Page Two

Southern Taiwan ice store critical of Han Kuo-yu enjoys brisker business: report

The business of the ice store was brisker on Sunday (March 31) after the store posted a statement on Facebook bashing Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kou-yu

Taiwan News 
Date: 2019/03/31
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

(photo from Charng Mei Ice Store)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The business of an ice store in Cishah District (旗山), Kaohsiung was brisker on Sunday (March 31) after the store posted a statement on Facebook bashing Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kou-yu (韓國瑜) for visiting China.

During a recent visit to China, Han voiced his strong support for the “1992 Consensus” in meetings with Chinese officials.

Charng Mei Ice Store (常美冰店) posted a statement on March 26, saying, “As a small store in the Kaohsiung countryside, [we] don’t want to become Chinese now or in the future, and we are very sorry to have a mayor who went to call on the Chinese dynasty and was all smiles.”

In response, Han said during an interview that he totally respected the store’s position, but asked the boss of the store not to misunderstand him, saying, “I was there only to sell Kaohsiung products,” Central News Agency (CNA) reported.    [FULL  STORY]

Seven people killed in explosion at Taiwanese factory in China

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/31
By: Chang,Shu-ling and Emerson Lim

Photo courtesy of Taiwanese in Kunshan / CNA

Shanghai, March 31 (CNA) An explosion at a Taiwanese metal factory in eastern China on Sunday has left seven people dead and five injured.

The blast occurred at 7:12 a.m. at the factory site of Kunshan Han Ding Precision Metal Co., Ltd. in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, according to a local government post on social media.

Initial investigations indicated that the explosion occurred at a scrap metal storage facility at the site, causing a fire that claimed seven lives and left five people injured, including one who is in serious condition, the post said.

The cause of the incident is still under investigation, according to the local government.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan needs America’s help to defend democracy

The Washington Post
Date: March 30, 2019
By: Josh Rogin

“The U.S. interest in helping the current Taiwanese government defend its democracy from Chinese interference and aggression is understood – but our will is under question.
During a Hawaiian “transit stop” Wednesday, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen praised the U.S.-Taiwan relationship as “stronger than ever.” But here in Taiwan, it’s China that dominates every discussion. Beijing’s malign influence is apparent everywhere, while the United States is seen as largely absent. Washington must wake up to the danger of China’s massive effort to infiltrate, undermine and eventually abolish Taiwan’s democracy.

Tsai called for Washington’s help to confront Beijing’s comprehensive campaign to exert control over Taiwanese politics and society, which is steadily eroding a 40-yearstatus quo that has kept a shaky peace. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which governs the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, stipulates that the U.S. will “consider any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by boycotts or embargoes, a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States.”

In 2019, those words ring hollow. Xi Jinping’s government brazenly uses economic and political pressure to interfere in Taiwan – an attempt to turn the Taiwanese people and their leaders toward Beijing and against the West. Xi himself smashed the status quo in January when he publicly called for Taiwan to rejoin China under the “One Country, Two Systems” model. One look at Hong Kong should be enough for any Taiwanese citizen to realize that means a steady erosion of their freedoms and sovereignty.
[FULL  STORY]

The Mayor of Prague is a friend of Taiwan, and it irritates China’s authoritarian Regime

Taiwan English News
Date: March 30, 2019 
By: Phillip Charlier

The Mayor of Prague visited Taipei this week, and China responded by pressuring the

Phillip Charlier  0 Comment Czech, international-relations, Prague

Czech Republic to expel Taiwan’s representative from an economic meeting held in the country.

Prague’s mayor, Zdeněk Hřib, was in Taipei from March 26 to March 29 to attend the Smart City Summit and Expo.

During his visit, Hřib met with Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je, and noted that since his last stay, 14 years ago, both Taipei and Prague had changed a lot, but both cities share a spirit dedicated to liberal democracy, sustainable development, and Smart City concepts.

Zdeněk Hřib was elected Mayor of Prague in November 2018.

While Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party suffered defeats in municipal elections the same month, the election in Prague saw the Czech Pirate Party taking power on a platform of transparency in government, political accountability, anti-corruption, e-government, public participation decision-making, and protecting civil liberties.

President Tsai lauds US ties at FAPA celebration of Taiwan Relations Act

Formosan Association for Public Affairs celebrates the 40th anniversary of the TRA Saturday

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/03/30
By: Duncan Deaeth, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) hosted a

President Tsai at the FAPA banquet, March 30 (By Central News Agency)

banquet in Taipei on Saturday, March 30 to celebrate 40 years of the Taiwan Relations Act, and the first year anniversary of the Taiwan Travel Act becoming law.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was among the distinguished guests invited to give speeches at the event. In her remarks, Tsai noted how Taiwan-U.S. relations have steadily improved under her administration.

Tsai noted the importance of the Taiwan Relations Act and the Taiwan Travel Act as clear evidence of the enduring friendship and shared values between the United States of America and Taiwan.

The president also expressed gratitude on behalf of the Taiwanese people for the Washington D.C.-based FAPA. She praised its more than 40 years’ commitment to strengthening relations between the U.S. and Taiwan, and to protecting Taiwan’s sovereignty.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan will continue to assist with Syria’s reconstruction: MOFA

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/30
By: Elaine Hou and Chung Yu-chen

Image taken from Pixabay

Taipei, March 30 (CNA) Taiwan will continue its efforts alongside other nations and global organizations to help Syrians rebuild their country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Saturday.

As a member of the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, Taiwan remains committed to assisting the Syrian people so they can return soon to a stable and peaceful life, the ministry said in a statement, but did not elaborate on Taiwan’s efforts going forward.

Since 2014, Taiwan has been a member of the coalition and has been providing humanitarian assistance in war-torn Syria, the ministry said.

Through official channels and non-governmental organizations, Taiwan has donated 350 prefabricated houses, a mobile hospital, winter clothing and rice to people in Syria and to Syrian refugees in Jordan, Iraq and Turkey, who have been displaced as a result of the armed conflict that involved ISIS, the ministry said.    [FULL  STORY]

Outcry halts number plate swap in New Taipei City

COLOR CONFUSION: New Power Party legislators said a color-accessibility Web site showed that orange on white was even difficult for people with normal vision to read

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 31, 2019
By: Ho Yu-hua and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

New Taipei City plans to temporarily halt the replacement of building number plates after

A woman in New Taipei City on Wednesday holds up a newly designed building number plate that was going to replace number plates throughout the city. The city government yesterday announced a halt to the replacement after the design sparked public criticism.Photo: CNA

a newly unveiled design met with public criticism, the New Taipei City Government said yesterday.

The New Taipei City Department of Civil Affairs on Wednesday unveiled the new plates, saying that the city’s 1.2 million number plates would be completely replaced by February next year.

The current green plates have been in use for 23 years, and many of them are faded to the point of being illegible, it said.

The new design implemented a two-color scheme — odd numbers in purple and even numbers in orange — intended to make it easier to differentiate between even and odd-numbered buildings, the department said.    [FULL  STORY]

Chinese fishermen detained for operating in Taiwanese waters

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 29 March, 2019
By: Paula Chao

Chinese fishermen detained for operating in Taiwanese waters

Seven Chinese fishermen have been detained for illegally operating in Taiwan’s territorial waters off the Penghu archipelago. They will face a fine of up to NT$10 million (US$330,000).

On Wednesday night, a Chinese fishing boat was caught operating illegally off the Penghu archipelago in Taiwan’s territorial waters. A Taiwanese patrol boat repeatedly told the vessel to stop and submit to inspection.

However, the Chinese vessel rammed into the patrol boat in a deliberate act of provocation. This prompted the Taiwanese crew to board the vessel forcibly, detain the seven Chinese fishermen on board, and seize their 400 kg catch.

Patrol member Chen Jun-yuan says the Chinese fishermen will be detained for about a month. A heavier penalty will be imposed if they do not cooperate with the authorities.
[FULL STORY]

OPINION: Taiwan Must Be Recognized for Its Global Health Efforts

Taiwan has been an invaluable member of the global health community despite its exclusion from the WHO.

The News Lens
Date; 2019/03/29
By: Jane Pei-Chen Chang and Kyle Kai-Yuan Cheng, Taiwan Insight

Credit: Depositphotos

What is the status of Taiwan in global health? What is its role in the World Health Organization (WHO)? What efforts have been made by Taiwan to help prevent global disease outbreaks and improve the health care status of global citizens?

From a global perspective, Taiwan boasts respectable medical achievements and an accomplished health system. It was the second country in Asia to provide universal health coverage and the University of Washington recently ranked it 34th out of 195 countries for access and quality of healthcare. Presumably, a country with such expertise in health should be coveted by the global health community and assume an active role. However, Taiwan’s “irregular statehood” has proven to be pernicious in that regards. This is perhaps best illustrated by Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, an organization deeply embedded in statehood-oriented global politics.

Taiwan’s health care system

Despite not being recognized by the WHO as one of the gatekeepers for global health, Taiwan has managed to provide health insurance to 99.9 percent of its population. The current healthcare system, known as National Health Insurance (NHI), was instituted in 1995. NHI is a single-payer compulsory social insurance plan that centralizes healthcare funds for redistribution. One of the highlights of NHI is that it promises equal access to healthcare for all citizens, regardless of social status, race, gender and age. NHI is mainly financed through premiums, which are based on the payroll tax, and is supplemented with out-of-pocket payments and direct government funding. Moreover, Taiwan has better healthcare coverage than most of the countries in the WHO—where the lottery of one’s postcode does not impede access to healthcare—and has set a healthcare model for other countries to follow. Although NHI is not perfect and has flaws that need fixing, the implementation of universal healthcare coverage over the past two decades has helped Taiwan to improve its life expectancy and decreased infant mortality. As of 2018, life expectancy is about 80 years of age and the infant mortality rate is around 4.3 deaths per 1,000 lives.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan President pays respects at Martyrs’ Shrine

Event marked Tsai’s first public appearance since return from Pacific tour

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/03/29
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

President Tsai Ing-wen pays her respects at Taipei’s Martyrs’ Shrine. (By Central News Agency)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) visited the Martyrs’ Shrine in Taipei City Friday to pay her respects to past martyrs and heroes.

She read a message mentioning the “building of a new home in a new era,” the Central News Agency reported.

The president was accompanied at the event by all the prominent government leaders, including Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), who announced later in the day he would not run for re-election next year, and the heads of the five branches of government, including Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).    [FULL  STORY]