Page Two

Travel agencies to rebook flights following HK airport chaos

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/12
By: Yu Hsiao-han and Ko Lin

Taipei, Aug. 12 (CNA) Two Taiwan-based travel agencies said Monday that they will help customers rebook their flight schedules and hotel accommodation following a major protest that paralyzed air traffic at Hong Kong International Airport.

According to Taipei-based Cola Tour, 69 of their independent travelers who are currently on flight and hotel package deals in Hong Kong have been affected by the airport shutdown.

The travel agency said it will help them look for hotel accommodation and reschedule their flights back to Taiwan once the airport resumes service.

ezTravel, another major travel agency, said it will help rebook flight schedules and provide all other necessary assistance to their customers.    [FULL  STORY]

New Taipei City mayor asks Tsai for more funds

CHALLENGE: The second phase of the Wanda MRT line would be entirely within the city’s limits, but the city receives less funding than other special municipalities

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 13, 2019
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) yesterday asked the central government for more funding for

From third left, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung, President Tsai Ing-wen, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi and other officials hold signs with MRT line names on them at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times

the city’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) projects.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) were in New Taipei City to hear a briefing on the Wanda MRT Line’s second phase, for which construction is to begin in 2021.

The first phase of the project was launched in 2017 and is expected to be completed by 2025.

When completed, the Wanda line would connect Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) with New Taipei City’s Yonghe (永和), Jhonghe (中和) and Shulin (樹林) districts.    [FULL  STORY]

Sexual slavery victims to be remembered

Aug. 14 rallies will be held worldwide and throughout Korea

Korea JoongAng Daily
Date: Aug 12,2019

Commemorations for the August 14th International Memorial Day for the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Victims are being held in 10 Korean cities and eight additional cities worldwide including Oxford, England, Taipei and Sydney, Australia on Wednesday, according to a civic group that has been hosting weekly rallies in Seoul to call for an official apology from the Japanese government for 27 years.

“On Wednesday we will be holding a rally in front of the former location of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul,” announced Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, a civic group based in Mapo District, western Seoul, in a statement earlier this month. “It will be a commemoration of the seventh anniversary of the August 14th International Memorial Day for the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Victims as well as the 1400th time we’re holding the regular Wednesday rallies to call for a resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue.”

The weekly rallies have been led by Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan since 1992, with attendees demanding an official apology from Tokyo for the Imperial Japanese Army’s recruitment, under false pretenses, of tens of thousands of young women into sexual slavery during World War II.

The weekly rally began after a victim, Kim Hak-soon, stepped forward to make a public testimony as a victim of the Japanese military sexual slavery on Aug. 14, 1991, marking the first time a victim had done so. Kim died in 1997 at the age of 73.    [FULL  STORY]

Jeong Sewoon spends magical moments with fans in Taiwan, Thailand

"Idol singer and songwriter" Jeong Sewoon successfully wrapped up his solo concerts in Thailand and Taiwan.

Vlive
Date: 2019. 08. 11. 

Jeong Sewoon held his solo concerts in 2019 and met fans at BBC Hall, Central Plaza Ladprao, Bangkok, Thailand on August 3 (Thai time), and at ATT Showbox, Taipei, Taiwan. August 10 (Taiwan time).

​At Jeong Sewoon's first concert conducted in Thailand, local fans even gathered outside the concert venue to wait for his stage before the start of the show. Furthermore, Taiwanese fans who reunited with Jeong Sewoon after their meeting in 2018 filled up the hall and showed their enthusiastic support.

​Kicking off the concert amid wild cheers, Jeong Sewoon captivated audiences with a series of title tracks, from the debut song "Just U", "Baby, it's U", "20 Something" to "Feeling".

​Jeong Sewoon displayed all of his other charms through a special cover stage, the highlight of the concert. The male singer showed off his warm vocal upon performing the song "Propose" by Sunwoo JungA. Moreover, he put in a touching and passionate performance of "San Toi Mamie" by Eun Hee, the song which used to be a hot topic on the program "Immortal Songs" (KBS).
[FULL  STORY]

Eastern Taiwan hit by three earthquakes

Last and largest quake registered at 5

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/11
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Eastern Taiwan is hit by three earthquakes on August 11 (Image from CWB)
Eastern Taiwan is hit by three earthquakes on August 11 (Image from CWB)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Three earthquakes struck eastern Taiwan on early Sunday morning (August 11), with the biggest one reaching a magnitude of 5, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

The epicenters of all three earthquakes were recorded in Hualien County. Two quakes occurred at 5:39 a.m. on Sunday in Shoufeng Township and Fenglin Township, respectively, and both measured a magnitude of 4 on the Richter scale with a seismic intensity of 3.8.

The latest earthquake, a magnitude 5, took place in Fengbin Township at 6: 12 a.m. The intensity of the quake registered at 3.9.    [FULL  STORY]

At Taiwan education fair in Manila, tech sector draws Filipinos

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/11
By: Chen Yen-chun, Chen Chih-Chung and intern Hsieh Meng-jun

Manila, Aug. 10 (CNA) Access to Taiwan's high-tech sector and the ability to learn Chinese are among the major factors sparking interest among Filipino students to study in Taiwan, educators said on the first day of the Taiwan Education Fair in the Philippines on Saturday.


Trinity University of Asia President Wilfred U. Tiu (張漢威) said at the fair that both factors were important in the eyes of Philippine students, who see overseas study as a chance to make themselves more competitive in the job market.

Studying Chinese is a big draw because of the considerable demand for Mandarin speaking professionals in the Philippines, he said.

Tiu noted that the Philippines has tried to move toward filling the gap by adding Chinese language to elementary and middle school curriculums in the country, but the lack of educators has made it difficult to implement the policy.    [FULL  STORY]

Fisher’s carp tale credits quake for albino catch

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 12, 2019
By: Hsu Cho-hsun and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Fisherman Chang Wen-tien (張文田) on Thursday caught a 6kg albino bighead carp near the Shihmen Reservoir in Taoyuan.

Chang attributed the catch to a large earthquake on the same day, saying: “It must have been scared out of hiding.”

Bighead carp are often seen in the reservoir, with some growing to immense sizes, Chang said.

However, they are usually black or multi-hued, he said.
[FULL  STORY]

Park Bom holds her first ever solo fan meeting in Taiwan

alkpop
Date: Agust 10, 2019
By: AKP Staff

Park Bom held her first ever solo fan meeting in Taiwan, ‘Dream Come True’.

On August 10, her label D-Nation stated, "Park Bom is meeting fans at the New Taipei City Exhibition Hall in Taipei for her solo fan meeting 'Dream Come True'." This marks the former 2NE1 member's first event as a solo artist in Taiwan, and overseas fans were excited to see her perform.

Park Bom herself expressed, "I'm already excited thinking about seeing my Taiwanese fans. I want to hurry up and meet my fans to hopefully gather fun and joyful memories." At her fan meeting, the singer performed her hits like "Spring", "4:44", "Don't Cry", "You and I", "Lonely", and "I Am the Best", putting on a mini concert for her fans.    [SOURCE]

Film award snub is an opportunity lost

The mainland movie industry not taking part in Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards denies the opportunity to win the hearts of film fans across the strait

South China Morning Post
Date: 10 Aug, 2019

Amid growing political tensions in the run-up to Taiwan’s elections, the movie industry on the mainland will not take part in the island’s Golden Horse Award, dubbed the “Chinese-language Oscars”, in November. This is in line with the escalating pressure from Beijing following the ban on individual travelling to the self-ruled island.

. But the opportunity to win the hearts of many who follow mainland movies across the strait, upon which mutual understanding and acceptance could be built to foster constructive political discourse and beyond, will also be lost.The prestigious award ended on a sour note last year, with mainland actors and actresses snubbing the after-ceremony dinner in response to the 

pro-independence remarks made by an award-winning Taiwanese director [2]

 in her acceptance speech. The situation was further compounded by a social media post by the independence-minded leader Tsai Ing-wen, dismissing the 1992 consensus that there is only one China.

With Tsai gearing up for re-election in January, stepping up criticism against the mainland and using Hong Kong’s turmoil for scoring political points, Beijing may think it needs to toughen the stance accordingly. But the boycott and travel ban come with a price. The travel ban is estimated to cut visitor numbers by as many as 700,000 over the next six months, amounting to NT$28 billion (HK$7 billion) in lost revenue.

While the damage inflicted on the island’s economy cannot be ignored, the mainland travel industry is expected to suffer as well. In the case of the film award, the damage appears to be even more one way. Not only does it hurt the professional pride and honour of mainland moviemakers and performers, the platform to win the hearts and minds of the Taiwan public is also lost.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan student denies threatening Hong Kong trade office

Sending ghost money and bloody clothes was just a friendly warning: Lin

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/10
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The student who sent ghost money to the Hong Kong office explained his case to police Saturday

The student who sent ghost money to the Hong Kong office explained his case to police Saturday August 10.
The student who sent ghost money to the Hong Kong office explained his case to police Saturday August 10. (By Central News Agency)

August 10. (By Central News Agency)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A student who sent “ghost money” and bloody clothes to the Hong Kong trade office told police Saturday (August 10) that he had not meant to threaten staff, only to issue a friendly reminder.

The items he sent are often associated with death, leading the representative office to alert police after it received the package, the Central News Agency reported.

The student at Providence University in Taichung, surnamed Lin (林), told police in Taipei Saturday that the fact he had signed his name on the item showed he bore no ill will. He denied the package amounted to a threat, but said he had wanted to alert the office to the fact that many social activists had become excited over the anti-extradition bill protests in Hong Kong so the office could become a target.

Lin described the content of his package as purely symbolic, since the items were just props which could not endanger or harm anyone. “I am a person wanting to show my goodwill but I have been bitten by a dog,” the China Times quoted Lin as saying.    [FULL  STORY]