Straight
Date: August 3rd, 2020
By: Charlie Smith on 

COMMENTARY

Let's face facts—the B.C. NDP government is in power and John Horgan is premier because

his party made magnificent strides in reaching out to new Canadians in the last election.

Several long-time B.C. Liberal seats fell to the NDP because of the party's extensive efforts to woo the Iranian, South Asian, Korean, and Taiwanese communities.

Here are just a few of the constituencies where this might have turned the tide in favour of the NDP: North Vancouver–Lonsdale, Vancouver-Fraserview, Surrey-Panorama, Surrey-Fleetwood, Burnaby North, Burnaby–Deer Lake, Burnaby-Lougheed, and Coquitlam-Maillardville.

But in power, Horgan hasn't always hit the right notes in maintaining this momentum, which changed the electoral dynamics in B.C.    [FULL  STORY]

Tainan to implement stricter mask rule in response to increased number of imported COVID-19 cases

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/08/03
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The southern city of Tainan will re-enact its compulsory mask-wearing policy in all indoor spaces as a precautionary measure amid the country's increased number of imported Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases last week, the city's Mayor Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) announced Monday (Aug. 3).

During a press interview, Huang pointed out that Taiwan has reported more than 10 imported COVID-19 infections in the last few days and that the Tainan City Government believes it necessary to reintroduce the mask-wearing rule. He said city officials made the decision after consulting the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), which mentioned that the percentage of people wearing face masks in Tainan is relatively low compared to other areas in the country.

Huang said all individuals will be required to put on masks in indoor settings unless they are able to maintain a social distance. He added that the regulation will come into effect after a two-week grace period starting Monday and that violators will face heavy fines, reported Liberty Times.

The mayor also noted that some experts have warned the likelihood of a second wave of coronavirus in the country and that the city will adjust its policies accordingly. He urged Taiwanese to continue following preventive guidelines set by the CECC, warning that the public's increasingly relaxed attitude toward the pandemic will result in dire consequences, reported CNA.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 08/03/2020
By: Wu Chia-hao and Chiang Yi-ching

Taipei, Aug. 3 (CNA) A free driverless bus service between a Danhai Light Rail station and a nearby department store began on a limited basis on Monday ahead of its scheduled opening to the general public in September.

The service, which was jointly developed by Chunghwa Telecom, Kingwaytek Technology and Tanshui Bus Transportation Co., will run between Kanding Station and Miranew Square in New Taipei, and take about five minutes each way.

It is the first public transportation service in Taiwan that integrates driverless buses with cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology, which allows the bus to communicate with roadside detectors, an online monitoring network, and other vehicles on the road, according to Chunghwa Telecom.

A total of 20 passengers are allowed on board at a time, and the buses will run every 20 minutes between 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday, with an extra service at night on weekends.    [FULL  STORY]

NEW ERA: Taiwan, which has controlled its virus outbreak, now faces the challenge of safely resuming economic exchanges with other nations, Chang Shan-chwen said

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 04, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

People should not focus entirely on having zero new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Taiwan, but neglect overall control over the disease situation, Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) specialist advisory panel convener Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said yesterday.

Chang made the remark at a forum in Taipei discussing the steps Taiwan should take in the post-pandemic era, organized by the Chinese-language magazine Global Views Monthly.

Chang, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩), and Stanford University’s Center for Policy, Outcomes and Prevention director C. Jason Wang (王智弘) each made a presentation, followed by a panel discussion with Chang, Wang and Buddhist Tzu Chi University president Ingrid Y. Liu (劉怡均).

“As people say: ‘No pain, no gain.’ We have suffered pain and have gained,” Chou said, adding that Taiwan had learned much from the SARS outbreak in 2003 and improved its disease prevention measures.    [FULL  STYORY]

Chief of General Staff orders increased military interoperability to boost eastern Taiwan's defense

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/08/02
By: Kelvin Chen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chief of the General Staff Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光) on Friday (July 31) announced that in the future, the armed forces will be more integrated to closely monitor Chinese targets in the nation’s air and maritime space.

As the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has sent countless military aircraft and warships to circumnavigate Taiwan and intrude into the nation’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) since the beginning of 2020, the Taiwanese military has taken great care to boost defenses, especially on its east coast.

Accompanied by Ministry of National Defense (MND) Chief Sergeant Pan Wen-ching (潘文清), Huang went to the Army's Huadong (Hualien-Taidong) Defense Command in Hualien and met with Minister of National Defense Yen Teh-fa (嚴德發) to listen to briefings and review the current situation of combat readiness, training, and the effectiveness of volunteer recruitment, according to Military News Agency.

Li Jung-hua (李榮華), the commander of the Huadong Defense Command, and Lieutenant General Sun Lien-sheng (孫連勝), the commander of the Air Force’s Department of Education and Standards, and other important military cadres presented up-to-date military reports to the visiting officials.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 08/02/2020
By: Hau Hsueh-chin and Joseph Yeh

Packets of Chinese medicine with excessive levels of lead/ Photo courtesy of the Health Bureau of the Taichung City Government

Taichung, Aug. 2 (CNA) A doctor at a Taichung-based traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinic has been suspended for prescribing drugs containing heavy metals that led to lead poisoning in at least nine patients.

The city's Health Bureau has suspended the Sheng Tang Chinese Medicine Clinic's (盛唐中醫) chief practitioner Lu Shih-ming (呂世明) for 30 days for giving patients medicines with excessive levels of lead, said bureau director Tseng Tzu-chan (曾梓展) at a press event.

Lu was also fined NT$100,000 (US$3,000) for not recording the parts of the prescriptions containing heavy metals in the patients' medical records, in violation of the Physicians Act (醫師法), according to Tseng.

The case has been handed over to the Taichung District Prosecutors Office for further investigation, and Lu could face a maximum NT$500,000 fine for the incomplete patient records.    [FULL  STORY]

ANOTHER IMPORT: A Filipina who arrived on Friday to visit family developed a fever on Saturday and test results yesterday were positive, making her Taiwan’s 465th case

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 03, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

The government’s real-name mask purchasing system is to be continued until at least the end of the year, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported a new imported COVID-19 case from the Philippines.

The center would continue to requisition mask production to ensure people can buy masks using the real-name system until the end of December, said Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), the CECC’s spokesman.

While the CECC requisitions about 8 million masks per day to ensure there are enough for the real-name system, more than 10 million masks are produced per day for sale domestically or overseas, so people can also purchase masks from various retailers, he told the CECC’s daily news conference, after being asked about former vice president Chen Chien-jen’s (陳建仁) suggestion that each household have a mask reserve to last them three months.

Given that the COVID-19 pandemic is raging worldwide, Taiwan could face the challenges of low herd immunity, an increase in imported cases as border controls are gradually eased, the lack of a vaccine and the possibility of COVID-19 cases being mistaken for the flu during flu season, said Chen, an epidemiologist and public health expert, adding that having a mask reserve was a practical suggestion.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 08/01/2020
By: William Yen

Taipei, Aug. 1 (CNA) The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has urged everyone to wear masks while indoors to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as people seem less worried against the disease.

"Fewer people have been seen wearing masks recently, mainly because they are not seeing the true dangers of the disease. So we have named a few places considered higher risk to require people to wear masks," said Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who also heads the CECC.

Chen made the appeal as the number of new imported cases is on the rise.

Taiwan recorded four new imported cases July 27, five new imported cases on July 28, and seven new cases, six imported and one yet to be determined, on Saturday, according to the CECC.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 02, 2020
By: Lin Tsuei-yi and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport should be renamed “Lee Teng-hui Airport,” Taiwan-Japan cultural exchange organizations said yesterday in a joint statement.

The All Japan Taiwanese Union, Tokyo-based national policy adviser Alice King (金美齡), political commentator Yoshiko Sakurai, writer Ryusho Kadota and historian Hideo Tanaka, among others, said the airport should be renamed to recognize the contributions made by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who passed away on Thursday.

Japan-based Taiwan independence activist Lin Chien-liang (林建良), who initiated the statement, said the idea of renaming either the Taoyuan airport or Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) in honor of Lee has been raised by several Japanese friends who contacted him after Lee passed away.

Naming international airports after political figures who have made significant contributions and achievements during their tenure is a common practice, the statement said, citing as examples New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.   [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 31 July, 2020
By: John Van Trieste

The Penghu Islands are considering imposing a tourism tax on visitors to help prevent over-tourism and encourage environmental awareness. That’s as the number of tourists visiting the islands surges.

With COVID-19 putting international travel out of reach and the central government pushing domestic tourism, Penghu and other island destinations are filling up with travelers.

The Penghu Islands lie off the west coast of Taiwan proper, and they are used to busy summer tourist seasons. The islands are known for their sun, sand, and snorkeling as well as watersports and summer fireworks displays. But this year, the crowds are particularly large.

Penghu County tourism chief Chen Mei-ling says that more than 260,000 people poured into the islands between July 1 and 29. That’s a 20%-30% increase over the same period last year.    [FULL  STORY]