The deadline for applications is Nov. 18 and citizens aged 18-30 are eligible to apply for a living subsidy of up to NT$150,000 for each two-month course

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/09
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Ministry of Education (MOE) announced on Tuesday that it has launched a program to provide

subsidies to young people who are interested in a two-month in-depth study in 18 countries as part of the government’s efforts to promote the “new southbound policy.”

Under the program, the MOE will send Taiwanese young people to join international organizations or non-governmental organizations in countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand, the Youth Development Administration (YDA) of the MOE said.

It is hoped that students participating in the study program can observe these organizations, local societies and their culture, and then using the knowledge to compare with related organizations and policy development status in Taiwan and hopefully coming up with suggestions for improvement, the YDA said.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/09
By: Chang Che-fen and Romulo Huang

Kaohsiung, Nov. 9 (CNA) The 2016 Taiwan International Fisheries and Seafood Show opened Wednesday in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan with the participation of more than 200 domestic and foreign exhibitors.

The exhibition, organized by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center, divided into areas of fishing equipment and technology, aquaculture, seafood and value-added seafood processing equipment, fishery services, local government and academia, oversea exhibitors, and marine biotechnology.

Along with the exhibition, a series of seminars and cooking shows will be held at the same venue, including fisheries and seafood show procurement meetings, Taiwan aquaculture industry trends seminar, yummy cooking and gourmet shows, and lucky draw.

The exhibition, which will run through Nov. 11, is expected to attract some 7,000 visitors, the organizer estimated.     [SOURCE]

The China Post
Date: November 10, 2016
By: Christine Chou

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The president of Ford Lio Ho Motor Co., a local automaker and primary dealer of

Ford vehicles, urged the government to speed up regulatory changes to support ride-sharing services, which have failed to thrive in Taiwan.

Before policies for ride-sharing are put in place and electronic payment platforms take off, Ford Lio Ho is reluctant to leap into the business, Ford Lio Ho Motor Co. (福特六和) President Tim Ju (朱忠園) told The China Post.

Asked whether Ford Lio Ho has devised concrete plans for ride-sharing, Ju said their team had created proposals but remained on the fence and were closely observing U-Car and Uber’s operations in Taiwan.

The firm will not venture into the ride-sharing market before spotting promising business opportunities, he added.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 9, 2016
By: Sun Hsin Hsuan

To achieve true equality for women, traditional perspectives in Taiwanese society must change, said

Linda Liu on Tuesday.

Liu is the president of the National Council of Women of Taiwan, Republic of China, which is affiliated with the International Council of Women (ICW), an internationally recognized women’s organization.

For the first time, Taipei will host the ICW’s International Conference, which has adopted “Transforming Society through Women’s Empowerment” as its triennial theme for 2015 to 2018.

The international conference is slated for Nov. 14, during which distinguished speakers will be present.

The council said it hoped to welcome President Tsai Ing-wen, whose attendance had yet to be confirmed.

The ICW’s triennial autumn board meeting will also be held in Taipei from Nov. 12 to Nov. 13. Two days after the international conference — on Nov. 15 and 16 — the ICW will be holding its Executive Committee Meeting.    [FULL  STORY]

The netizen’s car had a flat tire at Simakusi, nicknamed the “Tribe of God,” which is located 1,500 meters above sea level

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/08
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

A netizen posted an article and photos on one of Facebook’s public sites on Tuesday to thank a group of auto mechanics students and teachers for their help with fixing his car which had a flat tire at the remote community of Simakusi (Smangus) in Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County.

The netizen’s car had a flat tire at Simakusi, nicknamed the “Tribe of God,” which is located 1,500 meters above sea level. When he didn’t know what to do, his big break came when a group of Nangang Vocational High School Auto Mechanics students and teachers, who happened to be touring the same community, came to his aid. They immediately set out to work, using tools to take off the wheel and fix the puncture.

“Thanks to their help, we were able to leave Simakusi and come back to our warm home,” the netizen said, adding that “The best scenery of Taiwan is its people.”2    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/08
By: Wen Kui-hsiang and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Nov. 8 (CNA) The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) agreed Tuesday to meet student

and labor representatives at a public hearing Nov. 15 over a controversial bill that has angered labor unions and the party’s student supporters.

Four of the seven union representatives continued an ongoing hunger strike in protest at the ruling party’s plan to cut seven national holidays from the calendar.

One of the union members, Kuo Kuan-chun (郭冠均), said the other three protesters discontinued their hunger strike at 7 p.m. Tuesday after 100 hours, but vowed that the other four would continue until their demands were met.

The seven union representatives launched the hunger strike Nov. 4 over a proposed amendment to the Labor Standards Act that would reduce the number of national holidays from 19 to 12 per year.    [FULL  STORY]

WATCHING THE GOVERNMENT:Director-General Peng Sheng-chu said that while pressure would keep rising, it should not lead to China initiating a diplomatic war

Taipei Times
Date: Wed, Nov 09, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Peng Sheng-chu (彭勝竹) on Monday described the

cross-strait situation over the past five months as “lax outside, but tense inside,” adding that he expects official exchanges to become even more limited.

Peng, a former air force commander, said that in many ways, China has seemed to maintain its attitude toward Taiwan from before May 20, when President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) assumed office, but it has suppressed Taiwan on various occasions.

He also said China is still watching the words and deeds of Tsai and has yet to set a tone in dealing with the Tsai administration.

At organizations in which Taiwan is a member, China would continue to let Taiwan participate, but it would rigorously demand that Taiwan follow regulations, Peng said.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Datew: November 9, 2016
By: Joseph Yeh

Taiwan’s overseas consular offices have reported a spike in expatriates with mental health issues in

need of assistance, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, urging people to not let their family members with mental illnesses travel abroad alone.

Citing official statistics, Roger Luo (羅添宏), deputy director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Bureau of Consular Affairs, said that Taiwanese abroad seeking assistance from local governments with regard to mental or psychiatric disorders had reached 53 cases so far in 2016.

This number represents a significant increase in comparison with those of the past five years, in which no more than 33 similar cases were reported annually between 2010 to 2015, he added.

He disclosed that most of these cases happened in Japan and said a possible reason was that Japan was the No.1 travel destination for Taiwanese.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: November 7, 2016

The 2016 Asia-Pacific Culture Day concluded Nov. 6 at Taipei Main Station, with 20 foreign missions

from the region and representatives from seven local governments participating in Taiwan’s efforts to promote cultural exchanges, interactions and understanding between Taiwan and its diplomatic allies and partners throughout the region.

“Culture is at the heart of our relationship with regional neighbors. Whereas before, economics and trade largely defined our diplomacy towards Southeast and South Asia, our new government has launched a New Southbound Policy that is more diverse and well-rounded,” Vice President Chen Chien-jen said. “We are working to build stronger ties with countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and South Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

“These ties go beyond economics and trade, into education, tourism, science and technology, and crucially, culture,” he added. “The Asia-Pacific Culture Day symbolizes this effort perfectly.”    [FULL  STORY]