Cases arrived from Philippines, Australia

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/08/16
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On Sunday (Aug. 16) the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced two new confirmed imported cases (Cases No. 483 and 484) of COVID-19 in Taiwan.

Case No. 483, a female in her 30s, arrived in Taiwan from Australia on Aug. 14, according to the CECC. She began to have flu-like symptoms on Aug. 6 and informed quarantine officers at the airport in Taiwan upon her entry.

41 passengers who sat within two rows of her have been ordered by health authorities to quarantine themselves at home.

Case No. 484, a male in his 40s who had been working in the Philippines since February, began to have symptoms of fever, headache, cough, and loss of taste on Aug. 12, followed by diarrhea on Aug. 13. He told quarantine officers of his condition at the airport upon his entry into Taiwan on Aug. 14.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 08/16/2020
By: Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Aug. 16 (CNA) A fire broke out at a military warehouse in northern Taoyuan City Sunday, but no fatalities or injuries were reported, the military said that day.

Soldiers of the Sixth Army Corps' 21st Artillery Command reported to the city's fire department that one of its warehouses under its command at Taoyuan's Zhongli District caught fire for reasons unknown at 12:27 p.m., Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉), a spokesman for the corps told CNA.

Firefighters from the Pingzhen District rushed to the scene and the fire was extinguished by around 12:56 p.m., he said.    [FULL  STORY]

SOLUTION: A new machine was designed for NT$10 million to produce the masks, which would be produced at a slower rate, as some parts need to be added by hand

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 17, 2020
By: Chen Jou-chen and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Joint efforts are under way to produce masks that are transparent around the mouth to help people who read lips to communicate, as well as for those working in the service industry, a mask producer said yesterday.

The Industrial Development Bureau and the Taiwan Textile Research Institute have designed the new masks after being approached by the nonprofit Dandelion Hearing Association, which works with speech and hearing-impaired people, institute research director Huang Po-hsiung (黃博雄) said.

The only transparent protective face coverings on the market are the face shields worn by people working in the food and beverage industry, he said.

While shields are useful in preventing the user from spraying droplets onto food, they cannot prevent the spread of viruses, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

• Former vice-premier Chen Chi-mai secures more than 70pc of vote in pro-independence stronghold
• Vote follows decision to recall defeated KMT presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu

South China Morning Post
Date: 15 Aug, 2020
By: Lawrence Chung

Former Taiwanese vice-premier Chen Chi-mai won a landslide in Kaohsiung’s mayoral by-election on Saturday, recapturing the southern port city for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party after its surprise loss two years ago.

“Thank you all,” said Chen as he bowed to his supporters rallying in front of his campaign headquarters.

“I believe the end of the by-election means the start of a new era during which all of us, regardless of different parties and ideologies, will work together to promote Kaohsiung,” he said.

The by-election followed a vote to recall defeated presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu, from the main opposition party Kuomintang, amid voter dissatisfaction over his record and decision to run for president less than a year after he took office as Kaohsiung mayor.   [FULL  STORY]

Metro
Date: August 15, 2020
By: Ben Blanchard

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s main opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT), which traditionally favours close ties with China, was routed in a key mayoral by-election on Saturday, a vote overshadowed by turmoil in Hong Kong and tensions with Beijing.

The KMT, under its youthful new leader, Johnny Chiang, has been trying to reinvent itself since being trounced by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in January’s presidential and parliamentary elections.

The by-election in the southern city of Kaohsiung was called after its KMT mayor, Han Kuo-yu, was removed from office by a massive margin in a recall vote in June, his opponents charging he had little interest in the city.

The DPP’s Chen Chi-mai, a former vice premier, won 70% of the votes, thrashing KMT candidate Jane Lee, though only about half of electors turned out.    [FULL  STORY]

The dire situation in China and the Hong Kong crackdown could see thousands seek sanctuary in Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/08/15
By: David Spencer, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

KAOHSIUNG (Taiwan News) – The arrival of an asylum seeker from China on a beach in Kinmen last weekend understandably drew headlines across Taiwan and beyond.

The 45-year old said he had swum for seven hours to cross the treacherous Weitou Bay (圍頭灣) from Xiamen. On being detained he claimed he could no longer stand the political climate in China and yearned for the freedom of Taiwan.

Given the levels of hostility being shown toward Taiwan by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the authorities in Kinmen are understandably seeking to clarify his story before processing any asylum claim. They will be keen to ensure he isn’t a spy, or a risk to national security.

That said, given the dire situation in China right now — widespread flooding, food shortages, a rapidly contracting economy, not to mention the ongoing Wuhan coronavirus pandemic — it should come as no surprise if ordinary people give up on the CCP’s lies and seek a better life in a freer society.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 08/15/2020
By: Emerson Lim

Taipei, Aug. 15 (CNA) A series of activities were held in Taiwan Saturday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the sufferings of thousands of prisoners of war (POWs) of the Japanese in Taiwan during that bloody conflict.

The Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society (TPCMS), dedicated to researching the history of former POW camps in Taiwan during WWII and the stories of their surviving inmates, hosted the 13th Far East Prisoner of War Day event in the Taipei Spot Theatre.

More than 60 Taiwanese and people from the foreign community attended the event.

The half-day program included a presentation on allied forces' air raids against Taiwan between 1943 and 1945 by Taiwanese military aviation historian Chang Wei-bin (張維斌), and another presentation on stories of the POWs in Taiwan by Michael Hurst, the TPCMS director.
[FULL  STORY]

TESTED IN MALAYSIA: After a traveler from Taiwan tested positive upon arrival, the CECC awaits further information and says it might be a ‘false positive’ case

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 16, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff Reporter

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported a new imported case of COVID-19 on Thursday, a woman who returned from the Philippines, bringing the nation’s total number of confirmed cases to 482.

The woman in her 20s, had been working in the Philippines since August last year before returning to Taiwan on Thursday, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.

The woman developed symptoms, including a loss of smell, sore muscles and a runny nose, on Monday, but did not seek treatment in the Philippines, said Chuang, who is also the spokesman for the CECC.

She reported her symptoms upon arrival in Taiwan, Chuang added.    [FULL  STORY]