CALL TO ACTION: The Control Yuan said it would look into control and prevention measures, adding that the nation has a responsibility to protect children’s health

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 05, 2018
By: Hsieh Chun-lin and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Control Yuan has said it would investigate whether the Formosa Plastics Group’s industrial park in Yunlin County has violated local children’s right to good health.

Control Yuan members Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇), Eugene Jao (趙永清), Wang Mei-yu (王美玉) and Wang Yu-ling (王幼玲) are to lead the probe in light of a study suggesting that children living near the group’s naphtha cracker complex in Mailiao Township (麥寮) have an abnormally high rate of liver disease.

Tests conducted on children living in the area have found liver damage or reduced liver functionality, which is likely caused by pollution from the industrial park, researchers said.

Vinyl chloride, which is produced at the industrial park, is identified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a Group 1 carcinogen, the Control Yuan said.
[FULL  STORY]

The fight for an independent Taiwan took a severe blow on Nov. 26 – or did it?

The News Lens
Date: 2018/12/03
By: By Brian Hioe

The proposal for Taiwan to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics under the name “Taiwan,” instead of “Chinese Taipei,” was among those defeated during the referendum held simultaneously with 2018 local elections. This will have important ramifications going forward.

Taiwanese seem to have primarily driven to vote against the referendum because of fears that this would lead Taiwanese to be blocked entirely from participation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as a result of Chinese pressure on the International Olympics Committee. The referendum on Taiwan’s participation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was the most popular of the referendum proposals on the slate in 2018 local elections, getting more than one million signatures. Fears that Taiwan could be blocked entirely from participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics actually only emerged in the week before voting was to actually take place.

separate countries’ during a rally in Taipei on Oct. 20, 2018.
But what now for Taiwanese independence advocates? The referendum on what name Taiwan should participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics under was pushed for by Taiwanese independence advocates, it seems unlikely that Taiwanese would be willing to vote for Taiwanese independence if the possibility of merely being blocked from Olympics participation provokes such fear.

One can draw several conclusions from the results. First, as political scientist Austin Wang has pointed out, one notes that the vote was close, with 45 percent of those who voted still voting favorably for Taiwan participating as “Taiwan” instead of “Chinese Taipei” in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 4,730,000 voted for Taiwan participating as “Taiwan”, while 5,730,000 voted for Taiwan participating as “Chinese Taipei.” Despite the referendum proposal being defeated, this was actually still more percentage of the total votes that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) received in 2018 elections.
[FULL  STORY]

The railway representatives will sign the agreement Dec. 5, just ahead of the Alishan Forest Railway’s 106th anniversary celebration

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/12/03
By: Duncan Deaeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Alishan Forest Railway in Chiayi County of central Taiwan announced that it will be forming a new sister railway relationship with a railway line in the European country of Slovakia.

Ahead of its 106th anniversary of operations later this month, the iconic Alishan Forest Railway will sign a letter of intent on Dec. 5 marking its newest sister railway relationship with the 120 year old Cierny Hron Railway in Slovakia.

Planning and construction of the Cierny Hron Railway began in 1898, and it began operations in 1909 transporting lumber. It eventually opened for passenger transport between Čierny Balog and Hronec from 1927 to 1962 in what was then Czechoslovakia, before it returned to being only an industrial transport line.

In 1982 the Cierny Hron forest line was closed, but it was re-opened in 1982 as a heritage railway. The line’s total length runs 130 km, but the area designated as a heritage line for tourists to visit is 17 km long, and is open to visitors from May 1 to Sept. 30 every year, reports CNA.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/12/03
By: Charles Kang and Shih Hsiu-chuan

New Delhi, Dec. 3 (CNA) Two Taiwanese nationals were recently arrested in India on

suspicion of gold smuggling when law enforcement officers waited for them to pick up parcels that had gold inside, according to sources.

Customs officials on Nov. 22 detected 86 wrapped parcels that contained nine kilograms of gold worth $33 million rupees (US$468,000), and then informed the person to whom the parcels were addressed that the items had arrived, without revealing what had been found.

The two Taiwanese were sent by GWS Suppliers, the addressee, to collect the parcels and were arrested when they turned up at Customs, sources said, adding that two Chinese nationals and two Indians were also arrested in the same case.

According to unofficial estimates, there have been at least 22 Taiwanese people arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle gold into India this year.    [SOURCE]

The Jakarta Post
Date: December 3, 2018

The Indonesian government is facilitating the return of Shinta Danuar, a 26-year-old Indonesian migrant worker (TKI) in Taiwan with permanent paralysis, to Indonesia.

“In coordination with the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei (KDEI Taipei) and an airline, Shinta will return to her home country on Nov. 29. Hopefully, there will be no problems,” the Manpower Ministry’s labor supervision and health and work safety director General Maruli A. Hasoloan said on Tuesday.

The cost of her return is completely covered by the Manpower Ministry and the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI). “The government is concerned with Shinta’s condition and wants to help her to come home as per her family’s request,” Maruli said.

Suryati, Shinta’s mother, had asked for the return of her daughter, which was not medically recommended. Suryati also signed the request form and a statement saying she would accept all the risks.    [FULL  STORY]

The events will feature art exhibitions, concerts, and a Christmas market

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/12/02
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) –The Chimei Museum in Tainan is hosting Christmas parties on Dec. 15, 16, 22, and 23, featuring special exhibitions, concerts, Christmas markets, and Santa Claus parades.

A selection of 30 Christmas-themed paintings and artworks will be put on display for the special occasion. The museum will also, for the first time, extend its opening hours to 9:30 p.m.

In addition, there will be a total of 20 musical performances throughout the four dates to liven up the outdoor area. Performances will span a range of genres including classical, jazz, pop, electronic, and choral music. Carol singers will be present to add merriment to the scene.

What’s more, the museum will open up a market featuring more than 100 stalls, offering visitors traditional Christmas delicacies including cinnamon rolls and mulled wine. Individuals who prefer a more upmarket dining atmosphere can enjoy a feast of roast chicken and seafood at the museum cafe.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/12/02

Taipei, Dec. 2 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has said more emphasis should

be placed on people at the lower spectrum of society and more care should be shown to the disadvantaged and young people, a lawmaker said Sunday.

Ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋), who represents Chiayi City, summarized Tsai’s views after she attended a DPP symposium in the city Sunday.

DPP legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋, left) and Chiayi City Mayor Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲)

Tsai is touring the country to take stock of public opinion after her party suffered a major defeat in Taiwan’s elections for local government posts on Nov. 24, seeing the number of the 22 cities and counties it controls in Taiwan dwindle from 13 to six.

She stepped down as DPP chairperson soon after the results were known.
[FULL  STORY]