Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/05
By: Ozzy Yin and Ko Lin

New York, April 5 (CNA) The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), a leading

research institution in Taiwan, won a silver medal Thursday at the prestigious Edison Awards in New York for its road safety technology dubbed “iRoadSafe.”

The device is a road safety system that integrates advanced roadside sensing technologies such as radar and cameras, to detect moving objects on the road and broadcasts extensive vehicle-to-vehicle basic safety messages through roadside units.

iRoadSafe can even issue alerts through roadside changeable message signs to improve intersection safety and protect road users, according to the ITRI website.

Chiang Tsun-chieh (蔣村杰), division director of ITRI’s Information and Communication Research Laboratories, said iRoadSafe has been in development for more than 10 years, and so far, the technology has been adopted in both Taiwan and the United States.
[FULL  STORY]

YILAN CRASH: Nippon Sharyo must take responsibility for the train’s design flaws, while Lloyd’s Register failed to pinpoint the problems, the railway agency said

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 06, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) yesterday said it is seeking compensation

from the manufacturer of a Puyuma train model involved in a deadly derailment in October last year and a third-party quality certification provider.

The Japanese manufacturer, Nippon Sharyo, a subsidiary of Central Japan Railway Co, is responsible for the train’s design flaws, while British certification provider Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance failed to pinpoint the problems, a TRA official said.

TRA’s lawyers are drafting a letter to Sumitomo Corp, the bidder for the procurement project, asking it to pass the information to Nippon Sharyo, said Sung Hung-kang (宋鴻康), head of the TRA’s Rolling Stock Department.

The TRA plans is to take the same action against Lloyd’s, Sung said, adding that the letters are expected to be sent by the end of this month.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 04 April, 2019
By: Natalie Tso

Taiwan is marking the Tomb Sweeping Festival this weekend. On this day, people visit the tombs of their ancestors, leaving offerings and cleaning up the surrounding area.

A growing number of these tombs may not be in traditional plots. That’s because the number of environmental burials is on the rise.

The Taipei City Government is working to encourage flower burials, and has set up two flower burial gardens.

Flower burials do not use tombstones or caskets but rather provide a garden where cremated remains can be laid to rest. The gardens are open to the public and maintained by the city government.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan English News
Date: April 3, 2019 
By: Phillip Charlier

Police and animal protection workers responded quickly after a video shot by a student showed a farmer violently kicking a young dog wandering in a rice paddy in Chiayi County this morning, April 3.

The thirty-second video showed the farmer, in Puzi City, chasing the dog with a stick, and kicking it several times. Two kicks resulted in the small, black dog flying into the air like a football.

The student who filmed the incident while on the way to school, uploaded the video to social media with a comment about the cruelty shown to the animal, decrying the farmer’s actions and saying: “If you don’t like it, you can chase it away. You don’t have to use such a cruel method.”

Staff of the Chiayi County Livestock Disease Prevention and Control Institute found the farmer and the dog this morning. The dog was placed in a shelter, while the farmer will be punished for violating the Animal Protection Act.    [FULL  STORY]

MOFA mocks People’s Daily for calling Hualien, Taiwan part of China on Twitter

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/04/04
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs mocked a tweet posted by China’s state-run mouthpiece the People’s Daily that listed Hualien as a part of China on Tuesday night (April 2).

At 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, the People’s Daily posted a video of the scenic coastline in Hualien County which read “Fairyland on earth! Aerial view of the seashore at Hualien City, Taiwan, China.”

Taiwanese and foreign netizens alike soon took note that the tweet was erroneously labeled as “Hualien City, Taiwan, China.” Not only was the footage actually of Hualien County, rather than Hualien City, but also Taiwan is not factually a part of Communist China.

Many netizens left sarcastic comments below the attempt at disinformation:

“How did you get on Twitter? Using VPN?”    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/04
By: Wang Shu-fen and Emerson Li

Taipei, April 4 (CNA) A television travel show co-produced by Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau and the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) about Taiwan’s Matsu islands and the sea goddess Matsu has been nominated for the 46th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the bureau announced Thursday.

The TV feature titled “Taiwan Matsu Festival and Islands” was nominated for “Outstanding Directing for a Single Camera Lifestyle, Culinary, Travel or Educational and Informational Program” in the prestigious awards, which will be presented in May.

“Taiwan Matsu Festival and Islands” is a co-production with the popular PBS travel show “Joseph Rosendo’s Travelscope,” the Tourism Bureau said, adding that the nomination once again proves that Taiwan’s unique tourism features have the potential to shine on the global stage.

The U.S. production team visited Taiwan in 2017 to cover the Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage Procession. The team interviewed folklore professor Lin Mao-hsien (林茂賢) before proceeding to the Matsu islands to shoot the TV feature.    [FULL  STORY]

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE: Vietnam has asked Taiwan to help test antibodies from infected pigs, showing that it has less trust in China’s ability to tackle diseases

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 05, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan has not yet received an invitation to the World Organisation for Animal Health’s

(OIE) regional conference on African swine fever that is to take place in Beijing on Monday, but Vietnam is seeking the nation’s help in testing the virus, the Council of Agriculture said yesterday.

The highly contagious disease has not been found in Taiwan, but the government has been implementing preventive measures since China first reported an outbreak on Aug. 3 last year, followed by Vietnam on Feb. 20 and Cambodia on Wednesday.

Although Taiwan is an OIE member, China, as the conference’s host nation can decide which nations to invite, council Deputy Minister Huang Chin-cheng (黃金城) said.

The council on Wednesday wrote to the OIE to request permission to participate, but has not yet received a response, he said, adding that it is no stranger to Beijing’s “petty actions.”    [FULL  STORY]

US tells Beijing to ‘stop its coercive efforts and resume dialogue’ with ‘democratically elected’ Taiwanese government

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/04/04
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to reports that Chinese fighter jets crossed the

Taiwan Strait median line on Sunday (March 31), the U.S. on Tuesday (April 2) warned China against the use of “force or coercion” against Taiwan.

At a press conference on Tuesday, State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said, “The United States opposes unilateral actions by any party that are aimed at altering the status quo, including anything related to force or coercion.”

He added that “Beijing should stop its coercive efforts and resume dialogue with the democratically elected administration.”

At 11 a.m. on Sunday, two PLAAF J-11 fighter jets crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait into Taiwanese air space, coming within 185 kilometers of Taiwan. A 12-minute-long standoff then ensued between fighter jets of the two countries, before the Chinese warplanes finally retreated back to their side, according to local media reports.
[FULL  STORY]

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

Registration for stargazing training opens on April 9 (pic by Taitung City Government)
Taitung County in eastern Taiwan has been reinventing itself as a great tourist destination. In recent years, it has launched hot air balloon festivals, global surfing and triathlon competitions. This year it is promoting the county as the best place to gaze at the stars in Taiwan.

The Taitung County Government is now promoting official “Journey among the Stars” tours for visitors that want to stargaze in Taitung.  There are 14 destinations in the county which is known for its untouched coastline and beautiful rural landscapes.

The Taitung government is also offering free classes for those who want to be tour guides on these star gazing adventures. The training series is 84 hours and available to all who register who are at least 20 years old.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date:: April 02, 2019

Research teams from GLORIA member universities present Taiwan industrial technology innovations at the Hannover Messe trade fair April 1 in Germany. (Courtesy of MOST)
Five Taiwan universities from the Ministry of Science and Technology-organized Global Research and Industry Alliance (GLORIA) are taking part in the Hannover Messe trade fair April 1-5 in Germany to spotlight their latest industrial tech innovations.

The delegation comprises research teams from National Taiwan University in Taipei City; National Central University in the northern metropolis of Taoyuan; Feng Chia University in Taichung City, central Taiwan; National Formosa University in the western county of Yunlin; and National Cheng Kung University in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City.

Participants are showcasing the results of academia-industry tie-ups under the GLORIA program, an R&D and talent cultivation platform connecting a coalition of 18 Taiwan tertiary institutions with local and foreign enterprises.

Taiwan innovations on show at the event include an infrared light emitter and detector, 360 degree image stitching and facial recognition technology, and a solar-powered quadcopter from NTU.    [FULL  STORY]