Taiwan News
Date: 2015-07-12
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je lined up alongside rows of economy seat passengers in the

Ko leaves for S. Korea on a 5-day visit  —  Central News Agency (2015-07-12 12:10:00)
Unflustered by a flurry of questions, Ko told reporters prior to boarding the plane that he demands his staff to travel in economy when making official visits abroad, saying those wishing to upgrade to business seats must pay the supplementary costs out of their own pockets.

The mayor left on a 6 a.m. flight via China Airlines in the company of spokesman Sidney Lin, and was seen off by National Police Agency (NPA) Chief Huang Tsung-jen and Taipei Police Department Commissioner Chiu Feng-kuang.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 13, 2015
By: Lee Hsin-fang and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Independent presidential hopeful Shih Ming-te (施明德) said the Democratic

Progressive Party (DPP) stands to gain the most from “manipulating innocent high-school students” into conflict with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) over proposed changes to high-school curriculum guidelines.

According to Shih, the Ministry of Education’s controversial “minor adjustments” to high-school social studies guidelines could have been easily blocked by the DPP in the Legislative Yuan.

Citing National Taiwan University College of Social Sciences professor Liu Ching-yi (劉靜怡), Shih said the DPP could have used Clause 2 of Article 60 of the Act Governing the Legislature Exercise of Power (立法院職權行使法) to empower the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee to review the changes.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-07-12
By: Li Hsin-tung and Staff Reporter

To enable tourists to receive tax refunds more quickly, 1,000 7-Eleven stores in Japan

will introduce a duty-free system by the end of this month. It is estimated that they can complete the tax rebate procedure in five minutes.

Thirty-one 7-Eleven shops in Japan have already introduced the duty-free system. In addition to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, some scenic spots in Tokyo have also launched the system. It is expected that the number of 7-Elevens with the system will increase to 3,000 by the end of the year.

Under current regulations, tourists who spend over 5,000 yen (US$41) to buy consumables (foods, drinks, medicines, cosmetics) or over 10,000 yen (US$82) for general goods (electric appliances, clothing, accessories, etc.) can have the 8% consumption tax eliminated.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-07-12
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

President Ma Ying-jeou gave his speech to his alma mater Saturday during a forum

gathering with students and scholars after a brief stopover in Boston, reports said Sunday.

Ma, who received his Doctor of the Science of Law (S.J.D) degree from Harvard Law School in 1981, said the campus visit brought him a sense of nostalgia after having last visited the institution nine years ago as mayor of Taipei and a presidential candidate.

During the Harvard visit, the president said he finally saw the tree that he remembered vividly as a law student over three decades ago. Accompanied by former premier Jiang Yi-huah and William P. Alford, vice dean for the graduate program and international legal studies at Harvard Law School, the guided tour also brought him to his past dormitory as well as the famed Pound Hall, a former building center for East Asian legal studies.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/07/11
By: Lillian Lin

Taitung, July 11 (CNA) Residents of Green Island, a small island off Taiwan’s eastern

coast, reminded tourists Saturday to drive slowly and watch out for land crabs crossing roads as they migrate to the sea to spawn in shallow coastal waters.

With the beginning of the crab spawning season, the owner of a bed and breakfast on the island initiated an action to protect the crabs. In addition to setting up signs asking motorists to drive slowly, residents of the island are forming guardian teams to escort crabs crossing the road in sections where there is heavier traffic.

Many school children and their teachers have joined the mission to protect the crabs.

The 16-square kilometer island is rich in ecological resources, including various crab species. The environment has been well preserved due to the island’s unique historical development. In the second half of the 20th century, many political prisoners and gangsters were imprisoned on the island and tourism was not encouraged.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-07-11
By: CNA

The Central Weather Bureau lifted the land warning for Typhoon Chan-hom at 11:30 pm

Friday and is expected to lift its sea warning Saturday afternoon.

The typhoon caused six slight injuries in northern Taiwan Friday and a college student was carried away by a rogue wave on outlying Green island the previous day as Chan-hom was approaching the country.

Although Chan-hom is veering north away from Taiwan, the weather bureau said that southern Taiwan might see increasing rainfall as the storm introduces southwestern currents.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/07/11
By: M.H. Huang and Lillian Lin

Taipei, July 11 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou said Saturday that smooth cross-Taiwan Strait relations play a key role in safeguarding the Republic of China’s diplomatic ties.

Cordial relations between two sides of the strait, he said, can only be expected if the concepts of the “1992 consensus” and “one China, separate interpretations” are honored.

In an in-flight press briefing given on his way to the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Nicaragua for talks with heads of state, including Daniel Ortega, with a stopover in Boston, Ma told the accompanying media entourage that since he assumed the presidency seven years ago, Taiwan has made concrete diplomatic achievements, following the principles of dignity, autonomy, pragmatism and flexibility.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/07/10
By: Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, July 10 (CNA) Local airline companies on Friday announced flight schedules for the following day in anticipation of strong winds and heavy rain brought by Typhoon Chan-hom.

Mandarin Airlines said all its flights connecting to Taipei (Songshan) will be canceled before 10 a.m., while later flights will resume normal operations except for flights AE363/AE364 on the Taipei-Magong route, which will be canceled as well.

TransAsia Airways said its Taipei-Magong flights before 10:20 a.m., Taipei-Kinmen flights and Taipei-Hualien flights before noon will be canceled.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-07-10
By: CNA

Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou’s upcoming three-nation Latin America tour slated to

start Saturday would not be affected by Typhoon Chan-hom although a land warning for the typhoon was issued later Thursday, Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen said.

Chen said that the government has to strike a balance between dealing with domestic and foreign affairs.

He said that Ma always attaches great importance to disaster prevention and preparedness and has directed the Executive Yuan to be well prepared for the coming typhoon.     [FULL  STORY]