Taiwan News
Date: 2015-12-10
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Democratic Progressive Party has worked with 20-30 private investigators

to form 10 anti vote-buying swat teams, which will start sending “special envelops” to households around Taiwan for reporting vote-buying cases, former minister of the interior Su Jia-chyuan told a press conference in Hualien in eastern Taiwan Thursday.

Su, who leads an anti-bribery supervisory task force for the DPP, brought the “Hualien anti vote-buying swat team” to the press conference at a local campaign headquarters to reaffirm the party’s commitment to crack down on vote-buying.

Vote-buying is a serious damage to democracy, and in a hard fighting electoral district with equally-matched camps, such as Hualien, vote-buying is more likely to happen, Su said. That’s why they came to Hualien to explain to the folk, Su added.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/12/10
By: Huang Chiao-wen and Frances Huang

Taipei, Dec. 10 (CNA) Economics Minister John Deng (鄧振中) said Thursday that the government is planning to allow Chinese investors to buy stakes in local integrated circuit design companies under certain conditions.

Speaking in a meeting of the legislative Economics Committee, Deng said the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is considering allowing Chinese firms to invest in Taiwan’s IC design business, but would impose some conditions.

For example, he said, the government would not allow Chinese investors to hold a majority stake in Taiwanese IC design companies and strategic partnership proposals would have to be submitted to the MOEA for approval.

In addition, Taiwanese IC designers seeking to sell shares to Chinese investors would have to ensure that there are no leaks of trade secrets or any brain drain to China, Deng said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: December 10, 2015

A record NT$5.8 billion (US$176.6 million) fine was imposed Dec. 9 on 10

international capacitor suppliers for price collusion and joint monopolization by the ROC’s Fair Trade Commission.

Seven aluminum electrolytic capacitor firms—ELNA Co., Hong Kong Chemi-Con Ltd., Nichicon Co., Nippon Chemi-Con Corp., Rubycon Corp., Sanyo Electric Co. and Taiwan Chemi-Con Corp.,—along with three tantalum capacitor makers—Matsuo Electric Co., NEC Tokin Corp. and Vishay Polytech Co.—were found to have violated the nation’s Fair Trade Act.

FTC Vice Chairman Chiu Yung-ho said the firms were involved in exchanging sensitive information pertaining to clients, pricing, and production capacity and volume through meetings or bilateral communications starting in 2005.

“The ruling was reached following a joint investigation launched last year with the EU, Singapore and the U.S. into international cartels seeking to gain industry monopoly,” he said. “The anti-competitive behavior of the firms involved in this case has substantively affected the local capacitor market.”     [FULL  STORY]

The documentary offers personal insights into the Second Sino-Japanese war through the stories of China’s first generation of air force pilots

Taipei Times
Date:  Dec 11, 2015
By: Ho Yi  /  Staff reporter

Several documentaries made over the past year have examined the legacy of

World War II. Song of the Reed (蘆葦之歌), for example, chronicles women who were forced into sexual slavery during the war, while Wansei Back Home (灣生回家) sheds light on the lives of Japanese citizens born in Taiwan during the colonial period from 1895 to 1945.

At first glance, The Rocking Sky appears to be just another version of the first generation of Chinese air force pilots who were trained to fight against imperial Japan’ superior forces.

On closer look, however, director Chang Chao-wei (張釗維) and his crew offer rare insight into the past through interviews with 40 surviving pilots and their relatives in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong. Personal narratives are brought to the forefront through letters, poems, photographs and interviews.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-12-09
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

In an effort to promote Kaohsiung as a pet-friendly city, the city council passed a new

Animal Protection Bylaw which stipulates that individuals caught for consuming dog and cat meats will face fines up to NT$75,000 (US$2,344), reports said Wednesday.

Those caught pouching dogs and cats will also be liable to fines ranging from NT$50,000 to NT$250,000, according to Hsu Rong-bin, director of the city government’s Animal Protection Department.

Meanwhile, instructors at schools across the greater Kaohsiung area are required to include lessons on animal protection in their social classes beginning the next semester, Hsu said.

“Animal activists will work with school instructors on a periodic basis to educate students on animal rights and protection.”     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/12/09
By: Tai Ya-chen and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Dec. 9 (CNA) Taiwan has come out on top among 122 countries and areas in the 2015 Global Open Data Index and emerged as the first non-European country to place in the top three, according to Open Knowledge International, which released the index Tuesday.

The result represented a major leap for Taiwan, which finished 36th in 2013 and 11th in 2014 in the annual index that measures how open governments are in providing key information.

In a statement on the 2015 index, however, Open Knowledge International cautioned in that “significant progress is still to be made as Taiwan’s overall score reveals that their data is only 78 percent open.”

“Crucial datasets such as government spending, postcodes and land ownership are still closed and inaccessible to citizens,” the British non-profit organization said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: December 9, 2015

The 27th economic and trade consultation meeting between Taiwan and the EU

concluded Dec. 8 in Taipei City, with the two sides exchanging views on numerous issues of mutual interest.

Convened by Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Cho Shih-chao and his EU counterpart Mauro Petriccione, the one-day event focused on the results of four groups tasked with addressing intellectual property rights, pharmaceuticals, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, as well as technical trade barriers.

Also discussed were issues relating to certification of Taiwan-produced organic agricultural exports, ongoing investigation of locally manufactured solar energy products, government procurements, and collaboration on trade, telecommunications and services industries.

According to Cho, the annual meeting is a first-class platform for expanding bilateral trade ties while helping bring Taiwan’s business environment in line with global standards.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/12/08
By: Tang Pei-chun and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Dec. 8 (CNA) From Jan. 1, Republic of China (Taiwan) nationals will be

allowed to add alternate Romanized names in their passports based on the names’ pronunciations in their mother tongues, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

The change is being made to meet the pluralistic needs of the public, according to Chen Shang-yu (陳尚友), head of the Passport Administration Division under the Bureau of Consular Affairs.

For example, a man surnamed 黃 of Hakka descent will see his Romanized surname written as “Wong” based on Hakka pronunciation but written as “Huang” based on Mandarin pronunciation. In the future, the person will be allowed to use “Wong” as his alternate Romanized name, Chen said.

He said people will not be allowed to make changes at will after adding an alternate name on their passports, and he urged people to be careful in using alternate names.     [FULL  STORY]