19 stations along Tamsui-Xinyi (red) Line to participate in trial operation on weekends, national holidays

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/01/02
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation announced Thursday (Jan. 2) that medium- and large-sized dogs will be allowed to enter Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) carriages on weekends and national holidays at 19 stations on the Tamsui-Xinyi (red) Line.

The company said that a six-month trial operation would be launched Saturday (Jan. 4) to permit dog owners to bring their pets on board MRT trains between Tamsui and Zhongshan Stations on the Tamsui-Xinyi Line. It added that to ensure the safety of other passengers, the dogs must remain inside containers that are under 55 cm long, 45 cm wide, and 40 cm tall, reported Liberty Times.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2020/01/02
By: Ko Lin

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on Thursday expressed its condolences to the families of the eight people, including Taiwan's armed forces top officer, who died in a military helicopter crash in New Taipei earlier in the day.

"We are deeply saddened by this morning's tragic helicopter crash, which took the lives of eight passengers, including Chief of the General Staff General Shen Yi-Ming," the AIT said in a statement.

Shen, 62, along with 12 other military personnel, was traveling on the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter to a military base in Dong'ao, Yilan County, for a pre-Lunar New Year inspection, when the aircraft crashed in the mountains of Wulai, killing eight of the people on board. The other five were later pulled alive from the wreckage and taken to hospital.

In the AIT's message on its website, it expressed wishes for the swift recovery of the survivors and extended condolences to the relatives of those who died.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 01 January, 2020
By: Jake Chen

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has received heavy criticism for passing the Anti-Infiltration Act despite sizeable pushback.

The new law stipulates that individuals who receive aid or political donations from hostile foreign forces, or those who attempt to intervene in Taiwan’s elections, will be sentenced up to 5 years in prison and fined up to NT$10 million (US$333,000).

The law has been a contentious point of controversy since its introduction into the legislature. Many pointed out that the law defined infiltration in general and vague terms. The primary concern is that the government can freely interpret the law to fine and imprison those they deem guilty without sufficient evidence.

At a flag-raising ceremony in the southern city of Tainan, opposition KMT candidate Han Kuo-yu criticized the DPP for forcing the Anti-infiltration Act through the legislature, where the DPP holds a majority.    [FULL  STORY]

Mizzima
Date: 01 January 2020
By: Chuqiao Chen 

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during the New Year's press conference in Taipei, Taiwan, 01 January 2020. Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo/EPA

Might Myanmar-Taiwan relations get trickier due to the current presidential race in Taiwan and the incumbent Tsai Ing-wen’s relationship with Beijing regarding the “One China Policy”?

Both Taiwan and Myanmar have elections in 2020 and for both countries, the outcome is important for different reasons and yet there is an underlying theme of democracies in development.  

What could impinge on their bilateral relations in their respective relations with China?

The Myanmar government and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi are leaning towards China in part due to the international fallout from the “bad news” over the Rakhine crisis and the treatment of the Muslim Rohingya which has seen the Western embrace of Myanmar cool.      [FULL  STORY]

Introduced as cute pets they turn into 'Godzilla'-like reptiles and have spread wildly after being released by owners

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/01/01
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer\

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — More than 4,000 green iguanas were caught in southern Taiwan last year, raising fears the invasive species is growing out of control, CNA reported on Tuesday (Dec. 31).

Citing a Pingtung County Department of Agriculture news release on Tuesday, the report said that many southern Taiwanese will have seen the reptiles running around in the wild. Green iguana young have emerald green bodies and are considered cute, so they were introduced to Taiwan as pets for sale, the department said.

When the iguanas are older, they are long and look like "Godzilla," a fictional monster originating from a series of Japanese films of the same name, according to the department. This caused owners to release their iguanas into the wild, where they bred and spread rapidly, the department said, per CNA. Not only do the iguanas eat crops, they also cause ecological disruption, the department continued.

In 2013, Pingtung County Government started to take action and curb the wild green iguana population. Pingtung County Department of Agriculture Director-General Huang Kuo-jung (黃國榮) said the county government caught 26 green iguanas in 2013, 51 in 2014, 345 in 2015, 1,068 in 2017, and 1,082 in 2018.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2020/01/01
By: Tsai Peng-min, Joe Yeh and Frances Huang

Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) Business groups raised concerns Wednesday over possible chilling effects on cross-Taiwan Strait economic exchanges as a result of the newly passed Anti-infiltration Act, saying the law could have an adverse impact on such exchanges.

Lai Cheng-yi (賴正鎰), chairman of the General Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of China, said China is one of the most important markets for many Taiwanese exporters, and he expressed concern that Taiwanese enterprises that have regular exchanges with their Chinese counterparts will refrain from cross-strait exchanges out of fear of breaking the law, which will hinder their business.

The Legislative Yuan, controlled by the pro-independence ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), passed the Act Tuesday despite protests from opposition lawmakers who said it could be used to suppress those who hold different political views to the government.

The China-friendly opposition Kuomintang (KMT) has expressed concern that the bill could be used by the government to level unsubstantiated accusations, posing a direct threat to the 2 million Taiwanese who work and study in China.    [FULL  STORY]

COLOR-CODED: The mobile app is to display zones in three colors — green, yellow and red — to help UAV operators locate restricted airspace and no-fly zones

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 02, 2020
By: Hsiao Yu-hsin and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

A trial of the nation’s first mobile app to inform operators of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) where they

can safely fly drones is to launch at the end of this month.

During testing of the app, only local governments would be able to see where its users are located, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said yesterday.

The trial aims to uncover any discrepancies between the information displayed in the app and the real world related to no-fly zones and other restricted airspace, the agency said, adding that the release version should not have any errors.

The app displays zones in three colors: green, yellow and red; UAVs may be flown at less than 400m of altitude in daylight in green zones, while red zones are conditionally limited areas accessible only by entities that have applied for and received approval, it said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan Internatinal
Date: 31 December, 2019
By: Paula Chao

The Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that fewer than 5,000 military personnel will remain on active duty on Election Day, and therefore, be unable to vote.

Taiwan is set to hold presidential and legislative elections on January 11. The military is required by law to monitor islandwide security and maintain Taiwan’s combat readiness on Election Day.
[FULL  STORY]