Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-16
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Academia Sinica narrowed down a list of prospective candidates for its presidency from four to three Saturday amid the controversy enveloping its current head, Wong Chi-huey.

The top academic returned to Taiwan and met President Ma Ying-jeou Friday, denying his alleged involvement in an insider trading scandal. He reportedly did not repeat an offer to resign, but since his 10-year period in office ends in October, the procedure to choose his successor has already started.

An Academia Sinica review committee met at 10 a.m. Saturday amid extensive media attention due to the allegations against Wong. However, committee members were unwilling to comment on their current head or on his potential successor.

According to the official procedure, the committee had to consider three of the present four candidates. After two hours of presentations and debates, the committee held one round of voting which succeeded in choosing the three remaining contenders, though the result was not announced to the public.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/16
By: Chen Chih-chung and Elaine Hou

Taipei, April 16 (CNA) The Council of Academia Sinica selected candidates for the next head of Taiwan’s top academic research institution during a meeting Saturday, and that list will be sent to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to make a final decision.

After the seven-hour meeting, Academia Sinica President Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) — who convened the meeting — told the media that three candidates have been chosen for the post.

The list of candidates will be sent to the president within a month and the president will make the decision on who will head the institution, said Academia Sinica, which did not reveal the names on the list.

At the beginning of the meeting, Wong also apologized for the recent controversy that has marred the image of the institution.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/15
By: Elaine Hou

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) Taiwan will donate 10 million Japanese yen (US$92,036)

to Japan to assist it with relief efforts after a strong earthquake hit the southern part of the country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

At least nine people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in the magnitude-6.5 earthquake that hit Kumamoto Prefecture on southern Japan’s Kyushu Island late Thursday, foreign media reported.

In a statement issued Friday, the ministry said it has expressed Taiwan’s sympathy over the earthquake to the Japanese government and pledged to offer donations to Kumamoto Prefecture.

“If Japan needs any further assistance, we will try our best to extend a helping hand,” the ministry said.

On Friday, Taiwan’s representative office in Tokyo also forwarded to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a message from President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), extending sympathy to Japan and victims of the quake, the ministry added.     [FULL  STORY]

SUNFLOWER REVIVAL:The activists said the Sunflower movement is not finished yet and that they are extremely anxious about where the DPP’s trade policy is going

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 16, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

Sunflower movement activists yesterday threatened to escalate protests if the

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) refuses to engage in open debate over “supervisory articles” for negotiations with China, demanding that the party address flaws in its proposed draft legislation.

Protesters from about 20 civic groups gathered in front of the Legislative Yuan’s front gate, shouting their rejection of “fake” legislative supervision of negotiations with China.

“The Sunflower movement is not finished yet — we are extremely anxious about where DPP trade policy is going,” Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said, adding that premier-designate Lin Chuan (林全) promised to move forward with the cross-strait service trade agreement and trade in goods agreement.

Lai’s organization spearheaded early opposition to the service trade agreement, which culminated in the Legislative Yuan being surrounded by protesters for three weeks during 2014’s Sunflower movement, after the main legislative chamber was occupied by student activists. Passing supervisory regulations to address opaque “black box” negotiations with China by guaranteeing legislative oversight and civic participation was a key demand of the movement.

The relatively “flexible” and “loose” version of supervisory regulations proposed by the DPP caucus — which would not be applied retroactively to past agreements or negotiations already underway — raised questions about whether they were laying a path for continuing President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) China trade policy, Lai said, calling for the DPP and New Power Party (NPP) caucuses to respond to activists’ objections within a week, and to hold open dialogues and debates over differences in opinion.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-14
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

I-Mei Foods Co general manager Luis Ko, who has been championing the cause of food safety, has questioned on his Facebook page the validity of the government’s focus on implementing food inspections and tests to safeguard the country’s food safety.

Who can live with peace of mind knowing that the country’s food safety management only hinges on enforcement of food inspections and tests? Ko asked. Even though inspections and tests are a precise science, they have their limits too, Ko added.

As the technology of testing has achieved many breakthroughs, the precision of tests has increased by a thousand fold from parts per million (ppm) to parts per billion (ppb) to ppt (parts per trillion), Ko said, adding that the precision is undeniable.

However, samples come before tests, and samples are usually only a few hectograms, Ko said. So how to obtain a few hectograms of, say, grains or grease, from a huge storage silo of more than 1,000 metric tons, has become an ‘art,’ he said.

From which part of the silo, which usually measures more than 10 meters in diameter and in height, should samples be taken–from the top layer or the bottom layer, from the center or from the side? Ko asked.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/14
By: Luo Yuan-shao and Kay Liu

Taipei, April 14 (CNA) Incoming President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) finished in 19th

place in a reader poll run by Time magazine ahead of the release its annual list of “the 100 most influential people” for 2016.

Tsai, the only Taiwanese featured in the online poll, garnered 1.2 percent of the support from online voters, while United States Senator Bernie Sanders, who is seeking the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party took the top spot in the poll with 3.3 percent.

Time did not disclose how many people voted in the online poll, which presented 108 notable figures, such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and was held between March 23 and April 13.

South Korean boy band Big Bang came in second with 2.9 percent, Myarmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi took third with 2.2 percent while U.S. President Barack Obama stood in fourth place with 2 percent.

Other female political figures featured in the poll include U.S. first lady Michelle Obama (8), German Chancellor Angela Merkel (23), and former U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton (25).     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: April 14, 2016

Taiwan’s Dalin, Nanzhuang and Sanyi townships’ commitment to retaining their

distinct identities in the face of globalization and improving the quality of life of residents recently saw them earn accreditation by Italy-based Cittaslow International.

Dalin, located in southern Taiwan’s Chiayi County, is famous for its rice, orchid and sugar production. In recent years the township has rolled out a raft of Cittaslow-compatible measures aimed at cutting carbon emissions, boosting environmental education and promoting organic agriculture.

These have seen Dalin capitalize on its rustic charms to attract more holidaymakers and newlyweds seeking a special photo shooting destination. Township chief Huang Chen-yu said residents understand the value of their community’s lifestyle and are eager to share experiences with and learn from other Cittaslow members.

Nazhuang and Sanyi in northern Taiwan’s Miaoli County are leveraging their Hakka heritage to spur local tourism. Taiwan’s Hakkas began arriving from mainland China in the 16th century, and today there are about 4.6 million representing around 20 percent of Taiwan’s 23 million population. They live all over the island from north to south and renowned for their unique architectural style, cuisine and folk arts.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 15, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Minister of Justice-designate Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) yesterday said that there is

no need to revise fraud laws, because penalties are at a judge’s discretion.

The deportation of 45 Taiwanese involved in a telecommunications fraud case in Kenya and China has sparked a debate in which some lawmakers have proposed increasing penalties for fraud offenses as part of efforts to stem the crime.

Some in China, where many are affected by fraud, have said that Taiwanese courts treat fraudsters more leniently than in China.

The Criminal Code stipulates that those convicted of fraud using telephones or other communication equipment face imprisonment of not more than five years, Chiu said.

However, in 2004 the nature of the penalties for fraud offenses was revised to “one offense, one penalty,” Chiu said, adding that this means that the courts can increase sentences based on the number of plaintiffs.     [FULL  STORY]