After 32 years of service with the US Navy, the USS Sarsfield found a second life — and 27 more years of service — in Taiwan. Let's go aboard.

CNET
Date: December 8, 2019
By: Geoffrey Morrison

On the west coast of Taiwan there's a ship of unlikely origin. The ROCS Te Yang served with the Republic of China's Navy for nearly 30 years, but that's not where she started. She was built on the far side of the world in Bath, Maine, over 70 years ago, as the USS Sarsfield. For the US Navy she spent 20 years as a test platform for new equipment, served as a recovery ship for the Mercury space program, and saw combat in Vietnam.

When many of her sister ships were being decommissioned, the Sarsfield found a new life on the other side of the Pacific. After more updates and modifications, the newly christened ROCS Te Yang served until 2005. In 2009, she became Taiwan's first and so far only museum ship. I've toured a lot of ships, and the Te Yang's long service and fascinating history has certainly made this one of the more interesting tours I've done. Here's a look on board.    [FULL  STORY]

Renovated Hsinchu Zoo has no cages, includes new facilities housing insect exhibits

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/12/08
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer\

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The newly revamped Hsinchu Zoo will open on Dec. 28 after being closed for refurbishment for more than two years.

The Hsinchu City Government announced the reopening of the zoo at a press conference on Friday (Dec. 6).

The mascot representing the zoo’s star Hippo, Lele, appeared at the press conference, frolicking with children participating in the event and even sitting on Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅). The mascot will also interact with visitors at the zoo's opening, according to a news release published on the city government's website.

Built in 1936, Hsinchu Zoo is the oldest of the zoos in Taiwan that still exist at their original sites. The zoo was closed in May 2017 to undergo renovation, which included refurbishing animal exhibits and constructing new facilities to house insects, a family-friendly restaurant, and other inviting features.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date:\ 2019/12/08
By: Yu Hsiang and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Dec. 8 (CNA) Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) on Sunday named former New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) as his chief campaign manager, before Chu and a number of KMT heavyweights jointly backed Han in a New Taipei campaign rally.

The rally was organized in a move to show party unity, a month before the Jan. 11 election day.

During the rally held in New Taipei, Han was joined by KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), and Chu, who was named earlier in the day as Han's chief campaign manger in charge of campaign strategy nationwide. Chu lost to Han during the opposition party's presidential primary in July.    [FULL  STORY]

Decision follows complaints from Taiwan, which grants visa-free status to Thai visitors

Bangkok Post
Date: 7 Dec 2019

A requirement for individual Taiwanese travellers to submit financial statements when applying for a visa to enter Thailand has been postponed until at least March, according to local reports.

The Thailand Trade and Economic Office (TTEO) in Taipei announced earlier that the requirement for three months’ evidence of financial statements would take effect on Dec 1.

The news angered Taiwanese officials and local travel agents, who noted that Thai citizens don’t need visas to visit Taiwan. That programme was extended on Aug 1 for another year, until July 31, 2020.

Taiwanese media reports said the TTEO was preparing to cancel the new requirements in light of the backlash. But a representative told the Taiwan News that the office was merely postponing the introduction of the tighter visa rules pending a review that could take until March.
[FULL  STORY]

• The ‘mystery’ hardware that appeared without a name at the National Day parade in October is the PLA’s most powerful MLRS ever, experts say
• System capable of firing eight 370mm rockets 350km or two 750mm ballistic missiles 500km
   

South China Morning Post
Date: 7 Dec, 2019
By: Minnie Chan  

The multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) that made its public debut at China’s National Day parade on October 1 has been identified as a state-of-the-art piece of weaponry capable of firing both rockets and ballistic missiles, according to a leading military magazine.

A report in the latest issue of Modern Ships also gave the new hardware a name – the Type PCL191 – saying it was a modular launcher based on the AR3 system developed by China for the export market.

Unlike other weapon systems on display in Beijing, which had their names emblazoned along their sides, the Type PCL191 rumbled through the streets of Beijing on the back of heavy-duty trucks with almost complete anonymity.

A commentator for state broadcaster CCTV described it simply as a “self-propelled rocket launcher with precision strike capability”.    [FULL  STORY]

Survey ship HMS Enterprise sailed north through strait Saturday morning

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/12/07
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — British Royal Navy survey vessel the HMS Enterprise sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday (Dec. 7), according to the Ministry of National Defense.

The ship, codenamed H88, passed the island of Kinmen and sailed from south to north through the waters separating Taiwan from China Saturday morning, according to a CNA report.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan Intertnatyional
Date: 06 December, 2019
By: Shirley Lin

The National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan is set to put on a musical called “Crossing Ridges – Appreciating the Music Story of Bunun” this weekend. The Bunun are one of the sixteen recognized indigenous groups of Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]