Female workers at African garment factories have allegedly been forced to have sex with supervisors to keep their jobs

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/16
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A number of Lesotho-based factories owned by a Taiwan jeans manufacturer have allegedly seen female workers forced to have sex to keep their jobs.

Three prominent U.S. jeans brands, including Levi Strauss, Kontoor Brands, and The Children’s Place, have pledged to clamp down on sexual harassment in the African country’s garment factories. An agreement was signed by the three companies to address the issue, reported Reuters.

According to an investigation by the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), women at three jeans factories are said to have been coerced into having sex with their supervisors. The factories are owned by Taiwan’s Nien Hsing Textile (年興紡織), which employs one quarter of the country’s apparel workforce, said the report.

The agreement, inked by Nien Hsing, local trade unions, and women’s rights groups, will provide a foundation for an independent committee to investigate workplace violations. Nien Hsing will also ensure no retribution will be brought against those who file complaints.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/16
By: Emerson Lim

Taipei, Aug. 16 (CNA) Taiwan and the Solomon Islands signed a mutual visa waiver agreement in Tuvalu Friday on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

The agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and his Solomon Islands counterpart Jeremiah Manele, witnessed by Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, MOFA spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement.

According to MOFA, the agreement, which allows citizens from both countries to travel to each other's country without a visa and stay for 90 days, will be implemented after the two sides have completed their respective internal procedures.

This is the fifth visa-free agreement signed by Taiwan with one of its Pacific allies, after similar accords were signed with Nauru, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands and Palau.    [FULL  STORY]

AUTOMATED HELP: A businessman whose wife has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis called on the government to fund carer robot development to help caregivers

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 17, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

A team led by National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT) researchers yesterday unveiled smart

communication systems for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), aiming to help them reconnect with people and the world.

As people with the neurological disease experience gradual loss of motion and communication skills, they often feel that they are souls trapped in their bodies, as making a simple utterance such as “I love you” can be demanding, Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) told a news conference at the university.

The Ministry of Science and Technology offered NT$7 million (US$223,172) to the NTUT team, as part of its Breakout program, which began last year, subsidizing projects that use technology to solve social problems.

As project head, NTUT Department of Mechanical Engineering professor Liu Yi-hung (劉益宏) and researchers from NTUT and Shih Chien University, as well as therapists from Taipei Veterans General Hospital, developed devices to help people with more severe ALS symptoms.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan Internatinal
Date: 15 August, 2019
By: Paula Chao

The Cabinet says it supports Hong Kong’s democratic movement.

Hong Kong has seen weeks of protests since early June, protests that show no signs of abating. The

protests began in response to a controversial extradition bill that would have allowed the extradition of criminal suspects from the territory to Mainland China. The bill has since been suspended, but protestors continue to demand that it be withdrawn entirely and to call for more freedoms.

Speaking at a press conference, Cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka spoke about the Taiwanese government’s stance on the protests.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei unveiled a significant increase in its defense budget, with an eye to Beijing's crackdown on Hong Kong.

Foreign Policy
Date: August 15, 2019
By: Lara Seligman

Taiwan army soldiers pose for photos on an US-made M60-A3 tank after a life-fire exercise in Taichung, central Taiwan, on January 17, 2019. (SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images)

What’s on tap: Taiwan increases its defense budget with an eye to Hong Kong, Trump sends a delegation to Syria to hash out the details of a safe zone with Turkey, and the U.S. Air Force finds dangerous cyber vulnerabilities in a sophisticated fighter jet. 

Taiwan’s Defense Boost

Record increase. Taiwan on Thursday unveiled its largest defense spending boost in more than a decade in a sharp signal to its neighbor China, which considers the island nation its own and has threatened to use force against it. 

President Tsai Ing-wen’s cabinet signed off on an 8.3 percent increase in military spending for next year as Beijing ramps up military pressure on Taiwan, conducting drills around it and flying jets across the border. Beijing has refused to rule out using military force to bring the self-ruling island back in line if there is any move toward Taiwan’s independence. 

An eye to Hong Kong. Taipei’s move to increase military spending is not happening in a vacuum. China has been quietly extending its reach across the world, from using predatory economic practices in Africa to intimidating fishing vessels in the Philippines. Most concerning is Beijing’s reaction to what began as peaceful protests in Hong Kong, and now have escalated to violent street clashes and chaos at the city’s airport.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/15
B:y Emerson Lim

Taipei, Aug. 15 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Thursday made clear her intention to buy more upgraded F-16 fighter jets from the United States and expressed hope that the U.S. will reach a decision on the sale.

Tsai made the remarks after trying out an F-16 flight simulator at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE).

Tsai attended the opening ceremony of the 2019 TADTE at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1 and toured the defense pavilion, where she viewed the indigenous Jian Hsiang anti-radiation drone, the Teng Yun medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drone and experienced the F-16 simulator.

"I tried the F-16 simulator a while ago. We need to constantly enhance our air defense capability," she said in an interview after the tour. "Therefore, I hope we can have more F-16 jet fighters."
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 14 August, 2019
By: Paula Chao

Foreign Minister Joseph Wu says a fight with China will be unavoidable if Beijing attacks the island. Wu

was speaking during an interview with the Australia Broadcasting Corporation.

On Tuesday’s edition of the program “Foreign Correspondent”, Wu said Taiwanese people have made it clear that they are “not interested in unifying with China.”

Wu said that since the ruling Democratic Progressive Party took office in 2016, the government has been dealing with China cautiously to avoid giving Beijing an excuse to attack.    [FULL  STORY]

ABC News
Date: August 15, 2019

Taiwan's pro-independence president Tsai Ing-wen has announced a competition inviting 20 guests to stay at Taipei's Presidential Palace free of charge.

The offer to stay in the Republic of China's 100-year-old landmark comes after the island's tourism industry was hit by a Chinese ban on solo travellers.

"I invite you to visit Taiwan and experience the warmth and hospitality of the people here," Ms Tsai told potential entrants.

"And while you are here, why don't you be my guest and spend the night at this presidential office building?"    [FULL  STORY]

High-tech radar from Mystery Chinese warship that fell onto Taiwan freighter during collision could reveal its identity

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/14
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As more details emerge of the collision between a Taiwanese freighter and a mysterious Chinese warship near Kinmen, it appears that secret, high-technology radar equipment had fallen off the Chinese vessel and onto the Taiwanese ship, and it provides clues on what kind of ship it really ways.

At 8 p.m. on July 31, the Yutai No. 1 was slammed into by an unidentified Chinese warship 19.5 miles southeast of Liaoluo Port in Kinmen. The Taiwanese ship sustained damage, but none of its crew were injured, according to the report.

In an interview with Bloomberg, the 72-year-old captain of the Taiwanese ship, Fu Shih-hour, said that the commander of the Chinese warship tried to coerce him into navigating his ship into China's port of Xiamen. Fu said he refused the Chinese captain's demands and instead called the Taiwan Coast Guard for help.

After receiving the distress signal from Fu, the Kinmen branch of the Coast Guard dispatched PP-10053 to the scene, and PP-10039 was sent to support it. By 10 p.m., PP-10053 established contact with Yutai No. 1 and confirmed that the hull was damaged, but there were no safety concerns and the crew was unharmed.    [FULL  STORY]