Vice President Chen Chien-jen chaired national conference on the issue earlier in 2017

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/03/24
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Premier Lin Chuan (林全) on Friday confirmed the government would move forward on the reforms of unfair pensions, one of the main policy planks of the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Earlier in the year, a national conference took place to discuss proposals for change that emphasized generational justice and sustainable financial funding under the stewardship of Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁).

Despite the existence of many misunderstandings about the project, Lin said he would continue to promote pension reform in a positive way.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 25, 2017
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter

Lawmakers yesterday criticized Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) for defending

“traditions” against a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage during a hearing at the Council of Grand Justices, with Premier Lin Chuan (林全) saying that the minister’s remarks “do not represent the Executive Yuan.”

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女), a marriage equality advocate, said that the debate on legalizing same-sex marriage has evolved from discussions on the Internet, in the Legislative Yuan and on the streets to a hearing at the council, which should be considered a “pride of Taiwan.”

“However, it is regretful that the Ministry of Justice did not demonstrate the depth expected from it, but chose to continue using certain rhetoric that could easily lead to public confusion,” she said.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: March 25, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Police investigating the death of a teenager who fell out a moving

bus in New Taipei Thursday have hinted at a defective door causing the accident, but stopped short of making a conclusion, a local newspaper reported Friday.

“It’s more likely it was a mechanical problem,” police investigators were cited by the Apple Daily as saying after examining the vehicle belonging to Keelung Bus Co. But the investigators did not pinpoint the cause of the accident.

The victim, a 15-year-old student surnamed Su, fell out the rear door that had suddenly opened while the crowded bus was reportedly negotiating a bend along Daliao Rd. in Ruifang district.

Su, who had been standing on the steps with her younger sister at the rear door, landed in front of the bus wheel and was crushed to death instantly, police said.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-03-23

The head of the Cabinet’s anti-money laundering office, Tsai Pi-chung, says Taiwan will

face sanctions if it cannot crack down on money laundering.

In an interview Thursday, Tsai said Taiwan’s adoption of an anti-money laundering law earned it good marks in 2001 when the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering held its first round of member evaluations.

However, Tsai said that Taiwan has since fallen behind. The group’s second round of evaluations in 2007 found Taiwan’s financial institutions had failed to effectively implement policies to prevent money laundering. Meanwhile, evaluators found that the country’s law enforcement lacked the ability to investigate cash flows. After this second evaluation, Taiwan was put on a watch list.

Tsai said the government believes these findings show poor enforcement of the law. He said the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering could place sanctions on Taiwan if the situation does not improve before the third round of evaluations next year.
[FULL  STORY]

Tang fell at different spot from where TCC Chairman Leslie Koo made fatal fall

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/03/23
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Former Premier Tang Fei underwent surgery after falling down a staircase at

the same hotel where Taiwan Cement Corporation Chairman Leslie Koo suffered a fatal fall in late January, reports said Thursday.

Tang, 85, had attended a dinner with friends on the third floor of the Regent Taipei Wednesday evening when he stumbled and fell down a staircase, reports said. He landed on his left shoulder but did not hit his head on the floor.

Doctors at the Tri-Service General Hospital performed surgery Thursday morning, and Tang was doing well, the Chinese-language Apple Daily wrote.

Initially, media reported that Tang fell in the same spot where Koo hit his head on the stairs after attending a wedding last January 21. However, hotel management later denied that detail, and said Tang had stumbled on a spiral staircase leading down to a buffet restaurant. The former premier had stood up and walked away by himself, the hotel said, adding that warning signs had been installed at both locations.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/03/23
By: Hsieh Chia-chen, Yu Hsiao-han and S.C. Chang

Taipei, March 23 (CNA) An Examination Yuan committee proposed on Thursday that retired public

servants should receive a minimum payment of NT$32,160 per month and that the income replacement ratio for those who have served 35 years should be gradually lowered from 80 percent to 70 percent.

The committee, charged with reviewing a government proposal to reform the public-sector pension system, also resolved to “do away with” the much-criticized 18 percent preferential interest rate for some retirees — by cutting it to 6 percent within six years for those who received their entire pension in a lump sum and to zero percent within six years for who have part of their pension deposited in a bank account that offers preferential interest rates and also receive monthly pension payments.

The committee’s proposal will be approved at an Examination Yuan meeting on March 30 before being sent to the Legislative Yuan for final approval.    [FULL  STORY]