Page Two

Authorities investigate waterway pollution case in Kaohsiung

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/02
By: Chang Che-fon and Ko Lin

Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) An investigation has been launched to determine the suspect

Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung Environmental Protection Bureau

behind the dumping of pollutants into a public waterway in Kaohsiung, the city’s Environmental Protection Bureau said Saturday.

Earlier that day, a section of the Shilung stream that runs from Guanyin Lake in the city’s Renwu District, was reported to have changed color into a reddish-brown hue, according to local residents who reported the matter to local authorities.

With the assistance of the local police, environmental officials who came to inspect and take water samples from the waterway for analysis said initial inspections show that the pollution was deliberate.    [FULL  STORY]

S Korea competing for SE Asia projects

‘THEY WILL DO THEIR THING’:Public construction in Southeast Asia is worth about NT$8 trillion, and the government is determined to help firms get a slice, an official said

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 03, 2017
By: Lee Hsin-fang / Staff reporter

The government faces competition from South Korea when helping local businesses secure infrastructure contracts in Southeast Asian nations as it pushes the New Southbound Policy, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday.

The source, who requested anonymity, said that South Korea has been “ambitiously” preparing plans to win infrastructure construction bids in Southeast Asia for a long time.

Nonetheless, the government has managed to help Taiwanese enterprises land opportunities in Vietnam, the source said, adding that would to soon initiate talks for local corporations to undertake infrastructure construction projects.

India and Myanmar also have plenty of opportunities for Taiwanese companies to build public works, the source said.    [FULL  STORY]

Majority supports Tsai’s reforms: poll

PUBLIC OPINION:The development of long-term care services and public kindergartens were the most popular policies, backed by 88.9 percent of respondents, the survey found

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 02, 2017
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter

The majority of Taiwanese have faith in the reforms initiated by President Tsai Ing-

An official from the Taiwan NextGen Foundation yesterday in Taipei presents the results of an opinion poll showing that a majority of respondents have faith in President Tsai Ing-wen’s reforms. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times

wen’s (蔡英文) administration, while nearly 60 percent are not convinced that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) can reform his party, the results of a poll conducted by the Taiwan NextGen Foundation (formerly known as the Taiwan Style Foundation) showed yesterday.

Every reform launched by the Tsai administration so far has gained the approval of a majority of respondents, the poll found. The development of long-term care services and public kindergartens garnered the highest level of approval, with 88.9 percent of respondents saying the nation would benefit from the policies.

Judicial reform ranked second in terms of popularity, with 75.3 percent of respondents saying they believe it would have a positive influence on society.

Pension reforms targeting public-school teachers and civil servants ranked third, with 67.8 percent of respondents supporting the pension cuts, the survey showed.
[FULL  STORY]

United Nations exclusion unfair, says government

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-09-01

The government says it is unfair that Taiwan remains excluded from the United Nations.

The Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name, withdrew from the UN in 1971. That’s after its seat was taken by Beijing in a vote at the UN General Assembly.

This year’s General Assembly is set to open on September 12. To push for Taiwan’s UN bid, the government has asked diplomatic allies to speak out for Taiwan in line with previous practice.

An official said Friday that the UN and its member countries must face that Taiwan has been unfairly excluded from the global body. The official said that Taiwan’s passport holders have visa-free status from more than 100 countries and areas. But despite this, they are barred from visiting organizations under the UN framework. The official also said Taiwan would like to demonstrate its ability to contribute to sustainable global development.    [FULL  STORY]

MOE upgrades Taiwan’s Mandarin proficiency test

Number of exam dates for all levels of the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language will double to six beginning next year

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/09/01
By: Taiwan Today,Agencies

The number of exam dates for all levels of the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language,

MOE Deputy Minister Yao Leehter unveils upgrades to Taiwan’s official Mandarin proficiency qualification Aug. 30 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of MOE)

Taiwan’s official Mandarin proficiency qualification, will double to six beginning next year as part of government efforts to boost access to the certification system.

Organizer the Steering Committee for the Test of Proficiency-Huayu under the Ministry of Education will stage the exam roughly every two months beginning in 2018. Other new measures include the release of a shorter version of the TOCFL enabling businesses and universities to self-assess the language capabilities of job and college applicants.

MOE Deputy Minister Yao Leehter said Aug. 30 at an event marking the 12th anniversary of the test’s establishment that the upgrades will further strengthen the TOCFL’s status as an authoritative Chinese-language qualification.    [FULL  STORY]

Torrential rain for Yilan expected through Sunday morning

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/01
By S.C. Chang

Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) The Central Weather Bureau issued an extremely heavy to torrential rain advisory for Yilan County from late Friday through Sunday morning due to impact from this year’s 16th typhoon.

The CWB upgraded its earlier warning for Yilan due to the peripheral effects of Tropical Storm Mawar, noting that Keelung North Coast, New Taipei City’s mountainous area, Pingtung County including Hengchun Peninsula, Hualien and Taitung counties and their offshore islets could experience heavy or extremely heavy rain.    [FULL  STORY]

Retired general sentenced to eight months for spying

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 02, 2017
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a ruling sentencing retired major general Hou Shih-cheng (侯石城) to eight months in prison for trying to recruit military officials to develop a spy network for China.

Hou was a commander in the Republic of China (ROC) Army, served as a section chief at the Office of the General Staff and held various posts in the army.

Hou was promoted to major general in 1999 and became commander of the army’s Armor Training Command, based in Hsinchu County, in 2006.

After retiring in 2008, Hou started a business with the intention of expanding it into China.

In July 2010, he visited the World Expo in Shanghai, where he met a Shanghai City Government official, surnamed Tang (唐), and a subordinate of Tang, surnamed Yang (楊), an investigation found.    [FULL  STORY]

Tsai, parties hail sports act amendment passage

Tapei Times
Date: Sep 01, 2017
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

President Tsai Ing-wei (蔡英文) and officials from various political parties hailed the

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party legislators yesterday hold up placards at the legislature in Taipei. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

passage of amendments to the National Sports Act (國民體育法), and touted the move as a giant step forward for the development of athletes and enforcement of accountability and financial transparency of the sports governing bodies.

As the draft bill passed its third reading at the legislature, the New Power Party (NPP) and pro-Taiwanese identity groups lamented the loss of their fight to include an amendment changing the name of the “Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee” to the “National Olympic Committee.”

“Approval of the National Sports Act amendments is only the beginning. Our government has the determination to push reforms through… We would regret it if the act were not passed today,” Tsai said when receiving Taiwanese athletes who competed in the Taipei Summer Universiade yesterday afternoon.

“The purpose of the governing bodies are to help athletes, not to monopolize financial and material resources. We must reform organizations that do not take good care of athletes. These bodies will become more equitable for everyone, and will have more openness and accessibility to the public,” she said.    [FULL  STORY]

Infrastructure plan passes despite strong KMT protest

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-08-31

The Special Budget Stature for the government’s forward-looking infrastructure plan

The Special Budget Stature for the government’s forward-looking infrastructure plan cleared the Legislature on Thursday after a voting marathon. (CNA photo)

cleared the Legislature on Thursday after a voting marathon.

The plan is the Tsai administration’s premier stimulus package for the national economy. It consists of a range of projects relating to rail transport, water management, green energy, digital development, food safety, and rural and urban development.

The first stage of the plan will run from September 2017 to the end of 2018. It initially called for a budget of NT$108.9 billion (US$3.6 billion). The total spending of the budget is projected at around four times as much. A large segment of the public and lawmakers from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) have claimed the spending is excessive.

On Wednesday, KMT lawmakers continued their boycott of the plan. Lawmakers from the majority Democratic Progressive Party put the bill to marathon vote, which concluded at 1 am, Thursday morning.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan pledges to donate US$800,000 to Harvey relief efforts

Taiwan (the Republic of China) government on Aug. 30 pledged to donate US$800,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in the U.S.

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/08/31
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—Taiwan (the Republic of China) government on Aug. 30

The MOFA expects the government’s donation of US$800,000 to assist those affected by former Hurricane Harvey. (By Wikimedia Commons)

pledged to donate US$800,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in the U.S.

Harvey has brought record rains and triggered massive flooding in Houston and towns east of the city. The damage and economic impact from the hurricane, which was downgraded Aug. 30 to a tropical storm by the U.S. National Weather Service, is substantial.

According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the donation is an expression of heartfelt sympathy on behalf of the people of Taiwan, who are no strangers to the damages that can be caused by typhoons.

Taiwan and the U.S. enjoy friendly relations, with the people of the two countries sharing a deep and profound bond, the MOFA said. The ministry added that it is hoped the donation will assist those facing extreme hardship caused by Harvey.
[FULL  STORY]