Taiwan Today
Date: February 18, 2016

Taiwan’s public and private sectors are implementing a number of initiatives

aimed at transforming the island into one of the region’s top Muslim-friendly travel destination.

A total of 85 travel-related businesses and facilities hold Halal certification nationwide, including National Palace Museum and Taipei 101, as well as hotels and restaurants in tourism hot spots like Alishan and Sun Moon Lake.

In addition, Islamic prayer rooms are available in Taipei Main Station, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp.’s Taichung Station and Taoyuan International Airport, with more planned for highway service areas.

Eric K. Y. Lin, director of International Affairs Division of the Tourism Bureau under the ROC Ministry of Transportation and Communications, said these undertakings reflect the value the government places on this growing segment of the international tourism industry.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-02-18
By Chia Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Cold weather has deterred people from donating blood in Taipei, which greatly reduced the city’s blood reserves to a four day reserve level, said Taipei Blood Center Wednesday.

The center said Thursday that the city has been facing a shortage of blood since before the Lunar New Year with blood reserves at all hospitals below a seven day reserve level. The sudden drop in temperature had deterred people from donating blood, said the center.

Despite the surge in blood donation following the earthquake in southern Taiwan, the amount of blood donation is far lower than is required, said Lin Min-chang of the Taiwan Blood Services Foundation (TBSF).

Among the six blood donation centers nationwide, the Taipei branch is currently experiencing the most severe shortage of blood of all types, with only a 4.1 day reserve level, and there might not be enough blood in reserve when in case of emergency, Lin added. The national average of blood reserves are at a six day reserve level.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/18
By: Tang Pei-chun and Frances Huang

Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) The government of the Republic of China Thursday expressed gratitude to more than 70 foreign countries and international organizations which sent condolences to those affected by a strong earthquake hitting southern Taiwan in the early morning of Feb. 6.

A 6.4-magnitude quake rocked southern Taiwan at 3:57 a.m. on Feb. 6, toppling more than 10 buildings, all in Tainan. The death toll reached 117 due to the collapse of the buildings, and out of the 117 deaths, 115 came from the toppled Weiguan Jinlong apartment complex, the structure hardest hit by the quake.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOEA) said that after the earthquake hit, the Taiwan government has received condolences from many foreign countries and international groups.

As of Feb. 17, the MOEA said the 22 countries which have formal ties with Taiwan had all sent condolences, while 49 others which have no diplomatic relations with Taipei had demonstrated their concern for the suffering of people in Taiwan due to the tremor.     [FULL STORY]

‘ARBITRARY, OUT OF TOUCH’:The office did not confirm the report of a visit to Central America. Critics questioned the necessity and expense during Ma’s ‘caretaker period’

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 19, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

The Presidential Office yesterday downplayed criticism over a report that

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is to visit some of the nation’s diplomatic allies next month, saying a nation’s diplomacy should always be uninterrupted.

“Diplomacy, of which the president is in charge, is a matter for all Taiwanese and it must remain continuous at all times. There is no such a thing as ‘caretaker’ in this matter,” Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) said in a news release.
Chen said that for a nation facing diplomatic difficulties such as Taiwan, it is vital to cement relations with its diplomatic allies, which is also essential to maintaining Ma’s “viable diplomacy” policy.

The public should prioritize the national interest, Chen said, but declined to comment on the report.

However, he added that it is customary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to announce the president’s overseas visits at an opportune time.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-02-17
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu applauded the Cabinet for deciding not to implement special legal articles or special budgets in the aftermath of the Tainan earthquake, reports said Wednesday.

The central government announced on Tuesday that a NT$500 million fund would be allocated to meet emergency needs, and that reconstruction efforts could smart immediately.

Chu, who attended the signing ceremony of an animal conservation cooperation agreement between the Taipei City Zoo and Kaohsiung’s Shoushan Zoo in the morning, credited Premier Simon Chang for expediting the reconstruction efforts in Tainan.

“Although we did not receive equal treatment from the central government during Kaohsiung’s gas explosion over a year ago, I’m still happy to know that it has been quick to respond to Tainan’s needs,” she said, citing that the government has made a lot of progress in terms of efficiency.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 18, 2016　
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairperson candidate Lee Hsin (李新)

yesterday urged a rival, KMT acting chairperson Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠), to resign from her post to ensure a level playing field for all candidates.

In front of several cardboard placards showing his campaign pledges, Lee showed his discontent with what he called the party’s unjust chairperson by-election by beating a drum in front of the KMT’s headquarters in Taipei.

“Both candidates in the KMT’s 2007 chairperson by-election — then-acting chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and then-legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) — stepped down from their posts as party acting chair and Central Standing Committee member respectively to prevent the public from making a fuss about the issue,” Lee said.

Lee — who serves as a Taipei City councilor — said Huang should follow the pairs’ example and avoid giving the public the impression that she is “both a player and a referee in the game.”     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-02-17
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Draft amendments to the Building Act that would require participation of third-party expertise in different phrases of the construction of a building above a certain size will be submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval before making its way to the Legislature, Construction and Planning Agency (CPA) Director-General Hsu Wen-lung said on Wednesday.

The CPA has planned an amendment to Article 34 to require participation of a third-party professional body to assist the supervisory authorities in reviewing the design and structure of a building plan, Hsu said.

Amendments to Articles 56 and Article 70 were also drafted to require participation of third-party expertise in assisting authorities in inspecting the construction process of a building, a process to decide whether the construction can be continued, and in assessing whether the building is built according to its original design before the issuance of a service permit, respectively, Hsu added.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-02-16
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

A draft presidential and vice presidential transition act will be a priority bill in the coming legislative session that begins on Feb. 19, Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan said on Tuesday.

The purpose of the draft, which is slated to be proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party, is to institutionalize transition of power in the country and make it a smooth process in the future, Su said.

Each caucus can list not only one but a few bills as its priority bills, Su said in response to a media question after presiding over a religious ceremony at the Tien Tan Temple in Tainan City on Tuesday.

There are no legal rules to follow for the changeover of the country’s presidents, so the DPP has listed the draft presidential and vice presidential transition act as a priority bill, Su added.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/16
By: Lu Hsin-hui and Christie Chen

Taipei, Feb. 16 (CNA) The Presidential Office and the Democratic

Progressive Party (DPP) have formed teams to handle the transition of power, it was confirmed Tuesday.

Six people will represent the Presidential Office and six will represent the DPP at a meeting scheduled for Feb. 19 at the Taipei Guest House on the power transfer from the Kuomintang (KMT) to the DPP, according to officials from the two sides.

The members of the Presidential Office team are: Presidential Office Secretary-General Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Hsiung Kuang-hua (熊光華), Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑), National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Chao Ke-ta (趙克達), Vice Premier Duh Tyzz-jiun (杜紫軍) and Executive Yuan Deputy Secretary-General Sung Yu-hsieh (宋餘俠), according to Presidential Office spokeswoman Ma Wei-kuo (馬瑋國).     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: February 16, 2016

Taiwan’s cat population is increasing as shown in the latest statistics by the

Council of Agriculture under the ROC Executive Yuan.

The number of cats on the island hit 578,993 two years ago, up 91 percent from 2011, and ahead of a 40 percent rise recorded by dogs. A COA official said this growth momentum is expected to continue going forward.

Wayne Chang, president of Taipei Pet Commerce Association, said cats are generally viewed as family members by the public, and require less care than dogs.

“Cats do not have to be walked like dogs and make less noise,” he said, adding that these are major sources of appeal in Taiwan’s work-dominated and urban-based society.

The trend is encapsulated by ROC President-elect Tsai Ing-wen, who adopted two tabbies Shiang Shiang and Ah Tsai. Their public debut in her recent Lunar New Year video message revealed a softer side to the chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party.     [FULL  STORY]