The President encourages missionaries in Taiwan who qualify to apply for Taiwanese citizenship

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/10/01
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – On the morning of Oct. 1, President Tsai Ing-wen received an

audience of Catholic missionaries serving in Taiwan, as well as a Representative of the Holy See, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nuncio, Msgr. Slađan Ćosić.

The President expressed gratitude to the Catholic Church for the love and contributions it has given to Taiwan over many generations. Tsai noted that Catholic missionaries have been serving in Taiwan for over 500 years and those serving in Taiwan on average dedicate 36 years of their life to service in the country.

The president indicated that such dedication and perseverance over such a long history shows the love with which the Church regards Taiwan and Taiwanese people.

Tsai offered her sincere gratitude to the missionaries for their service, recognizing how the contributions of the church over the years have furthered Taiwan’s social development, reports LTN.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/01
By: William Yen

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) Two immunologists who were awarded the first Tang Prize in

Biopharmaceutical Science in 2014 have won the 2018 Nobel Prize in medicine for their research that has contributed to the treatment of cancer.

The Tang Prize was established by Samuel Yin (尹衍樑), a Taiwanese entrepreneur and philanthropist, in December 2012.

The duo, James Allison of the United States and Tasuku Honjo of Japan, were honored for their research into how the body’s natural defenses can fight cancer, the Tang Prize Foundation (TPF) said in a statement Monday.

Their research showed how a patient’s own immune system could be helped to fight cancer by removing a protein that can stop the body’s natural defenses from killing cancer cells, the statement said.    [FULL  STORY]

READY FOR ACTION: Two Perry-class guided missile frigates are to join the navy’s 146th Fleet next month and are to be deployed on patrols in the Taiwan Strait

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 02, 2018
By: Aaron Tu and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

The Ministry of National Defense plans to spend more than NT$1.1 billion (US$36 million) to build three special operations and counterterrorism bases over three years for use by the navy and the military police, the ministry’s budget for next year showed.

The navy is to build a multifunctional special operations training base for NT$698.04 million and a maritime special operations training base for NT$134.25 million, while NT$269.21 million has been reserved for a joint special operations training base for the military police, the document said.

The multifunctional base, which is to be equipped with computers that can simulate training scenarios, is slated for use by the Special Service Squadron of the marine corps’ Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit, it said.

The program is to have a NT$11.42 million budget next year and base construction should be completed in 2022, it said.    [FULL  STORY]

More than a Taipei food institution, Tibet Kitchen is a gathering place for Taiwan’s Tibetan community.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/09/30
By: Liu Hao-chi (劉皓齊)

“Please give me the authentic taste,” I overhear. “Where do you come from?” A dialogue strikes up. In the background, Tibetan folk ballads are mixed into a mélange of mostly Indian songs.

For elder Tibetans who have left their hometowns, it is a blessing to have a bite of tsampa in Taiwan, thousands of kilometers from the Himalayas. Young Tibetans, however, are likely missing Tandoori roast chicken with its slightly burnt skin covered with a rich layer of spices and dipped in yogurt. It is an Indian dish, but for Tibetans, it brings back memories.

On Heping East Road, heavy with traffic, there is a small storefront seemingly playing hide-and-seek with other high-rise buildings. It is not particularly conspicuous, so not easily noticed. Only when one goes near can they see the sign bearing the Potala Palace and, in large lettering, “Tibet Kitchen.”

Though the restaurant is named after Tibet, its menu features several Indian dishes. According to Tashi and Donka, the Tibetan couple who own the restaurant, India is a second home for Tibetans. Most Tibetans in exile are very familiar with Indian dishes, especially second or third generation Tibetans who grew up in India.  [FULL  STORY]

President Tsai Ing-wen expressed her deepest sympathy and concern to Indonesia after an earthquake rocked the country’s Sulawesi Island, Friday

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/09/30
By:  Central News Agency

TAIPEI (CNA) — Indonesia’s top envoy to Taiwan expressed his country’s gratitude

Sunday for Taiwan’s offer of help following a 7.5-magnitude earthquake that hit the country’s Sulawesi Island Friday, leaving hundreds of people dead.

“Thank you very much for the offer to help us,” Didi Sumedi, representative of Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei, said on the sidelines of an Indonesian cultural event held in New Taipei Sunday.

Sumedi said Taiwanese officials have told him that the government of Taiwan will help Indonesia if needed. But so far, the Indonesian representative said, his country can handle the situation.

“For the time being, Indonesia can handle the situation,” he noted.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 01, 2018
By: Yan Hung-chun  /  Staff reporter

The controversial pro-unification owner of the Biyun Temple, Wei Ming-jen (魏明仁),

flew to Hong Kong a day after the Changhua County government began demolishing his additions to the temple, a national security officer said yesterday on condition of anonymity.

The county on Wednesday sent demolition crews to the shrine in Ershuei Township (二水) and Wei left Taiwan the next day, the official said.

Wei said his “retreat from his Ershuei base” followed the example of Mao Zedong’s (毛澤東) strategic retreat during the Chinese Communist Party’s battles with the Nationalist Army in China’s Yunnan Province about 70 years ago, Wei said an interview with crntt.com, a Chinese-language digital media outlet, published on Saturday.

President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration decided to level his “base” because it feared it would grow and because it wants to upset China by working with the US, Wei was quoted as saying.    [FULL  STORY]

MRT will be open until Oct. 7 at 6 a.m from Taipei Main Station to Yuanshan Station

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/09/29
By: Lyla Liu, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – 2018 Nuit Blanche Taipei gathers 43 art installations and 70 performances under the theme of “The Upside Down City” to kick off on Oct. 6 on Zhongshan North Road.

Beginning from 2016, the annual art event titled Nuit Blanche Taipei has attracted 200,000 people to enjoy the cultural activities and Taipei’s night.  “The Upside Down City” is the theme for 2018 which invites people to open their heart and view Taipei with creativity.

This year,  Nuit Blanche Taipei will be held from Oct. 6th at 6 p.m. to 7th 6 a.m. , along Zhongshan North Road between section one and three.

The area of Yuanshan MRT Station and the Nanjing West Road Commercial District will be the northern and southern sites of this event, gathering at least 70 performances, programs and 43 art installations.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/09/29
By: Yeh Su-ping and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Sept. 29 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) urged countries in the Asia-

Pacific region Saturday to work together to curb the production and dissemination of fake news, saying that it undermines democratic values.

“Across many of our societies, we are confronted by an increasingly orchestrated disinformation campaign designed to discredit our democracy and undermine our way of life,” Tsai said at the opening of the annual Asia-Pacific Think-tank Summit.

Fake news poses challenges not only to Taiwan but to all like-minded countries across the region, Tsai said.

“Their existence highlights the need for us to work together to respond to these challenges in a more coordinated way,” Tsai said, adding that she is pleased to see the forum rapidly becoming one of the preeminent platforms for experts on the subject from around the globe.    [FULL  STORY]

MOFA will follow the progress of ARIA through the U.S. Congress

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/09/29
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Saturday expressed its gratitude to the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee for passing the “Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018” (ARIA) earlier in the week.

The proposal was launched last April by Senator Cory Gardner, the Colorado Republican who chairs the subcommittee for East Asia, the Pacific and international cybersecurity policy.

ARIA includes expressions of support for economic, political and security cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan, as well as a call on President Donald Trump to send top administration officials to Taipei under the recently approved Taiwan Travel Act.

MOFA thanks members of both parties in Congress for their support and attention for Taiwan and for regional peace and stability, the Central News Agency reported.
[FULL  STORY]