Page Three

Chairwoman Hung tells AIT of KMT assets woes

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 29, 2016
By: Shih Hsiao-kuang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Cross-strait relations and the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu, right, yesterday meets American Institute in Taipei Chairman James Moriarty, left, in Taipei. Photo courtesy of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu, right, yesterday meets American Institute in Taipei Chairman James Moriarty, left, in Taipei. Photo courtesy of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)

Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例) were the central topics in a meeting between Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀住) and American Institute in Taipei (AIT) Chairman James Moriarty yesterday.

Hung said that stability in the Taiwan Strait was paramount to the stability in the region, a goal that is in line with US interests, adding that the KMT does not wish to see a continued deterioration of cross-strait relations because of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration’s ideologies.

“We are not pursuing Taiwanese independence, and we believe the US would not favor such developments,” Hung said, adding that Taiwanese also want China to understand their expectation of participation in international organizations.    [FULL  STORY]

Protests by KMT halt plenary session at Legislative Yuan

The China Post
Date: October 29, 2016
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Legislature’s plenary session was stalled Friday as opposition

KMT Legislator Chiang Wan-an, standing, extreme left, poses with a Tamkang University student for a picture while his colleagues are seen in the background staging a protest in the chamber, Friday, Oct. 28. The group of Tamkang students did not get to see the legislative plenary session scheduled for the day, as it was called off due to the protest. (CNA)

KMT Legislator Chiang Wan-an, standing, extreme left, poses with a Tamkang University student for a picture while his colleagues are seen in the background staging a protest in the chamber, Friday, Oct. 28. The group of Tamkang students did not get to see the legislative plenary session scheduled for the day, as it was called off due to the protest. (CNA)

lawmakers staged a protest over a controversial bill that would cut statutory holidays for public sector workers.

Deputies from the main opposition Kuomintang occupied the speaker’s rostrum shortly before 10 a.m., preventing the plenary session from opening.

The lawmakers then demanded the bill be returned to committee for a fresh review.

“Oppose the majority’s violence; refuse condescending consultations,” read placards displayed in the chamber by the protesting KMT legislators.

But their Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) colleagues countered the protest by shouting, “We want to have the meeting.” The protests follow an attempt by Speaker Su Chia-chyuan to call a meeting between the leaders of the both parties, an offer the KMT refused.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan trying to confirm if 4 nationals nabbed in the Philippines

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/10/27
By: Tang Pei-chun and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Oct. 27 (CNA) Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday it was contacting the Philippines police regarding reports that four Taiwanese people were among over 60 illegal foreign employees who had been arrested in connection with online gambling in the Philippines.

If there were indeed Taiwanese among those arrested on suspicion of working in the gambling business, Taiwan’s representative office will send staff to visit them at the detention center, MOFA said.

Media reports said the Philippines police arrested the the online gambling suspects when clamping down on a drug ring.    [SOURCE]

Fukushima food ban not part of agenda: ministry

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 28, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday downplayed reports that a ban on imports of food from areas affected by the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster in Japan would be discussed at the Taiwan-Japan Maritime Affairs Cooperation Dialogue Mechanism in Tokyo on Monday.

At a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) asked Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) whether the government has decided to reopen the door to Japanese food products that have been prohibited.

“There is a high level of public consensus on the issue, as it could jeopardize food safety,” Chiang said at the question-and-answer session. “If the issue is discussed at the bilateral meeting, or if it is not brought up, but the government has already made a secret promise to Tokyo to lift the ban, we will denounce such an action.”

Lee said the government agencies responsible for the issue are the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Council of Agriculture and neither is to send representative to the maritime meeting.     [FULL  STORY]

Alleged carrot-hoarder uprooted

The China Post
Date: October 28, 2016
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Investigators have taken a Kaohsiung man into custody for allegedly

In investigator inspects a cold storage unit in Kaohsiung, Thursday, Oct. 27. Officials found 300 tons of carrots stored in the unit and are holding a man for alleged hoarding. (CNA)

In investigator inspects a cold storage unit in Kaohsiung, Thursday, Oct. 27. Officials found 300 tons of carrots stored in the unit and are holding a man for alleged hoarding. (CNA)

hoarding 300 tons of carrots in an apparent move to manipulate vegetable prices, according to local media reports Thursday.

The bust was made by prosecutors from Kaohsiung and Qiaotou and involved a cooperative effort from police and firefighters, who found that a man, surnamed Chiang, had stored close to 300 tons of domestically-grown carrots. The vegetables were found in a cold storage unit in the southern city’s Luzhu District.

Chiang denied hoarding, but was not able to offer clear records of transactions involving the carrots, according to investigators.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan ranks 11th in World Bank doing business report

Taiwan Today
Date: October 26, 2016

Taiwan’s improving business climate saw it maintain 11th place among 190 countries in the Doing

Ease of getting electricity is cited again by the World Bank as one of the reasons for Taiwan maintaining 11th place in the Doing Business 2017 survey. (CNA)

Ease of getting electricity is cited again by the World Bank as one of the reasons for Taiwan maintaining 11th place in the Doing Business 2017 survey. (CNA)

Business 2017 survey released Oct. 25 by Washington-based World Bank.

With an overall score of 81.09, up 0.01 of a point from the previous year, Taiwan ranked fifth in the Asia-Pacific behind New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea. The top three global spots went to New Zealand, Singapore and Denmark in that order.

Among the 10 categories covered by the annual report, Taiwan fared best in getting electricity. With a score of 99.44 out of 100, it maintained second place globally behind South Korea.

The survey credited the country’s high ranking in this category to measures adopted in the past two years by state-run utility Taiwan Power Co. and municipalities eliminating site inspections and simplifying the procedure for obtaining excavation permits.

Taiwan also did well in dealing with construction permits, up three places to its best ranking of third in the world, and outperforming all other economies in the Asia Pacific region.    [FULL STORY]

Hot weather in Taiwan expected to last until Friday

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-10-26
By: Wang Shu-fen and Elizabeth Hsu, Central News Agency

Taipei, Oct. 26 (CNA) Taiwan will be bathed in sunlight Wednesday with temperatures rising to between 677496030 and 34 degrees Celsius countrywide during the day, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) forecast.
The bureau said the unseasonably warm weather, expected to last until Oct. 28, is the result of a powerful high air pressure system over the Western Pacific Ocean.

The high in the north could surge to 34 degrees, the CWB forecast, advising people to increase their water intake and take precautions against ultraviolet radiation.

Though the weather was likely to be hot and muggy during daytime hours, the bureau said temperatures in early morning and late evening hours could drop to 25 to 27 degrees, making things “more comfortable.”

The CWB said there was little chance of rain in Taiwan on Wednesday except for possible occasional showers in mountainous areas due to the relative lack of moisture in the air.    [FULL  STORY]

Ex-president Ma to appear in court on Nov. 8

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/10/26
By: Wang Yang-yu and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Oct. 26 (CNA) Taipei District Court has summoned former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to

Ma (L front). CNA file photo

Ma (L front). CNA file photo

appear in court on Nov. 8 to defend himself regarding allegations that he was responsible for a former prosecutor-general leaking confidential information, prosecution sources said on Wednesday.

The suit has been filed by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), who accuses Ma of encouraging former State Prosecutor-General Huang Shyh-ming (黃世銘) to leak information concerning an on-going investigation to then Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) in 2013.

The district court’s Chief Prosecutor Chou Shih-yu (周士榆) has been assigned the job of investigating Ker’s accusations against Ma, court officials said.

Huang was later found guilty of approving an illegal wiretap and leaking information from an ongoing criminal investigation to Ma. He also approved a transcript of the wiretapped conversation when the Special investigation Division (SID) reported possible misconduct based on a conversation it overheard between then Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and opposition Legislator Ker Chien-ming.    [FULL  STORY]

DPP extends marriage benefits to same-sex employees

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 27, 2016
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday announced that homosexual party employees would be entitled to the same benefits as married employees, including honeymoon leave and wedding gift money.

The announcement came ahead of the Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade scheduled for Saturday in Taipei.

At a meeting of the DPP Central Standing Committee yesterday, the party said it would expand benefits offered to married employees, their spouses and families to employees who have registered their same-sex partnership with local governments.

Those employees will now be entitled to wedding gift money, honeymoon leave, parental leave, family care leave and bereavement leave for their partner, as well as relief payments and other perks reserved for married employees, DPP spokesman Yang Chia-liang (楊家俍) said.    [FULL  STORY]

2016 Kaohsiung Food Show opens with a sizzle

The China Post
Date: October 27, 2016
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The 2016 Kaohsiung Food Show and Kaohsiung International Hotel,

Visitors check out bargains offered at the 2016 Kaohsiung Food Show and Kaohsiung International Hotel, Restaurant, Baking and Catering Show on Wednesday, Oct. 26.(Courtesy of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council )

Visitors check out bargains offered at the 2016 Kaohsiung Food Show and Kaohsiung International Hotel, Restaurant, Baking and Catering Show on Wednesday, Oct. 26.(Courtesy of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council )

Restaurant, Baking and Catering Show (Kaohsiung HORECA), the two most important professional events of their kind in southern Taiwan, opened Thursday, Oct. 27 for a four-day run at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center. The exhibitions boast a record 360 exhibitors and 14 national pavilions, and are likely to attract 23,000 visitors, according to the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), which is hosting the twin shows.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Lai Kuo-hsing, director of the Kaohsiung branch of the Bureau of Foreign Trade, said that after 10 years of development, the Kaohsiung Food Show has become the best platform for importers and distributors in southern Taiwan to source new products.    [FULL  STORY]