Taipei Times
Date: Nov 25, 2017
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

Premier William Lai (賴清德) yesterday apologized after suggesting that caregivers

should look past their low salaries and treat their jobs as “doing good deeds” sparked controversy.

Lai, a former physician, made the remark at the launch of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s “1966 Hotline,” aimed at addressing people’s needs to care for elders in their homes.

“Taiwanese society thrives on virtuous acts, acts to help others,” the premier said during his speech, citing as an example police and firefighters from all parts of the nation who poured into Tainan to rescue people trapped in the rubble after a massive earthquake last year.

“Although those of you who take care of older people only make about NT$30,000 [US$994], which seems disproportionate to your responsibilities, I want to encourage all caregivers to bless Taiwan with your virtuous acts — by performing good deeds,” he said.
[FULL  STORY]

The Baroque residence, built in the 1920s and located on Guide Street in Taipei’s old area of Dadaocheng, was truly a luxurious mansion in that era.

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/11/23
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—Several Taipei City’s cultural officials asked the owners of the

historic residence of Chen Tian-lai (陳天來故居), a municipal historic site, to improve the building’s conditions in three months after finding serious water leakage problems inside the house and tiles peeling off from the exterior walls during an inspection on Thursday.

The Baroque residence, built in the 1920s and located on Guide Street (貴德街) in Taipei’s old area of Dadaocheng, was truly a luxurious mansion in that era. It was the residence of Chen Tian-lai, a wealthy tea merchant. The building not only has a grandiose facade, but its interior is also impressive with handmade carved patterns on the glass and elegant floor tiles. There are even ponds and rockery in the backyard, architectural features characteristic of residences of rich merchants at that time.

However, as ownership of the residence belongs to more than 30 people, who couldn’t reach a consensus on how to maintain and preserve the building, the conditions of the residence have deteriorated over the years, with serious water leakage problems, tiles peeling off from the exterior walls, aerial roots of the trees in the backyard sprawling up the cement exterior walls, and paintings in the house reeking of mold and mildew.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 24, 2017
By: Jonathan Chin  /  Staff writer, with CNA

Labor rights campaigners yesterday morning clashed with police while attempting to

storm the Legislative Yuan in protest of amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法 ) proposed by the government.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been leading efforts to amend the law a second time, after last year passing amendments that proved controversial with employers and workers alike.

The legislature’s Economic Committee and Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee yesterday were to review sections of the amendments that would affect employees’ weekly work schedules.

However, New Power Party Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) filibustered the proceedings with a long speech and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers put additional speeches on the agenda.    [FULL  STORY]

A sortie of People’s Liberation Army Air Force H-6K bombers and an additional Tu-154MD intelligence aircraft cruised close to the Miyako Strait over the weekend, spurring Japan to scramble fighter planes.

Sputnik News
Date: 22.11.2017

During a previous incident when PLAAF aircraft flirted with entering Japanese airspace in July, the Chinese Defense Ministry said Tokyo “should not make a fuss about nothing” and that “it will be fine once they get used to it.”

The Miyako Strait is located between Miyako and Okinawa, both Japanese islands, and to the northeast of Taiwan, a self-governing island Beijing insists belongs to China.

The long-range mission marked the first time PLAAF aircraft flew near Taiwan since the Chinese Party’s National Congress in Beijing, which concluded October 24, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense said November 20.

Taiwan’s military “monitored the maneuvers by Chinese military planes in accordance with regulations” and will abide by its air defense identification zone, the Ministry of National Defense said.

The Tu-154MD aircraft used by the PLAAF is a modified Russian Tu-154M. As part of the upgrades, Beijing added radar systems to the aircraft that are concealed from view and equipped the plane with antennae possessing electronic warfare capability. Reports indicate PLAAF has at least four Tu-154MDs.    [FULL  STORY]

The major new development is the creation of Taiwania Capital Management, a government-backed venture-capital operation.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/11/22
By: Jane Rickards

Among the seven industries targeted in the government’s “5+2 Industrial Innovation

Program,” the one starting with the strongest foundation is smart machinery.

Overall machinery production value this year could break the NT$1 trillion (about US$3.3 billion) mark for the first time, says Stephen Su, General Director of the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) at Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). This year machinery exports rose 21.4 percent from January to September compared with the same period in the previous year, the Ministry of Finance reported, accelerated by global economic tailwinds.

The smart machinery initiative combines two industries where Taiwanese companies already possess global strength – machine tools and ICT. Su says some companies involved are creating factory and hospital systems that incorporate Cyber Physical Systems – integrating computing, networking and physical processes – and also the Internet of Things (IoT) – connecting physical devices ranging from cars to home appliances to the internet and eventually to one another.    [FULL  STORY]

A series of inspections targeting 23 medical facilities across Taipei City revealed substandard indoor air quality in seven medical institutions.

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/11/22
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—After a series of inspections targeting 23 medical facilities

across Taipei City revealing substandard indoor air quality in seven medical institutions, the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has ordered them to improve their respective situation.

If no improvements are made within the designated period, violators will be fined between NT$5,000 and NT$25,000.

Premises failing to comply with Indoor Air Quality Act due to bacteria levels exceeding 1500 CFU/m3 include National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei Chang Kung Memorial Hospital, Wanfang Hospital, Heping Hospital, Taipei Medical University Hospital, National Taiwan University Children’s Hospital, and Mackay Children’s Hospital. The carbon dioxide concentrations at Heping Hospital also exceeded the alarming level of 1000 ppm.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/11/22
By: Liu Lee-jung, Lu Hsin-hui and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) Several Chinese military aircraft were seen flying near Taiwan on

Wednesday, passing through the Bashi Channel south of the island, as part of a far-sea training mission in the Western Pacific, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) has confirmed.

The flights by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force were the latest in a series of Chinese military activities being carried out close to Taiwan since Nov. 18, when a Chinese military aircraft flew east of the island.

The group of aircraft involved in the training mission Wednesday included bombers, and renaissance and refueling planes, which moved along a route that is feasible for Beijing to unleash strikes on Taiwan, Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) said at a legislative hearing.

In response, Taiwan scrambled airborne early warning aircraft and interceptors in its Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), Feng said.    [FULL  STORY]

DUBIOUS DEADLINE:The Coast Guard Administration said it would cancel a contract with the shipbuilder should it fail to deliver a search-and-rescue vessel by the due date

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 23, 2017
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday impounded the headquarters of Ching Fu Group

(慶富集團) at the request of one of the firm’s lenders amid allegations of a subsidiary’s financial mismanagement and involvement in a fraud scandal related to a navy contract.

The court took provisional legal ownership of the first six floors of the 10-story building on Fuxing Fourth Road and the firm’s partial land ownership of the site, the court said.

The action was taken to protect the rights of those to whom the firm owes money, the court said, adding that despite the impound order, the company’s employees could still freely go to work.

Ching Fu Group spokesman Chi Ching-lung (紀景朧) said the firm remains operational and employees showed up for work yesterday.

Asked about the court’s action, Chi declined to comment, saying that he has limited knowledge of the case.    [FULL  STORY]