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Reasons Taiwan’s election is closely watched: Singaporean media

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-08
By: Chia Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Straits Times published an article on Friday, analyzing Taiwan’s upcoming

Reasons Taiwan’s election is closely watched: Singaporean media.

Reasons Taiwan’s election is closely watched: Singaporean media.

presidential and legislative elections and the reasons why they will be closely watched in Beijing and the rest of the world.

The Straits Times, the highest-selling daily broadsheet newspaper in Singapore, published an article on Friday, analyzing Taiwan’s upcoming presidential and legislative elections and the reasons why they will be closely watched in Beijing and the rest of the world.

The article first pointed out that Tsai Ing-wen, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate, is leading the opposition party to unseat the Kuomintang (KMT) and to become the second president from the DPP, which will inevitably impact cross-strait relations.

Mentioning Tsai’s cross-strait policy, the article said that Tsai is said to be committed to “push for the peaceful and stable development of cross-strait relations,” referring to her policy of the maintenance of the status quo in cross-strait relations.     [FULL  STORY]

French puppeteer’s exhibition opens in Taipei

Taiwan Today
Date: January 8, 2016

An exhibition showcasing the puppets and related materials of accomplished

An eye-catching array of puppets used by Jean-Luc Penso in his popular play “The Odyssey” is one of the highlights of a related exhibition running Jan. 5 to March 27 at Puppetry Art Center of Taipei. (Courtesy of PACT)

An eye-catching array of puppets used by Jean-Luc Penso in his popular play “The Odyssey” is one of the highlights of a related exhibition running Jan. 5 to March 27 at Puppetry Art Center of Taipei. (Courtesy of PACT)

French talent Jean-Luc Penso kicked off Jan. 5 at Puppetry Art Center of Taipei.

The Origin of Puppetry features glove, shadow and string puppets, as well as posters, properties and scripts used in Penso’s past performances. Also on display are photos taken during the artist’s five-year stint studying in Taiwan under the late Li Tien-lu, a legendary proponent of the art form renowned at home and abroad.

“We met in a Taipei antique shop in 1970,” Penso said Jan. 6 at a news conference at the center. “At first, I didn’t realize who was standing in front of me, but after he staged an impromptu performance, I recognized his immense talent and decided to stay and learn from him.”

According to Penso, Li asked him to devote his life to promoting puppetry around the world. “I agreed and founded the Small Mirror Theater after returning to France. My glove puppet troupe has toured more than 80 countries and territories in the past 40 years,” he said.     [FULL  STORY]

Tsai to initiate multi-party talks if elected

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/08
By: Chang Min-hsuan and Lilian Wu

Jan. 8 (CNA) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai 201601080036t0001Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Friday that if elected she will invite all political parties for talks on maintaining political stability before her inauguration more than three months later.

“If I’m elected president, I will invite all political parties for talks to maintain stability in the four months (before Inauguration Day on May 20),” Tsai said.

She said she will form a team to manage the transfer of power after the election and establish a coordination mechanism with the government on major policies.

Tsai criticized Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) for proposing that the party with the majority in the new Legislature, which begins its session on Feb. 1, be allowed to form a new Cabinet.     [FULL  STORY]

“I will forever protect your right to be yourself.” 「我會永遠捍衛你做自己的權利。」

Taipei Times
January 8, 2016

Fire Ex main vocalist Sam Yang’s wife, Enno Cheng, came out of the closet on

A rainbowized picture of Sam Yang, right, and his wife Enno Cheng is posted on the couple’s Facebook pages. 楊大正（右）與妻子鄭宜農在臉書上貼出彩虹合照。 Photo: Screengrab from Facebook 照片：翻攝臉書

A rainbowized picture of Sam Yang, right, and his wife Enno Cheng is posted on the couple’s Facebook pages.
楊大正（右）與妻子鄭宜農在臉書上貼出彩虹合照。
Photo: Screengrab from Facebook
照片：翻攝臉書

Sunday, which was a shock to many people. Immediately, Yang posted a status update on Facebook to voice his support, in which he mentioned their wedding vows. Although the update was short, it moved a great many netizens.

Yang said on Facebook that, “One day after we got married, Enno honestly told me about her ‘struggle with self-identification.’ Since then, we have held hands and faced this matter together. After repeated communication and confirmation, we know that our most difficult days have passed. We are doing very well at present.”

Yang also said that, “Over the past nine years, we have been deeply in love with each other. This love is not going to disappear in the future, it will just cease to exist in the name of romantic love. I will never forget my wedding vow to her: ‘I will forever protect Enno’s right to be herself.’ I will continue to be her strongest support in life. I am also very proud of our candor and courage.”

When she came out, Cheng explained, “Since childhood, my sexual orientation has been filled with ambiguity. I was in love with some very marvellous souls, but when it came to persons of the opposite sex, I always failed at the test of physicality; physical contact was stressful to me. After months of repeated communication, we have come to accept the fact that I cannot fall in love with his body, but that he is not to blame. (I feel shy to say this, but he has a great body. No kidding.) The reason is that I like the female body.”     [FULL  STORY]

Chen heads massive motorcade rally in Taipei

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-07
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

With just nine days to Taiwan’s general elections, Democratic Progressive

Chen heads motorcade rally in Taipei.

Chen heads motorcade rally in Taipei.

Party vice presidential candidate Chen Chien-jen made swept through the streets of Taipei with its massive motorcade in the morning to campaign for more votes, reports said Thursday.

DPP Taipei Chapter chairman Huang Cheng-kuo pointed out that the party aims to secure at least two legislative seats in Taipei, “but hopes to grab three or four,” he added.

Chen’s motorcade was joined by DPP legislative candidates Pasuya Yao and Rosalia Wu, including independent candidates Lee Ching-yuan, Billy Pan, and New Party Power candidate Freddy Lim.

Prior to setting off in the morning campaign, Chen told reporters that he is calling on voters can show their support for the DPP by casting “1” in the ballot box for party support, and “2” for presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen.     [FULL  STORY]

5 of 13 weather stations record highest annual temperatures: CWB

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/07
By: Chen Wei-ting and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Jan. 7 (CNA) Five out of 13 weather stations across Taiwan saw

(File photo courtesy of the Central Weather Bureau)

(File photo courtesy of the Central Weather Bureau)

record-high average temperatures for 2015, a Central Weather Bureau (CWB) official said Thursday.

CWB Forecast Center Director Cheng Ming-dean (鄭明典) said on his Facebook page that new temperature records were set at the Tamsui, Taichung, Chiayi, Kaohsiung and Hengchun weather stations.

According to CWB data, the stations saw average mercury levels of 23.07 degrees Celsius, 24.33 degrees, 24.31 degrees, 26.07 degrees and 26.12 degrees, respectively.

Taipei also recorded an annual overall temperature of 23.78 degrees, only 0.02 degrees lower than the highest record of 23.8 degrees set in 2002, the data shows.

The rising annual temperature is in line with a global warming trend, coupled with the recent strong development of El Nino, Cheng said.     [FULL  STORY]

MOHW releases food safety policy white paper

Taiwan Today
Date: January 7, 2016

A 2016-2020 white paper aimed at mapping out a robust food safety

An official walks members of the media through the FDA’s new big data system tasked with tracking the flows of food ingredients in Taiwan. (CNA)

An official walks members of the media through the FDA’s new big data system tasked with tracking the flows of food ingredients in Taiwan. (CNA)

inspection system and strengthening risk management measures in Taiwan was released Jan. 6 by the ROC Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Proposed by the MOHW’s Food and Drug Administration, the five-year undertaking comprises 19 strategies and 51 plans. It is expected to lay a solid foundation for rebuilding consumer confidence in the quality of food and the production processes of the nation’s manufacturers.

FDA Director-General Chiang Yu-mei said that in light of recent food scandals, government agencies need to make timely regulatory adjustments to ensure the public’s health and welfare are fully protected.

“Through a monitoring system and mandatory registration for food manufacturers, we can now track the flows of high-risk ingredients and take instant action to minimize the impact of any potential food crisis.”     [FULL  STORY]

Hung weighs KMT chairperson run

UP IN THE AIR:Hung Hsiu-chu said her decision would depend on whether Chu decided to step down if he lost the election, and on who else ran for the post

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 08, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) yesterday said that she is still seriously pondering whether to vie for the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) chair, a post that would likely be left vacant by KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) should he lose the election on Saturday next week.

Hung made the remarks during a morning interview with POP Radio yesterday, during which she was asked who would take over the helm of the KMT after the party’s anticipated defeat in the upcoming presidential and legislative elections.

“First, it depends on whether Chu, the KMT’s incumbent chairman, would step down following the race,” Hung said.

In the event that Chu loses by only 200,000 votes or the KMT manages to maintain a satisfactory number of legislative seats, some party comrades might think that Chu should remain on the post,” Hung said.     [FULL  STORY]

Relaxing food additives puts extra burden on body: expert

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-06
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

In response to Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration’s plan to relax

Relaxing food additives puts burden on body.

Relaxing food additives puts burden on body.

restriction on food additives, kidney doctor Chiang Shou-shan Wednesday said the measures could place an extra burden on the human body.

International trends were consulted by the FDA in its decision to relax restriction on food additives. The FDA will expand the original 17 categories of food additives to 28 categories and increase the allowable levels. Take phosphate as an example, the FDA plans to expand the legal levels from 3,000 mg per kg to the whopping 44,000 mg per kg.

“Too much additives will place additional burden on the human body,” Chiang said, adding that according to the FDA’s new regulation draft, 9,300 mg of phosphate is allowed per kg of bread, which far exceeds the existing 3,000 mg level.     [FULL  STORY]

Heavy rain, cooler weather forecast for parts of Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/06
By: Chen Wei-ting and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Jan. 6 (CNA) Temperatures around Taiwan are expected to fall later 37727891Wednesday and in the coming days, but the heavy rain that peppered much of the island on Wednesday morning should ease up, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

A moist weather front dumped heavy rain on northern and central Taiwan early Wednesday morning, with parts of Taichung, and Miaoli reporting over 50 millimeters of accumulated rainfall from 5:20 a.m. to 11:20 a.m.

Parts of Hsinchu, Nantou, Taoyuan and Taipei reported over 40mm of rainfall during the same period.

The bureau also issued a heavy rain warning at 10:10 a.m. for Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli in the north and Taichung in central Taiwan as well as the outlying island of Penghu.      [FULL  STORY]