Car skidded and hit oncoming truck

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/01/23
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Taiwanese woman died in a car accident in Japan believed

to be linked to the abundant snowfall in that country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Tuesday.

At least two people have died during snowstorms and excessive snowfall in Central Japan and the Kanto region surrounding Tokyo over the past few days.

A 52-year-old woman named Kao (高) was driving Monday evening when the wheels of her car skidded in the snow and she hit an oncoming truck, the Central News Agency reported.

The woman was not a tourist but a resident of Chiba Prefecture (千葉縣) holding a job at a local restaurant.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/01/23
By: Lu Kang-chun, Kuan Rui-ping and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Jan. 23 (CNA) The policeman who shot and killed a Vietnamese migrant worker

in the northern county of Hsinchu last August was charged with negligent manslauphter Tuesday.

Local prosecutors filed the charge against the policeman, identified as Chen Chung-wen (陳崇文), at the Jhubei police precinct after concluding their investigation of the high-profile case which sparked protests by Vietnamese workers in Taiwan, condemning police violence.

According to the indictment, Chen shot the migrant worker, Nguyen Quoc Phi, while he was resisting arrest for suspected theft and vandalism and later attempted to steal a police car on Aug. 31 last year.

Although by firing his weapon Chen was attempting to prevent the patrol car from being stolen and ensure the safety of himself and others at the scene, which is in accord with rules governing police use of firearms, his response violated the principle of proportionality, prosecutors said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 24, 2018
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

Dozens of doctors yesterday attended a public hearing at the legislature in Taipei to

discuss a proposed amendment to Article 11 of the Physicians’ Act (醫師法) to allow more flexibility for “substantial diagnosis” and have it not limited to face-to-face diagnosis.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Jan. 11 announced draft regulations of treatment of telemedicine. The regulations are an extension to the limitation of the conditions whereby physicians are allowed to practice medicine via telecommunication.

The article states that “a physician may not treat, issue a prescription or certify a diagnosis to patients that are not diagnosed by the physician himself or herself,” but physicians appointed by the competent authority can use telecommunications to treat patients in mountainous or remote areas, on outlying islands, or in special or urgent circumstances.

If the draft regulations are passed, five additional categories of patients would be allowed to receive medical diagnosis via telecommunications.    [FULL  STORY]

The first half of the cemetery was unceremoniously buried in 2016, now the battle is on to rescue and preserve what remains.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/01/23
By: James X. Morris

In Xindian District, a coalition of academics, historians, and residents are attempting to

bring awareness to the destruction of heritage sites that often occurs as city officials push for development.

Xindian First Public Cemetery (新店區第一公墓) sits in an enviable location, historically chosen for its good feng shui properties. The site is now slated for industrialization in the near future – half of the tombs have already been removed and destroyed.

At the crux of the issue is the loss of historical tombs, some dating back to the Taipei basin’s opening to Han settlement under the Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796). Local academics such as Professors David Blundell and Lin Ching-chih (林敬智), affiliated with nearby National Chengchi University, have spent the better part of the past three years working closely with local residents who are affiliated with the Xindian Historical Society, such as Mr. Gao Bao-tang (高寶堂) and Mr. Cat Shih Chi-yang (施其陽) in an effort to prevent the destruction of these imperial-era tombstones, and somehow possibly conserve them in-situ with the natural environment for study.    [FULL  STORY]

The groundbreaking guidebook will contribute greatly to the little known world of octocoral

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/01/22
By: Renée Salmonsen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Marine National Park Headquarters of the Dongsha Atoll

announced the publication a comprehensive field guide to octocoral, entitled “Octoganal Fauna of Dongshan Atoll.”

The discovery of over 119 types of octocoral are discussed in the book, according to CNA. The volume includes the results of two years of research from National Taiwan University Institute of Oceanology Professor Dai Chang-feng (戴昌鳳).

Due to the innate difficulty in researching this type of coral, few octocoral specialists exist and even fewer reference materials are available on the subject, said the Marine Headquarters. This volume provides the information necessary to identify and distinguish different kinds of octocoral, as well as rare pictures of their underwater world.    [FULL  STORY]

Netizens question strict list of banned vehicles on new Suhua Highway section

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/01/22
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Just as first section of the improved Suhua Highway (蘇花公路

台) is poised to open before Lunar New Year, a photo showing the extensive list of vehicle types that are banned from using the new highway has already generated a backlash among Taiwanese netizens.

A photo of a new sign, posted on Jan. 18 on the Facebook group Suhua Highway, shows that delivery trucks, buses, bicycles, motorcycles, and scooter all all banned from entering the new stretch of highway, with only sedan cars apparently allowed to pass.  After listing all the banned vehicle, the person posting the image then asks incredulously, “but pedestrians are actually not banned from walking on the highway?”

The old stretch of Suhua Highway very dangerous, thus the proposal to build the new section was put forth the Facebook user adds,”Now the highway bureau says that the new Suhua Highway is too dangerous, so need to go back to the safe old Suhua Highway.” He then asks, “if the new highway is much more dangerous than the old one, what was the point of it all?”    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/01/23
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan 

Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) China believes that Taiwan would submit to its control if it continues to pressure Taiwan, but that would only strengthen the unity of the people of Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said recently.

Tsai said that the result is something China might need to take into account and a key element in her administration’s handling of cross-strait relations.

In the face of China’s pressure, the beliefs upheld by the people of Taiwan to safeguard democracy, freedom, and security form the basis on which people stand together, Tsai said in an interview with SET TV on Jan. 20 that was aired Monday night.

With the goal to maintain peace and stability in cross-strait relations, there are three elements in her policy towards China–whether the president has strong will, whether the government can withstand pressure, and whether the people can show solidarity in the face of the pressure, Tsai said.    [FULL  STORY]