‘TRUTH DOES NOT FEAR’:The lawmaker said that he believes reform will eventually win, and cited his recognition as an ‘excellent lawmaker’ by Citizen’s Congress Watch

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 22, 2017
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

Facing threats of a recall campaign that on Friday passed the second-phase threshold,

New Power Party (NPP) Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday said that he did not neglect his legislative duties and urged supporters of reform to vote for him again.

The campaign was initiated in May by the Greater Taipei Stability Power Alliance, a group that opposes same-sex marriage. The Central Election Commission approved the motion in June, after it confirmed the 2,637 signatures submitted by the group.

According to the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), a recall campaign must obtain signatures from more than 10 percent of the eligible voter population in an official’s constituency to pass the second-phase threshold.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan is the fastest-aging society in the world. Soon, one in every five people will be 65 and over. 

Taiwan News  
Date: 2017/10/21
By: Taiwan Today,Agencies

With people living longer than ever before due to advances in medical technology, it is

increasingly important for younger generations to consider how they plan to spend their later years.

Taipei City-based magazine Global Views Monthly recently interviewed 25 seniors over 80 years of age, from 102-year-old grandfather Guo Ting-hu, who competes in annual running races, and 95-year-old Hsieh Chun-mei, who was a practicing doctor for over seven decades, to 90-year-old Peng Meng-hui, founder of English-learning magazine Studio Classroom, and 87-year-old actor-turned-volunteer Sun Yueh. All of these senior citizens are national treasures, possessing rich life experiences and knowledge. They are not only role models to their contemporaries, but also represent what the younger generations should aspire to become.

Sun, known for his volunteer work, one day caught a cab with his wife as they traveled to church to meet with friends. After getting into the front passenger seat, he struck up a conversation with the driver. The cabbie asked Sun his age and was surprised to learn the former actor was 87. “You don’t look it at all,” the driver said. “I’ve watched you perform since I was young!”    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/21
By Wang Shu-fen and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Oct. 21 (CNA) Residents in Taiwan’s coastal areas should watch out for gusty

winds and rogue waves caused by strong northeasterly winds and Typhoon Lan on Saturday and Sunday, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) warned.

While gusts of intensity 9-11 can be expected along Taiwan’s coastline, there could be swells reaching heights of 5-7 meters in the country’s northern and northeastern waters, the bureau said.

Typhoon Lan is the closest to Taiwan on Saturday and Sunday, when it is expected to pass through waters east of Japan’s Okinawa Islands, the bureau said.

As of 9 a.m. Saturday, Lan was located around 1,000 kilometers east-southeast of Taipei, moving in a northerly direction toward waters south of Japan, CWB data showed.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: October 20, 2017
By Christie Chen

TAIPEI (CNA) – The government is giving priority to recruiting foreign professionals as

part of its efforts to make the country more competitive, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶) said in the Legislature Thursday.

In an era of global knowledge economy, adequate human resources is what makes a country competitive, but Taiwan is at risk because of a talent shortage brought about by its low birth rate and aging population, Chen said.

Therefore, the government must give priority to recruiting more foreign professionals to fill the gap, she said at the opening of a joint session of the legislative Committees of Economics, Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene, and Education and Culture to resume review of the Draft Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professional Talent.

The draft bill submitted by the NDC seeks to ease regulations pertaining to visas, taxes, insurance, pensions and residency for foreign white-collar workers in Taiwan and aims to make life more convenient for them, Chen said.    [FULL  STORY]

Foreign ‘wolf teacher’ has been formally accused of sexually harassing 2 female Chengchi University students

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/10/19
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Korean professor at Chengchi University has been accused

of being what Taiwanese Chinese language media refer to as a “wolf teacher” (sexual predator teacher, 狼師) for allegedly sexually harassing at least two students at the college, reported Apple Daily.

In June of this year, news broke on Facebook that a Korean professor in National Chengchi University’s Department of Language and Culture in a study room allegedly touched the clavicle, buttocks and other private parts of a female student. In response, DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei(陳亭妃) held a press conference at the time calling for the Ministry of Education to properly handle the incident.

Later, two female students came forward to formally press charges, claiming Park of touched their buttocks, breasts and other private areas. Although Park denied the accusations, the Taipei District Prosecutors office did not believe his denials and today sought to prosecute him for violating the “Sexual Harassment Prevention Act” (性騷擾防制條例).    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/19
By: Liu Shih-i and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Oct. 19 (CNA) The Ministry of Justice has drafted a law amendment that would

widen the net in the conviction of people accused of illegal drug possession, Justice Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) said Thursday.

At a legislative hearing, Chiu said the draft amendment to the Narcotics Endangerment Prevention Act changes the definition of illegal drugs in two categories.

He said Article 11 of the existing Act, which lays out the penalties for possession of Category 1 or 2 drugs, has been revised to redefine the illegal substances as “narcotics” rather than “pure narcotics.”

In addition, the threshold will be lowered for the amount of Category 3 and 4 drugs that could lead to a conviction, Chiu said.    [FULL  STORY]

ANYWAY:While Xi Jinping seemed to indicate a willingness to develop cross-strait relations, China plans to annex Taiwan by 2049, a Tamkang University professor said

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 20, 2017
By: William Hetherington  /  Staff writer, with CNA

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) comments at the Chinese Communist Party’s

(CCP) 19th National Congress indicate that Beijing is planning to ramp up unification efforts, Tamkang University Institute of China Studies professor Chao Chun-shan (趙春山) said yesterday.

Chao cited Xi’s reiteration on Wednesday of the so-called “one China” principle and his inclusion of Taiwan with Hong Kong and Macau in his “realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people” as evidence of unification plans.

However, Xi expressed respect for Taiwan’s social system and the Taiwanese way of life and acknowledged the so-called “1992 consensus” as “historical fact,” which is consistent with the government’s repeated calls for cross-strait relations to be based on the public will, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Tung Li-wen (董立文) said.
[FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: October 19, 2017
By: Christie Chen

TAIPEI (CNA) – Civic groups voiced their concerns Wednesday about a draft act aimed

at attracting more foreign white-collar workers to Taiwan, and urged the government to restrict the number of foreign professionals permitted to work in the country in order to protect local workers.

The groups voiced their concerns about the Draft Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professional Talent at a press conference at the Legislative Yuan, a day before the act is scheduled to be reviewed by legislative committees. The draft act eases restrictions on the employment of foreign professionals and is aimed at increasing Taiwan’s international competitiveness.

At the press conference, Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強), convener of the Economic Democracy Union, said his group is not against Taiwan opening its doors to more foreign teachers, artists, technicians and other professionals, but demands to know if any restrictions will be placed on the total number of foreign professionals permitted to work in the country.    [FULL  STORY]