Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/12/26
By: S.H. Lu and Flor Wang

Taipei, Dec. 26 (CNA) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairwoman and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) vowed Friday to put in place four sets of mechanisms to overhaul Taiwan if elected president in January.

Speaking at the first televised policy platform presentation sponsored by the Central Election Commission, Tsai said that if elected, she will initiate mechanisms to forge a national consensus on major state affairs with opposition parties.

“This is an important step in Taiwan’s efforts to deepen its democratization by sharing information and building channels of mutual consultations with the opposition,” she explained.

In upgrading Taiwan industrial sector, Tsai said she will invite all parties concerned to assess the DPP’s blueprint so as to help domestic industries regain their momentum.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today    
Date: December 25, 2015

The results of laboratory tests on two fossils from what some claimed as the

Two fossilized parietal bone fragments (upper left and upper middle) of Tsuo Chen Man stored at National Taiwan Museum have been re-dated to 3,000 and 250 years ago by laboratories in Australia and the U.S. this year. (Courtesy of NTM)

second oldest prehistoric human relics in Taiwan were released Dec. 23 by Taipei City-based National Taiwan Museum, forcing experts to reconsider their archaeological perspectives of Taiwan.

The fossils were originally believed to be from early Homo sapiens of the late Pleistocene era, who are known collectively as Tsuo Chen Man living between 20,000 and 30,000 years ago. But the latest tests by Australian National University and Beta Analytic Inc. in the U.S. re-dated two of the six fossils stored at NTM to around 3,000 and 250 years ago, respectively.

According to Liu Yi-chang, a research fellow in history and philology at Academia Sinica, the results are not overly surprising. “The fossilized parietal bone fragments and molars from different bodies were first found in a riverbed in Tainan City in 1970, and have been the source of much dispute as they were not excavated from geological layers.”     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date:  Dec 26, 2015
By: Ho Ching-hsien, Tsou Nien-tsu and Chuang Pei-yi

Liberty Times (LT): Taiwanese films won in 12 categories at the latest Golden

Taiwanese director Wu Nien-jen gestures in an interview on Nov. 27 in Taipei.
Photo: Pan Shao-tang, Taipei Times

Horse Awards, which is a majority of the categories. By all appearances, it was a successful performance, but directors Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢) and Ang Lee (李安) said Taiwanese films did not win enough awards. What is your take?

Wu Nien-jen (吳念真): What does it matter how many awards were or were not won? The Golden Horse has an ongoing struggle with an identity crisis, although it should be said that it is improving in that regard.

In the past, the Golden Horse consistently rewarded Mandarin-language films and it is tough for Hoklo-language [commonly known as Taiwanese] films to participate. For example, Dust in the Wind (戀戀風塵) had very few lines in Mandarin and was licensed as a Hoklo-language film; it was very nearly excluded from the Golden Horse Awards.

In earlier times, the Golden Horse had a strong political flavor. Patriotic, anti-communist films were guaranteed to win an award. There was one year when they awarded the best film to a movie that was not even considered for best director or best screenplay. Now the Golden Horse is more fair and open.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/12/24
By: Chiu Chun-chin and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Dec. 24 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou officiated Thursday at a ceremony to mark the reopening of the north runway at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport after a nine-month overhaul.

Ma praised all relevant parties for their contributions to the project, which is expected to greatly ease air traffic congestion at the airport.

The ceremony culminated with the first takeoff from the refurbished runway. China Airlines flight CI-160, carrying 369 passengers, was bound for Seoul, according to the company.

Noting that the north and south runways at the airport have both returned to operational status this year, Ma said it was not an easy achievement.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/12/24
By: Tang Pei-chun and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Dec. 24 (CNA) Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday it has

(File photo from Turkey’s Cihan News Agency)

been working with the Turkish government on building a school to enable 1,500 Syrian refugee children to receive a proper education.

Construction of the school, located in the Turkish province of Hatay, which borders Syria, is expected to be completed by next June, the ministry said.

In addition, Taiwan donated 750 electric fans to three refugee camps in Turkey this past August to help provide relief from the heat, it said.

Taiwan Today
Date: December 24, 2015

An interactive exhibition drawing back the curtain on the historic

Photos showcasing the development of the National Taiwan Museum and 45 other historic buildings are on display at “Musemble City: An Experiencing Project for Modernity” Dec. 22 to Sept. 4, 2016 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of NTM)

buildings of the National Taiwan Museum and surrounding area kicked off Dec. 22 in Taipei City.

“Musemble City: An Experiencing Project for Modernity” comprises films and photographs of NTM and 45 other structures including National Taiwan University Hospital, Zhongshan Hall and the former headquarters of the National Taiwan Science Education Center.

The buildings are divided into six categories: abandoned sites, commercial complexes, educational institutions, factories, government offices and public plazas.

According to NTM Director Chen Chi-min, these old facilities play a key role in the formation of Taipei’s political, economic and cultural landscape and form collective memories among its populace. “The event helps document the growth of the city while offering a comprehensive overview of its cultural development for locals and visitors alike.”     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 25, 2015
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday accused

Democratic Progressive Party pokesperson Wang Min-sheng speaks during a press conference in Taipei yesterday next to a printout questioning whether funds from the sale of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) properties are being used to fund the party’s election campaigns. Photo: CNA

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) of engaging in land speculation during his term as commissioner of the then-Taoyuan County.

Speaking at a news conference in Taipei, DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said that when Chu served as Taoyuan County commissioner between 2001 and 2009, he used government resources to engage in land speculation on plots of land in the so-called “Jhongjheng Arts District” (中正藝文特區), by purposefully lowering the publicly announced values of the plots he intended to expropriate in the district, only to immediately raise them after seizure.

“Chu carried out the practice in five sections of the district. One of them, section 46, had a publicly announced land value of NT$33,000 [US$1,000 at current exchange rates] per ping [3.3m2] in 2004, but it was increased to NT$75,000 in 2007 after Chu seized the land in the section the same year,” Chen said.     [FULL  STORY]