Page Three

German convict in Taiwan returned home to serve remaining term

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-03-25
By: Central News Agency

Taipei, March 25 (CNA) A German man convicted of drug trafficking in Taiwan was transferred back to his home country Thursday to serve the remainder of his jail term.

He is the second German national jailed in Taiwan to be transferred to serve the rest of his sentence in his home country since 2013, when the two countries signed an agreement on the transfer of prisoners.

The man was sentenced in 2013 to 16 years in prison and began serving his jail term in Taiwan that same year, according to a statement released Friday by the Ministry of Justice.

After Taiwan and Germany signed the transfer agreement in November 2013, the inmate filed an application in April 2014 to serve the rest of his term in his home country, the ministry said.

His application was approved by the Taiwanese and German judicial authorities after a review of his case, it added.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan in race against time to prevent marine ecological disaster

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/25
By: Sunrise Huang, Wang Hung-kuo, Zoe Wei and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, March 25 (CNA) Environmental authorities and the New Taipei City government are 201603250021t0001running out of time to prevent major leaks of toxic substances from a container ship that ran aground off Taiwan’s northern coast.

The authorities took emergency measures Friday to limit the ecological toll of leaks from the vessel on nearby areas, but rough seas and bad weather have prevented them from pumping out heavy oil and fuel from the ship itself, which may be on the verge of capsizing.

Over 100 people were sent to the coastal area of Shimen District in New Taipei on Friday to help clean shorelines polluted by oil leaks from the “Teh Shiang Taipei” container ship, which lost power in rough seas on March 10 and ran aground in waters off Shimen.

The local government also closed Shimen fishing port in Shimen District on Friday after closing the Caoli fishing port in the same district a day earlier, hoping to prevent leaked fuel and oil from damaging port facilities and hurt the livelihoods of local fishermen.

But work on salvaging the stranded ship and pumping out its fuel has been slow because there have only been six days when the sea was calm enough for the pumping operation to proceed, according to the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).     [FULL  STORY]

KMT bill on ex-presidents’ assets referred

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 26, 2016
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter

Legislation proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus to investigate claims of irregularities in former presidents’ assets and to establish a legislative committee to oversee cross-strait affairs was referred to the legislative committees for review yesterday without opposition from other caucuses.

The KMT caucus proposed two bills in the Procedure Committee on Tuesday to be placed on yesterday’s legislative floor agenda: a draft on the management and the investigation of presidents’ ill-gotten assets and for the establishment of an ad hoc committee to oversee cross-strait affairs.

According to the former bill, presidents in office since the Act on Property-Declaration by Public Servants (公職人員財產申報法) took effect on July 2, 1993 — which would include former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and outgoing President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) — and the involved parties would be required to report the properties they had possessed six months before they took office and those six months after they left office.

Assets that are not reported in time would be considered ill-gotten, it states. The bill defines “ill-gotten assets” as those gained by the presidents themselves or by others with the help of the presidents outside of legal channels.

KMT caucus whip Lin Te-fu (林德福) on Monday said the bill is reasonable, adding that as “transitional justice” is being championed, there should not be opposition to the attempt to regulate the presidents’ assets.     [FULL  STORY]

Foreign workers joining IS will be fired and deported: minister of labor

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-03-24
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

In response to an Indonesian labor official’s statement that Indonesian 6743497migrant workers in democratic countries can easily become targets of Islamic State (IS) recruitment, Taiwan’s Minister of Labor Chen Hsiung-wen said on Thursday that anyone found joining the IS will be laid off and sent back.

Nusron Wahid, chairman of the National Board for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Workers, was cited by media outlets as saying on March 20 that he knew of two Indonesian workers in South Korea who had joined IS and that some Indonesian workers in Taiwan and Hong Kong were wearing IS badges or other symbols of the terrorist organization.

In democratic countries like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, where there is intellectual freedom, Indonesia’s migrant workers could easily be recruited by IS, Wahid said.

Unlike Saudi Arabia, where Indonesian workers are banned from leaving their employers’ premises, these free Asian countries could become a hotbed of IS recruitment, Wahid said.     [FULL  STORY]

Siew suggests Beijing deal with challenges in pragmatic manner

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/24
By: Eva Feng and Romulo Huang

Boao, Hainan, March 24 (CNA) Former Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) 201603240038t0001suggested on Thursday that Beijing deal with future challenges with intelligence, patience and pragmatism.

Speaking at a dinner party hosted by Zhang Zhijun (張志軍), head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, in honor of Siew and members of the Taiwanese delegation to the Boao Forum for Asia being held in Boao, southern Hainan Province, the former vice president proposed that Beijing face the reality, which, he said, refers to the decisions made by the people of Taiwan. “It is necessary to face the reality.”

Over the past eight years, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have found excellent common foundations for resolving their long-lasting differences, Siew stressed, indicating that the development of relations between the two sides should be seen with a long-term vision, instead of from a short-term perspective.

Siew expressed the hope that the economic cooperation and exchanges between the two sides of the strait will continue to progress, no matter how the bilateral ties will change.     [FULL  STORY]

Cinematographer puts Taiwan film on world stage

Taiwan Today
Date: March 24, 2016

Taiwan cinematographer Lee Ping-bin is taking the island’s distinctive brand

Lee Ping-bin (right) and Hou Hsiao-hsien are longtime partners who helped define the internationally acclaimed Taiwan new wave cinema of the 1980s. (Courtesy of Taipei Film Commission)

Lee Ping-bin (right) and Hou Hsiao-hsien are longtime partners who helped define the internationally acclaimed Taiwan new wave cinema of the 1980s. (Courtesy of Taipei Film Commission)

of art house cinema to the world and garnering a growing list of international accolades for his signature long shots and dream-like style.

Lee’s work on “Crosscurrent,” a 2016 ode to the Yangtze River, earned him an Outstanding Artistic Contribution for Cinematography award at last month’s Berlin International Film Festival.

During his Silver Bear acceptance speech, Lee attributed the achievement to his emotional ties with Taiwan and upbringing in the south of the country.

The Berlin honor is an extension of his successful collaboration with fellow southern Taiwan native Hou Hsiao-hsien, who won best director at Cannes in 2015 for “The Assassin.”

These two icons of Taiwan new wave cinema first worked together over 30 years ago. Their partnership came to define the movement and launched a decade of films in the 1980s characterized by their realism and slow pace.     [FULL  STORY]

NPP’s Huang urges pension reform

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 25, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

Pensions paid to veterans, civil servants and teachers are “outrageously

National Taiwan University professor of social work Lin Wan-yi, second right, speaks at a forum on pension reform in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

National Taiwan University professor of social work Lin Wan-yi, second right, speaks at a forum on pension reform in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

high,” New Power Party (NPP) Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said yesterday, pledging his party’s support for any pension reform proposed by the incoming administration of president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

“The pension situation has already reached the point where it is almost burning our eyebrows,” Huang said at a forum organized by the Chinese-language Business Today, which released a survey that found 85 percent of legislators support pension reform.

“Reform has to start immediately before the system goes bankrupt,” Huang said, adding that “outrageously high” benefits are being paid to veterans, civil servants and teachers, which reach as high as 90 percent of their regular salaries even though they usually retire in their 40s or early 50s.

“When you look at that figure, it is clear why national pensions have run into such a big problem,” Huang said, calling for members “of all professions” to support pension reform.

Pensions vary based on profession, with benefits for government employees substantially higher on average than those awarded to people in other professions, Huang said.     [FULL  STORY]

Executive Yuan urges Uber to pay taxes

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-03-23
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taiwan’s government insists that Uber pay taxes and be responsible to 6743298consumers, Minister without Portfolio Tsai Yu-ling said on Wednesday.
If Uber continues on with the current business model of paying no taxes, Taiwan’s overall economy will be impacted, Tsai said.

Uber does not pay taxes and is not responsible in case of an accident, leaving the country’s national health insurance system to handle the aftermath, Tsai said.

Executive Yuan spokesman Sun Lih-chyun said that because of Uber’s bad attitude, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) had taken strong measures against Uber.

According to the latest regulations coming into effect on March 21, a driver violating the regulations prohibiting using a private vehicle to transport a passenger for profit twice over a period of six months will face a fine of NT$100,000 and suspension of the driver’s license plate for six months.

Tsai also said that using Uber will compromise one’s personal information as the driver knows the passenger’s phone number and where he or she is waiting for the car.     [FULL  STORY]

Batfish in Green Island waters near extinction: diving coach

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/23
By: Tyson Lu and S.C. Chang

Taipei, March 23 (CNA) A scuba diving coach has warned that the

Green Island, CNA file photo

Green Island, CNA file photo

population of batfish in waters near Green Island, which lies off the coast of Taitung, is shrinking fast and could disappear entirely if action is not taken to protect the species.

The coach, who prefers to be identified as Mingge or Brother Ming, said that on his most recent dive along the island’s Iron Reef he saw only three roundface batfish, which was a drastic reduction from 70 in 2007 when he began recording the numbers.

Mingge said he was inviting people who have ecological concerns to join him in a campaign on April 9 to protect the ocean and the batfish species.

Over 70 percent of Green Island’s population is dependent on tourism, which generates an economic output that far exceeds that of fishing, said Mingge, urging the public to work together to turn the island into a reserve area for certain marine species.

The current conservation rules could be modified to ban fishing in certain areas around the island while keeping other areas open, he suggested.     [FULL  STORY]

Beauty masks drive demand for Taiwan skincare exports

Taiwan Today
Date: March 23, 2016

Taiwan’s high-quality and value for money beauty masks are selling like

Taiwan-made beauty masks are proving popular with overseas visitors and helping create international demand for the nation’s skincare products. (Staff photo/Meg Chang)

Taiwan-made beauty masks are proving popular with overseas visitors and helping create international demand for the nation’s skincare products. (Staff photo/Meg Chang)

hotcakes with overseas visitors and playing a vital role in boosting exports of locally produced skincare products.

The diverse range of products feature such ingredients as bird’s nest with collagen, hyaluronic acid, milk, pearl barley, rare herbs, vitamin C and white tea. They are considered must-buy souvenirs by tourists, ranking alongside Taiwan’s signature items like oolong tea and pineapple cakes.

Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) statistics revealed that exports of beauty masks and related product grew 12.95 percent in 2015 to US$204 million. This contrasts with a drop off in the nation’s total shipments of 10.6 percent for the same period.

Patty Yen, a manager with TAITRA’s Market Development Department, said the strong shipment numbers reflect Taiwan’s rising reputation in the international beauty products market.

“Taiwan is now seen as a premium brand for many visitors throughout Asia,” Yen said. “The local lifestyle of health and sustainability also enhances the appeal of consumer goods made in Taiwan.”     [FULL  STORY]