Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/10/13
By: Tai Ya-chen and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Oct. 13 (CNA) The Executive Yuan is drafting a proposal to amend the Electricity Act

(電業法) in two phases that will be submitted to the Cabinet for deliberation next week, Cabinet Spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said on Thursday.

Premier Lin Chuan (林全) discussed the matter with legislators earlier in the day and will solicit the opinions of environmental protection and related groups in order to draft a well-rounded proposal, Hsu said.

In the proposal the first phase will focus on developing the renewable power industry as part of the government’s efforts to cut thermal electricity generation and carbon emissions and improve environmental protection, according to Hsu.

Despite the high cost of renewable energy, Taiwanese enterprises required to provide renewable-energy certificates for exports are still willing to pay the cost, Hsu said, adding that after the Electricity Act has been amended, such companies will be able to become directly involved in renewable power generation or buy power from renewable energy companies.    [FULL  STORY]

WRONG ADDRESS:KMT workers should take the matter to the party, which still has legal income, an Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee spokeswoman said

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 14, 2016
By: Yang Chun-hui and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer

About 30 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) workers, led by former KMT legislator Wu Yu-ren (吳育

仁), yesterday morning protested outside the office building of the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee in Taipei, saying its freeze of KMT assets has harmed the rights of party workers.

The demonstrators are members of the Mutual Help Association for Party Workers’ Rights, an organization of KMT workers that Wu established.

The protesters read aloud articles of the Constitution pertaining to the protection of labor rights, and flung empty salary envelopes in the direction of the committee’s office.

Wu shouted: “It is not illegal to storm the Executive Yuan,” before leading the group in an attempt to charge into the building.     [FU[LL  STORY]

A brief confrontation with the police ensued.

The China Post
Date: October 14, 2016
By: Sun Hsin Hsuan

Law experts held a press conference Thursday to urge the new Judicial Yuan president nominee to

support the implementation of a jury system for criminal trials.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Yi-yu denounced nominee Hsu Tzong-li’s previously stated support for mixed courts, in which jurors and judges have equal authority in conviction and sentencing.

“Do you think a regular citizen would oppose a professional judge in a courtroom?” Tsai asked, warning that a mixed court would negate the original intention behind citizen participation.

Tsai said it was particularly regretful that Hsu had expressed his position before a planned national conference on judicial reform could be held.

“I totally respect him (Hsu) — I used to be his student. But when it comes to what is best for the country and the people, I have to stick with what is right,” Tsai said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-10-12
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

A man was luckily saved from drowning at Wannian Canyon in Yunlin County during the Double Ten Day holiday, but he faced a fine of up to NT$50,000 for entering a dangerous zone where tourists are barred from entering.

Police said Wannian Canyon, located in Caoling Village, Gukeng Township, is slippery as the riverbed, which has many drop-offs, has gathered moss, making it easy for visitors to slide down into the water. The county government has long ago put signs up to bar visitors from entering the riverbed and swimming in the river, police added.

However, some visitors had ignored the prohibition signs and entered the dangerous zone, and in the recent six months, there have been four incidents involving visitors falling into the water, police said.

Police said a man from Kaohsiung surnamed Chang, his wife and daughter entered the riverbed when they were visiting Wannian Canyon during the long holiday. Chang slid into the river around 4:15 p.m. on the day of the accident and was bobbing up and down in the water.  [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/10/12
By: Tai Ya-chen and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Oct. 12 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who is also chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), reiterated on Wednesday the party’s opposition to the opening of casinos in Penghu County, with the outlying island set to vote on Oct. 15 on whether to permit casino development.

The party’s position on the matter has not changed, Tsai said at a DPP Central Standing Committee meeting, adding that Penghu should focus on developing tourism rather than rely on gambling for local development, according to DPP spokesman Wang Min-sheng (王閔生).

This will be the second time Penghu residents have voted on the casino issue. The county held its first referendum on gaming in September 2009, after the government lifted a ban on gambling on the islands of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu.

However, a total of 17,369 votes or about 56.44 percent of total valid ballots were cast against a plan to build a casino in Penghu.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: October 13, 2016
By: CNA

TAIPEI, Taiwan — This photo provided by New Taipei City’s fire department shows an overturned crane truck which had fallen to the ground from a light rail overpass being constructed in Tamsui, Wednesday, Oct. 12. Two massive concrete beams forming the support of the light rail system’s tracks collapsed and fell to the ground together with the truck, whose driver suffered from bone fractures in an arm and a leg, firefighters said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan hopes a generous travel subsidy will boost Japanese tourist numbers in the final two months of the year.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/10/11
By: Yuan-ling Liang

Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau today announced a new program to attract Japanese tourists.
For the final two months of 2016, one in every four Japanese tourists traveling as part of a group will fly for free to Taiwan.

An estimated 2,500 tour groups are expected to benefit from the program. The Tourism Bureau will cooperate with travel agencies and airline companies to carry out the scheme.

Many commentators have described this year as a “harsh winter” for Taiwan’s tourism industry, with concern that Beijing may have curbed the number of Chinese citizens who can travel to Taiwan in oder to “punish” the new Taiwan-centric government elected in January. Anecdotal evidence suggests restrictions have hit tour group operators, and the latest statistics show visitors from China dropped by more than 110,000 in August from the same period last year.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-10-11
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The leaves of the Taiwan beech trees in the Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area in Datong Township, Yilan County have turned yellowish gold, so now is the best time of the year for watching the trees, according to the Forestry Bureau.

In order to reduce environmental pollution, the bureau said it will enforce traffic controls to bar all vehicles except for official cars and sanctioned shuttle buses from entering the road linking the main road to the entrance of the Taiwan Beech Trail in the morning of every weekend from Oct. 15 to Nov. 13.

The entrance of the Taiwan Beech Trail is located on one side of Cueifong Villa. The total length is 3.8 km and it takes three hours for a round trip. Along the last section of this trail, there are 900 hectares of pure Taiwan beech forest. In spring, the Taiwan beech produces buds; in summer, the whole tree is painted in green; in autumn, its leaves turn into yellow; and in winter, all leaves fall from the trees, according to the recreation area’s official website.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/10/11
By: Tang Pei-chun, Emerson Lim and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Oct. 11 (CNA) Taiwan’s representative office in the Philippines is trying to ascertain the identities of three people found dead in central Luzon in the Philippines, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

According to Philippine media, the three suspected Taiwanese, along with another believed to be Chinese, were found dead in two locations in the region’s Pampanga Province.

The ministry has asked the office to maintain close contact with police of the Philippines to stay abreast of the progress of the investigation.

ABS-CBN News reported that a farmer found the three bodies — one woman and two men — near a sugar cane farm at around 6:30 a.m., and gave their ages as between 30 and 35.    [FULL  STORY]