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KMT pans DPP’s policy U-turns

‘DISORGANIZED BAND’:Conflicts between the DPP-dominated legislature and the Cabinet reflects the president’s unwillingness to make her positions clear, the KMT said

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 21, 2016
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and the Cabinet’s repeated U-turns on major policies — including imports of US pork, the cancelation of seven national holidays and nuclear power — have triggered a free fall in the new government’s approval rating, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said yesterday.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) started its administration with self-contradictory policies and gaffe-ridden officials, leading to clashes between the Cabinet and the legislature, KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) said on the performance of the new administration.

“The Cabinet’s approval rating is nearing a ‘death cross,’ because it is a mere 7 percentage points higher than its disapproval rating of 33.8 percent,” Wang said.     [FULL  STORY]

Underwater mailbox removed due to threat it poses to seabed ecology

The China Post
Date: June 21, 2016
By: CNA

TAIPEI–An underwater mailbox in a popular diving area off Green Island has been removed after

Staffers of a company installing undersea post boxes that can double as garbage collectors are seen removing the boxes in response to accusations filed against the firm that the installation will undermine undersea ecological development. (CNA)

Staffers of a company installing undersea post boxes that can double as garbage collectors are seen removing the boxes in response to accusations filed against the firm that the installation will undermine undersea ecological development. (CNA)

it was reported to be damaging the seabed ecology in the area.

The red mailbox, named Ocean Post, was installed in the Shilang Diving Area May 11 in a project spearheaded by Chen Ying-ming, a Green Island based souvenir shop owner, to attract tourists.

Chen claimed that the postbox, installed on the seabed, posed no danger to the coral or marine life in the area in which it was situated.

However, people filed complaints with the Tourism Bureau a few days ago that the box was within a government proclaimed undersea protection area, and could affect the seabed ecology there, said the Taitung county government, which has jurisdiction over Green Island, Monday.

Soon after being informed by the bureau of the complaint, its fishery department notified Chen that he must remove the mailbox, the local government said, adding that the box was taken away earlier in the day.     [FULL  STORY]

A new stage

The China Post
Date: June 20, 2016
By: CNA

This photo provided by the Greater Taichung government shows Taiwan's first and only two-story dance stage. The stage, fitted with a hidden platform that can be lowered, is one of the iconic spaces at the landmark National Taichung Theater (臺中國家歌劇院). (CNA)

This photo provided by the Greater Taichung government shows Taiwan’s first and only two-story dance stage. The stage, fitted with a hidden platform that can be lowered, is one of the iconic spaces at the landmark National Taichung Theater (臺中國家歌劇院). (CNA)

TAIPEI, Taiwan — This photo provided by the Greater Taichung government shows Taiwan’s first and only two-story dance stage. The stage, fitted with a hidden platform that can be lowered, is one of the iconic spaces at the landmark National Taichung Theater (臺中國家歌劇院).     [FULL  STORY]

Dacun Station in Changhua freshened up to promote grape industry

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-06-19
By: Central News Agency

The train station in Dacun Township in Changhua County has come alive with new installation art and decorations to let travelers know they’re in the heart of Taiwan’s grape industry.

The county government worked with the township on the project to freshen up Dacun Station’s look, which was completed in mid-May, to promote the upcoming grape harvest season and try to attract more visitors to the county.

Grapes are a big deal for Changhua County, which accounts for nearly half the grapes grown in Taiwan, and Dacun made the most sense for the promotion because it has the longest grape-growing tradition in the county, according to Changhua’s agriculture department.

Visitors are greeted at the entrance to Dacun station by a plastic grape doll figure, and they can enjoy posters with grape-related images as they go from the station hall to the train platforms.     [FULL  STORY]

Hot weather will continue into next week

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/06/19
By: Flor Wang

Taipei, June 19 (CNA) Hot weather will continue into next week across Taiwan, as a high

Kaohsiung, Sunday.

Kaohsiung, Sunday.

pressure system from the Pacific Ocean will blanket the country during this period, the Central Weather Bureau forecast on Sunday.

High temperatures across the country on Sunday will hover between 33-35 degrees Celsius, with a high chance of thundershowers in the the afternoon, the Bureau said, noting that ultraviolet radiation will reach the dangerous level around noon.

Starting from Sunday until Thursday, the high pressure system will gradually strengthen and daytime highs in all parts of Taiwan are expected to climb to 35 degrees, with thundershowers or heavy rain in the afternoon, particularly in mountainous areas, it said.

During the period, all parts of Taiwan are expected to experience dangerous ultraviolet radiation that will reach level 11 or above, except for Yilan, Taitung, Taichung, Changhua, Lienjiang and Kinmen counties and cities, which will see the index hit slightly lower levels ranging between 8-10.     [FULL  STORY]

Diplomat exam ignores Southeast Asian languages

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 20, 2016
By: Lu Yi-hsuan / Staff reporter

This year’s special examination for consular and diplomatic personnel does not have any exam groups for Southeast Asian languages, despite the government’s “new southbound policy” that aims to improve relations with Southeast Asian nations.

The nation’s diplomats have to pass the examination to begin their training, with the exam being divided into different language groups, but this year’s exam brochure listed English, French, Japanese and German among other non-Southeast Asian languages.

In response to queries about the lack of an exam group for Southeast Asian languages, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has been sending its personnel to Southeast Asian nations to learn their languages each year and it would continue the policy instead of opening language groups in the entrance exam.

Regulations stipulate that the ministry would recruit 30 to 40 diplomatic personnel through the exam.

The available positions are divided into several language groups. The 42 positions opened this year are divided into 10 language groups: English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Russian, Italian and Portuguese, with 26 positions for English, amounting to about 60 percent of all positions, while the other groups each have one or two open positions.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: June 20, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Around a decade ago, then-President Lee Teng-hui came up with the

An overview of bustling streets in Bangkok, Thailand, is seen in this photo taken on Nov. 27, 2015. (Stephanie Chao, The China Post)

An overview of bustling streets in Bangkok, Thailand, is seen in this photo taken on Nov. 27, 2015. (Stephanie Chao, The China Post)

“Southbound Policy” to push Taiwanese businessmen to southeast Asian nations. Lee’s work would be continued by ex-President Chen Shui-bian.

Both presidents saw the policy as a way to curb the wave of westbound investment at the time, and also out of fear of Taiwan becoming too economically dependent on mainland China.

However, the two attempts are remembered by history as “failures.” Along with the rest of the world, it was inevitable that Taiwanese businesses would follow the money into China, which was buoyed by warming cross-strait relations thanks to President Ma Ying-jeou.

President Tsai Ing-wen’s “New Southbound Policy” goes against what Ma has accomplished over the past eight years, an attempt seen to “not put all of Taiwan’s eggs into the same basket,” and has raised skepticism among experts and businessmen nationwide.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese Cinematographer First Asian to Hold Retrospective at MoMA

MoMA will screen 15 films shot by award-winning cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-bing in Lee’s first American retrospective in his 30-year career.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/06/17
By: Olivia Yang

Taiwanese cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-bing (李屏賓) has become the first Asian

Photo Credit: 丘昀 ChiuYun @ Flickr CC BY-ND 2.0

Photo Credit: 丘昀 ChiuYun @ Flickr CC BY-ND 2.0

cinematographer to hold a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.

From June 16 to June 30, MoMA will screen 15 films shot by the award-winning cinematographer, including In the Mood for Love (2000), The Assassin (2015), and Crosscurrent (2016), which recently won a Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at the 2016 Berlinale. This is also the North American preview of Crosscurrent.

“Luminosity: The Art of Cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-Bing” is Lee’s first American retrospective in his three-decade career. While 14 of the films in the exhibition feature the cinematographer’s work, Let the Wind Carry Me (2010) is a documentary that follows Lee through three years of his life on set, and will be screened on June 19.

During an interview in New York City, Lee said his solo exhibition at MoMA is “the highest honor in his life up to this point.”     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan volunteer group rejected by Kyrgyzstan for political reasons

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-06-18
By: Sunrise Huang and Lilian Wu, Central News Agency

Taipei, June 18 (CNA) A Taiwanese non-governmental organization has expressed shock and regret after its plan to provide volunteer medical service to the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia was rejected due to political reasons.

Liu Chi-chun, head of the Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps, said Friday this was the first time in 21 years since the founding of the group in 1995 that it was rejected because of apparent pressure from Beijing.

China has been unhappy with newly elected Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s refusal so far to accept Beijing’s “one China” position that Taiwan is part of China. It has been increasingly applying pressure on Tsai to recognize the two sides are part of one country.     [FULL STORY]

Taiwan denies report about visit by Philippine VP-elect

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/06/18
By: Emerson Lim and Y.F. Low

Manila, June 18 (CNA) Taiwan’s representative office in the Philippines on Saturday denied a 201606180016t0002report that Philippine Vice President-elect Leni Robredo and her three daughters have traveled to Taiwan on vacation.

Robredo and her family did not go to Taiwan, the office said, rebutting a story published Saturday on the front page of The Philippine Star under the headline “Leni, kids leave for Taiwan vacation.”

The paper said Robredo and her three daughters appeared at Terminal 1 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Friday morning and “went through normal procedures by lining up at the airline counter and immigration.”

It also said Robredo and her family had booked economy class seats on a China Airlines (CAL) flight.     [FULL  STORY]