Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/12/08
By Christie Chen

Taipei, Dec. 8 (CNA) The Central Election Commission (CEC) on Tuesday fined one website and four daily newspapers for violating the law governing the release of election polls during the local government and council elections of late last year.

Exchange of Future Events (XFuture), a website that predicts future events, and its company representative, were each levied a fine of NT$500,000 (US$15,163) for predicting the 2014 election results on XFuture’s website and in its forum, but failing to include background information about the opinion polls, the CEC said in a statement.

Four media outlets — China Times, Liberty Times, Apple Daily, and the Commons Daily — and their respective representatives were also each slapped a fine of NT$500,000 for releasing the same survey without verification, the CEC said.

Article 53 of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act stipulates that any publication of election surveys or data related to the candidates 10 days prior to the vote must be accompanied by information containing the name of the unit or host in charge of the survey, the survey period, sampling method, matrix and sample size, sources of funding and margin of error. It also bans any such publication within 10 days of the vote.      [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: December 8, 2015

A Bunun priestess bestows her blessings on the National Taiwan Museum collection of her tribal ancestors’ artifacts Dec. 7 in Taipei City. (UDN)

A collection of century-old artifacts from the Bunun tribes in eastern Taiwan’s Taitung County is set for a homecoming tour commencing Dec. 12, according to organizer National Taiwan Museum.

Comprising farming instruments, hunting rifles, indigenous garments and traditional tools, the 64-piece loan exhibition represents milestone collaboration among the NTM and indigenous communities.

NTM Director Chen Chi-ming said Dec. 7 it is a privilege to be able to assist in the preservation of Bunun culture. “The artifacts are testament to the Bunun heritage of traditional hunting and weaving cultures.

“The intricate patterns on the fabrics used to make formal dresses and adorn hunting kits epitomize a distinctive sense of beauty and pride in upholding this legacy.”

According to Chen, the tour is even more special given the presence of exhibits from 11 Isbukun clans based in Taitung’s Haiduan Township. “We expect it to be the event of the year for the Bunun community on the east coast,” he said.

Echoing Chen’s remarks, Bunun high priestess and former Haiduan Township Chief Hudas Haitang said every artifact has great meaning and tells a story unique to her people.     [FULL  STORY]

UN FORUM:Minister Wei Kuo-yen said that despite Taiwan being a major emitter of carbon dioxide, the nation is missing from a UN map of nations and reduction targets

Taipei Times
Date:  Dec 09, 2015
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Minister Wei Kuo-yen (魏國彥) urged the UN to be inclusive of all political entities in the fight against climate change and pursuit of carbon reduction.

Speaking on Monday at a forum on the sidelines of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Wei said Taiwan’s exclusion from the meeting as a political entity needed to change.

Taiwan has taken measures to reduce carbon emissions, including passing the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction and Management Act (溫室氣體減量及管理法) and putting forward Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC), but the nation remains ostracized, he said.

“Obviously, Taiwan has disappeared from the INDC map” published on the UNFCCC Web site, Wei said, referring to public commitments on the reductions in emissions each nation is willing to make by 2030.

“With such intentional blindness in the international community, it is ironic that one cannot see the real existence of Taiwan in the UN’s bright meeting rooms,” Wei said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/12/06
By: Ku Chuan and Lauren Hung

Taipei, Dec. 6 (CNA) Ahead of the arrival of International Anti-Corruption Day on Dec. 9, the Taipei City

government has established a website to promote the fight against corruption, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said Wednesday.

The website (www.1209carnival.com) describes the city government’s efforts in combating corruption and asks the general public to become part of the team supervising the effort.

Visitors of the website can enter a lucky draw as part of a riddle-solving activity in which participants answer questions related to anti-graft concepts.

One lucky contestant will have the opportunity to win a tablet computer as a prize in the event, which runs from Dec. 1, 2015 to Jan. 15, 2016.

The government will develop an integrity index system in the near future to advance administrative transparency, which, with the help of the people, will help the city be more effective in combating corruption, Ko said.

COMPETITIVE BALANCE:A National Taiwan Normal University dean said that, instead of trying to eradicate Uber, the government should guide it into becoming a leasing business

Taipei Times
Date:  Dec 07, 2015
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is planning to press criminal charges to stop what it feels are illegal ride-sharing services offered by Uber Taiwan, ministry sources said yesterday.

Since September last year, the Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) has imposed more than NT$40 million (US$1.22 million) in fines on Uber Taiwan and its drivers for violating the Highway Act (公路法), which bans unlicensed operators of transportation services.

However, those fines have failed to stop the practices, the ministry sources said.

Uber runs transportation services in Taiwan, but has refused to apply for the required licenses and has never paid taxes in Taiwan because its earnings from the services are all booked overseas, according to the ministry.     [FULL  STORY]