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Labor ministry unveils special work conditions

OVERTIME: The proposal would allow employees in sectors such as utilities, travel and transportation to work for over six days or up to 12 straight days

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 01, 2018
By: Ann Maxon  /  Staff reporter

The Ministry of Labor yesterday announced the special conditions under which workers would be allowed to work up to 12 consecutive days and have their rest time between shifts reduced to eight hours.

Under the proposed regulations, Taiwan Railways Administration employees who are directly responsible for train operations, such as drivers and conductors, and shift workers at Taiwan Power Co (Taipower), CPC Corp, Taiwan, (CPC) and Taiwan Sugar Corp, would be allowed to work on a special schedule with a rest time of eight hours for an approved period of time when the company is short-staffed.

The draft regulations would also allow Taipower, CPC and Taiwan Water Corp to shorten employees’ rest time between shifts in case of emergencies — such as natural disasters and accidents — that might require them to carry out repairs or other work to ensure a stable supply of electricity, water and other necessities.

The draft regulations would allow workers in the transportation and warehousing sectors, food producers, oil refineries, water, electricity and gas suppliers to work up to 12 consecutive days during public holidays to meet increased seasonal demands or to assist with government events.    [FULL  STORY]

Safety the key issue on holiday flights: Minister

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-01-30

The transportation minister has urged travelers to China to voice their safety concerns

Transportation minister Ho Chen Tan appears in this CNA file photo.

over Beijing’s proposed extra cross-strait flights during the Lunar New Year holidays.

Earlier this month, Beijing announced four new flight paths in the Taiwan Strait. The move was made without consultation with Taipei. Taiwan’s government has withheld approval of the new paths for safety reasons. It has also so far rejected applications by two Chinese airlines for extra flights during the upcoming Lunar New Year period. This may affect the availability of flights for Taiwanese businesspeople working in China planning to travel home for the holidays.

Transportation minister Ho Chen Tan said Tuesday that it is not a matter of whether Taiwanese nationals can get home. He said safety is the key issue.    [FULL  STORY]

Stickers Unveiled to ‘Fix’ Taiwan Passport Debacle

Washington DC’s airport can still be seen around the edges and the sticker is easily removed, yet Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials are confident the amended passports will not hinder holders’ freedom to travel.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/01/30
By: TNL Staff

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs unveiled a rectified image within Taiwan’s second-

Photo credit: 關鍵評論網

generation biometric passport on Jan. 24, following a row over a design error on one of the passport’s illustrations late last year.

That design malfunction in December — in which the offending page showed the United States’ Washington Dulles International Airport instead of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport — led to criticism of the ministry after its first response to the blunder was to shift blame to the government’s Central Engraving and Printing Plant (CEPP), which produces the passports.

To minimize the cost of the error, the ministry will use a sticker to cover up the fifth page of 550,000 passports already produced by the CEPP with the Dulles Airport image.    [FULL  STORY]

First skywalk in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan to begin trial operation on February 4

Would you like to look out to the sea or to North Dawu Mountain on the border of Pingtung County and Taitung County from Kaohisung? If so, you should visit the Siaogangshan Skywalk Park (崗山之眼)

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/01/30
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—Would you like to look out to the sea or to North

Siaogangshan Skywalk Park

Dawu Mountain on the border of Pingtung County and Taitung County from Kaohisung? If so, you should visit the Siaogangshan Skywalk Park (崗山之眼), the only skywalk in Kaohsiung.

The park will begin trial operation on February 4.

The Tourism Bureau of Kaohsiung City said Tuesday that members of the public are welcome to visit the park for free during the trial operation, but after it officially opens on February 14, the ticket is NT$80 for adult and a half-fare ticket is NT$40, the agency said.

However, after the official opening, residents of Gangshan (岡山) and Yenchao (燕巢) will enjoy free admission to the park, according to media reports.    [FULL  STORY]

Notice to allow visit to detained Taiwanese ‘a charade’: NGO

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/01/30
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan and Wu Jui-chi

Taipei, Jan. 30 (CNA) Although it initially appeared as if China had agreed to allow the

Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜, left)

wife of detained Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲) to visit him in jail, “it was all a charade,” said Chen Yu-fan (陳雨凡), executive director of the Judicial Reform Foundation Tuesday.

Lee Ming-che’s wife, Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜), on Monday received a notification, dated Jan. 2, from the prison where her husband is incarcerated informing her of the visitation rules.

According to those rules, Lee Ming-che can receive visits once a month on Tuesdays by up to three family members, who have to present proof of kinship, for no more than 30 minutes.    [FULL  STORY]

Groups call for probe into arrests

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 31, 2018 
By: Ann Maxon  /  Staff reporter

The Taipei Bar Association, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and other groups yesterday called on the Control Yuan to investigate what they said was the illegal arrest last month of lawyers and members of the public during a protest in Taipei against amending the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法).

Thousands of people gathered outside the Legislative Yuan on Dec. 23 to voice their opposition to the proposed amendments. At about 11pm, a group of about 50 protesters moved to Taipei Railway Station.

Police cordoned off the area around the group at the station and began arresting people, including lawyers Ting Wen-sheng (丁穩勝) and Chen Yu-hsin (陳又新), putting them in police cars and then driving them to random, remote locations to be dropped off, the Taipei Bar Association said.    [FULL  STORY]

Explosion prompts calls for moving of CPC Taoyuan refinery

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/01/29
By: Huang Ya-chuan, Chiu Chun-chin and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Jan. 29 (CNA) A gas explosion ignited a fire at state-run CPC Corp., Taiwan’s

Photo courtesy of Taoyuan Fire Department

Taoyuan refinery Monday, prompting calls for relocation of the refinery in Guishan District, although no casualties were reported.

The gas blast and fire occurred at a diesel hydrotreating unit of the refinery at 6:42 a.m.

The fire was brought under control at 7:30 a.m. after hundreds of firefighters and 40 fire trucks and ambulances were sent to the scene and was fully extinguished later that day, the Taoyuan fire department said.

Initial findings show that a ruptured pipe might be the culprit, the department said.

INTERVIEW: Chen eyes fair fight against ‘dinosaur judges’

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 30, 2018

Newly sworn in Control Yuan member Chen Shih-meng, who reported for duty

Control Yuan member Chen Shih-meng talks to reporters after being sworn in in Taipei yesterday.  Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

yesterday, in an interview on Friday told Chinese-language ‘Liberty Times’ (the sister newspaper of the ‘Taipei Times’) staff reporter Chung Li-hua that he would focus on three types of ‘dinosaur judges,’ namely those who bend the law to punish pan-green camp politicians, shield pan-blue camp members and protect the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) illegally acquired assets

Liberty Times (LT): What is the first investigation you are planning to conduct once you assume your duties at the Control Yuan?

Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟): I do not intend to start a war by fighting everywhere at once. I am not yet familiar with the Control Yuan’s operations. I would not start with high-publicity cases, such as former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) case involving the alleged leaking of secrets, or former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) corruption case over the Longtan (龍潭) land deal.

Those cases are more difficult and any failure on my part to handle them would have a negative effect on all of the investigations that I might embark on later. So, my first investigation is designed as a full dress rehearsal for things yet to come, although I should add that I will not be wasting any effort on small fry, either.  [FULL  INTERVIEW]

Tsai’s Popularity Plummets

Formosa News
Date: 2018/01/28

President Tsai Ing-wen’s popularity rating has slumped to 31.7%, her second-lowest rating since she took office and a fall of 4 percentage points from the previous month, a poll from the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation has found. Meanwhile satisfaction with the governance of Premier Lai Ching-te’s Cabinet stood at 47%.

Scholars attributed this to widespread dissatisfaction with her government’s handling of cross-strait relations and the economy over the past year. They called on the government to put every effort into boosting the economy in the new year.
[SOURCE]

Back-to-back cold air masses to arrive in Taiwan

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-01-28

Low temperatures are expected throughout Taiwan in the coming days, with people bracing for not one, but two cold air masses.

The Central Weather Bureau said the first cold air mass was arriving on Sunday, and the second later in the week.

Forecasters say the first weather system will send the mercury plummeting on Sunday, and will affect the weather until Tuesday. All parts of Taiwan are likely to see rain as well.    [FULL  STORY]