Taiwan News
Date: 2016-08-31
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) states in a report to the Legislature on Wednesday that China has never diminished its military exercise targeting at Taiwan and that China has required its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to be comprehensively ready for using military force against Taiwan by 2020.
The MND says in its “Five-year Force Construction Plan and Administration Plan” that China now has the capability to blockade and take over Taiwan’s off-shore islands.

In “Military Power of the People’s Republic of China 2016,” another report to the Legislature, the MND said that the circumstances under which the PLA is likely to invade Taiwan include formal declaration of Taiwan independence, undefined moves toward Taiwan independence, internal unrest on Taiwan, Taiwan’s acquisition of nuclear weapons, indefinite delays in the resumption of cross-Strait dialogue on unification, foreign intervention in Taiwan’s internal affairs, and foreign forces stationed on Taiwan.

These circumstances are identical with those the Pentagon listed in its annual report to Congress, “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2016,” under which China could attack Taiwan.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/08/31
By: Sophia Yeh and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) A former foreign minister and lecturer on China Studies was named Thursday

as the new head of the Straits Exchange Foundation, a semi-official body assigned to conduct day-to-day affairs between Taiwan and China.

Tien Hung-mao (田弘茂), 77, who served as foreign minister 2000-2002 during the administration of then President Chen Shui-bian, was appointed to the post because of his many years of research on China, said Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺).

Currently chairman of the Institute of National Policy Research, Tien is well versed in cross-Taiwan Strait affairs and Asia-Pacific strategic issues and is dedicated to promoting Taiwan’s participation in international affairs, Huang said.

The government hopes that Tien, with his expertise in China and international affairs, will help Taiwan businesses expand their opportunities and maintain cross-strait exchanges, Huang said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 01, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

More than 100 protesters from a number of Kaohsiung groups yesterday demonstrated outside the

Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) headquarters in Taipei, saying that Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) has ignored residential, environmental and labor rights.

“We have to let President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) know what the people of Kaohsiung are thinking, because after Chen was re-elected there have been a number of incidents, but basically no channels for us to make our voices heard,” Kaohsiung Civil Servant Watch president Chen Ming-pin (陳銘彬) said, adding that many demonstrators left their homes as early as 4am to arrive in the capital in time for the mid-morning protest.

He accused Chen Chu — who was a prominent political prisoner and human rights activist during the Martial Law era — of failing to live up to promises she made to promote human rights, particularly pledges to end forced evictions.

“President Tsai has said the DPP should be humble and communicate with the people, but that attitude is not at all apparent in Kaohsiung,” Chen Ming-pin said. “In its drive to promote development, the city government has turned a deaf ear to the voice of the people.”     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: September 1, 2016
By: Yuan-Ming Chiao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Premier Lin Chuan (林全) and Wellington Ku (顧立雄) officially opened the office of

a newly formed committee targeting ill-gotten party assets Wednesday, with Ku warning that the body faced a contentious but highly necessary task.

Ku, who chairs the Ill-Gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee (IGPASC, 不當黨產處理委員會), promised that it would act immediately to eliminate “power inequalities left over from the authoritarian era.”

The premier, who joined Ku for the ceremony, said that Taiwan was at a momentous point in its history.

The power of civil society has grown, along with its demands for reform and expectations for the government, he said.

Comparing the task to Germany’s post-Cold War national reconciliation efforts after reunification, he said that Taiwan should be prepared for a complicated and arduous process that could take many years.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: August 30, 2016

Taiwan-made “The Road to Mandalay” by Myanmar-born director Midi Zhao is set to make its world

premiere and compete for the best film award at the 13th edition of Venice Days, an independent section run alongside the Venice International Film Festival Aug. 31 to Sept. 10 in northeastern Italy.

“This is the only movie from Taiwan entered in the prestigious competition,” said Chang Chung-jen, director-general of the Ministry of Culture’s Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development. “More importantly, though, it represents an artistic achievement by Taiwan cinema.”

Chang, who made the comments during a news conference attended by Zhao and members of the main cast Aug. 29 in Taipei City, said the feature film—a joint production by Taiwan, France, Germany and Myanmar—was partly subsidized by the MOC. The movie will also screen in the Contemporary World Cinema program at the Toronto International Film Festival Sept. 8-18 in the Canadian city.

The film is one of 12 titles in competition from countries such as Australia, Colombia, France, Italy and the Philippines, with the opening film being “The War Show,” a Denmark-Finland production about the Syrian uprising and subsequent conflict in the Middle Eastern country.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-08-30
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Premier Lin Chuan announced the progress Tuesday in the investigation into alleged money laundering by state-run Mega International Commercial Bank.

The case came to light on August 19 when New York State’s Department of Financial Service fined the bank’s New York branch US$180 million (NT$5.7 billion) after it allegedly uncovered a number of suspicious transactions with a Mega office in Panama.

At a special news conference Tuesday afternoon, Lin said he had asked his deputy, Vice Premier Lin Hsi-yao, to head a special review taskforce which would hand over the results of its probe to the Financial Supervisory Commission. There would be no upper limit to how high up the taskforce could seek culprits for the debacle, the premier said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/08/30
By: Wang Shwu-fen, Tung Chun-chih, Chen Wei-ting and Kay Liu

The Taiwan Railways Administration has made its final overnight run between northern and southern Taiwan on its western line, bringing an end to the seven-hour train ride that lasted 36 years.

The southbound Chu Kuang Express service 531 from Qidu in Keelung to Kaohsiung departed at 10:56 p.m. on Aug. 28 and arrived at 6 a.m. the next day, while the northbound service 532 left the southern port city at 11:30 p.m. the same night and reached its destination at 6:30 a.m.

While several passengers headed on their way after the train arrived in Kaohsiung on Monday morning, some, such as high school students Liu Yi-ting (劉亦廷) and Tsai Cheng-yen (蔡承諺), stayed behind to record the final moments of the end of an era.

Liu and Tsai spent the whole night on the train taking photos and shooting video to capture memories throughout the ride and record the sounds.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: August 31, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — In a bid to improve food safety, President Tsai Ing-wen Tuesday vowed to set up a

food safety risk assessment committee and to increase funding for food safety measures by 50 percent.

Tsai made the pledge during her opening remarks at the Taiwan Food Safety Summit on Tuesday. In addition to setting up the committee, the government will also implement an agency charged with managing harmful and toxic chemicals, Tsai said.

Increasing the government budget for food safety would also ensure that related agencies could beef up management and increase inspection quantity.

“Food safety is currently a focal issue globally — it is also a key policy of Taiwan’s government,” Tsai said during her opening remarks.

Stressing negotiations and communication between the government, manufacturers, enterprises and consumers as a key factor in ensuring safe food products, the president said a single wrong move in the production process could ignite food scandals.     [FULL  STORY]