Taiwan English News
December 23, 2018 
Phillip Charlier

Eight Taiwanese nationals are reported trapped in southern Sumatra’s South Lampung Regency after a series of waves hit coastal regions around the Sunda Strait last night, Saturday, December 22.

A Taiwanese businessman representing the Three Wheels Foundation charity group told Taiwan’s Central News Agency that a group of eight tourists were affected by the disaster.

Two adults in the group are reported to be relatively seriously injured after being hit by heavy objects while escaping from the waves, and are unable to walk, or to get to a hospital. The injured are being cared for by local nursing staff at a private residence where the group is taking refuge.

One of two children with the group is also reported to have suffered abrasions, according to the CNA report.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/12/23
By: Wang Shu-fen and Ko Lin,Central News Agency

Taipei, Dec. 22 (CNA) Taiwan experienced the hottest winter solstice in 10 years when temperatures soared above 30 degrees Celsius Saturday at noon, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said that day.

The winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is the shortest day of the year, which typically occurs on Dec. 20, 21 or 22, and is usually cold.

According to the weather bureau, the mercury rose to a high of 31.2 degrees in Taitung County’s Donghe Township at 12:50 p.m. and many other parts of Taiwan also saw temperatures above 30 degrees at around noon.

In Taipei, the temperature was 30.6 degrees, while Taichung recorded 30.8 degrees.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/12/23
By: Hao Hsueh-ching, Chiu Chun-chin and Shih Hsiu-chuan

Taipei, Dec. 23 (CNA) Local hog farmers should process pigswill at a temperature of

90 degree Celsius or higher for an hour or shift to the use of crop-based feed ingredients to minimize the chance of an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in Taiwan, Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Sunday.

Lai made the remarks when inspecting an animal husbandry farm in Qingshui District, Taichung where he was briefed on the heating equipment used to treat leftover waste and other biosecurity measures at the farm.

About 80 percent of 239 hog farms in Taichung feed waste human food to their livestock, according to Wang Chun-hsiung (王俊雄), head of the Agriculture Bureau of Taichung City government.

Although Taichung accounts for only a small proportion of the country’s pig farms, which total about 7,500, the city is critical in guarding against ASF because it is situated in the middle of Taiwan, Wang said in his briefing.    [FULL  STORY]

PIG FARMS: William Lai said ‘disease prevention should be considered a battle,’ with every farm a castle defending the nation from the risks posed by African swine fever

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 24, 2018
By: Ou Su-mei  /  Staff reporter

Premier William Lai (賴清德) yesterday inspected the disposal of leftover pig food at

a hog farm in Taichung and called on farmers and all Taiwanese to join hands to guard against African swine fever.

The government has been stepping up measures against the disease since China reported its first infection in August and illegal Chinese pork imports continue to be intercepted by customs officials.

Following President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) visit to Yunlin County hog farms on Saturday, Lai yesterday visited Rueising livestock farm in Cingshuei District (清水) to inspect processes meant to reduce the chances of infection.

When foot-and-mouth disease reached Taiwan in 1997, the nation suffered economic losses exceeding NT$170 billion (US$5.5 billion at today’s exchange rate) and culled more than 4 million pigs, leaving a scar on the domestic hog industry, Lai said.
[FULL  STORY]

Top 5 taboos to avoid on Dongzhi, Winter Solstice ‘Ghost Festival’ in Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/12/22
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Today (Dec. 22) is the Dongzhi (冬至, extreme of winter) Festival or winter solstice, the peak of winter based on the lunisolar calendar, and though many consider it a festive time for family gatherings, it is also the longest night of the year when ghosts are also believed to be on the prowl, thus there are five major taboos that are to be avoided.

During the Dongzhi Festival in Taiwan, people traditionally make tangyuan (湯圓, soup dumplings), which are balls of glutinous rice boiled in a sweet soup, to symbolize reunion, completeness, and their consumption ensures a smooth and peaceful new year. However, few are aware that, in addition to the Ghost Festival observed during the 7th lunar month, Dongzhi is also known as “Ghost Festival,” and there are taboos that must be observed on this short day and long night.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/12/22
By: Emerson Lin and William Yen

Manila, Dec. 22 (CNA) Six Taiwanese nationals were arrested in the Philippines Friday for alleged drug offenses that involved the recreational drug ketamine.

The five Taiwanese men and one woman, aged 21-33, were arrested by Philippine police in an apartment in Makati, a financial hub in the Metro Manila region.

More than 10 vials of liquid ketamine and inhalers were found at the scene along with empty vials believed to have contained the drug.

After the arrests, Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau personnel stationed in the Philippines visited the Taiwan nationals and asked that they receive proper and fair treatment.    [FULL  STORY]

Millions of Taiwanese are drawn to new religions. Why have so many chosen Weixinism?

The News Lens
Date: 2018/12/21
By: Liu Hsiu-yi

According to a 2014 report from the Pew Research Center, Taiwan ranks second-highest in religious diversity in the world. The many religious groups developing and coexisting in Taiwan, provide various teachings and practices that satisfy people with disparate religious needs. Under these circumstances, this article aims to find out the reason for people to choose Weixinism, or Weixin Shengjiao (唯心聖教).

Weixin Shengjiao is a new religious group in Taiwan, established by Grand Master Hun Yuan (who was previously named Teacher Zhang) in 1982 around the time the government was released from martial law. This religious group developed very rapidly. Indeed, they founded more than 70 rites in Taiwan for people to practice worship, learn the doctrines, perform the rituals, and so on.

The teachings of Weixinism are mainly based on Yi Ching (易經) and Feng Shui (風水), and also integrate the Three Teachings, i.e. Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. The religious group so aims to revitalize traditional Chinese culture, just like other religious groups such as Yiguandao (一貫道), Tiandiism (天帝教), and many other Taiwanese folk religious groups.

However, while the teachings of Yi Ching and Feng Shui are indeed features of Weixinism, some people may think this is the only reason for individuals to join this religious group. Thus, this article demonstrates why and how people choose Weixinism from the perspective of its followers.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/12/21
By: Claudia Liu and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Dec. 21 (CNA) More than 10 media outlets in Taiwan have been found

involved in a scheme by Hualien County to write propaganda and gather public opinion for it, according to data from the Cabinet-level Public Construction Commission.

Mirror Media reported Wednesday that Hualien County Magistrate Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) invited bids last year for producing written or video propaganda pieces about the county’s policies and to record voices of the public.

The process resulted in the Hualien County government awarding 25 contracts paying NT$140,000 (US$4,545) to NT$280,000 each to reporters stationed in the county from several news organizations, according to the report.

After the National Communications Commission (NCC), the country’s top media regulator, learned of the scheme through the Mirror Media report, it called the case an “issue of journalistic ethics” and requested the media involved to launch an investigation and submit their findings to the NCC.    [FULL  STORY]