Four tried to smuggle amphetamines in on a fishing boat flying the Singaporean flag

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/06/05
By Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Prosecutors in Indonesia are requesting death sentences for

four Taiwanese men accused of trying to smuggle drugs into the country by sea, reports said Tuesday.

The four men were arrested on board a fishing trawler, the Shun Te Man No.66 (順得滿66號), near Bataan Island last February 7.

The vessel was illegally flying a Singaporean flag, while inside, Navy inspectors found 1,029 kilograms of amphetamines packaged in 41 rice bags, the Central News Agency reported.

The prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Dedi Siswadi, said his service would ask the court to find the four men guilty and give them death sentences, which in Indonesia are often still carried out, even in the case of foreign nationals.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/06/05
By: Ko Lin, CNA staff writer 

“Love knows no boundaries,” Wu Cheng-rong (巫承融), an otolaryngologist at Shuang Ho

Hospital in Taipei, says of the time he served in a Taiwanese medical mission in the Marshall Islands.

“At times, patients seeking treatment would later thank us in tears for our help,” Wu recalls.

Like many doctors before him, Wu says the experience left an indelible mark on his career, so much so that he will always cherish the time he spent in the Pacific island nation.

For years, Taiwan has been quietly providing medical and humanitarian support to its diplomatic allies, as part of its efforts to develop foreign relations.    [FULL  STORY]

TAIWANESE TOUCH: Policy adviser Kate Hung said that as diplomacy is essentially introducing the nation to the world, gifts for foreign visitors must represent Taiwan

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 06, 2018
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday unveiled seven gift items infused with

Taiwanese elements, part of the ministry’s efforts to introduce local culture to a global audience.

The creation of gifts for foreign dignitaries that reflect Taiwanese culture was one of the priority policies announced by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) when he took over the ministry in February.

“Diplomacy in essence is introducing Taiwan to the world and offering outsiders a better understanding of the stories of Taiwan. That is why the gifts that diplomats choose for foreign dignitaries matter significantly, because these presents represent what they believe best encapsulate Taiwan,” ministry policy adviser Kate Hung (洪慧儒) told a news conference in Taipei.

In the past, gifts given by the ministry were generally perceived as traditional-looking, as they were filled with “classic components,” but Wu’s goal is to increase elements from Taiwan’s day-to-day life that are more memorable, Hung said.    [FULL  STORY]

Carrier has been given extra time to make the changes because of IT issues

South China Morning Post 
Date: 04 June, 2018
By: Danny Lee

Foreign airlines in recent months have been ordered to respect China’s territorial claims and not give the impression that Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are independent territories in a letter sent to 36 foreign carriers by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in April.

Qantas admits website referred to Chinese territories as nations

At the International Air Transport Association (IATA) annual meeting on Monday, Qantas said it planned to comply with Beijing’s request.

“Our intention is to meet the requirements,” said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce on the sidelines of the summit in a direct response to a question by the Post.    [FULL  STORY]

Amid low precipitation around the island since March, the Feitsui Reservoir Administration (FRA) said last week that current water supply is sufficient to sustain Taipei City’s population through the end of August
 
Taiwan News
Date: 2018/06/04
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–Amid low precipitation around the island since March, the Feitsui

Reservoir Administration (FRA) said last week that current water supply is sufficient to sustain Taipei City’s population through the end of August.

The FRA said that the current volume is 180 million metric tons, which is 58% of the total capacity of the reservoir, adding that the reservoir’s catchment has reported little rainfall since March. The amount of rainfall between March and May reached only 38% of the average volume acquired during the same period in past years, setting a new record in three decades, according to the agency.

The agency said the measurement taken at 8 a.m. on May 30 indicated that the water level remained at 150.43 meters.

Besides meeting the water-use demand of Taipei City’s inhabitants, the reservoir also covers part of the water supply to residents of Banqiao and Xinzhuang districts in New Taipei City.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 05, 2018
By: Wang Chun-chi and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Former Chinese citizen Zhou Shuguang (周曙光), who yesterday applied for a Republic

of China (ROC) passport after becoming a naturalized citizen and obtaining an ROC identification card on Thursday, has expressed an interest in running for public office so that he can experience democracy in action.

The journalist, who achieved international fame after exposing Beijing injustices on his blog, yesterday said that he appreciates, but does not shy away from, the symbolism of requesting an ROC passport on the 29th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Zhou, also known as Zoula (佐拉), became qualified to obtain ROC citizenship after residing in Hualien’s Rueisui Township (瑞穗) with his Taiwanese wife for the past seven years.

An information technology engineer by profession, Zhou was born in 1981 in China’s Hunan Province, and gained renown as an independent journalist when he used his blog as a platform to publish stories on Beijing’s land appropriations, suppression of freedom of speech and oppression of ethnic minorities.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/06/02
By: Yeh Su-ping and Ko Lin

Taipei, June 2 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday presented awards to the five finalists at this year’s social innovation hackathon, thanking them for sharing their ideas and solutions to societal problems in Taiwan.

Speaking at an awards ceremony for the Presidential Hackathon in Taipei, Tsai said the event represents a new chapter for open government in that it seeks to facilitate exchanges between members of the government, industry, and civil groups through the use of open-source data.

Changes are not only driven by the government, but also members of civil groups, she said, calling on everyone to work together to make Taiwan a better place to live.
[FULL  STORY]

‘HAPPY’: Eswatini respects how Beijing implements its foreign policy, but is capable of conducting its own foreign policy, Swazi Amabassador to Taiwan Thamie Dlamini said

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 03, 2018
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The planned visit on Wednesday by King Mswati III of Eswatini shows the

African nation’s commitment to Taiwan, Swazi Ambassador to Taiwan Thamie Dlamini said.

Dlamini’s remarks deflated speculation that Eswatini, which has maintained diplomatic relations with Taiwan for 50 years, might cut ties with Taipei and recognize Beijing instead, after Burkina Faso severed ties with Taiwan on May 24.

“We will stick with Taiwan. Our diplomatic ties are very strong. We are very happy with that,” Dlamini said on Friday. “Next week, we are all excited about the visit of His Majesty, who is going to cement the very good relations between the two nations.”

The king is scheduled to stay in Taiwan until Tuesday next week.

The ambassador said the visit has been planned for some time and was not arranged in haste.

Taiwan is a second home for the king, Dlamini said, adding that the visit would deliver a strong signal that the two nations enjoy solid ties.    [FULL  STORY]