Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/11
By: Claudia Liu and Y.F. Low

Taipei, April 11 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) demanded Monday that China return eight Taiwan nationals who were sent there from Kenya three days ago in connection with a phone fraud case in Nairobi.

Presiding over a routine meeting on cross-Taiwan Strait and foreign affairs at the Presidential Office, Ma said the mainland side has violated due process by taking the Taiwan nationals away forcefully without notifying Taiwan beforehand.

The government has lodged a serious protest with Beijing and will do its utmost to protect its nationals, Ma said.

He directed the Mainland Affairs Council to continue to communicate with the mainland side and demand the return of the eight.     [FULL  STORY]

ON THE SPOT:A legislative meeting to review government finances ended up focusing on eight Taiwanese deported to China and the council’s efforts to bring them home

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 12, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

A legislative hearing turned stormy yesterday as Mainland Affairs Council

(MAC) Deputy Minister Shih Hui-fen (施惠芬) was grilled over Kenya’s deportation of eight Taiwanese to China and lawmakers criticized the council for its lack of information on the matter.

The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee and Internal Administration Committee had jointly convened a morning meeting to examine the central government’s general financial statement for the 2014 fiscal year.

However, after news broke an hour before the scheduled start of the meeting that eight Taiwanese recently acquitted in a telecommunication fraud case in Kenya had been deported to China on Friday, several legislators called up Shih — the highest-ranking council official at the meeting — to answer questions about the incident.

New Power Party Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) asked Shih about the eight’s whereabouts.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/10
By: Chang Jung-hsiang, Lilian Wu and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, April 10 (CNA) Tainan Mayor Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Sunday that the full amount of NT$4 billion (US$123.3 million) in donations received by the city government after a deadly earthquake in February will be put toward the relief and recovery efforts in the city.

In a briefing on the city government’s post-disaster work, Lai said all of the money will be used to help the quake survivors rebuild their homes and to provide relief for those affected.

There will be no diversion of funds for other purposes such as building bridges, roads or museums, he told the owners of housing units in the 17-story Weiguan Jinlong apartment complex that collapsed in the Feb. 6 earthquake.

The briefing was attended by representatives of the 107 households that had ownership rights to the apartment complex.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/09
By: Sophia Yeh and Y.F. Low

Taipei, April 9 (CNA) The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday adopted a declaration to prove that it has strong governance capability and can lead Taiwan out of its current economic plight.

The party also vowed to drive out Taiwan’s “economic cold spell” when it returns to power on May 20.

The declaration titled “Stabilizing Reforms, Uniting Taiwan” was adopted during a provisional DPP National Congress.

In the declaration, the DPP said it was chosen again by the people on Jan. 16 and given a mandate to govern the country, and also gained a legislative majority for the first time.

The DPP said it is striving to govern the country humbly and fulfill the people’s expectations.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 10, 2016
By: Staff writer, with AP and CNA

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday visited a small island in the East

China Sea to reassert Taiwan’s sovereignty and its role in the contested region, one of the key issues of his administration that ends next month.

Ma’s visit yesterday to Pengjia Islet (彭佳嶼) — about 56km north of Taiwan proper — was his administration’s second trip to an island in three weeks.

It came four years after Ma last visited Pengjia to propose his East China Sea peace initiative, aimed at addressing territorial disputes between Taiwan, China and Japan over the nearby Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), known as the Senkakus in Japan.

Pengjia, considered the northernmost part of Taiwan’s territory, is not contested and is home to about 40 residents, a weather station and coast guard facilities.

Ma yesterday toured the weather station and unveiled a monument to maritime peace.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-07
By: Chia Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Premier-designate Lin Chuan announced Thursday during a media luncheon

that he was naming Lin Hsi-yao, the convener of the Democratic Progressive Party transition team, to serve as his Vice Premier.

The premier-designate was cited as saying that he has been working closely with Lin, and was impressed by his flexibility and positive attitude, adding that due to Lin’s rich experience in both central and local governments, he believes he will serve as a good coordinator between governmental branches.

Apart from Vice Premier, Lin also announced the first wave of the Cabinet lineup, including former Financial Supervisory Commission chairman Shih Jyun-ji, former Vice Chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development Chang Ching-sen, former Director General of Directorate General of Budget Hsu Jan-yao, former Deputy Interior Minister Lin Mei-jhu and Lin Wan-I, a professor of social work at National Taiwan University, as ministers without portfolio.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/07
By: Jennifer Huang and Evelyn Kao

London, April 7 (CNA) Five institutions in Taiwan have been included this

year in the Times Higher Education rankings of the world’s top 150 universities under 50 years old.

The five schools are National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (43rd), National Yang-Ming University (96th) and Chang Gung University, National Sun Yat-sen University and Yuan Ze University, which were listed in the 101-150 band.

Their listing gives Taiwan the distinction of having the most world-class young institutions in the top 150 list among all Asian countries.

Despite its comparatively high number of listings, however, Taiwan did not have many schools high up on the list, said Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education Rankings.     [FULL  STORY]