Ma for comments about the 228 Incident.

Responding to calls to punish those responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people during the White Terror era following the 228 Incident, Ma on Monday said at an event marking the 70th anniversary of the Incident that because Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) was president at the time, he “should naturally be held accountable.”

The extent of Chiang’s responsibility was up to people to determine for themselves by studying public information, Ma said.

Tsai on Monday said that Ma is not in a position to assign responsibility for the 228 Incident, because he enjoyed “eight years of wealth and rank.”

“Ma’s small disciples” should be reminded that then-governor-general Chen Yi (陳儀), who ordered police and military action against protesters during the 288 Incident, was less corrupt than Ma, Tsai said, without saying who the “disciples” were.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: March 4, 2017
By: Joseph Yeh

Hollywood megastar Hugh Jackman had already had some experience with the passion of Taiwanese fans

when he visited the country 11 years ago, having received enthusiastic Taiwanese-style support.

But the actor, most famous for the role of Wolverine in the X-Men movie series, was still overwhelmed when he attended a fan meeting held in Taipei on Monday to promote his new movie “Logan.”

Thousands of fans braved the cold front, packing a plaza besides Taipei 101. It was so crowded that many fans climbed the walls of a nearby three-story parking lot, forcing the event host to remind everyone to be careful.

It was so busy that it took Jackman 30 minutes just to walk down the less than 100-meter red carpet, during which he happily interacted with fans, signing autographs and taking selfies while many attendees held up homemade posters.
[FULL  STORY]

Pan promised to launch a review and to address the oversight

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/03/02
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Shih Hsin University was recently lambasted for its infringement of academic freedom by signing letters of commitment with some Chinese academic institutions in which the school agreed to avoid any politically sensitive issues or activities in textbooks or classes in exchange for a partnership with certain Chinese schools on the student exchange program.

Taiwan education minister Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said Thursday that such agreements violate stipulations of Article 33-1 of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.

Shih Hsin’s lifelong learning center reportedly signed a controversial agreement on December 20, 2016, in exchange for 11 Chinese students to study at the school between February and June of this year. With that, the school is asked to keep students from any politically-sensitive courses and activities, in particular subject matter related to the One China, one Taiwan policy, the two-China policy and Independence of Taiwan, Liberty Times reported.    [FULL  STORY]