The China Post
Date: April 22, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — An egg wholesaler Friday questioned the food authorities’ decision to seal off his warehouse over alleged dioxins contamination, accusing the government of failing to monitor the sources of the carcinogen chemicals, which experts say are created during industrial production.

The wholesaler, Chang Hsiu-ming in Miaoli, saw about 2,000 kilograms of eggs in his warehouse impounded by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which suspected that three of its suppliers’ farms in Changhua were contaminated with dioxins.

Chang said the eggs found to have contained excessive levels of dioxins from the Changhua farms had been tested back in February, and it was unreasonable to seal off his warehouse for the eggs delivered to him in April.    [FULL  STORY]

From finding the closest public restroom to reporting a full waste bin or typhoon damage, Mapgea does it all.

 

The News Lens
Date: 2017/04/20
By: Olivia Yang

It’s 2017. Almost everyone has a mobile device in their hands when walking down the

streets. But is there a way to boost citizen engagement through technology and make a difference in where we live?
Ham Karami believes so.

Coming to Taipei two years ago from Toronto, Canada, the 26-year-old is the founder of Mapgea, an app using open data to bring citizens together to solve problems in cities — or enabling “superhero citizens,” in Karami’s words.

From finding the closest public restroom to reporting a full waste bin or typhoon damage, Mapgea does it all. The app launched its iOS version last May and has since generated over 3,000 downloads. It is currently available in English and Chinese.
[FULL  STORY]

Fake American weapons dealer dupes three Taiwanese women out of money

Taiwan News
Dat2e: 2017/04/20
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An American man has been detained by police for allegedly

defrauding at least three Taiwanese women who he met on an online dating site while posing as a weapons dealer, reports Apple Daily.

The suspect, Archie Boimah Richards, earlier this year told a Taiwanese woman he met on a dating website that he conducted an important arms sale with Taiwanese authorities, but that when he sent the money and goods to Taiwan, he was seized by customs officers. He told the woman that he needed money to resolve the issue with customs and she complied because she had fallen in love with the suspect.

He then instructed her to give the money to a friend of his in Taiwan and take his photo when she met with him. After she had made the transaction, she noticed that he started to ignore her and she began to feel as though she may have been cheated and reported the incident to police.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/04/20
By: Miao Tsung-han, Liu Shih-yi and Lilian Wu

Taipei, April 20 (CNA) Taiwan has once again asked mainland China to provide information so that it can return more than NT$200 million (US$6.58 million) in funds defrauded from Chinese victims and seized in Taiwan. The Chinese authorities have yet to respond.

Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正), deputy head of the Mainland Affairs Council and its spokesman, on Thursday called for Beijing to provide the relevant information so it can return the ill gotten gains.

Chiu said China has yet to respond but indicated the Ministry of Justice will continue its efforts to establish contact.    [FULL  STORY]

REFORM:The former vice president and KMT chairperson candidate said he hoped the government would listen to public opinion and promote a fair and just pension system

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 21, 2017
By: Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA

Former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday accused the government of

treating pension reform protesters like the “enemy” with its “walls of barricades” around the Legislative Yuan, and triggering a violent reaction among demonstrators.

Speaking at a forum organized by Aboriginal supporters in Taipei, Wu, who is running for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairperson, said that the KMT did not want to see retirees take to the streets in protest, but understood that the protesters felt that their survival depended on it.

“It is not good to have the government resort to barbed wire and barricades, treating retired public servants, military personnel and teachers as if they were the enemy. That equipment only stirred up protesters’ emotions,” Wu said.

The public and the government have different views on whether the proposed pension reforms are just and fair, Wu said.    [FULL  STORY]

To encourage more foreign talent to work in Taiwan, the Cabinet passed a draft bill Thursday that would significantly relax restrictions and improve the working environment for foreign professionals in Taiwan.

The China Post
Date: April 21, 2017
By: Christine Chou

The bill, called the “Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professional Talent,” still requires approval from the Legislative Yuan.

The bill would apply to all foreign skilled workers, extending to those from Hong Kong and Macau but not mainland China.

Premier Lin Chuan (林全) said the act was critical in boosting Taiwan’s global competitiveness.

Faced with a rapidly graying population, Taiwan has followed in Japan’s footsteps toward opening its doors wider to foreign immigrants. Last year, more than 724,000 Taiwanese went to work abroad, while around 30,000 foreign workers came for employment in Taiwan    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Tosday
Date: April 19, 2017

The Taiwan Halal Center will open April 21 in Taipei City as part of government efforts

to assist local businesses in tapping potential-laden Muslim markets worldwide, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) announced.

Operated by TAITRA under the auspices of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the facility aims to create a complete halal industry ecosystem in Taiwan by providing local firms with market intelligence, helping them gain halal certification and stimulating related exports. The center will also serve as a match-making and information sharing platform for Taiwan companies and their counterparts in Muslim-majority economies.

Promotion of halal exports is a priority under the government’s New Southbound Policy. A key component of President Tsai Ing-wen’s national development strategy, the peoplecentric initiative seeks to deepen agricultural, business, cultural, educational, tourism and trade ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: April 20, 2017
By: CNA

TAIPEI — Regulations prohibiting travelers from entering or leaving Taiwan with

excessive sums of undeclared cash have been tightened, so that from June 28, anyone trying to bring in or out NT$100,000 (US$3,287) or more in cash without declaring it will face having the money immediately confiscated.

Under current regulations, passengers and flight crew members must declare any cash they are bringing into or out of the country if it exceeds NT$100,000, US$10,000 or 20,000 Chinese yuan.

Any excessive foreign currencies that are not declared will be seized at once at customs checkpoints, but if it is cash in Taiwan dollars, travelers will be allowed to deposit it at Customs before leaving and get it back upon their return.  [FULL  STORY]

Pence made statement during visit to USS Ronald Reagan

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/04/19
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The defense treaty between the United States and Japan also

covers the disputed Senkaku Islands, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday, using the Japanese name for the islands known in Taiwan as the Diaoyutai (釣魚臺).

The uninhabited islands are currently administered by Japan, but both China and Taiwan claim sovereignty over the area, which is believed to be rich in fish and eventually gas and oil reserves.

Pence is traveling through East Asia on a trip that has been focused on the threat posed by communist North Korea.    [FULL  STORY]