China’s creeping interference in Taiwan’s democracy reflects changing currents in Indo-Pacific geopolitics.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/10/10
By: Jeremy Huai-Che Chiang & Alan Hao Yang

China’s ‘charm’ offensive on Taiwan’s autonomy has gone up a level in recent months. Starting from Sept. 1, Beijing has allowed Taiwanese who have lived in China for more than six months and are legally working, living or studying in the country to apply for a residence card entitling them to certain rights and benefits in areas such as social insurance, transportation, education and financial services.

Many have criticized this as an attempt to further ‘domesticize’ Taiwan, and as applicants need to leave their fingerprints during the application process, Taiwanese government officials, NGO groups and academics have expressed concerns about the impact of this measure on Taiwan’s national security and the safety of Taiwanese nationals in China.

China is using its weight in the international arena to wage attacks on Taiwan’s status and reputation.    [FULL  STORY]

True reconciliation has still not arrived in Taiwan: Tsai

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/10/10
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Real reconciliation in the wake of transitional justice has still not arrived in Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told visiting former South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk Wednesday.

He was the last white president of South Africa, and following his agreement with Nelson Mandela to do away with apartheid, both men won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.

De Klerk was in Taipei to attend celebrations marking Double Ten National Day. During his term in office from 1989 to 1994, South Africa was still one of Taiwan’s official diplomatic allies.

Touching on the common subject of transitional justice, Tsai told him that in Taiwan, the necessary work of revealing the truth about human rights violations, determining responsibility and judicial rectification had not been completed yet, the Central News Agency reported. Real reconciliation had not arrived yet, the president told her guest.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/10
By: Flor Wang

Taipei, Oct. 10 (CNA) Taiwan has the 29th-strongest passport in the world, having moved

up two notches from last year in the 2018 Henley Passport Index, according to a CNN report.

Taiwan passport holders have visa-free access to 148 countries and territories, according to the report, which cited the index compiled by the global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & PartnersCitizens and released Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Japan now has the most powerful passport in the world, which gives its holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 190 destinations, the report said.

Singapore, which was overtaken by Japan this year, ranks second, with 189 destinations.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 11, 2018
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff Reporter

Taichung police on Tuesday busted a criminal operation that allegedly used fraudulent

receipts to claim winnings from the uniform invoice lottery.

Fan Tsung-jen (范宗任), 30, the alleged mastermind of the operation, and a computer programmer surnamed Yang (楊) were detained after questioning by prosecutors, who said they would bring fraud charges against the men.

Eighteen other suspects were released after questioning, police said.

Criminal Investigation Bureau officials said that Fan in June established an e-commerce firm, which served as a shell company for him and his associates to issue more than 1 million bogus electronic receipts.    [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2018/10/09
By: Your daily bulletin of Taiwan news, courtesy of ICRT.

A controversial proposal by state refiner CPC Corp. to build a third liquefied natural gas (LBG) receiving terminal in Taoyuan has passed an environmental impact evaluation.

The government said Monday that the planned LNG terminal at the Guantang Industrial Park is a key part of its national energy security policy and plans to phase out nuclear power by 2025.

It could start operating by the first quarter of 2023.

However, environmental groups continue to oppose the project, saying the government should seek work to protect an endemic species of crustose coralline algae on coastal reefs found at the planned construction site.    [FULL  STORY]

Magnitude 4.4 temblor rattles southeastern Taiwan’s Taitung County

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/10/09
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A magnitude 4.4 earthquake rattled southeastern Taiwan’s Taitung County at 4:12 p.m. this afternoon, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

The epicenter of the temblor was situated 28.8 kilometers northeast of Taitung County Hall and was located at a depth of 20.8 kilometers, based on CWB data.

An intensity level of 4 was felt in Taitung County, an intensity level of 3 was recorded in Hualien County and an intensity level of 1 was registered in Kaohsiung City, Nantou County and Yunlin County.

Located along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, Taiwan uses an intensity scale of 1 to 7, which gauges the degree to which a quake is felt in a specific location.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/09
By: Jay Chou and Evelyn Kao

Jakarta, Oct. 9 (CNA) Taiwan’s government donated US$500,000 to Indonesia Tuesday to

help with relief efforts in the wake of a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi Sept. 28, triggering a tsunami and leaving nearly 2,000 people dead.

Taiwan’s representative to Indonesia, Chen Chung (陳忠), made the donation in Jakarta on behalf of the government.

Speaking on the occasion, Chen first conveyed President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) concern and sympathy for the victims.

Chen said that Taiwan’s government decided to make the donation to support Indonesia’s relief efforts and help the victims to return to normal life.    [FULL  STORY]

ELECTORAL BOOST: A legislator said that Washington publicized potential military drills in the Strait to help the Republicans and the DPP in next month’s elections

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 10, 2018
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

The Ministry of National Defense has not received intelligence that the US Pacific Fleet’s

proposal to stage a “global show of force” would include a military drill in the Taiwan Strait, Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) said yesterday.

Yen made the remark at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei in response to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lai Shyh-bao’s (賴士葆) question whether Washington has verified plans to conduct military drills in the Strait.

CNN on Thursday last week reported that the US Pacific Fleet is planning to conduct a series of naval operations to warn China that the US is prepared to counter its military activities in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

“The US has not made any comments on such allegations,” Yen said, adding that the show of force “would not necessarily be a military drill.”    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-10-08

The 2018 Taipei Pets Show opened on Friday. Large crowds filled the Nangang Exhibition

Hall over the weekend, hoping to find out about the latest trends for their furry friends. A quick overview of the offerings reveals products and services that could be as enticing to the owners as they are to the pets.

A pet photographer is working hard to get a poodle to strike a pose. In another area of the showroom, a company is promoting a high-tech dog house that comes with a padded bed and a temperature-controlled environment. In another booth, a pet psychologist has also drawn a big crowd. These are just some of the new products and services that are available at the 2018 Taipei Pets Show, which wraps up on Monday.

Statistics show that one in three Taiwanese own either a cat or a dog. They are particularly popular among people who do not have a spouse or children.
[FULL  STORY]