Page Two

Plum blossoms are blooming at Meiling, southwestern Taiwan

Tainan City announced last week it would begin to provide weekend and holiday free shuttle bus service within the scenic area to avoid traffic backup

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/01/21
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—As the plum blossoms are blooming in the Meiling Scenic Area

Plum blossoms are blooming in the Meiling Scenic Area (photo from Tainan’s Tourism Bureau official website)

(梅嶺風景區) in Tainan’s Nanxi District(楠西), Tainan City Government announced last week it would begin to provide weekend and holiday free shuttle bus service within the scenic area to avoid the kind of traffic backup that happened last weekend.

A traffic backup extended from the scenic area to Provincial Highway No. 3 last weekend due to a heavy influx of visitors to the area for watching plum blossoms along a few trails in the area. Therefore, Tainan City Government recommended the public to visit Meiling for plum blossom viewing during weekdays and take public transportation to get there.

For those who opt for public transportation, they can take a Green Line bus from TRA Tainan Station to Yujing (玉井) and then take Bus Green 22 from Yujing to Meiling, or take an Orange Line bus from TRA Shanhua Station to Yujing and then transfer to Meiling.    [FULL  STORY]

Agriculture losses from cold spell estimated at NT$100.91 million

Focus Taiwan
Date:2018/01/21
By: Wang Cheng-chung and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Jan. 21 (CNA) The estimated agricultural losses resulting from a three-day cold

File photo/photo courtesy of Agriculture Bureau of Kaohsiung City government

spell that hit Taiwan from Jan. 8 had reached NT$100.91 million (US$3.61 million) as of Jan. 19, according to statistics released Friday by the Council of Agriculture (COA).

Damaged crops made up the bulk of the losses, totaling NT$84.96 million over 1,382 hectares of farmland. Especially hard-hit were tomatoes and bell fruit, followed by citrus and jujube.

Kaohsiung suffered the heaviest agricultural losses around Taiwan, with damage estimated at NT$2.41 million, followed by Hsinchu County, which reported NT$1.85 million-worth of losses.

As of late 2017, Taiwan had devoted 3,800 hectares of farmland for bell fruit cultivation, including 2,800 hectares in Pingtung County, ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said, citing COA data.    [FULL  STORY]

DPP pans trade group’s criticism of ban on flights

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 22, 2018
By: Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday criticized a China-based Taiwan business association and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for opposing the government’s cancelation of additional flights for the Lunar New Year holiday in response to Beijing’s unilateral activation of controversial flight routes.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) on Thursday announced that it would hold off on giving the green light to 106 additional flights by China Eastern Airlines Corp and 70 by XiamenAir for the holiday due to concerns triggered by Beijing’s unilateral opening on Jan. 4 of the northbound M503 route and extension routes W121, W122 and W123.

Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland members, including its director, Wang Ping-sheng (王屏生), criticized the decision, saying it would sacrifice the rights of Taiwanese businesspeople in favor of cross-strait confrontation.

The DPP issued a statement urging the association against aligning itself with Beijing and criticizing the Taiwanese government.    [FULL  STORY]

Ex-defense chief urges spending boost

CHINESE THREAT: Michael Tsai told a forum in Taichung that the nation needs to develop its own aircraft, vessels and weapons to ensure defensive self-sufficiency

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 22, 2018
By Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter

In light of the threat posed by China, former minister of national defense Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) yesterday called for an increase in military spending from 2 percent to 3 percent of GDP and an overhaul of the plan to transition the military into all voluntary force.

Taiwan should increase military spending and develop its defense industries in response to increased Chinese military activities around Taiwan, Tsai said during a defense and aviation forum in Taichung that was also attended by Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC) chairman Anson Liao (廖榮鑫), Taichung Deputy Mayor Chang Kuang-yao (張光瑤) and Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers.

China’s annual military spending has been growing by 8.5 percent annually, and is 14 times higher than Taiwan’s, so the Ministry of National Defense needs to increase its spending from 2 percent of GDP to 3 percent, Tsai said.    [FULL  STORY]

Woman allegedly dismissed for saying Taiwan did not belong to China

Human Resources Director
Date:  22 Jan 2018 
By: HRD

A Taiwanese woman was fired from her job at a hotpot restaurant in Sydney after telling

Flag of the Republic of China, (Taiwan) in sunlight

her boss she did not think Taiwan belonged to China.

The worker, known only as Winnie, said in her social media post that she was working the night shift when her boss called her via walkie-talkie.

“Winnie, Winnie, could I ask you a question? Does Taiwan belong to China?”

She replied: “Definitely not.”

Twenty minutes later, she was told to go home and not come back to work the next day, The Daily Telegraph reported.    [FULL  STORY]

‘Taiwan’s Most Beautiful Aunty’ Chen Mei Feng, 61, shares tips on staying youthful

The Star/Asia Nwews Network
Date: Jan 20, 2018

Taiwanese TV personality Chen Mei Feng is a veritable treasure trove of tips. After

PHOTO: The Star/Asia News Network

hosting the long-running A Date With Mei Feng for 17 years, she is so accustomed to dishing out healthcare advice and beauty tips that she can go on and on without stopping.

“People should learn how to take care of themselves, especially those my age, so that the young ones can rest easy as they go about their daily lives and not have to worry too much about us,” said 61-year-old Chen.

She was speaking during a press conference in Petaling Jaya to promote A Date With Mei Feng, which is available on dimsum, with new episodes to be simulcast.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News Encyclopedia: The Labor Standards Act

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-01-20

The amendment to the Labor Standards Act is the second major revision to Taiwan’s labor policies under President Tsai Ing-wen. Officials say it is aimed at developing the nation’s economy and increasing flexibility. But the changes have not been well received among many workers. Before the revisions, the act mandated a five-day workweek, with one mandatory day off and one ‘rest day’ on which employees could still be asked to work, but in exchange for overtime pay or another day off later.

With the new revision to the act, however, the total number of hours and days employees can be asked to work has gone up. Workers can be expected to work for up to twelve consecutive days without a day off. In addition, the revised act raises the cap on the maximum overtime hours employees can work each month from 46 to 54, as long as they do not work more than 138 hours in any three month period. The revised act also allows businesses to cut minimum rest times between shifts for workers from eleven hours to eight, though with the caveat that the business owners have the consent of employees or workers unions.    [FULL  STORY]

More than 10 Vietnamese workers arrested for prostitution

All of them were overstaying on their visas

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/01/20
By: Juvina Lai, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — According to the Taipei Police Department, 11 Vietnamese

Image taken from Pixabay

migrant workers were arrested along with two of their customers on Section 2 of Xinsheng North Road for allegedly running a prostitution ring in a residential building.

The Central News Agency (CNA) reported on Friday that all of the arrested women were overstaying on their visas and had been individually renting apartments to avoid detection of their ongoing business.

Hsueh Po-wen (薛博文), the head of the Taipei Police Department’s Zhongzheng precinct, said the department was informed about the illegal activities by members of the public who had recently filed several complaints about the apartments being used for prostitution purposes.     [FULL  STORY]

MAC calls for cross-strait negotiation to resolve air dispute

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/01/20
By: C.L. Chen and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Jan. 20 (CNA) Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng

CNA file photo

(邱垂正) said Saturday that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should begin negotiations on aviation issues related to Beijing’s recent unilateral decision to launch a flight route close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

Chiu told CNA that such discussions are necessary, adding that although the Taiwanese government has voiced strong protests and demanded technical negotiations about what it considers to be a controversial route, it has received no response of goodwill from Beijing.

The council has shown support for Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), which announced earlier this week that it will put on hold approval of applications by two China-based airlines to operate extra flights over the Feb. 15-20 Lunar New Year holiday as a protest.    [FULL  STORY]

US representatives tweet against M503

‘PROVOCATIONS’: The tweets by US representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Sheila Jackson Lee said that China’s actions threatened regional security and the status quo

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 21, 2018
By: Nadia Tsao and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter in Washington, with staff writer and CNA

US representatives yesterday made comments on Twitter in support of Taiwan

Civil Aeronautics Administration Deputy Director-General Ho Shu-ping comments on China’s launch of the M503 flight routes at a news conference at the administration’s headquarters in Taipei on Friday.  Photo: Chen Yi-chia, Taipei Times

regarding China’s unilateral announcement of new flight routes in the Taiwan Strait.

Beijing unilaterally announced the launch of the M503 northbound route on Jan. 4 without consulting Taiwan. The route is only 4.2 nautical miles, or approximately 7.8km, west of the median line of the Taiwan Strait at its closest point.

Three Chinese east-west extension routes also introduced on Jan. 4 — designated W121, W122 and W123 — overlap with Taiwan’s W6, W8 and W2 flight routes, which serve the outlying islands of Matsu and Kinmen, raising aviation safety concerns.

“China’s new flight routes around Taiwan, activated without consulting Taipei, threaten aviation security and the cross-strait status quo,” tweeted US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who previously served as the chairwoman of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs.    [FULL  STORY]