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KMT pans DPP’s policy U-turns

‘DISORGANIZED BAND’:Conflicts between the DPP-dominated legislature and the Cabinet reflects the president’s unwillingness to make her positions clear, the KMT said

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 21, 2016
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and the Cabinet’s repeated U-turns on major policies — including imports of US pork, the cancelation of seven national holidays and nuclear power — have triggered a free fall in the new government’s approval rating, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said yesterday.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) started its administration with self-contradictory policies and gaffe-ridden officials, leading to clashes between the Cabinet and the legislature, KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) said on the performance of the new administration.

“The Cabinet’s approval rating is nearing a ‘death cross,’ because it is a mere 7 percentage points higher than its disapproval rating of 33.8 percent,” Wang said.     [FULL  STORY]

Say no to trade pacts with China: EDU

The China Post
Date: June 21, 2016
By: Yuan-Ming Chiao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Civic groups protested outside the Executive Yuan on Monday, calling on the

Protesters gather outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei on Monday, calling for a rejection of the trade in goods and services pacts with mainland China. (Yuan-Ming Chiao, The China Post)

Protesters gather outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei on Monday, calling for a rejection of the trade in goods and services pacts with mainland China. (Yuan-Ming Chiao, The China Post)

new administration to reject any notions of signing trade in goods and services agreements with mainland China.

The Economic Democracy Union (EDU, 經濟民主連合), an umbrella group made up of labor, human rights and teachers’ unions and associations, shouted slogans and warned Premier Lin Chuan (林全) against committing the same mistakes as the Ma administration, who signed such trade and regional economic pacts as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

EDU protesters and other groups, numbering more than a dozen, used the third year anniversary of protests against the Cross-Strait Trade in Services Agreement (CSTSA, 兩岸服務貿易協議) to underscore their warning on the new government’s economic policy, which calls for participation in regional trade blocs. They expressed suspicion that the lack of a clear stance on rejecting the CSTSA and a trade in goods pact was a signal toward eventual liberalization toward China.     [FULL  STORY]

TRA is pitching cruise-style trains for summer

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-06-19
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is pitching its cruise-style train tours, which include six 6762833package tours from June 22 to June 30.

The TRA cruise-style tours, each of which includes transportation, meals, hotel room, visit of tourist attractions and tour guide service, are the most hustle-free tour plans for busy people, the TRA said.

The six cruise-style tours include popular railway routes and the adjacent attractions. For example, the June 26 tour will take travelers to visit Taitung City, Guanshan Township and the Shanli Station in Beinan Township.

Other tours include the Yilan County tour on June 28, the Yingge and Shanxia tour on June 29, and the Jiji Line tour on June 30. The three-day Hualien and Taitung tour on June 25 has already been fully booked.     [FULL  STORY]

Three scientists win Tang Prize in biopharmaceutical science (update)

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/06/19
By: Lillian Wu, Y.F. Low, Elaine Hou and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, June 19 (CNA) Three scientists — Emmanuelle Charpentier, Jennifer Doudna and Feng

Emmanuelle Charpentier (right), Jennifer Doudna (left) and Feng Zhang (張鋒)

Emmanuelle Charpentier (right), Jennifer Doudna (left) and Feng Zhang (張鋒)

Zhang (張鋒) — were named the winners of the second Tang Prize in biopharmaceutical science on Sunday “for the development of CRISPR/Cas 9 as a breakthrough genome editing platform that promises to revolutionize biomedical research and disease treatment.”

Taiwanese Nobel laureate Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), who chairs the Tang Prize Selection Committee, made the announcement at a press conference in Taipei.

CRISPR/Cas9 is a unique genome editing technology that enables geneticists and medical researchers to edit parts of the genome by cutting out, replacing or adding parts to the DNA sequence.

The technology, which allows scientists to target and mutate one or more genes in the genome of a cell of interest, has been touted as the simplest, most versatile and precise method of genetic editing currently available.     [FULL  STORY]

Tsai might end Ma’s promotion cap

NEW WAY:The Ma administration’s limit of only having seven generals serving in the military has already been exceeded under the new government, an official said

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 20, 2016
By Lo Tien-pin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) list of approved promotions for major generals and lieutenant generals might exceed the limit that the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has come to expect under former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), a source at the ministry said.

The military promotes qualifying officers to major general and lieutenant general every six months, and its list for the second half of this year has seven people earmarked for promotion to lieutenant general and 31 to major general, the source said.

The source cited military officials as saying that under the Tsai administration, the Ma administration’s limits have already been exceeded, with eight generals serving in the military, while the cap was seven under Ma’s administration.

The Ma administration put a limit on total promotions, with 27 to 30 being the range for half-yearly promotions to major general and lieutenant general, the source said, adding that over the past five years the Ma administration kept to its self-imposed range of promotions.     [FULL  STORY]

4 Taiwanese detained in Cambodia

The China Post
Date: June 20, 2016
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Four R.O.C. nationals yesterday told Apple Daily that they had been arbitrarily detained by immigration authorities at a Cambodian airport.

In a statement, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that four R.O.C. citizens were being held in detention in Cambodia and said Taiwan representatives were handling their case.

The four Taiwanese men had been traveling and visiting casinos in Cambodia, Chinese-language tabloid Apple Daily reported yesterday,

One man, surnamed Hsu, told Apple Daily that they were stopped by immigration officers at the Phnom Penh International Airport on Saturday while attempting to return to Taiwan.

According to Hsu, Cambodian immigration authorities detained them without cause and demanded that they post bail of a combined US$60,000.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei MRT wenhu line(文湖線) is planing to sell an early-bird ticket

Eye On Taiwan
Date: June 19, 2016
Translated by: Erixon Chen

To solve the Neihu(內湖) district traffic jam problem, Taipei city hall has a plan to sell an early-bird ticket in mid July. To improve the traffic jam in Neihu, the department of transportation is planing short, middle and long term programs, Taipei city Mayor Ke-Wen-Zhe(柯文哲) said.

The Taipei city mayor in an interview on July 18th said that to improve the Neihu traffic jam they will have short, middle and long term phases. The short traffic engineering has improved a lot, the middle term will include the fast bus, the MRT shuttle bus and the early bird ticket. The team is drawing up a plan which when finished will be announced to the public. I estimate the date might be in the middle of July said the mayor.

Drug raids target nightclubs

NATIONWIDE CRACKDOWN:Police found suspected drugs on several people during the sweep, which involved 150 officers and eight sniffer dogs, a police chief said

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 19, 2016
By Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Police yesterday raided several nightclubs in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) and conducted spot

Police from the Xinxing police precinct in Taipei’s Xinyi District are gathered to seal off night clubs and discos during a drug sweep early yesterday morning. Photo: Huang Chien-hua, Taipei Times

Police from the Xinxing police precinct in Taipei’s Xinyi District are gathered to seal off night clubs and discos during a drug sweep early yesterday morning. Photo: Huang Chien-hua, Taipei Times

checks as part of a government campaign to combat increasing drug use among young people.

Some patrons said that they were bothered by the raids and that police had spoiled their fun as officers sealed off streets and moved into the nightclubs to conduct drug sweeps, stopping music and turning on nightclub house lights.

“We mobilized 150 police officers and brought in eight sniffer dogs to conduct the drug sweep,” Xinyi Police Precinct Chief Wu Ching-tien (吳敬田) said.

During the sweeps, police ordered patrons to remain where they were and prepare their IDs for control, while police handlers led sniffer dogs in search of drugs.

Outside, a separate detachment carried out spot checks on passers-by and people waiting to enter the nightclubs, while sniffer dogs checked handbags and other items.     [FULL STORY]

Cross-Strait Watch No. 1

Welcome to the first issue of our weekly overview of key events in cross-strait relations.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/06/17
By: Shuhei Omi

Speaking at a conference for Taiwan studies researchers on June 14, Association for Relations

Photo Credit: 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen

Photo Credit: 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen

Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) vice chairman Sun Yafu (孫亞夫) told the audience that while the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration will have substantial influence on cross-strait relations, China remains in control of the direction of developments between Beijing and Taipei.

Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman An Fengshan (安峰山) told reporters on June 15 that any attempts by Taiwan to remove references to China from the Republic of China (ROC) constitution will only harm Taiwan. An said that any activities by “independence movements” will constitute public provocation and destabilize cross-strait relations. An added that the new DPP-led government is still “incoherent in its position” on cross-strait relations and must adopt a “One China” stance instead of independence or one country on each side. (See The News Lens International’s editorial on An’s presser.)    [FULL  STORY]

Duterte welcomes TW’s new southbound policy

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-06-18
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines expects a strengthening relations with Taiwan 6762698and has welcomed Taiwan’s new southbound policy, hoping that the Philippines and Taiwan can deepen bilateral exchanges in agricultural corporation and other sectors as well.

The 71-year-old politician paid a three-day visit to Taiwan during his presidential election campaign in January to observe Taiwan’s transportation infrastructure, including the high speed rail system and the Taipei metro system.

Central News Agency (CNA) reported that Duterte also called on officials at the National Police Agency, the Investigation Bureau and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss bilateral law enforcement cooperation in combating drug trade and gun smuggling.

Duterte said during his time in Taiwan that his impression of the island is of a peaceful and safe place where people can walk on city streets even at midnight, according to CNA reports.     [FULL  STORY]