Taipei Times
Date: May 03, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday proposed draft legislation aimed at rectifying the injustices suffered by Aborigines throughout the nation’s history, in addition to human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) during the Martial Law era.

The inclusion of Aboriginal rights in the bill, titled “promoting historical justice and the recovery of rights act,” is in contrast with the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) proposed legislation on transitional justice, which focuses on abuses of power under martial law prior to democratization, although both seek to establish a special commission with broad powers to investigate abuses and draft remedial legislation.

NPP Legislator Freddie Lim (林昶佐) said the bill is aimed at “drawing out the historical line” to enable a “full inspection” of transitional justice issues, including human rights abuses committed under several different governing authorities.

The NPP legislation would establish a “historical justice and rights recovery commission” charged with investigating infringements of indigenous rights, as well as governmental abuses of power.
The NPP bill defines relations between the government and Aboriginal communities as those between equally sovereign bodies, while defining investigations into Aboriginal rights infringements to focus on land and natural resources.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-05-01
By: Central News Agency

Taiwanese fishermen lauded and expressed their full support Sunday for the government’s action in sending patrol ships to international waters near a Japanese-controlled atoll in the Western Pacific that day to protect Taiwanese fishing boats operating there.

“Yes, (the government) should be this hard. This is what we call protecting fishermen,” said Tsai Tien-yu, a fishing boat owner and former chief of Liouciou Township in Pingtung County, while voicing his anger over Japan’s detention of the Liouciou-registered fishing boat “Tung Sheng Chi No. 16,” in waters close to Okinotori Atoll April 25.

Tsai said the case has not just caused financial losses resulting from the seizure of the fishing boat and the payment of a security deposit to the tune of NT$1.76 million (US$54,442). The skipper also had to undergo a strip search. “Human rights have been violated,” he protested.

All the fishermen in Liouciou hold the consensus that while demanding the return of the deposit, the government must also demand that Japan compensate for the loss of fishing gear and the fish the “Tung Sheng Chi No. 16” was unable to catch because of the seizure.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 02, 2016
By: Su Fang-ho, Yao Yueh-hung and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Allegations that the National Police Agency (NPA) in January proposed downgrading the national counterterrorism training center has drawn criticism from Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers.

The national counterterrorism training center is housed in an incomplete compound in Taoyuan’s Sinwu District (新屋), with construction of the NT$550 million (US$17.04 million) project having dragged on for 13 years.

According to an anonymous source, on Jan. 13 — just three days before the presidential election — the NPA abruptly filed a request to the Executive Yuan asking for approval to downgrade the training center from a national-level establishment to an agency-level establishment.

By the time the request had been reviewed by the Executive Yuan, the election had taken place, and the Executive Yuan decided it would be prudent to suspend the controversial issue for president-elect Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration to decide after it has taken power on May 20, the source said.

Executive Yuan spokesman Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) declined to comment on the NPA’s proposal.      [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-30
By: By Yu Hsiao-han and Lilian Wu, Central News Agency

Concentrations of fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) were at “high” and “very high” levels in areas north of Tainan in western Taiwan, with the air pollution PM2.5 indexes there reaching between 8-10, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) reported Saturday.

An index of 10 indicates the highest and most hazardous PM 2.5 concentration. According to the EPA’s air quality monitoring network at 10:30 a.m., the PM 2.5 concentrations detected at monitoring stations were at “very high” levels in Tainan, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Miaoli, and Taoyuan cities and counties, and in the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu.

The EPA said concentrations of PM 2.5 in Kinmen and Matsu were very high because of pollutants from outside — presumably from mainland China, while the high concentration in western Taiwan was due to poor atmospheric circulation and the situation there is expected to improve after rainfalls.

Under Taiwan’s 10-tier PM2.5 index, with level 10 (71 痢/cubic meter or above) being the highest, measurements above level 7 (54-58 痢/cubic meter) are deemed severe enough to cause tangible discomfort and health problems.

The EPA said children and the elderly in areas north of Tainan should refrain from outdoor activities and the public are advised to wear masks if they have to go outdoors.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 01, 2016
By: Staff Writer, with CNA

Incoming minister of transportation and communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) has indicated his intention to scrap a government plan to build a new direct rail route between Taipei and Yilan, a local daily newspaper reported yesterday.

Hochen, who is to assume office under the new administration of president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to be sworn in on May 20, also expressed his opposition to a proposal to include the Dongao (東澳)-Nanao (南澳) section in the Suhua Highway improvement project, in an interview published by the Chinese-language China Times.

The Taipei-Yilan direct rail route plan, which is expected to cost NT$50 billion (US$1.55 billion), was designed to reduce travel time to eastern Taiwan, but the minister-designate questioned the cost-efficiency of spending tens of billions of New Taiwan dollars just to cut travel time, saying the ministry should evaluate the plan more carefully.

He said that although residents in the eastern counties of Hualien and Taitung and tourists heading to the areas are hoping for shorter travel times, the government should consider the tourism characteristics of different areas and promote the idea of “slow travel.”

Another key issue is adjusting train dispatching and ticket prices to allow residents in eastern Taiwan to purchase train tickets more easily, he said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-29
By: Luis Ko, Taiwan News

Everybody’s aim is to safeguard the public’s health, to take care of pig farmers, and to prevent trade disputes between Taiwan and the United States.

In fact, because Taiwan is small, its population is dense, environmental pollution problems are serious, there is no way like 10 to 20 years ago to raise 12 million pigs. A number like 6 million would be the maximum today.

Most countries are already importing pork in large quantities. What the dispute is about, is the import from the United States of pork containing residues of the leanness drug ractopamine.

The absolute priority is to preserve the income and profit margins of the Taiwanese pig farmers who raise a grand total of 6 million animals. If imports are liberalized, subsidies should be based on the average price over the past eight years, and each year there should be an average rise of 1.5 percent in order to have an effective ban on the domestic use of lean-meat drugs. The measure would protect the livelihood of the pig farmers, Taiwan’s agriculture and the environment.

The current dispute has been focused on the use of ractopamine, but it is not the only type of leanness-enhancing drug that is used, because the beta-agonists include more than 40 varieties.     [FULL  STORY]