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In documenting Taiwan, filmmaker makes ultimate sacrifice

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/06/11
By Christie Chen, CNA Staff Reporter

Filmmaker Chi Po-lin (齊柏林) gave up many things to pursue his dream of documenting Taiwan through aerial photography.

He mortgaged his house, borrowed money from friends and quit his job as a civil servant at the age of 47 — just three years before qualifying for a lifetime pension — all to make his 2013 documentary “Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above” (看見台灣), which became the highest grossing documentary in Taiwan’s history.

On June 10, the acclaimed 52-year-old director gave up his life doing what he loved most — shooting images of his homeland from a helicopter.    [FULL  STORY]

Reshuffle of no benefit to NSC: sources

LACKING DIRECTION:The National Security Council should not have judicial reform or polling experts in its leadership, as they do not suit the agency’s role, an ex-official said

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 12, 2017
By: Chung Li-hua / Staff reporter

The purpose and duties of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) National Security

Secretary-General to the President Joseph Wu, National Security Council Secretary-General Yen Teh-fa, Chief of General Staff Lee Hsi-ming, Vice Minister of National Defense Pu Tze-chun and Vice Minister of National Defense for Armaments Chang Kuan-chun, left to right, are sworn in at the Presidential Office in Taipei on Monday last week. Photo: CNA

Council (NSC) are obscure, and despite a reshuffle of members, no clear strategic objectives have emerged, former national security officials said.

Tsai’s appointments seem to support no particular policy direction, compared with the national security teams of former presidents Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), which highlighted foreign policy and cross-strait relations respectively, former officials said.

Former chief of the General Staff Yen Teh-fa (嚴德發) and academic Tsai Ming-Yen (蔡明彥) were sworn in on Monday last week as NSC secretary-general and deputy secretary-general respectively.    [FULL  STORY]

CGA drill features drug inspection, anti-terrorism action

The China Post
Date: June 11, 2017
By: CNA

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) conducted a drill off

(CNA)

Keelung, northern Taiwan on Saturday, including a simulated anti-terrorism exercise at sea.

The CGA said the drill is conducted every two years and this year the focus was on inspecting for drugs, anti-terrorism, recovering hijacked vessels and sea rescue.

The highlight of the drill was special forces abseiling from helicopters onto a ship to rescue hostages.

The CGA drill was held in conjunction with the Navy, Air Force and National Airborne Service Corps, in a joint air and sea operation that involved 1,672 personnel, 16 ships and five helicopters.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News Encyclopedia: Pension reform

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-06-10

Since President Tsai Ing-wen took office a year ago, she has vowed to push for pension reform. She says several pension funds are on the verge of bankruptcy if no steps are taken to address the issue.

The reform covers people from all walks of life, including laborers, judges, farmers and political appointees. However, it is retired teachers, civil servants and military personnel that are mostly likely to be hit hardest by the proposed cuts. That’s because the group, in general, has enjoyed extremely generous pension provisions over the past decades.

A draft bill governing pension reform has already been submitted to the legislature for review. Citing overwhelming public support for the formidable task, President Tsai has demanded that the ruling DPP, the majority in the legislature, pass the third reading of the bill during the extraordinary sessions in the summer.    [FULL  STORY]

U.S.streamer apologizes for littering but accuses Taiwan news media of fake reports

The American streamer faces 100 hours of community service for littering

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/06/10
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After widespread criticisms of his littering and offensive

Screen capture of CJayride making a statement (Youtube)

videos, CJayride, an American streamer in Taiwan, apologized for littering and accused Taiwanese media of making fake news to defame him in a video posted on June 8.

Dressed in a formal navy suit quite different from his usual skater-boy outfit, CJayride made an apology for littering, an act which caused him to be criticized by Taiwanese netizens, and promised not to commit it again.

A self-proclaimed entertainer, he explained that the act served to “make an illusion of littering as a satirical form of entertainment showing that Taiwan does not have enough public trash cans”.    [FULL  STORY]

Chopper in fatal accident in service for 15 years

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/06/10
By: Wang Shu-fen and Lilian Wu

Taipei, June 10 (CNA) A helicopter that crashed in Hualien County, killing all three on

Photo taken from Emerald Pacific Airlines’ official website (www.ep-air.com.tw）

board, including acclaimed Taiwanese documentary director Chi Po-lin (齊柏林), had been in service for more than 15 years, according to the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA),

The helicopter, flight No. B31118, belonged to Emerald Pacific Airlines (凌天航空) and was the oldest of three Bell 206B-3 helicopters operated by the company, having rolled off the production line on Nov. 23, 2001.

Aviation authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.

Emerald Pacific Airlines, founded in 1994 and based in Taichung, is mainly contracted to clean cap and pin insulators on high-voltage transmission lines.    [FULL  STORY]

Most oppose ‘one China’ as precondition

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 11, 2017
By: Staff writer, with CNA

More than 70 percent of Taiwanese reject China’s insistence that “the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China” as a political prerequisite for the development of cross-strait relations, a poll released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) showed.

The poll showed that 73.4 percent of respondents do not recognize Beijing’s adherence to the “one China” principle as a political precondition and consider it an effort to treat Taiwan as a local government.

Meanwhile, 83.9 percent thought that China’s ongoing efforts to limit Taiwan’s international space have undermined the rights and interests of Taiwanese, and 80.5 percent said that China should recognize the existence of the “Republic of China,” according to the poll.

It also showed that 89.4 percent of respondents support the government’s proposal that the two sides should respect each other and settle disagreements through dialogue, while 80.9 percent are in favor of maintaining a peaceful and stable “status quo.”    [FULL  STORY]

President visits Tainan to stump for gov’t infrastructure plan

The China Post
Date: June 10, 2017
By: The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — President Tsai Ing-wen hit the road Friday to promote her

(CNA)

controversial Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Plan, telling locals in Tainan that funds from the plan would be used to clean up sedimentation in reservoirs.

Speaking at the southern city’s Baihe Reservoir, Tsai said extreme weather such as last week’s havoc-wreaking rainfall demonstrated the necessity of the ambitious infrastructure plan and likened the situation to getting ready for a confrontation.

The rainfall, Tsai added, had led people to “almost forget” how the island had just gone through a period of water shortages.    [FULL  STORY]

Foreign ministry: Continue to talk to the US on pork

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-06-09

The foreign ministry said Friday that Taiwan will continue to communicate with the United States on the issue of pork imports.

Taiwan has resisted US pressure to allow imports of pork containing ractopamine, a feed additive that makes the meat more lean. The issue has become a sticking point in trade talks between the two sides in recent years.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, or AmCham Taipei, said this week in a white paper that it hopes Taiwan will make way on the issue. The foreign ministry said in response that the government will try to balance better trade ties with the US and ensuring public food safety.    [FULL  STORY]

Hailstorms possible in southern Taiwan mountains

Plum rain likely to hit Taiwan from next Wednesday

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/06/09
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Hailstorms were possible in mountainous parts of Kaohsiung

Nantou County during last week’s torrential rain. (By Central News Agency)

City and Pingtung County, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said Friday as it issued rain warnings for 12 counties and cities from New Taipei to the far south.

Last weekend, most of Taiwan was battered by extreme torrential rain storms which caused at least two dead and massive damage to roads and agriculture.

The areas most susceptible to hailstorms Friday were the districts of Ligang (里港) and Gaoshu (高樹) in Pingtung County, and Meinong (美濃) in Kaohsiung City, the CWB said.    [FULL  STORY]