LIMITATIONS:Although the new 001A carrier has superior equipment to the ‘Liaoning,’ it lacks catapult launchers, limiting it to anti-air duty within the group

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 28, 2017
By: Aaron Tu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The launch of China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier on Wednesday has

prompted yet another flurry of review of viable Taiwanese counters, with the Ministry of National Defense (MND), legislators and academics all agreeing that missile range development and submarines should be sufficient to counter latent threats posed by the 001A carrier.

The 001A, the official name of which is yet unknown, shows that Beijing’s efforts to build a blue water navy are an unstoppable trend, and that China seeks to protect its national interests in the South China Sea, officials said on Wednesday.

However, MND officials said that, should it prove necessary, the Taiwanese navy is capable of ensuring the safety of the nation through the “layered defense” provided by Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles and the submarine fleet.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: April 28, 2017
By: James Lo Friday

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Freshly rescued Taiwanese hiker Liang Sheng-yu (梁聖岳) said his

girlfriend had died just three days before a search party found them on a cliff in the Himalayas.

The couple went hiking in Dhading District through a Kathmandu-based commercial adventure company, Asian Trekking, on March 8, with the last update on their whereabouts dating to March 9.

The couple went missing while trying to descend to Somdang Valley in heavy snowfall.

Forty-seven days later, rescuers found 21-year-old Liang alive and Liu Chen-chun (劉宸君), 18, dead by a cliff at the bottom of a waterfall, according to Madhav Basnet, a rescuer who works for Asian Trekking.

The couple was apparently following the Ganesh Himal route when they encountered bad weather conditions.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-04-26

Incoming Chief of Staff Admiral Lee Hsi-min says he will continue to push for

innovative reforms as Taiwan faces the threat from China.

Lee is slated to take up the position of Chief of Staff on May 1. At the Legislature Wednesday, he spoke about plans for the military.

“We must have innovative thinking and reforms. The military’s headquarters must lead the way so that others can follow. We will build what we need and use our resources to their utmost capacity for national security,” Lee said.

The navy will receive two decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates from the United States in early May. Lee said it should take about a year for them to join the military’s fleet:    [FULL  STORY]

Cull of 30,000 chickens necessary: COA

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/04/26
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Only one of the three farms in Changhua County sealed on

suspicion of being the source of eggs which high dioxine levels is actually responsible, which means its 30,000 chickens will have to be culled and all its eggs destroyed, the Council of Agriculture announced Wednesday.

Eggs from the county’s township of Fangyuan showed a dioxin concentration of 5.2 picograms per gram, more than double the legal maximum level of 2.5 pg/g.

Three farms were sealed off and their products removed from shelves, but the results of an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration showed the source was only one of the farms, Hongzhang (鴻彰).    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/04/26
By: Yu Hsiao-han and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, April 26 (CNA) It is illegal in Taiwan for employers to sack foreign workers who

are pregnant, have given birth, or are raising children during their service, with violators subject to penalties, including a fine of up to NT$1.5 million (US$49,900), the Ministry of Labor (MOL) reiterated Wednesday.

Such employers’ permits to hire foreign workers will be revoked and they will be banned from employing foreign workers, the MOL said in a report to the legislative Environmental Hygiene Committee.

The committee invited MOL officials for discussions that day on the impact of foreign workers who give birth in Taiwan on the country’s population policy.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 27, 2017
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

Following a round-table forum with legislators and government officials, international

campaigners yesterday called for swift passage of a national refugee act.

The forum in Taipei was sponsored by the Legislative Yuan’s International Human Rights Caucus, the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network and the Taiwan Association for Human Rights.

New Zealander Allan Mackey, former president of the International Association for Refugee Law Judges, said he and other international participants at the forum were all strongly encouraged by the legislature’s taking up of the proposed act.

Passage of a refugee act would represent the completion of the “third leg” of a human rights “stool” that includes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention against Torture, he said, adding that asylum should be considered as a right — not a privileged exception to immigration regulations.
[FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: April 27, 2017
By: Joseph Yeh

After a spate of recent beheadings, a concerned netizen has decided to ease the

nerves of Taiwan’s statue community — by giving Canadian missionary George Leslie Mackay a free Starbucks.

A photograph showing the statue sipping happily on an iced beverage has gone viral over the past days.

The statue of Mackay was installed at Tamsui District’s Golden Shore in 2007. The site marks the spot where Mackay first landed in Tamsui in 1871. The bronze statue, situated between the Tamsui MRT station and the ferry pier,shows Mackay on one knee with his hand hands in the prayer position.

And Canda’s de facto ambassador to Taiwan Mario Ste-Marie was quick to express his gratitude to whoever helped the renowned doctor cool off, saying in a statement: “thank you so much for appreciating Dr. Mackay’s hard work in Taiwan and treating him with a nice cold drink!!!”    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/04/25
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–Free Saturday afternoon concerts will be held at the outdoor

square of a historic building near the Beitou Park in Taipei’s Beitou District for 10 weeks, starting on April 22.

Under the auspice of Taipei’s Department of Information and Tourism (DOIT), the 10-week Saturday afternoon event at the Plum Garden started on April 22 and will end on June 24. Each concert will feature music from a particular music genre or style, including Taipei old songs, performances by Nakashi bands and jazz, according to the DOIT.

The first concert was performed by a band led by celebrated musician Chen Ming-chang (陳明章) on April 22.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 017/04/25
By: Kao Chao-fen, Frances Huang and Romulo Huang

Taipei, April 25 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which supervises cross-

Taiwan Strait exchanges, issued a yellow travel alert on Tuesday for China’s Jilin Province after the first H7N9 avian flu infection case was confirmed there.

By issuing the travel warning, the MAC aims to remind Taiwanese tourists visiting the northeastern province to take health precautions, according to the council.

The travel advisory imposed by the MAC came after Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that same day announced that the Chinese health authorities had confirmed that Jilin Province has recorded its first H7N9 infection.

As a result, the CDC raised its travel advisory from “watch” to “alert,” the second-highest level on the CDC’s three-tier travel warning system, the MAC said.
[FULL  STORY]