Page Three

Taiwan marks first anniversary of deadly colored powder explosion

The China Post
Date: June 27, 2016
By: AFP

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan Sunday marked the first anniversary of an explosion which killed 15

Singapore singer J.J. Lin, right, receives flowers from a woman who was injured at an explosion at a water park last year, after performing during a music concert to mark the first anniversary of the accident in Taipei on Sunday, June 26. (CNA)

Singapore singer J.J. Lin, right, receives flowers from a woman who was injured at an explosion at a water park last year, after performing during a music concert to mark the first anniversary of the accident in Taipei on Sunday, June 26. (CNA)

and injured hundreds at a water park as victims and their relatives demanded justice for those responsible.

Just one organizer of the party at the park which ended in disaster has been sentenced so far.

Hundreds of survivors and relatives gathered for a memorial concert in Taipei to remember the dead and express their gratitude to medical, social and charity workers.

Almost 500 were injured in the blast at Formosa Fun Coast outside Taipei, when clouds of multi-colored corn starch sprayed on revelers at a “color party” ignited due to heat from stage lights.

The park had rented out its premises to an events company for the party.

Horrific video footage showed partygoers — mostly aged between 18 and 25 — screaming as they tried to escape the raging flames.     [FULL  STORY]

Cruising to Penghu

The China Post
Date: June 26, 2016
By: CNA

Passengers from China get off the SuperStar Libra of Star Cruises at a Penghu County harbor on Saturday, June 26. The cruise ship arrived at the Penghu harbor with 1,440 passengers from China for a one-day trip. The cruise ship has carried a total of 9,540 Chinese tourists to the outlying county on 12 voyages so far this year. (CNA)

Passengers from China get off the SuperStar Libra of Star Cruises at a Penghu County harbor on Saturday, June 26. The cruise ship arrived at the Penghu harbor with 1,440 passengers from China for a one-day trip. The cruise ship has carried a total of 9,540 Chinese tourists to the outlying county on 12 voyages so far this year. (CNA)

CNA — Passengers from China get off the SuperStar Libra of Star Cruises at a Penghu County harbor on Saturday, June 26. The cruise ship arrived at the Penghu harbor with 1,440 passengers from China for a one-day trip. The cruise ship has carried a total of 9,540 Chinese tourists to the outlying county on 12 voyages so far this year.     [SOURCE]

French Pavilion-promotion of French Culture and dining

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-06-25
By: Jennifer Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

The food crisis in Asia has caused frequent problems, leading to consumers paying more 6764391attention in food safety and product’s quality. France has a very complete food safety management and agricultural production laws providing an effective protection system. In 2015 its export trade brought in 250 million euros which showed the acceptance of French products in the international market.

In a move to promote qualitative French dining and agro-food products to Taiwanese food & beverage manufacturers, traders, and service providers as well as the public, the French Trade Commission BusinessFrance presents the “French Pavilion” during the 2016 Food Taipei Exhibition.

“In a recent meeting with the President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan and France extend more cooperation in agriculture and expect to make an annual dialogue with the two countries, Ministry of Agriculture, ” said Director Guidée at the opening of the seminar.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan insurers hold majority of exposure to U.K.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/06/25
By: Tsai Yi-chu and Frances Huang

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) Taiwanese insurance firms held the majority of exposure to the 7475821United Kingdom compared with the entire international claims by the local financial sector, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) said Saturday.

So far, Taiwan-based insurers’ exposure to the U.K. has hit about NT$784.3 billion (US$23.20 billion), including NT$122.9 billion denominated in British pounds, the FSC said.

The NT$784.3 billion in exposure extended by the local insurance segment represented the majority of the total exposure — worth NT$1.1 trillion — made by the entire financial sector in Taiwan to the U.K. market.

The FSC, the country’s top financial regulator, disclosed the figure at a time when worries have been running deeper following the results of a referendum held by the U.K. to leave the European Union, which is expected to create chaos in global financial markets and plunge the value of the British pound.    [FULL  STORY]

Civic groups hold service trade deal risks workshops

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 26, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

Workshops to recruit volunteers for national field research into risks posed by the proposed service trade agreement with China were held by a consortium of civic activists yesterday, as the campaign to block passage in the Legislative Yuan continues.

The Economic Democracy Union, Youth Against Oppression in Taiwan (臺左維新), Democracy Tautin and several other groups associated with the 2014 Sunflower movement held workshops on the dangers of economic liberalization, the importance of supervisory articles for trade agreements and other topics at a park at the intersection of Civic Boulevard and Beiping E Road near Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters, with activists emphasizing the importance of continuing the struggle, despite the ouster in January’s elections of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration, which negotiated the agreement.

“We hope to use our organizations to reach out to society and talk with those who would be effected by the agreements to know what they really think,” Democracy Tautin general coordinator Tseng Wen-hsueh (曾玟學) said.     [FULL  STORY]

PRC cuts contact with ROC liaison body over the ‘one China’ policy

The China Post
Date: June 26, 2016
By: Christopher Bodeen, AP

BEIJING — Beijing said Saturday it had cut off contact with the main Taiwan liaison body because of President Tsai Ing-wen’s refusal to endorse the concept of a single Chinese nation, ratcheting up pressure on the new Taiwanese leader.

In a statement posted on the website of the Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office, spokesman An Fengshan said contacts between bodies responsible for ties had been suspended starting from Tsai’s May 20 inauguration.

“Because the Taiwan side has been unable to confirm the “1992 Consensus” that embodies the common political foundation of the one-China principle, the mechanism for contact and communication between the two sides has already been suspended,” the statement quoted An as saying.

The “1992 Consensus” refers to an arrangement made in 1992 under which both sides acknowledged the existence of a single Chinese nation comprising both Taiwan and the mainland. That understanding underpinned dialogue between the sides that allowed them to build ties and partially overcome enmity stemming from their bitter split amid the Chinese civil war in 1949. Tsai has neither formally endorsed nor repudiated the construct.     [FULL  STORY]

Tainan LiouYing milk festival (台南柳營牛奶節) is coming June 25th

Eye On Taiwan
Date: June 25, 2016
Translated By: Erixon Chen

The annuall Tainan LiouYing milk festival will be held on June, 25th. It takes place in the  Jianshanpi Jiangnan Resort (尖山埤江南渡假村), and admission is free. Additionally, they provide One Thousand cans of milk, One Thousand steamed milk buns and a special milk feast for free.

photo: Tainan Liouying Milk Festival website

photo: Tainan Liouying Milk Festival website

It’s the 5th year the Milk Feastival will be held. The sponsor, LiuYing District Officer Zong-Han Lee (李宗翰) said. He also said that the Milk festival is connected to The Cow’s Home(乳牛的家), Nanyuan Resort Lake View(南元農場) and Jiangnan(江南) to promote LiuYing District’s tourism. They hope it will attract more people to come to Liou-Ying.

More information can be found at http://www.xn--6kr65l55nkujzra546bwik.com/ (Chinese Language) and Milk Festival on facebook https://www.facebook.com/milktaina/ (Chinese Language).

Exhibition Wants You To Think Twice About What You Eat

We all enjoy eating, but what are the social responsibilities that come with it?

The News Lens
Date: 2016/06/24
By: Olivia Yang

The first exhibition in Taiwan to explore food production and sustainability issues through

Photo Credit: The Food Project

Photo Credit: The Food Project

design opened on Friday at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei.

“The Food Project” is a multidisciplinary display of different forms of food and the stereotypes of “perfect” foods. Taiwanese designer Alice Wang curated the four-part exhibition, which aims to educate viewers on the social responsibility of what we eat and what the future holds for food.

“I wanted to keep it entertaining while raising awareness [of issues surrounding food],” Wang told The News Lens International.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan angry at Cambodia over China deportations

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-06-24
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Chinese aircraft took 25 Taiwanese fraud suspects from 6764174Cambodia to China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday, adding it would lodge a protest with the Southeast Asian nation.

Earlier in the week, the Cambodian authorities unexpectedly canceled the transport, which has been fought by Taiwan because it says its citizens should be deported to their native country, not to China.

Beijing argues that since most of the fraud ring’s victims were Chinese citizens, they should be flown to China. In addition, Cambodia does not maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, agreeing with Beijing’s claims that the island is part of One China.     [FULL  STORY]

MOEA urges firms to increase investments in Europe despite U.K. vote

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/06/24
By: Lin Meng-ju and Frances Huang

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Friday that Taiwanese firms should take advantage of the cheaper British pound and euro and expand their investments in Europe after a majority of United Kingdom voters voted in favor of the U.K. leaving the European Union, causing the two currencies to plunge.

The referendum, which caught the global financial markets off guard, yielded a result pointing to a decision for the U.K. to leave the EU. The results triggered heavy selling in both the British pound and the euro, which dove more than 11 percent and 3 percent, respectively, against the U.S. dollar at one point.

Nonetheless, the MOEA said that it could be a good time for Taiwanese firms to seek business partners in the U.K. and the EU because the currencies’ drop would make the costs of their investments lower.     [FULL  STORY]