Page Three

Ma wins defamation lawsuit on ‘Ting Hsin donation’

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 31, 2016
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

The Taipei District Court yesterday handed former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) a victory in his defamation lawsuit against veteran media personality Wu Tzu-chia (吳子嘉), vice chairman of my-formosa.com (美麗島電子報), who alleged that Ma and his campaign team received a NT$1 billion (US$30.98 million) off-the-books donation from Ting Hsin International Group.

Saying Wu failed to provide evidence to support his allegations, the court ordered him to pay Ma NT$1.8 million in damages and to issue a public apology statement in the nation’s major newspapers.

It was the first ruling on the case, and the decision can be appealed.

The compensation was far lower than the NT$3 million in punitive damages asked.    [FULL  STORY]

MRT lays out measures for New Year’s Eve

The China Post
Date: December 31, 2016
By: CNA

TAIPEI — Trains on Taipei’s metro will run for 42 hours non-stop in light of anticipated crowds attending countdown parties near Taipei City Hall, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. (TRTC), which operates the system, said on Friday.

The company said the metro system will operate from 6 a.m. Saturday to 11:59 p.m. on New Year’s Day, with the exceptions of Xiaobitan Station and Xinbeitou Station.

It urged passengers to use the three major lines (Bannan Line, Tamsui-Xinyi Line and Songshan-Xindian Line) to reach and leave the venue.

Revelers are also advised to avoid using the Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101/World Trade Center stations, as trains may not stop there during peak hours, it said.

Instead, the public could use nearby stops including Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Xinyi Anhe and Nanjing Sanmin stations, according to the company.

The train intervals will be an average of 2 minutes, 28 seconds on the Bannan Line throughout the traffic control period.    [FULL  STORY]

NSB urges ex-agents to avoid travel to China

The China Post
Date: December 30, 2016
By: Joseph Yeh

The National Security Bureau (NSB) recently urged retired secret agents not to travel to mainland China, even if their government-imposed travel restriction has expired.

The suggestion was issued to protect the safety of such former agents, as authorities in China have no statute of limitations when it comes to arresting those suspected of spying for Taiwan, NSB deputy Director-General Kuo Chung-hsin (郭崇信) told reporters Thursday, before attending a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.

Kuo confirmed that bureau chief Peng Sheng-chu (彭勝竹) had recently sent an official document to retired NSB staff to advise against traveling to mainland China.

According to local media reports, Peng said in the document issued earlier this month that many retired NSB personnel had been summoned or questioned by Chinese authorities while on trips to China.

Given ongoing tensions between Taiwan and mainland China, Kuo said the ministry had advised retired intelligence officers against visiting mainland China because Chinese authorities can question them if they wish to do so.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan meets a new military environment

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/12/29
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The past few weeks has seen increased military activity by China’s People Liberation Army.

President Xi Jinping has never made it a secret that he is taking an aggressive stance on the island disputes in the South China Sea, but his military’s recent moves seem to have brought him closer to Taiwan.

Over the past few days, China sent its only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, into the Taiwan Strait from north to south, eventually ending up at the island of Hainan. That came hard on the heels of air force maneuvers bringing jet aircraft close to Taiwan on several sides. The publication of the picture of a Chinese bomber jet apparently close to an unspecified Taiwanese mountain gave rise to the perception that the Chinese military could move around the island with impunity.

The incidents gave further rise to the impression that the world is growing more dangerous, leading to more uncertainty as China pushes its agenda to build more aircraft carriers, expand into the Pacific Ocean and challenge the United States.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan has measures to deal with drop in Chinese tourists

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/12/29
By: Kao Chao-fen and Elaine Hou

Taipei, Dec. 29 (CNA) Taiwan has measures in place to deal with the precipitous fall-off in the number of

MAC deputy head Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) (CNA file phto)

Chinese tourists in the wake of increasingly strained cross-strait relations, a Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) official said Thursday.

Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正), deputy head of the Cabinet-level MAC, said at a news conference that the government “has prepared for the worst” and has countermeasures to deal with the likely continued low number of Chinese tourists next year.

Chiu was responding to questions about the sharp decline in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan over the year.

He reiterated that the government has not changed its position that Chinese tourists are welcome to visit Taiwan and remains committed to improving the quality of the local tourism sector.   [FULL  STORY]

KMT blasts envoy over ‘Nazi’ criticism

SYMBOLIC GESTUREKMT Legislator Alicia Wang has demanded that Representative to Germany Shieh Jhy-wey return to Taiwan and pledge his allegiance to the ROC flag

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 30, 2016
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday accused Representative to Germany Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) of “inciting hostilities between political parties” by attributing a recent Nazi costume controversy to a lack of transitional justice in Taiwan.

KMT caucus secretary-general Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) told a news conference at the legislature that as a representative of the nation, “Shieh’s duty is to protect the nation’s topmost interests and to let the involved countries understand our stance, rather than causing misunderstanding and other potential controversies.”

“Shieh is no longer a political talk show host [as he once was],” Chiang said, adding that the envoy’s remarks have tainted his diplomatic status.

Chiang called on Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) to rein Shieh in, but added that the minister would probably not be able to do so, because Shieh has President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on his side.   [FULL  STORY]

Balmy weather forecast for New Year’s weekend

The China Post
Date: December 30, 2016
By: CNA

TAIPEI– With a weakening cold front, people in Taiwan can expect warm and balmy weather as they ring

Taipei residents are seen in this file photo donning thick jackets amid a cold spell, which is set to lift on New Year’s Day. (CNA)

in 2017, with a high of 28 degrees Celsius forecast for Central and Southern Taiwan on New Year’s Day, the Central Weather Bureau said Thursday.

As the cold air mass began weakening on Thursday, temperatures could shoot up for much of Taiwan from Friday through New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, the bureau said.

On New Year’s Day, western Taiwan will see clear skies, while intermittent rain is forecast for the eastern part of the island, according to the bureau.

The warm weather is expected to continue through Jan. 4 for most areas of Taiwan, except for some mountainous areas of Eastern and Northern Taiwan, where there will be some chance of sporadic rain, the bureau forecast.   [FULL  STORY]

10 Taipei hotels honored for contributions to healthy eating

Taiwan Today
Date: December 28,2016

Ten hotels in Taipei were named recipients of the Anti Additive Awards’ Special Jury Prize Dec. 27 for

Recipients of the Anti Additive Awards’ Special Jury Prize give the thumbs-up during the announcement ceremony Dec. 27 in Taipei City. (CNA)

their contributions to promoting food safety through additive-free cooking, according to organizer the Taiwan chapter of the Netherlands-based Anti Additive Association.

The winners are Ambassador Taipei, Grand Mayful Hotel Taipei, Grand Victoria Hotel, Howard Plaza Hotel Taipei, Mandarin Oriental Taipei, Regent Taipei, Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Taipei, the Sherwood Taipei, Taipei Garden Hotel and Taipei Marriott Hotel.

Kathryn Lee, secretary-general of the local chapter of the association, said the facilities were selected by a panel of judges comprising chefs of foreign Michelin-starred restaurants and local mystery inspectors through a strict two-year review process.

Lee said the award-winning hotels stood out from their peers for their long-term commitment to consumer safety, as well as cooking practices that promote health without compromising flavor. They will be honored at an event hosted by the Anti Additive Association scheduled for Feb. 22, 2017, in Sydney.    [FULL  STORY]

Tsai’s visit to Honduras, Nicaragua reportedly due to failing bilateral relations

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/12/28
By: Wendy Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – President Tsai Ing-wen’s state visit to the Central American nations of

(By Central News Agency)

Honduras and Nicaragua in January was reportedly to improve relations over fear of breaking ties, according to sources.

Last week, the Presidential Office announced that Tsai is scheduled to embark on a state visit in January 2017 to four of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in Central America – Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras.

The President is slated to take off for a 9-day visit on Jan 7 and head home to Taiwan on Jan 15, during which she will attend the inauguration ceremony of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega on Jan. 10.    [FULL  STORY]

Hualien, Taitung two most popular spots for 2017 sunrise gazing

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/12/28
By: Chen Wei-ting and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Dec. 28 (CNA) The east coast counties of Hualien and Taitung are the two top choices for people seeking to catch the first sunrise of 2016, ezTravel agency said Wednesday.

It said that based on its sales of New Year travel packages, other popular destinations are Longpan in Kenting National Park in southern Taiwan, Alishan in Chiayi County, Erliao in Tainan, and Wuling in Nantou County.

However, the coastal areas in Hualien and Taitung have topped the sales of 2017 sunrise packages so far, the travel agency said.

Travelers seeking to greet the first sunrise on New Year’s Day are also buying travel packages for Fushoushan Farm in Taichung, Sandiaojiao in New Taipei, Wei’ao in Yilan County, Zhaori Hot Springs on Green Island, Tongyu Lighthouse on Matsu, and Kuoyeh on Penghu, according to ezTravel.     [FULL  STORY]