Gift package included UH-1H helicopters to aid Paraguay in fight against terrorist activities, drug smuggling

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/25
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After one of the two UH-1H helicopters Taiwan gifted to Paraguay crashed on Nov. 21, Taiwanese Ambassador to Paraguay Diego Chou (周麟) insisted that the vehicles had been in fair condition when they were delivered to the South American ally, Liberty Times reported on Monday (Nov. 25).

Taiwan sent a gift package, which included the two UH-1H helicopters and 30 Hummer vehicles, to Paraguay in August to help the country fight against terrorist activities and drug smuggling, the news outlet reported. However, on the afternoon of Nov. 21, one of the helicopters crashed into a factory in Pedro Juan Caballero, a city in east Paraguay on the Brazilian border.

The crash ignited fires in at least five buildings and injured 12 crew members and five people on the ground, the report said, adding that fortunately, no one was killed.

According to the Paraguayan military, the helicopter had been maintained routinely. It said an initial study indicated the crash was caused by engine malfunction and asked the Taiwanese embassy for original documents on the helicopter to investigate whether the accident was related to aircraft aging or flawed parts, according to the report.    [FULL  STORY]

Hong Kong’s voters show sweeping support for pro-democracy candidates in district elections

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/25
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese politicians, including President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), have

called on the Chinese authorities to properly respond to the results of Hong Kong’s district elections, which reflect strong public support for the months-long protest movement.

Speaking with local media on Monday (Nov. 25), Tsai said she was pleased to see Hong Kong’s people express their opinions through a democratic process. She added that she hoped the election outcomes would be respected by authorities.

Presidential Office Spokesperson Ting Yun-kung (丁允恭) commented that the elections are a testimony to “Hong Kong people’s absolute determination to pursue freedom and democracy.” Describing the victory of pro-democracy campaigners as public opinion piling up like a “mountain,” Ting called on Beijing and Hong Kong authorities to resolve the current conflict through sincerity and dialogue.

Hong Kong’s pro-democracy candidates have won a landslide victory in the district elections, which many have described as a referendum on the ongoing anti-government protests, obtaining 388 out of 452 seats and seizing control of 17 of the city’s 18 districts. Sunday’s elections saw the largest voter turnout since the semi-autonomous region’s handover in 1997, with nearly three million people casting their ballots.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/25
By: Wang Cheng-chung, Ku Chuan and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Nov. 25 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) who is seeking a second term and her main rival Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) both recently outlined their childcare and birth subsidy policies, with a focus on boosting the nation's dwindling birthrate.

Han's running-mate, former Premier Chang San-cheng (張善政), announced at a Monday press event that the Han-Chang ticket will offer a one-time payment of NT$30,000 (US$974.9) for a first child, and NT$60,000 for a second child, starting next year, should they win the 2020 presidential race.

In addition, families will also qualify for an annual allowance of NT$60,000 for each child until the age of 6.

Currently the one-time childbirth payment ranges from NT$10,000 to NT$20,000 for a first child in cities and counties across the country.    [FULL  STORY]

‘WHITE TERROR-LIKE’: A teacher has threatened to send students to prison, while another said they were ‘worse than beasts,’ the Humanistic Education Foundation said

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 26, 2019
By: Rachel Lin and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Humanistic Education Foundation yesterday called for awareness of bullying of students by

teachers.

Teachers at elementary schools are “taking their stress and emotional pressure out on students” by using abusive language and in some cases have set up “secret police” in classrooms to have students report on each other, the foundation told a news conference in Taipei.

It has launched a petition to bring the issue to the attention of lawmakers and the Ministry of Education, the foundation said.

The behavior has created a “White Terror-like” atmosphere in classrooms, it said, urging legislators to amend the Teachers’ Act (教師法) to make it an offense for teachers to use humiliating or otherwise abusive language against students.    [FULL  STORY]

Why do some countries grow faster than others? Innovative local companies play a key role.

The Good Men Project
Date: November 24, 2019 
By: Chairil Abdini, Universitas Indonesia

South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia all suffered from Japanese occupation during the second world war. But in the decades of peace that followed, South Korea and Taiwan revived, grew their economies and became rich. Their GDP per capita – what everyone in the country earns per year if income is equally distributed – are now on par with developed Western countries.

We are familiar with South Korean products, from cars and electronics to skincare. Taiwan exports refined oil, electronics and computers, such as Acer and Asus.

Malaysia, however, plateaued once it reached upper-middle income, a term the World Bank uses to define countries with a per capita GDP higher than US$1,045 but lower than US$12,736. In the meantime, Indonesia is still struggling in the lower-middle income level with GDP per capita below US$4,125.    [FULL  STORY]

Global Times
Date: 2019/11/24
By: Wang Qi

 Without the participation of superlative films and talented actors from the Chinese mainland and Hong

Kong, the glory of this year's Taiwan Golden Horse Film Festival seems to have faded compared with the mainland's top film festival, the Golden Rooster Awards.

Taiwan's A-list cinematic talents like Lin Chi-Ling, Shu Qi and Eddie Peng failed to show up at the Golden Horse Film Festival, which kicked off on Saturday. 

Mainland observers said this year's gala was merely a "self-entertaining" show amid the intense atmosphere provoked by Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen administration, as they warned that things will get worse if the Tsai administration continues to provoke secessionism.

News site Sina Entertainment reported that ticket sales and commercial movie deals at the festival are down without the star names.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/24
By: Yu Hsiao-han and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Nov. 24 (CNA) The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said Sunday it is gearing up to have the nationwide railway system entirely electrified by the end of next year as scheduled.

The last link of the network — the south-link railway electrification project of the Taiwan Railways Administration — is set to be completed by that time, the MOTC said in a statement.

The south-link line, which connects Pingtung and Taitung counties, is the only one that has yet to be completely electrified.

Testing and inspection of the electrification of the Pingtung section between Fangliao and Chaozhou townships, spanning 25.2 kilometers, were completed Saturday and Sunday, the MOTC said.
[FULL  STORY]

HOPE FOR PARENTS: A new spinal muscular atrophy drug gave parents hope for children with the disease, now they need the government to add it to its system

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 25, 2019
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) and family members of spinal

muscular atrophy (SMA) patients yesterday urged the government to include SMA medication in the National Health Insurance (NHI) system.

More than a dozen children with SMA and their family members — holding signs with slogans such “I want to live on, please give me medicine,” “I don’t want a distorted life” and “please save SMA children, time is not our friend” — gathered at the Legislative Yuan to call for government action.

“President Tsai, please give use medicine to save us. We want to live on,” they chanted together.

SMA, a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder that most often affects infants and children, is characterized by weakness and atrophy in skeletal muscles, and is caused by a loss of specialized nerve cells called motor neurons that control muscle movement.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/24
By:  Central News Agency

A former senior advisor to the Trump administration on Friday urged the White House to send a cabinet official to Taiwan whenever Beijing succeeds in poaching a diplomatic ally from Taipei.

Christian Whiton, a senior advisor to former U.S.President Gorge W. Bush and President Donald Trump, said in a forum held by the Hudson Institute, a think tank based in Washington, that dispatching a cabinet official to Taiwan whenever China steals an ally from Taiwan is expected to send a signal of the consequences Beijing should face for continuing to undermine Taipei's ability to conduct diplomacy.

To counter Beijing's political warfare, he also suggested the White House allow Taiwan's president and foreign minister to visit Washington instead of just making transit stops in U.S. cities when they visit their allies.

"Every time that Beijing succeeds in flipping a country from Taiwan to China, we send a cabinet secretary to Taiwan," Whiton said.    [FULL  STORY]