The zodiac heads have caused controversies since their installment and were spray-painted at one time mainly because their donor is Jackie Chen

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/14
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum finished removing the 12 Chinese zodiac heads,

a gift from Chinese actor Jackie Chan, from the pedestals on the plaza in front of the entrance of the museum on Monday.

The zodiac heads have caused controversy since their installment and were spray-painted at one time because Chan, the donor, is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a national level political advisory body in the People’s Republic of China.

A team led by Pu Hao-ming, professor of Fine Art Department, Chinese Culture University, began removing the artwork at 10 a.m.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Hsu Chih-chieh and Tsai Yi-yu came to the site to show their concern. They said Chan donated the zodiac heads as a means of political warfare and that original creations should have been installed instead.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/14
By: Lu Hsin-hui and Romulo Huang

Taipei, Nov. 14 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Monday that raising Taiwan’s labor

participation rate for women is one of her administration’s main priorities so that women have more opportunities to participate in Taiwan’s social, economic and political development.

Speaking at an executive committee meeting of the International Council of Women held in Taipei, Tsai said she hopes to achieve the goal by putting in place policies that will loosen the existing social structure.

Progress is already being made in that direction, she said.

Gender equality has become a mainstream movement in Taiwan, the president said, and Taiwan has presented reports in accordance with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on two occasions.    [FULL  STORY]

BYPASSEDThe proposed changes do not guarantee workers a five-day workweek, employees can still work overtime on their days off, KMT Legislator Wang said

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 15, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

A review of amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) was restarted yesterday, as

members of the Legislative Yuan’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee completed a question-and-answer session with government officials regarding the proposed changes.

The amendments are aimed at bolstering earlier reforms by implementing a universal 40-hour workweek, which drew criticism for not guaranteeing additional weekly days off to compensate for the elimination of seven national holidays.

The committee is to attempt to review and consolidate seven different versions of the amendments this week, following a cross-caucus agreement to return the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) official version to the committee after it was controversially sent directly to cross-caucus negotiations last month.

In addition to the DPP caucus’ and the Executive Yuan’s versions, the other legislative caucuses have also proposed their own versions, as have DPP Legislators Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) and Chung Kung-chao (鍾孔炤).    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 15, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Several dozen people demonstrated outside the Transportation Ministry Monday,

demanding that it not allow Taoyuan Aerotropolis planning to proceed to the review stage until the scale of land expropriation for the ambitious project be reduced.

The protesters, from the Taoyuan Aerotropolis Anti-Eviction Alliance, accused the ministry of holding “fake public hearings” earlier this year, saying the three days of meetings in late April and early May failed to reach a consensus and produced substandard meeting points that the government never followed up on.

“The government is now seeking to sneak the project plans through by sending the proposal to the Interior Ministry’s land acquisition review team without making any of the constructive changes suggested by affected locals,” alliance spokesman Tien Chi-feng said.

The aerotropolis, a large-scale project based around the Taoyuan airport that is intended to become a regional hub for transportation, manufacturing and logistics, has faced fierce opposition from people living on land included in the development’s borders.    [FULL  STORY]

Government will base decision on scientific evidence: DPP

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/12
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A local Kuomintang politician on Saturday disrupted a government-backed

hearing about the eventual import of food from the Japanese region hit by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Taiwan and China are reportedly the only countries still banning food from the part of Japan hit by a massive earthquake on March 11, 2011, which triggered a tsunami and the destruction of a nuclear power plant.

The government is organizing a series of public hearings about a likely end to the import ban, which has turned into a major food safety issue together with pressure from the United States for the opening of Taiwan to exports of ractopamine-treated pork.

In Tainan, KMT city councilor Lu Kun-fu showed up with supporters at the hearing Saturday morning and tried to prevent it from taking place, reports said.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/12
By: Sophia Yeh and Elaine Hou

Taipei, Nov. 12 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Saturday that her administration will continue its efforts to make improvements in Taiwan and help the country “soar on wings” like an eagle.

Faith in the people and democracy and trust in the government will strengthen the country to face its challenges, Tsai said at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Taiwan, which she was attending for the first time in her capacity as president.

“Soaring on wings,” the theme of the prayer meeting, is also a goal of the Taiwanese people and one of the top priorities of the government, she said.

Since taking office in May, Tsai said, her administration has been undertaking reforms in areas ranging from industrial innovation and the work environment to long-term care, in an effort to improve the lives of the Taiwanese people.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 13, 2016
By: L. J. Lamb

Special to The China Post –Leaders of AMVETS (American Veterans), a congressionally chartered

veterans’ service organization in the U.S., just completed their extended annual visit to Taiwan.

AMVETS National Commander Harold Chapman and AMVETS National Ladies Auxiliary President Evelyn R. McElvin were visiting at the invitation of the Minister of the R.O.C. Veterans Affairs Council (VAC) General Lee Hsiang-jow.

While in Taiwan, they paid a courtesy call on President Tsai Ing-wen at the Presidential Office.

President Tsai noted that AMVETS had been a strong supporter of Taiwan for over three decades, and that each year, leaders from the VAC and AMVETS exchanged information on veterans’ affairs, national defense and foreign relations.

President Tsai thanked the visitors for the latest AMVETS National Resolution on Taiwan, in which AMVETS recognized that the R.O.C. on Taiwan was a long-time friend, ally and strategic partner of the U.S.    [FULL  STORY]

Navarro also promised tougher action against China on trade

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/12
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – China is behaving like a bullying thug against Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong,

an economic adviser of United States President-elect Donald Trump once said in a statement widely quoted by Taiwanese media Saturday.

The comments reportedly date back several months, but are being given coverage now amid uncertainty about what the next U.S. president will mean to the Asia-Pacific region and to Taiwan in particular. Local commentators worry about Trump’s protectionist leanings but think he might be more inclined to supply the island with weapons.

The author of the comments, Peter Navarro, is a professor of economics and public policy at the University of California, Irvine, and a member of Trump’s economic advisory team. He published a book titled “Crouching Tiger: What China’s Militarism Means for the World.”    [FULL  STORY]