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Rain before northern Taiwan is affected by seasonal winds Saturday

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/28
By: Chen Wei-ting and Jay Chen

Taipei, Jan. 28 (CNA) Rain is in the forecast around Taiwan Thursday

(CNA file photo)

after two balmy winter days, with precipitation becoming more prevalent Friday followed by northeastern seasonal winds that are expected to pick up Saturday, the Central Weather Bureau said.

From Saturday to next Wednesday, February 3, northern Taiwan will likely be cold and wet under the influence of the seasonal winds, with lows around 16 degrees Celsius, the bureau said.

For Thursday, there will only be brief showers and temperatures are expected to reach 20 degrees in northern Taiwan, 21 degrees in central Taiwan and 24 degrees in the south, it said.

Heavier rain can be expected in all parts of Taiwan on Friday, the bureau said. [FULL STORY]

ROC-Paraguay relations lauded by Ma

Taiwan Today
Date: January 27, 2016

President Ma Ying-jeou said Jan. 26 that ROC-Paraguay ties are going

ROC President Ma Ying-jeou (right) and Mario Abdo Benitez, president of the Paraguayan senate, enjoy a lighter moment at the Presidential Office Jan. 26 in Taipei City. (CNA)

from strength to strength as both sides pursue an array of opportunities across a spectrum of areas.

“Exchanges between the ROC and Paraguay have seen considerable growth in recent years,” Ma said. “This underscores the effectiveness of efforts in boosting bilateral exchanges and interactions.”

The president made the remarks while receiving a nine-member delegation led by Mario Abdo Benitez, president of the Paraguayan senate, at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. Also attending were Hou Ching-shan, ROC deputy minister of foreign affairs, and Marcial Bobadilla Guillen, Paraguay’s ambassador to the ROC.

According to Ma, two-way exchanges are expanding on the basis of Taiwan’s role as a provider of new technology and humanitarian aid in the international community. [FULL STORY]

Tsai will respect caucus’ choice

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 28, 2016
By Tsou Ching-wen and Tseng Wei-chen / Staff reporters

While president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said she would respect the

From left to right, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ming-wen, Legislator Ker Chien-ming and legislator-elect Su Jia-chyuan yesterday attend the party’s Central Standing Committee meeting in Taipei. Photos: Taipei Times and CNA

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus’ choice of legislative speaker for the incoming legislature, it has been widely predicted that DPP legislator-elect Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) is likely to be named to the role.

Tsai yesterday reaffirmed her stance on speaker selection as she attended a DPP caucus meeting at the Legislative Yuan, which media described as her supervising selection, but Tsai said her attendance at the first meeting of a new caucus was routine.

She urged caucus members to live up to the public’s expectations and spend time reviewing bills and focusing on transparency, reform, unity and public participation.

“Whether the reshuffled Cabinet, led by incoming premier Simon Chang (張善政), is of a caretaker nature or not, it should perform its duties and the DPP caucus should participate in its supervisory role while respecting the newly appointed Cabinet to help stabilize the political situation,” Tsai said. [FULL STORY]

Executive Yuan to review controversial policies Wednesday

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-26
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Vice Premier Simon Chang, who is slated to assume the position of premier, Tuesday asked each ministry and council to submit a list of important or controversial policies for review on Wednesday.

On Monday President Ma Ying-jeou appointed Chang as premier.

Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun said each ministry and council is submitting its important policies, which will be reviewed by National Development Council Minister Duh Tyzz-jiun and responsible ministers without portfolio before deciding on the next step forward.

Sun said the Trans-Pacific Partnership and a trade-in-goods agreement with China are both included in the list, which will be under overall reconsideration.

Taiwan High Court holds hearing on Ting Hsin case

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/26
By: Wu Jhe-hao, Liao Jen-kai and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) The Taiwan High Court held its first hearing Tuesday on a

Wei Ying-chung is escorted as protesters chanted anti-Ting Hsin slogans outside the courtroom.

food safety scandal involving Ting Hsin International Group (頂新集團), following an appeal by prosecutors against a not-guilty verdict issued by a lower court late last year.

In a ruling handed down Nov. 27, 2015, the Changhua District Court acquitted former Ting Hsin Oil and Fat Industrial Co. Chairman Wei Ying-chung (魏應充) and six other defendants of charges related to violations of the country’s food safety laws, sparking widespread outrage.

Wei was indicted in October 2014 for allegedly violating the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation after investigators found that his company had imported animal feed-grade fat while declaring it as fit for human consumption. It was then used to make cooking oil, prosecutors said.

But in its ruling, the court said the prosecution had failed to prove that the raw materials imported by Ting Hsin from the Vietnamese trading company Dai Hanh Phuc Co., (大幸福) were unsuitable for human consumption. [FULL STORY]

Taiwan rolls out rural relief measures for cold snap

Taiwan Today
Date: January 26, 2016

A special task force coordinating rural relief measures in the wake of Taiwan’s

A strawberry field in northern Taiwan’s Miaoli County is covered in snow as a result of the Jan. 23-25 cold front that gripped the nation. (CNA)

recent cold snap was established Jan. 25 during a special ROC Presidential Office meeting in Taipei City.

Headed by the Council of Agriculture, the group will handle the central government’s emergency response and keep abreast of the latest developments. It also aims to get farmers back on their feet as soon as possible, while providing financial subsidies on a case-by-case basis.

The meeting was called by President Ma Ying-jeou and attended by acting Premier Chang San-cheng and other key Cabinet officials.

COA statistics pegged overall agricultural damage caused by the Jan. 23-25 cold front at NT$132.2 million (US$3.9 million). Tainan City bore the brunt of the blow, sustaining losses of nearly NT$81.4 million in local aquaculture.

COA Deputy Minister Sha Chih-yi said the council is identifying cold snap-hit areas around Taiwan and preparing to release relief funds. “Eligible cities and counties must first undertake damage assessments before submitting applications. [FULL STORY]

Ko Wen-je backs ‘friends of Japan’ alliance

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 27, 2016
By: Sean Lin and Chang Mao-sen / Staff reporters

Taipei City councilors are to form a nonpartisan “friends of Japan” alliance to

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, second right, walks through a fish market in Tokyo yesterday. Photo: CNA

deepen mutual ties on a city level, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said, while his Japan policies would be similar to those expected of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

Ko made the remarks yesterday in response to media queries about whether the hospitality he had received from Japanese dignitaries since arriving in Tokyo on Sunday meant he would endeavor to further relations between Taiwan and Japan, given warm receptions received by himself and Tsai.

He said he hopes that Taipei and Tokyo would boost their level of exchanges with the establishment of the cross-party alliance, thereby improving bilateral ties between the two nations.

DPP Taipei City councilor Liu Yao-jen (劉耀仁), a member of Ko’s delegation, said Japan’s mentality toward Taiwan had “changed for the better” thanks to the shift in political power after the presidential election on Jan. 16, while the DPP Taipei City Council caucus would seek to build on the newfound momentum to further mutual exchanges by lobbying for the establishment of the alliance. [FULL STORY]

KMT Legislator Apollo Chen announces bid for party chair

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-25
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Apollo Chen, a legislator from the ruling KMT, on Monday announced he will be running for leadership of his party, which suffered major losses in Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections.

Chen said there were three reasons behind his decision to join the race.

First, as one of the few mid-generation KMT members, he said he could not keep silent and sit idly by.

Second, he said the KMT needed to identify the reason behind its failure, and he was running to recover the voices and strength that were lost.

Lastly, he said, his participation in the race represented the beginning of change in the KMT, which should abide by a bottom-up democratic mechanism. [FULL STORY]

Taiwan teen diplomats undertake South East Asia tour

Taiwan Today
Date: January 25, 2016

A group of 12 students from three Taiwan senior high schools are visiting

MOFA Vice Minister Leo Lee (sixth left, back row) gives the thumbs-up at the Teen Diplomatic Envoys send-off event Jan. 22 in Taipei City. (CNA)

Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand Jan. 24 to Feb. 3 as part of the Teen Diplomatic Envoys program organized by the ROC ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs.

“The government is committed to promoting our young people’s connections with the international community, particularly members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership,” MOFA Vice Minister Leo Lee said.

“I’m confident these youths will serve as outstanding representatives for Taiwan and showcase the energy and vibrancy of our country.”

Lee made the remarks during a send-off event at MOFA headquarters Jan. 22 in Taipei City. Other attendees included Piroon Laismit, executive director of the Thailand Trade and Economic Office; Anwar Udzir, president of the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Center; and Wong Wie-kuen, representative of the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei. [FULL STORY]

Ma appoints Simon Chang as premier

EASY RIDE?When asked why he took the role, the former vice premier said that the DPP had promised it would not give Cabinet members a tough time

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 26, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday appointed Vice Premier Simon

Vice Premier Simon Chang, second left, announces at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday that he is to take over as premier of the new caretaker government, while National Development Council Minister Woody Duh, right, is to become the new vice premier. Photo: CNA

Chang (張善政) as the new premier after Ma signed off on outgoing Premier Mao Chi-kuo’s (毛治國) resignation.

“Premier Mao has led his Cabinet members to resign en masse. After thorough consideration, President Ma has decided to sign off on Mao’s resignation and appoint Chang as his successor,” Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) said in a statement yesterday.

Chen said that while it is the president’s mandate to appoint a premier without the legislature’s approval, Ma is obligated by a consensus reached between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) when an amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1997 to respect the majority party in the legislature and appoint a premier it accepts to prevent the government from running idle.

To adhere to this principle, Chen said Ma tried to contact DPP Chairperson and president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday to discuss Mao’s successor, but Tsai was occupied with other matters. [FULL STORY]

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