Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/12/30
By: Wang Shu-fen and Elaine Hou

Taipei, Dec. 30 (CNA) Passengers will be allowed to travel free of cost on the new airport MRT line

during the period of trial runs, Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said Friday.

In the first two weeks of the one-month trial period, free passes will be given to people traveling in groups, once they apply in advance, he said.

In the last two weeks of the trial period, travel will be free for all individual passengers on the line, which will run between Taipei and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Cheng said.

When the line begins commercial operations, 50 percent discounts will be offered to passengers for the first month, he said, adding that further details will be given later.   [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 31, 2016
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter

Taiwan’s future lies in China, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) said

yesterday, while reiterating that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) are “not two countries.”

Hung made the remarks in a speech at Ming Chuan University in Taipei, where she talked about her life and views on “the nation and the world.”

She told her young audience not to impose restrictions in their life, work hard whatever job they are in and seek to create their own opportunities.

She also warned them against being captivated by power and losing themselves when in power.

During the question-and-answer session, several Chinese students expressed their affection for Hung and asked her about issues ranging from cross-strait relations to the KMT’s prospects.

When a Chinese student complimented Hung for “promoting unification,” Hung jokingly said: “Don’t you try to get me framed (你不要害死我),” but then added that while many have tried to label her as “red,” she said she is “not afraid.”

Few people “really understand the [ROC] Constitution, the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) and the ‘1992 consensus’; if they do, they would know how cross-strait policy should be developed,” she added.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: December 31, 2016
By: Sun Hsin Hsuan

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Eight months after a steel plant in Vietnam owned by Taiwanese conglomerate

Formosa Plastics (台塑集團) caused one of the worst environmental disasters in the country’s history, Taiwanese civic groups demanded answers from the company and the government.

At a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan on Friday, representatives from environmental and human rights groups weighed in on the causes and outcomes of the April disaster, and discussed whether government negligence and legislative loopholes had contributed to the calamity.

The hearing was held by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislators Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) and Wu Kuen-yuh (吳焜裕), who earlier this month invited priests from Vietnam to speak with Taiwanese lawmakers on the matter.

“I would like to apologize to the Vietnamese people because, due to the nature of Taiwanese laws, our government could neither supervise nor punish local companies who brought their businesses as well as disasters to foreign countries,” Chen said.   [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan has been celebrated for being at the forefront of LBGT rights in Asia, but an underlying current of discrimination against HIV/AIDS is still prevalent across much of society.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/12/29
By: Edward White

Taiwan is not the worst country in the world to have HIV/AIDS. Almost of all of the more than 30,000

HIV-positive patients’ medical bills are covered by the country’s public health insurance system and anti-discrimination laws are in place to protect their rights across society. However, there are signs the day-to-day experience of people living with HIV remains marred by fears that prejudice can emerge at any juncture.

Meet Chris, a 36-year-old diagnosed HIV-positive in 1999 after contracting the disease from unprotected sex. Seven years on and his barrel chest, square shoulders and the thick veins protruding from muscular forearms mask the fact he has a life-threatening illness.

Chris, while a little shy at first, is comfortable in his own skin. His friends and family have not treated him any differently since he contracted the disease, he told The News Lens. Being HIV-positive does not have a bearing on his job at a technology company, so he has not seen the need to tell his colleagues about the illness. For the same reason, in his dealings with health professionals for routine medical issues unrelated to the illness, he does not disclose that he has HIV.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/12/29
By: Central News Agency

Taipei (Taiwan News) – In an effort to crack down on drunk driving more aggressively, more focus will be

directed toward the younger generation aged 18-24 next year, Deputy Transport Minister Chi Wen-jong said Thursday.

The government is going to demonstrate zero-tolerance for drunk driving instead of only paying attention to reducing casualties resulting from it, Chi said during a legislative session in which he gave a briefing on the ministry’s plan to curb drunk driving.

There will also be revised measures implemented in two months to discourage motorists from driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the ministry.

For instance, the number of hours for correctional classes required for those caught drunk driving will be raised from four to six hours, while repeat offenders will have to take 12 hours of class instead of the current six hours.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/12/29
By: Wang Chen-chung and Elaine Hou

Taipei, Dec. 29 (CNA) A draft amendment to the Republic of China (Taiwan) Veterans Assistance Act,

which is aimed at preventing Taiwanese retired military personnel from spying for foreign nations, passed its first reading in the Legislature on Thursday.

According to the amendment to Article 32 of the law, retired Taiwanese military personnel caught trying to breach national security, leak classified information or spy for other nations will permanently lose their subsidies, discounts for medical services, and preferential treatment in the areas of employment and education.

The amendment, which cleared the legislative Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, is aimed primarily at preventing retired military officers from being lured into spying for China or providing confidential information to Beijing.

Currently, Article 32 of the ROC Veterans Assistance Act stipulates that only retired military personnel sentenced for rebellion, treason, corruption, or homicide, shall be permanently deprived of all the privileges and benefits covered by the act.    [FULL  STORY]

IN THE WINGSThe KMT caucus is committed to public opinion and centrist politics, while a new faction would stand to the right, KMT caucus convener Sufin Siluko said

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 30, 2016
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter

Some Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members worry about the party becoming another New Party if

incumbent Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) is re-elected next year, KMT caucus convener Sufin Siluko (廖國棟) said yesterday.

Sufin, who on Tuesday called for Hung’s resignation over what he said was a party meeting procedural violation, yesterday said in a radio interview that there are gaps between the party caucus and the party headquarters on various issues, including the direction of the KMT, the party’s assets and the so-called “1992 consensus.”

Tension between the caucus and the headquarters, which has been in the air for some time, manifested in an episode involving Hung railroading through a motion on the party’s election system and dates in a KMT Central Standing Committee meeting last week and the ensuing denunciations from other party heavyweights against the move.

Sufin has been one of the most vociferous critics over what he called a “procedural flaw” of the meeting, in which “only five committee members attended the meeting” — which does not meet the quorum — had the final say by bending the rules on what should have been decided by a majority.

The dispute was only partially resolved in this week’s committee meeting as the procedural flaw has yet to be officially recognized, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: December 30, 2016
By: Sun Hsin Hsuan

The dwindling birthrate in Taiwan has apparently taken a toll on higher education, with a rising number of

universities reporting serious enrollment shortfalls.

As many as 151 undergraduate and graduate programs — including seven at Taiwan’s top university — reported zero enrollment this fall, according to a report released Thursday by the Education Ministry’s Statistics Department.

Sixty-four graduate programs received no students this fall. Many of the programs were at top schools like National Taiwan University, National Cheng Kung University, National Chengchi University and National Chiao Tung University.

Among top universities, National Taiwan University saw the greatest number of graduate programs left vacant this year: a total of seven in theater and drama, sociology, social work, art history, ecology and evolutionary biology, and translational medicine.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today | A- A+
Date: December 28,2016

President Tsai Ing-wen said Dec. 27 that the government is committed to promoting historical and

transitional justice for Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, vowing to advance autonomy and land rights while preserving aboriginal cultures, languages and history.

Tsai made the remarks during a preparatory meeting in Taipei City for the establishment of the Indigenous Historical Justice and Transitional Justice Commission under the Office of the President. She said that the government has laid considerable groundwork for the formation of the body, which will work to uncover historical truths, right past wrongs, build consensus on policy directions, promote reconciliation, and further ingrain justice and diversity in society.

Headed by Tsai, the commission will convene for the first time next year. Members have been elected through democratic process and represent the vast majority of Taiwan’s 16 officially recognized indigenous tribes.

According to the president, the government is pursuing a three-pronged approach to achieving reconciliation. These are effectively implementing the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law, seeking historical justice for Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, and establishing a platform for eventual indigenous autonomy.   [FULL  STORY]

EPA advises the public not to burn large amount of incense sticks and joss paper to reduce emissions of harmful substances

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/12/28
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taipei (Taiwan News) — Taipei’s three-century-old Mengjia Longshan Temple (艋舺龍山寺) has recently

decided to join the government’s green initiative and will trim down the number of incense burners in use at the temple from three to one starting 2017 and to zero in the future.

The number of censers, with which Taiwanese people place their burning incense sticks as an offering, at the temple has been reduced from seven to three since mid-2015 in an effort to cut the levels of harmful PM2.5 particles in the air inside the temple, according to a study published by a physician from National Taiwan University Hospital.

These incense sticks consist of a thin bamboo stick that is coated with a mixture of binding materials and combustible materials, which usually contains sandalwood powder. A study shows that burning incense sticks might represent a risk to human health or even put an increase risk of cancer of respiratory tract.

Located in Taipei’s Wanhua district, the temple was founded in 1738 but has been rebuilt several times. It was dedicated to the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin in Chinese) along with other Taoist deities, including the sea goddess Mazu (媽祖) and the Saint of War Guan Yu (關羽).    [FULL  STORY]