Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-04-02

At the legislature on Monday, national security officials answered questions about concerns over the president’s security.

The security surrounding President Tsai Ing-wen is now a major concern as there was a recent leaking of her agenda to pension protesters. There was also an incident of accidental fire at the presidential office by a security officer. On Monday, the legislature’s diplomatic and defense committee questioned national security officials about these issues.

Lawmaker Loh Chi-cheng asked the officials if they found the source of the leak. Deputy Minister of the National Security Council Chou Mei-wu said they have investigated but have not found the source. But they are finding ways to prevent and improve the situation. Chou said there are many mechanisms to prevent leaks. They’ve streamlined the process and shortened the time to report on itineraries.  He said they are working to improve the situation.   [FULL  STORY]

The door remains open for Taiwan to be a global player in cryptocurrency and blockchain but wider public support may be needed if policymakers are to be convinced.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/04/02
By: David Green

Updated to include details of blockchain and cryptocurrency policy guidelines submitted to Premier Lai.

Taiwan’s cryptocurrency and blockchain ecosystem continues to advance even as the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and the central bank drag their feet on crystalizing the country’s position on the technology.

Over the weekend, Taipei played host to BlockCity, billed as the largest blockchain festival in Taiwan — the event featured speakers from as far afield as Gibraltar. Day one saw about 500 people attend the event.

Organized by Blockcamp, a corporate blockchain advisory service and accelerator, and BlockTempo, a Chinese-language media resource for the blockchain community in Taiwan, the BlockCity event comprised a startup expo, hackathon as well as presentations and panel discussions.    [FULL  STORY]

 

Several Buddhist nuns and local residents are pleading with the Changhua County government to destroy the structure

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/04/02
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – On April 1, a Changhua County councilor and several Buddhist nuns in Changhua made a plea to the local government to demolish a Buddhist temple that has been converted into a shrine for the Chinese Communist Party.

The former Biyun Chan Temple (碧雲禪寺) located in Changhua’s Ershui (二水) Township, was recently acquired by a retired military officer and businessman, Wei Ming-jen (魏明仁), who converted the structure into a “Communist and Socialist Base” in Taiwan, replete with Chinese flags and CCP paraphernalia.

On Saturday, March 31 Wei pledged that he would build a large statue of Mao Zedong on the premise, and claimed that the day it is completed will be the day that China takes over Taiwan.

The Buddhists nuns, who are in the midst of a lawsuit with Wei over the structure, said that Wei’s defacement of the temple is an insult to the dignity of Buddhist religious traditions and that of the Taiwanese people.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/02
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, April 2 (CNA) Gro Harlem Brundtland, the first female prime minister of Norway, on Monday described the #MeToo campaign against sexual assault and harassment as a “watershed” moment for women and predicted the emergence of a new culture in which women will be believed when they speak out.

There is still male harassment of women in the workplace and the people who have tried to speak up have been silenced because it is an uncomfortable topic to discuss, the 78-year-old former Norwegian prime minister, who is visiting Taiwan to attend the Gro Brundtland Week of Women in Sustainable Development, told CNA in an interview at the Tang Prize Foundation.

Speaking with Norwegian broadcaster NRK in November last year, Brundtland revealed that she too had been sexually harassed when she was a young doctor by an assistant physician 10 years her senior.    [FULL  STORY]

Formosa News
Date: 2018/04/01

Immigrants from all over the world come to Taiwan, where they strive to start a new life in a different culture. In the latest part of our ongoing series, we present Eison Tsai from Malaysia, who has started his own restaurant after working for more than 10 years in Taiwan’s entertainment industry.

Born in Kuching, in Malaysia’s State of Sarawak, Eison Tsai is better known in Taiwan as a pop singer. But unbeknownst to most, he’s also a trained cook who specializes in Malaysian fare.

Eison Tsai
Singer
Anthony Bourdain went all the way to Sarawak from the US. They say he’s going to include laksa as one of the 50 dishes everyone should eat in their lifetime, and it will feature in his food festival in the US. So this dish is not just tasty, it’s also a source of pride for Sarawak.

In setting up his restaurant, Eison was equally concerned about taste and safety. He and his girlfriend went back to his hometown numerous times to find what they considered the most authentic flavors. They also went to the factories to ensure the quality of the food.

David Lin, whom Eison befriended on the set of the TV serial Rookies’ Diary, now manages a seafood hotpot restaurant. When he heard Eison was starting out in the restaurant business, Lin offered to work with him and came up with a seafood hot pot dish using Eison’s signature broth. It was an instant hit.

Eison has had his share of hardships over the 15 years that he’s been in Taiwan. But now he’s embarked on a new journey as the head of his own business, and is determined to give it his all.    [SOURCE]

Taiwan youth are picking up e-smoking fast and young 

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/04/01
By: Renée Salmonsen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Health and Welfare reported today new

data estimating that over 52,000 teenagers in Taiwan regularly use e-cigarettes.

A poll administered by the Ministry found that e-cigarette use spiked from 2.0% among middle school students and 2.1% among high school students in 2013 to 3.7% and 4.8% respectively in 2015, reported CNA.

The Ministry estimates that there are 100,000 adult, over 18-years-old, e-cigarette smokers.

The Ministry says that e-cigarettes are highly addictive and their long-term effects are not yet fully understood which poses even more of a risk to young adopters. The Ministry is demanding immediate attention to this problem.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/04/01
By: Lu Kang-chun and Shih Hsiu-chuan

Taipei, April 1 (CNA) A three-year-old kid and three adults sustained injuries in an amusement ride accident in Hsinchu city Sunday after a man mistakenly pressed a button that caused the flying machine to move at a high speed when he was trying to adjust the music volume.

The accident took place at the amusement park adjoining Sogo Department Store in the city’s Far Eastern Big City Shopping Malls which launched Sunday the flying machine and other rides to celebrate the upcoming Children’s Day observed on April 4 in Taiwan.

Witnesses said that, at around noon, they saw the flying machine suddenly come to a stop and staff rush to a kid who was frightened by the speed of the flight and tried to slide down the seat.    [FULL  STORY]

FACEBOOK: The MOE’s failure to back his election was creating problems for National Taiwan University and it would have to deal with the legal ramifications, he wrote

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 02, 2018
By: Ann Maxon  /  Staff reporter

National Taiwan University president-elect Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔) yesterday criticized

the Ministry of Education (MOE) for stalling on approving his appointment and said he would continue to fight for academic freedom and university autonomy.

“The Ministry of Education’s procrastination and failure to perform its duty in approving the appointment of the university’s new president has caused difficulties to the school’s operations and financial planning,” he wrote on Facebook yesterday afternoon.

The ministry and other responsible authorities must bear the legal consequences for the delay, he wrote.

“According to Article 9 of the University Act (大學法), the ministry should approve the appointment of university presidents within a certain timeframe,” he said, adding that the deadline for approving his appointment was March 18.    [FULL  STORY]