Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/22
By: Yang Jong-her (楊忠和)

Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) Proponents of a referendum on whether Taiwan should apply to compete in international sporting events under the name “Taiwan” accused the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC) on Thursday of making “false and misleading” statements to sabotage a vote in favor of the proposal.

Yang Jong-her (楊忠和), former head of the defunct Sports Affairs Council under the Executive Yuan, and other supporters of the name change referendum staged a protest outside the CTOC and stuck a poster on the building that said the committee represented “Taipei, China.”

The council has now been replaced by the Sports Administration under the Ministry of Education.

“With the CTOC using every possible means to suppress the possibility of a name change for the nation, who needs China,” the protesters shouted.    [FULL  STORY]

After celeb parents of Taiwan terror suspect burn through NT$100 million on defense, more charges could be coming in Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/22
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On Monday (Nov. 19), news broke that Taiwanese terror suspect An Tso “Edward” Sun (孫安佐) will soon be released from prison. However, his celebrity parents may not yet be breathing a sigh of relief, in that they may need to spend more than the NT$100 million already burned through during his defense in the U.S., as he may face more charges and fines in Taiwan.

The son of celebrities Di Ying (狄鶯) and Sun Peng (孫鵬) was detained on March 27 after a fellow student reported a threat he made to “shoot up” his school in Pennsylvania on May 1. Though he claimed the alleged threat was just a joke, subsequent searches turned up 1,600 rounds of ammunition and a handgun he had built himself, according to police statements.

On March 31, Di and the senior Sun, landed in the U.S. to mount a defense for their son. Though the celebrity’s lawyer was able to arrange a plea deal after Sun agreed to apologize for his actions and plead guilty to making “terroristic threats” in exchange for a suspended sentence, in June he was handed over to federal authorities who then charged him with possessing ammunition while on a nonimmigrant visa.

After Sun, 18, spent eight months in detention, including five in federal custody, U.S. District Judge Nitza Quinones-Alejandro on Monday imposed a “time served” sentence and called for his voluntary and immediate deportation, reported Philly.com.
[FULL  STORY]

‘INAPPROPRIATE’: The state-run utility said the post, which has been removed, was made by members of a union and did not reflect the company’s view on the matter

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 23, 2018
By: Ann Maxon  /  Staff reporter

An internal Web site of state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) has posted a

notice urging employees to support a referendum to cancel a government policy to phase out nuclear power, apparently breaching laws on government neutrality, New Power Party Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said yesterday.

In a question-and-answer session at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee, Vice Minister of Civil Service Tsai Hsiu-chuan (蔡秀涓) confirmed that such posts should be illegal and said that she would look into the matter.

Huang said the post, which was on an employees-only Web site of the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Ma-anshan (馬鞍山), Pingtung County, was entitled: “The Nov. 24 referendum to keep nuclear power, allowing the nation to develop clean energy and keeping the sky clear.”

The referendum, one of 10 to be held tomorrow alongside the nine-in-one local elections, asks voters whether they agree to scrap Article 95, Paragraph 1 of the Electricity Act (電業法), which stipulates that all nuclear power plants in the nation must cease operations by 2025.    [FULL  STORY]

The social media myths are spreading as Taiwan gets ready to decide on marriage equality

The Guardian
Date: 21 Nov 2018
By: Benjamin Haas in Seoul

Taiwan is in the final days of a battle over the future of equality in the country, with conservatives campaigning fiercely against LGBT advocates over a referendum on same-sex marriage on Saturday.

When Taiwan’s highest court ruled last year that same-sex marriage should be legal, supporters rejoiced after waging a years-long battle for equality. But after conservative groups rallied against the change, the government announced a referendum on the issue in August.

As voting day nears, conservative groups have deployed a reported budget of 100m Taiwan dollars (£2.5m) in an effort to push the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman only. The group Alliance for Next Generation’s Happiness, which gathered enough signatures to trigger the referendum, voiced fears for society, with spokesman Tseng Hsien-ying saying: “The collapse of the family system will deal a huge blow to society.”

Advertisements have blanketed Taiwan’s airwaves and newspapers. Misinformation has spread on social media, with same-sex marriage opponents claiming marriage equality would affect the island’s falling birthrate and make it a haven for foreigners with HIV who seek to use the national health system.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News has created a list restaurants and hotels in Taipei where Thanksgiving dinners are available in 2018

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/19
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — For those who long to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner this year, including turkey with all the fixings in Taipei, Taiwan News has created a list of restaurants and hotels that offer either dine in opportunities or Thanksgiving hampers for carry out.

Many places require reservations in advance, so one should move quickly before all the spots are gobbled up as Turkey Day nears.

Prices for such meals vary greatly from one establishment to another, in the list of venues below, the approximate cost for a Thanksgiving spread will be indicated by the number of dollar signs in parenthesis: ($) NT$490-$799; ($ $) NT$800-$999; ($$$) NT$1,000-$2,000 ($$$$) NT$2,001+    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/21
By: Tsai Peng-min and William Yen

Taipei, Nov. 21 (CNA) The water supply to some 150,000 households in areas of New

Taipei and Taoyuan will be interrupted on Nov. 30 to allow for maintenance work at a water treatment plant, Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC) announced Wednesday.

At 4 a.m. on Nov. 30, the water supply will be cut off and will not be restored until 4 p.m., as work will be in progress at the Bansin Water Treatment Plant in New Taipei’s Sanxia District, TWC said in a press release.

The maintenance work involves high-voltage and ultra-high voltage equipment at the water plant, which is why the water supply will have to be shut off, TWC said.

Consumers are advised to store water ahead of time and to turn off electric water pumps to avoid damage or fires during the 12-hour period, TWC said, adding that about 150,000 households will be affected.    [FULL  STORY]

TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE: The use of ‘Chinese Taipei’ at sports events was agreed to by a dictatorship that no longer exists and should be rectified, Chen Yung-hsing said

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 22, 2018
By: Lee Hsin-fang and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The nation should change the name of its national team to “Taiwan” to correct a

historical mistake, veteran Taiwanese independence activist Chen Yung-hsing (陳永興) said yesterday during a televised debate on Saturday’s referendums.

Chen, a former superintendent of St Mary’s Hospital in Yilan County’s Luodong Township (羅東) and founder of the online media outlet Taiwan People News, criticized the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee’s opposition to the name-change referendum.

He also criticized its failure to join the debate to explain its position.

The committee has said that it would be unacceptable for the national team not to use the name “Chinese Taipei” and has tried to scare athletes from supporting the referendum, he said.

The referendum was initiated by National Policy Adviser to the President Chi Cheng (紀政), a three-time Olympian and winner of the bronze medal in the women’s 80m hurdles in 1968.

“Would it be embarrassing for the national team to use the name ‘Taiwan’ in competitions?” Chen said. “Whose orders are you following? Are you listening to China?”    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 20 November, 2018
By: John Van Trieste

In addition to casting ballots for candidates, voters in this year’s election will have the opportunity to vote on ten referenda. The topics include same-sex marriage, the name by which Taiwan competes at international sporting events, and restrictions on some Japanese food imports due to concerns about radiation.

Voters wanting to make informed choices may have to do some homework before election day on Saturday. The election commission in the central city of Taichung said Tuesday that voters will not find any information about the topics at polling places. It also reminded voters that they can choose to abstain from voting on any or all of the referenda.    [SOURCE]

Your daily bulletin of Taiwan news, courtesy of ICRT.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/11/20
By: International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT)

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)’s Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and his Kuomintang (KNT) counterpart Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) squared off Monday night in their only head-to-head TV debate ahead of the Nov. 24 election.

The antagonists focused on problems facing Kaohsiung, such as industrial transformation, the city’s hefty debt, a challenging tourism environment, and people leaving the city to find work elsewhere.

If elected, Chen said he would establish a one-stop window for investors to facilitate clusters for semiconductors and smart industries, promote agricultural products in overseas markets, and expand the MRT network to Luzhu and Linyuan districts to close the gap between urban and rural areas in the city.

Han reiterated his plan to tap into the oil reserves of Taiping Island in the South China Sea as a way to improve the fiscal position of the Kaohsiung city government.
[FULL  STORY]

The total rose by 100,000 over the past 2 years and 4 months: Ministry of Labor

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/20
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The number of foreign workers topped 700,000 in late October, according to data released by the Ministry of Labor (MOL) Tuesday.

Ministry officials pointed out that the number of Taiwanese workers employed in the manufacturing sector also rose, the Central News Agency reported.

By the end of October, the total number of migrant workers reached 703,162, including 446,779 employed by the manufacturing sector and 256,383 by the social sector, the MOL said.

The previous mark to be breached was 600,000 in late June 2016, so the number of foreign workers rose by 100,000 in just two years and four months, CNA reported.
[FULL  STORY]