BEAR REBOUND: As forest ecology improves, Formosan black bears might appear more frequently at lower elevations near human dwellings, the Forestry Bureau said

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 04, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

People should avoid scaring away mother bears by staying away from their cubs, the Council of

Agriculture’s Forestry Bureau said on Thursday, after several Formosan black bear cubs were recently separated from their mothers.

In 1989, Formosan black bears were listed as an endangered species. Experts have estimated that there are 300 to 600 Formosan black bears in Taiwan today.

Commercial hunting once threatened their survival, the bureau said.

In July last year, a bear cub was rescued at Nanan Waterfall (南安瀑布) in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪), but was released back into the wild in April.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 02 August, 2019
By: Natalie Tso

The Taiwanese ship Yo Tai No. 1 (CNA photo)[/caption] A Chinese military vessel collided with a Taiwanese container ship on Wednesday night and did not stop after the accident. Here’s more in this report.

On Wednesday night, the container ship Yo Tai No.1. was traveling about 19.5 nautical miles southeast of Kinmen’s Liaoluo Harbor when a Chinese military vessel collided with it. The marks can be seen clearly on the front of the ship even in the dark.

Coast Guard official Chen Chien-wen said, "The two routes of the two ships intersected. When they came close to each other, they didn’t coordinate via radio communications so the bow and stern of the ships hit each other."

That’s the area where it happened off of Kinmen. The front of the container ship was punctured and not able to sail properly.    [FULL  STORY]

Source:Global Times Published:
Global Times
Date: 2019/8/2

While busy inciting and participating in a series of riots and other illegal activities in Hong Kong over the past two months, radical forces were seemingly also trying to find themselves a hiding place outside of Hong Kong, as reports revealed that some 30 individuals have already escaped to Taiwan. 

Analysts believe that the island of Taiwan openly shields members of mobs, proving that Taiwan has become the sheltered paradise for Hong Kong criminals. 

According to Hong Kong media, several radicals and Hong Kong secessionists have fled to Taiwan. Among them were secessionist Joe Yeung Yat-long, the former president of the Hong Kong Shue Yan University student union, and Wayne Chan Ka-kui, convener of "pro-independence" alliance Students Independence Union, who jointly launched the siege of the Hong Kong police headquarters on June 26. 

Yeung was arrested the next day for allegedly assaulting police, after he led protesters to surround the gates of police headquarters. Just two days after his arrest, he jumped bail and escaped to Taiwan where he sought asylum.    [FULL  STORY]

Engineer had made false claims about Premier Su at a police officer's funeral

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/02
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A court gave a modest suspended fine of NT$1,000 (US$31.77) to the man

accused of distributing a fake video online purporting to show Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) flinging away a pencil at the funeral of a murdered railway police officer.

The man, an engineer from New Taipei City surnamed Chan (詹), could have faced a maximum fine of NT$30,000 (US$953) or even three days in detention.

His behavior had affected “public peace” the New Taipei District Court in Banqiao said Thursday (August 1).

Following Chan’s discovery last month, he had admitted distributing the recording and had apologized, the Central News Agency reported.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/02
By: Lin Chang-shun, Matt Yu and Chung Yu-chen

Taipei, Aug. 2 (CNA) Taiwan's new top intelligence chief Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) vowed Friday to

severely punish any security official involved in a recent high profile cigarette smuggling case.

Chiu, who recently took over as National Security Bureau (NSB) director-general following the resignation of his predecessor Peng Sheng-chu (彭勝竹) in the wake of the scandal, made the declaration at his first press conference as NSB head.

According to Chiu, any NSB staff involved will be given punishments ranging from a demerit to reassignment, though he did not mention the possibility of dismissals.

NSB agents Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲) and Chang Heng-chia (張恒嘉), who were seconded to the Office of Aide-de-camp under the Presidential Office have been detained by prosecutors. The two men are accused of trying to smuggle about 9,800 cartons of cigarettes into the country duty-free using President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) July 22 return from an oversea visit as cover.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date:  Aug 03, 2019
By: Wu Liang-yi  /  Staff reporter

Nearly 40 percent of people older than 65 suffer from hearing loss, meaning up to 1.37 million elderly

people in Taiwan have hearing problems, a survey published by the PSA Charitable Foundation said yesterday.

The survey looked at the hearing examination reports of 9,055 people from 2016 until earlier this year.

Almost one out of every four people older than 65 is hearing impaired, higher than the WHO’s 33 percent average for the same age group, it found.

The ratio increases to 48 percent for those older than 75 and 71.4 percent for those older than 85, it showed.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 01 August, 2019
By: Paula Chao

President Tsai Ing-wen is urging the public to stand in unity in the face of military threats and political

propaganda from China. Tsai’s call came Thursday at the presidential office.

China has been holding war games near Dongshan Island in Fujian province since Monday. The military exercises will run through Friday night.

Tsai said that regardless of whether people identify with Taiwan or with its official name — the Republic of China — they should stand in unity.

“Hong Kong’s experience is [clear]. Bowing to [pressure] will only make us lose everything. China’s military threats, which are targeting all Taiwanese people, will have an impact on regional peace and stability. Therefore, we should be aware that the destiny of our country is in our own hands, not in the hands of others," said Tsai.     [FULL  STORY]

Bloomberg
Date: August 1, 2019
By: Adela Lin

A Chinese warship collided with a Taiwanese freighter Wednesday evening, damaging the bulk carrier, Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration said.

The collision occurred around 20 nautical southeast of Taiwan-controlled Kinmen island off China’s southeast coast, according to a statement from the coast guard. No injuries were reported.

The statement identified the Chinese vessel as a People’s Liberation Army warship. The coast guard said they managed to make contact with the Chinese ship suspected of being involved in the crash but the captain declined to assist in an investigation into the incident.

The incident occurred on an established shipping lane after dark, Chen Chien-wen, a spokesman for the Kinmen Coast Guard, said by phone Thursday. Investigators are looking into how the collision occurred.    [FULL  STORY]

Lucky FamilyMart customer buys 2 beverages for NT$45, wins NT$10 million Taiwan receipt lottery special prize

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/01
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A lucky convenience store customer who bought two drinks for NT$45 (US$1.40) was one of 16 winners of the NT$10 million special prize in the May-June draw of the Taiwan uniform invoice lottery draw.

According to the winning numbers announced on July. 25, the persons holding a receipt issued in May or June with the number 46356460 are eligible to receive the “special prize” of NT$10 million, while those holding the number 56337787 can collect the “grand prize” of NT$2 million.

The biggest winner among the 16 recipients of the NT$10 million special prize this time around was a person who spent a mere NT$45 on two bottled beverages at the Xingqiao FamilyMart convenience store in New Taipei City's Banqiao District, reported CNA. Three more special prizes were issued at 7-Eleven convenience stores for purchases of NT$50, NT$56, and NT$85.

The items purchased included bread and drinks. The lucky 7-Eleven branches were located in Hsinchu County's, Zhudong Township, New Taipei City's Yonghe District, and New Taipei City's Banqiao District.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/01
By: Wang Shu-fen and Joseph Yeh

Kaohsiung, Aug. 1 (CNA) A power outage occurred in southern Kaohsiung City Thursday, impacting more than 8,000 households, after lightning hit power lines in the city, according to the state-run power supplier.

The blackout was first reported around 5 p.m. and the power supply was not fully restored until 8:20 p.m., according to Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower, 台電), after it sent personnel to fix the damaged power lines.

The lightning strike came after Kaohsiung was hit by a thunderstorm, leading to flooding in some areas of the port city.     [SOURCE]