Taiwan Today
Date: June 22, 2016

James C. Liao, a renowned scientist in metabolic engineering, synthetic biology and systems

biology, was sworn in as the 11th president of Academia Sinica June 21 in Taipei City, succeeding Wong Chi-huey as head of Taiwan’s top research institution.

During the swearing-in ceremony, Republic of China (Taiwan) Vice President Chen Chien-jen commended Academia Sinica for creating new knowledge and proposing policy advice on key national development issues. He said it is expected Academia Sinica will chalk up even more milestone achievements under Liao’s leadership.

In response, Liao pledged to establish Academia Sinica as the Asian leader in its core areas of competency, and unveiled three visions set to define his five-year term.

“We will promote social improvement through directing basic research towards practical applications,” Liao said. “This is to be achieved through balanced development of humanities, social and life sciences, as well as mathematics, physical and engineering sciences, with a focus on addressing Taiwan’s challenging social issues.”     [FULL  STORY]

For all its faults, today’s KMT cannot be accused of being a ‘stooge’ of Beijing, as an opinion maker in Hong Kong argued recently.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/06/21
By: J. Michael Cole

In an otherwise well intentioned June 20 editorial in the Hong Kong Economic Journal, Joseph

Lian Yizheng (練乙錚), a former editor in chief at the journal, likens Beijing’s “stooges” in Hong Kong to Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT).

The author argues that KMT “bigwigs” have many things in common with pro-establishment parties in Hong Kong. “The city’s government and business sector,” he writes, “have come to bear all the hallmarks of today’s Kuomintang in Taiwan when dealing with cross-border affairs.”

The KMT, he writes, has lost the anti-communist essence that distinguished it from its nemesis across the Taiwan Strait. “Today’s KMT is everything other than what it was during patriarch Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) rule, as the KMT historically saw commies as its mortal foes.”

Turning to the business community, and again seeing parallels with developments in Hong Kong, Lian writes that Taiwan’s businesspeople “are rushing to kowtow to those on the other side of the strait.”     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-06-21
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) announced on Tuesday that the Taipei Children’s Amusement Park will operate on Monday during the summer vacation from July 1 to August 28 and admission to the park on Monday during this period will be free.

The TRTC said that usually the park closes on Monday, but it will operate on Monday during the summer vacation for the first time to follow the example of other large theme parks in Taiwan.

However, in order to ensure quality and safety, the park will suspend the operation of one to two play facilities for maintenance, the park said, urging visitors to consult the park’s website or pay attention to the onsite notice.

In addition, the park opens from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day during the summer vacation, and visitors who come after 4 p.m. will enjoy the “Starlight Privilege” of free admission.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/06/21
By Chen Wei-ting and Lilian Wu

Taipei, June 2 (CNA) A video on Taiwan’s railway system titled “Iron Pathways to Adventure,”

which was co-produced by Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau and the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), won a bronze medal at the prestigious Telly Awards in Los Angeles.

In the video, American travel journalist, broadcaster and television personality Joseph Rosendo starts a rail journey from Taipei as he introduces Taiwan’s extensive rail system, the Alishan Forest Railway and scenic spots along the way.

As he rides the rail system, he continues to find natural and cultural adventures that entertain, educate and enchant the traveler.

Tourism Bureau Deputy Director-General Wayne Liu (劉喜臨) said he was happy to use story-telling to promote Taiwan tourism.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 22, 2016
By Chen Yu-fu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

A survey released by the Taiwan Thinktank yesterday showed overwhelming support for the

abolition of the Red Cross Society Act of the Republic of China (中華民國紅十字會法), with 85.9 percent favoring the scrapping of the legislation, against 7.7 percent who disagreed.

The motion to abolish the act was raised by the New Power Party and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in February, saying it gave the group special legal status and exempts it from regulations stipulated in the Civil Associations Act (人民團體法) and the Charity Donations Act (公益勸募條例).

Scrapping the Red Cross Act would facilitate the implementation of “transitional justice,” the two parties have said.

According to the poll, 82 percent of respondents said they are not willing to donate to the society if it does not make its accounting transparent. A breakdown by party affiliation showed that 89.1 percent of DPP respondents and 65.5 percent of their KMT counterparts are not willing to make such donations.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 22, 2016
By Chen Yu-fu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

A survey released by the Taiwan Thinktank yesterday showed overwhelming support for the

abolition of the Red Cross Society Act of the Republic of China (中華民國紅十字會法), with 85.9 percent favoring the scrapping of the legislation, against 7.7 percent who disagreed.

The motion to abolish the act was raised by the New Power Party and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in February, saying it gave the group special legal status and exempts it from regulations stipulated in the Civil Associations Act (人民團體法) and the Charity Donations Act (公益勸募條例).

Scrapping the Red Cross Act would facilitate the implementation of “transitional justice,” the two parties have said.

According to the poll, 82 percent of respondents said they are not willing to donate to the society if it does not make its accounting transparent. A breakdown by party affiliation showed that 89.1 percent of DPP respondents and 65.5 percent of their KMT counterparts are not willing to make such donations.     [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2016/06/20
By: Bing-sheng Lee

With more and more cosplayers crowding the streets in Taiwan each year, does the subculture need protection, and does it violate copyright laws?

The growing popularity of cosplay in Taiwan has prompted legislators to call on the government to adopt measures to protect the rights of the thousands of people who participate in this colorful and often misunderstood subculture.

Cosplay, in which participants wear costumes to represent a character in comic books or anime, originated in Japan about 30 years ago and has been popular among manga enthusiasts and young comic book lovers in Taiwan over the past two decades.

Since 2000, many major cosplay events have been held around the country, drawing tens of thousands of cosplayers every year. In 2014 Taiwan became a member of the World Cosplay Summit (WCS), an annual international cosplay event held in Japan.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-06-20
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

The biggest event of the year for Taiwan’s food sector – the 2016 Taipei International Food Show – is set to open this week on June 22 this week and last for four days. This year, the Taiwan Pavilion at the show highlights “The New Age of Food in Taiwan,” with the Council of Agriculture (COA) assisting 92 local producers to showcase their innovative food products and to bring out their strengths with the aim of reaching or expanding international markets. A pre-show press conference was held by the COA on Monday to recognize and honor innovation in the development of food products, including Taiwan Farm Industry Co.’s Japanese-style Barbecued Meat for Ramen and Horn Liang Foods Co’s Preserved Egg Tofu.

Agriculture Minister Tsao Chi-hung made an opening remark at the conference, saying he was a frequent visitor to the Taipei International Food Show over the past decade. Tsao noted that the Taipei International Food Show is one of the most important industry events around the world and attributed the success of the food show to the hard work of local farmers working together with a strong team of R&D and marketing professionals.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/06/20
By: Tai Ya-chen, Liu Kuan-ting and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, June 20 (CNA) One month after she was sworn in as Taiwan’s first female president May

20, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has won higher public satisfaction than her Cabinet, according to two separate surveys released Monday and June 17.

The Taiwan Generation Think Tank said its latest survey, released Monday, indicates that 60.1 percent of the respondents are satisfied with Tsai’s performance over the past month, while 24.5 percent are not.

Asked if they are confident in Tsai’s administration, 65.4 percent of those surveyed said yes, while 24.5 percent said no.

On a series of questions about whether Tsai has implemented any of the political platforms she presented before the presidential election of Jan 16, 53.3 percent said Tsai’s cross-Taiwan Strait policy has met her ideas on cross-strait relations espoused before the election, while 25.5 percent disagreed.     [FULL  STORY]