Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/03
By: Yu Hsiao-han, Chen Chun-hua, Wang Cheng-chung and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Nov. 3 (CNA) A workers group vowed on Thursday that it would stage a hunger strike the

following day to protest the government’s plan to ram through the Legislature an amendment to the labor law, forcing the authorities to increase security around the building.

The group, which calls itself “2016 Workers Struggle Against the President,” said representatives from various labor unions will begin an indefinite hunger strike to protest a plan by president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to revise the Labor Standards Act and deprive workers of seven national holidays by Nov. 8.

The group accused the Democratic Progressive Party government of bowing to business pressure with its decision to trade the seven holidays for a 40-hour work week — two issues it said should not be linked together.

Two recent incidents where student protesters stormed DPP legislative whip Ker Chien-ming’s (柯建銘) office and the DPP headquarters — on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 — were just a reminder to the ruling party that it has failed to keep its promise on labor rights , said the “Workers Struggle Against the President” on its Facebook page.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 04, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

The Roman Catholic Church in Taiwan yesterday restated its opposition to same-sex marriage, while

leaving open the possibility of supporting new legal rights for homosexual couples, calling for societal dialogue.

“The position of the Roman Catholic Church on marriage has always been the same: Marriage can only exist between a man and a woman,” said Otried Chan (陳科), the secretary-general of the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference, at a Legislative Yuan news conference calling for same-sex marriage legalization bills to be put on hold until hearings are conducted.

The first legislative reading of a bill altering the Civil Code’s (民法) definition of marriage is expected today, with the Ministry of Justice, under Premier Lin Chuan’s (林全) directive, saying before the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pride Parade on Saturday last week that it would start the review of various proposals this month and not be limited to the partnership bill favored by the former administration.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 4, 2016
By: Christine Chou

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Ang Lee is not one to play it safe. The two-time Oscar-winning director has pushed

his boundaries once again in his latest war movie “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” hoping to offer people an immersive cinematic experience that could revolutionize movie-going.

“I wanted to pair a challenging script with a challenging mode of expression … I wanted to make this movie because it was a challenge. I wouldn’t do it if it didn’t excite me,” Lee said.

Adapted from a novel by Ben Fountain, the film is told from the perspective of a 19-year-old private Billy Lynn (played by newcomer Jow Alwyn), who becomes a national celebrity in the U.S. after a video capturing his heroic rescue of a comrade in Iraq went viral. With his squadron, Lynn takes part in a cross-country victory tour that culminates in making an appearance at a football game’s halftime show.

In one scene, as Billy and his squadron are shown on patrol, the audience can feel as if they are walking through the dusty corridor of a bustling bazaar in Iraq.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: November 2, 2016

The international community should support Taiwan’s bid for meaningful participation in the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as its exclusion from the U.N. specialized agency is inappropriate and counterproductive, Taipei Mission in Sweden Representative Daniel T. C. Liao said in an opinion piece published Oct. 31 by Swedish daily Nya Wermlands-Tidningen.

Combating climate change, as stated by the UNFCCC, “calls for the widest possible cooperation by all countries,” with Taiwan ready and willing to contribute to the sustainable development of the planet, Liao said. It is important for the country to participate in a meaningful way in the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC Nov. 7-18 in Marrakech, Morocco, he added.

According to Liao, Taiwan has demonstrated its commitment to addressing the single most important issue for the future of humanity by enacting last July the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act, which contains a long-term target of reducing emissions by at least 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. It is also one of the few countries to have written into law a target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/02
By: Maggie Huang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The 2016 Hsinchu rice noodle and meatball festival is kicking off Saturday, which celebrates the famed food from Hsinchu City. Visitors are invited to experience the process of making rice noodles and meatballs.

“Most residents in Hsinchu always find rice noodle on dining table every day, ”said Mayor Lin Chih-chien. In addition to the local residents’ daily dish, Hsinchu rice noodles are also tourist’s favorite food and a must-try when visiting the city.

Rice noodle manufacturers in the Hsinchu area took advantages of the strong winds of this fall’s first frontal system to dry the noodles in the wind on bamboo slats.

The northeast monsoon in Taiwan is strongest from October to December. It particularly affects Hsinchu City, which is situated on the leeward side of the Xueshan Mountain Range, with more wind than rain, and therefore making the place the best natural drying ground for rice noodles.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/02
By: Wang Shu-fen and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Nov. 2 (CNA) Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said Wednesday that an offer to

hold talks with its Chinese counterpart on providing additional flights between Taiwan and China during the Chinese New Year holiday next year has not received a response from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

The CAA and the CAAC have held regular meetings on the issue every year since direct flights across the Taiwan Strait were launched in 2008, but no such meeting has been arranged this year, which has seen cooling relations between the two sides, according to the CAA.

Beijing suspended official contact and negotiations with Taipei after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in May because of Tsai’s refusal to recognize the “1992 consensus.”

The “1992 consensus” as perceived by the previous Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration refers to a tacit understanding between the two sides of the strait that there is only one China, with both sides free to interpret what that means.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 03, 2016
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Lawyers and members of civic societies and yesterday filed a case at the Taipei District Prosecutors’

Office against former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), demanding that the judiciary act immediately to restrict Ma from leaving the nation.

Taiwan Forever Association attorney Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) cited ongoing legal cases against Ma as reasons for prohibiting him from traveling abroad, including allegations that Ma was involved in the 2013 leaking of judicial investigation information by then-prosecutor-general Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘), allegations that he colluded with Farglory Land Development Co so the firm could make illegal profits over the Taipei Dome project, and allegations of corruption over the increase of Ma’s personal assets and properties during his presidential terms.

Lawyers and members of Taiwan North Society, Taiwan Association of University Professors (TAUP) and Taiwan Society Hakka were also present at the event.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: November 1, 2016

A delegation comprising more than 20 representatives from National Taiwan University, National Taiwan

Normal University and three national universities of technology is commencing Nov. 4 a three-day student recruitment tour of high schools in Malaysia.

Led by NTU president Yang Pan-chyr, the group also includes the heads of the four other participating tertiary institutions. It will introduce the courses, equipment, facilities and staff of the universities during visits to Chong Hwa Independent High School and Tsun Jin High School, both in Kuala Lumpur, and Hin Hua High School in Klang, a city southwest of the Malaysian capital.

According to NTU’s Office of Academic Affairs, the institution will utilize the trip to promote its new all-English program offering enrolment for 80 international and 40 local students starting next year.

“The large number of Malaysians graduating from Taiwan universities is paving the way for closer educational exchanges between Taiwan and the Southeast Asian nation,” the office said. “As one of Taiwan’s most prestigious institutions, we are at the top of the list for Malaysian students seeking to study abroad.”    [FULL  STORY]