Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/23
By Elaine Hou, Ku Chuan and Ko Lin

Taipei, Dec. 23 (CNA) Officials from Taiwan attended for the first time the European Union’s annual “Our Ocean Conference” this year, held in Malta in October, an anonymous source familiar with the matter told CNA on Saturday.

The conference, which brought together members of various non-profit organizations and government officials from across over 100 countries, made nearly 400 commitments on marine conservation, according to the source.

The delegation from Taiwan was headed by deputy chief of the Council of Agriculture (COA) Huang Jin-cheng (黃金城), who serves concurrently as acting chairman of Overseas Fisheries Development Council (OFDC), a group set up by the COA.  [FULL  STORY]

Returning to Johannesburg after time in Taipei proves a rude awakening.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/12/22
By: Hallie Haller

Take this text for what it is – the highly subjective story of a big switch. I’ll spare you

comparisons of public transport infrastructure and grocery store prices, or the romanticized retelling of two cities’ novelties. Let’s rather look at how place makes us. Makes us revisit the us we take for granted. Where you are makes up so much of what you are. That’s the lesson here, and I’ll get to it.

I lived in Taipei for six years before I traded her in for Johannesburg. In that time, I learned patience. My Taipei cab rides eased me into conversations about race in ways that I did not expect.

Yes, I am very dark.

Nope, not Indian. I’m South African. Yep, Mandela.

My parents are South African, too.

Yes, I’m sure.

What do South Africans look like? Phew. Tough. We’re a little different to Taiwan that way – we’re really diverse, racially.

This would unravel into talk that my Chinese vocabulary couldn’t always keep up with. I’d offer the explanation that darkness didn’t have negative connotations back home – less of a field worker, more of the wealth to vay-cay vibe. Then, chucklesome uproar as the person in the front seat tried to fathom that city-slicking SUV Susan is paying for tanning sessions; while the women of Taipei maintain their lily-white aesthetic with draconian discipline. And from the yellow Taipei taxi, I’d point out the women on scooters – pulling into the shade of street signs and wearing sleeves-sold-separately over their arms, to avoid browning.
[FULL  STORY]

The venue once attracted top Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainers

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/12/22
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Once Taiwan’s largest gay nightclub, Funky Club in Taipei will

close its doors for good over the Christmas weekend, reports said Friday.

The move comes as Taiwan is gradually moving closer to becoming the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

According to a report in the Chinese-language Apple Daily, the club has been facing competition from a growing number of similar establishments, and a moving away of its former clientele to newer clubs might be to blame for the closure.

More than a decade ago, Funky Club was already a famous gay party destination, but top entertainers from Taiwan and Hong Kong, gay or not, also visited the site, the Apple Daily reported.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/22
By: Chiu Chun-chin and William Yen 

Taipei, Dec. 22 (CNA) An unexpected power outage at the second terminal of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday, which affected five flights and up to 957 passengers, was caused by a short circuit in a high voltage switchboard.

According to an explanation by Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TTIA) Co. Ltd, the short circuit was due to an attempt to power up a newly constructed Evergreen Sky Catering facility, which caused a voltage sag resulting in a power outage in multiple areas of the airport.

Investigations found the power outage was caused by too much current (24,900 amperes), resulting in a circuit breaker trip, as it could only sustain 15,000 amperes. That led to the airport’s main input power of 161 kilovolt high voltage power substation to trip.

Facilities and equipment were immediately checked following the incident and after the scope of the affected area was identified, emergency generators were started within five minutes, according to TTIA.    [FULL  STORY]

CONTROVERSIAL: KMT Legislator John Wu said that other nations that follow the rule of law have long banned law enforcers from questioning witnesses like suspects

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 23, 2017
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

In the wake of the Investigation Bureau’s arrest of New Party spokesman Wang Ping-chung

(王炳忠) on Tuesday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) and John Wu (吳志揚) yesterday unveiled a draft amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法) aimed at granting witnesses the right to seek legal assistance while being questioned by prosecutors or investigators.

The draft amendment targets Article 175 of the act, which stipulates the rules to be followed by people if they are summoned by a law enforcement agency as a witness, but does not say they can request the presence of a lawyer when being questioned, the lawmakers said.

The article effectively denies witnesses the right to seek legal advice when being questioned, which is clearly a loophole and an infringement of their human rights, they said.

Wang was taken to the bureau for questioning for 18 hours, during which time his access to the rest of the world was cut off because he could not be accompanied by a lawyer, Lin said.    [FULL  STORY]

New York Times
Date: Dec. 20, 2017
By: Chris Horton

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan is investigating four members of a small political party that

advocates unification with China, on the suspicion that they gave Chinese officials classified information related to an espionage case.

Beijing said it was watching the situation closely. The development comes as China is putting increasing pressure on Taiwan, which it considers a part of its territory that must eventually come under its control.

Wang Ping-chung, spokesman for the New Party, which holds no seats in Taiwan’s legislature, and three other party members affiliated with its youth wing were detained and questioned on Tuesday, the Taiwan authorities said. They have since been released.

Prosecutors and investigators at the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau, which is conducting the inquiry, also searched the homes of the four men, who recently visited China. They are suspected of providing Chinese officials with information related to the investigation of Zhou Hongxu, who is serving a 14-month prison sentence after a Taiwan court convicted him of spying for China in September.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-12-20

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed plans to phase out older

vehicles to reduce the amount of exhaust.

On Wednesday, EPA Minister Lee Ying-yuan detailed the measures, which aim to reduce exhaust emissions from diesel trucks. For diesel trucks manufactured in the early 1990’s, the EPA wants to provide cash incentives, tax refunds, and favorable loan rates to make it easier for owners to purchase new trucks. For trucks manufactured after 1999, the EPA plans to install filters to reduce exhaust.

The EPA’s plan also aims to phase out all of the 1.2 million two-stroke motorcycles on the road. Two-stroke motorcycles are less clean and efficient than their modern four-stroke counterparts.    [FULL  STORY]