Taiwan News
Date: 2015-11-03
By Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Premier Mao Chi-kuo on Tuesday gave a subdued view of the

likelihood of tourism on the South China Sea’s Taiping Island, a proposal from Kuomintang chairman and presidential candidate Eric Liluan Chu.

The ruling party leader had echoed the government view that disputes in the area should first be put aside before joint development took place. The mostly uninhabited islands have formed the focus of sometimes strident exchanges between China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and from a distance also the United States.

Taiwan has controlled Taiping, also known as Itu Aba, in the Spratly archipelago since 1956. Coastguard staff is based there, and an airport has been constructed.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/03
By: Wang Hung-kuo and Elaine Hou

Taipei, Nov. 3 (CNA) A 3D light show will be projected on New Taipei’s iconic Christmas tree as part of the city’s festive events this year, the city government said Tuesday.

Australian company The Electric Canvas was invited to conceive the project, which the city government describes as the world’s only Christmas tree that comes with 360-degree 3D projection.

The project will see high-definition animation projected onto the Christmas tree erected in the plaza in front of City Hall, the city government said at a news conference.

The lighting show will be coupled with music produced by local violinist Lee Szu-hui (李思慧) and various bear illustrations created by a local artist, it added.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-11-02
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Minister of Finance Chang Sheng-ford pointed out that short-term stimulus measures can

be more effective than consumer vouchers in helping to boost the island’s ailing economy, reports said Monday.

The measures, announced by Premier Mao Chi-kuo last Friday, will last for three months effective November 7 to February 29. The stimulus package includes subsidies for the purchase of energy-efficient home appliances, domestic travel, and for those who replace their 2G mobile phones with 4G smartphones.

“Subsidies are way better than consumer vouchers,” Central Bank Governor Perng Fai-nan exclaimed.

During a question-and-answer session at the legislature in the morning, KMT Legislator Lu Hsiu-yen questioned her doubt as to whether the subsidy program could pose any significant impact on the economy given such short duration.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Review
Date: Date: November 1, 2015
By: KELLY HER

Two refurbished Japanese colonial-era buildings highlight the growing role of the private

sector in heritage preservation.

When Hayashi Department Store in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City reopened its doors to the public for the first time in almost seven decades in June last year, several of the elderly guests of honor at the unveiling struggled to keep their emotions in check. The invitees, former employees and customers of the establishment, most of them now in their 80s, never imagined that they would see the iconic structure restored to its former glory. “Walking into the store again after so many years was a really poignant moment for our elderly guests,” says Stacy Tseng (曾芃茵), a junior manager at Koche Development Co., which was awarded management rights to Hayashi for 10 years by the Tainan City Government. “They shared their fascinating stories of the fun times they’d had here all those decades ago.”

The Western-style department store was built during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945) and was the tallest building in Tainan at the time of its completion in 1932.

The brainchild of Japanese businessman Hayashi Houichi (1883-1932), it was the first business in the city to offer a wide selection of imported luxury goods such as cosmetics, fashion wear and timepieces. It was also just the second establishment of its kind in Taiwan, opening a mere seven days after Kikumoto Department Store in Taipei.

Following the Japanese withdrawal at the end of World War II and Taiwan’s return to the Republic of China (ROC), the structure, which was damaged by U.S. warplanes during the conflict, was turned into public administration offices, dormitories and warehouses. It was later left vacant and fell into disrepair. In 1998, the city government claimed ownership of the building and designated it a heritage site.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date:  Nov 03, 2015
By: Abraham Gerber  /  Staff reporter

Animal rights activists protested outside the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in

Taipei yesterday, accusing migrant workers of eating stray animals.

Nearly 200 protesters gathered outside the representative office, holding up placards showing photographs of dead dogs and other animals, which they said had been posted on Facebook by Vietnamese migrant workers.

Small pet dogs were held by numerous protesters, several of whom also pushed their pets in baby carriages.

Numerous protesters accused Vietnamese migrant workers of being responsible for the disappearance of feral cats and dogs, calling on the representative office to take “effective measures” to stop its citizens from killing feral animals, including “information sharing” and “advocacy” for the workers before they arrive to make them aware of the nation’s legal and cultural norms.

Daan District Wenzhou Community Development Association president Ho Chan-han (何承翰) said that several feral cats had disappeared or been killed in his neighborhood, with Vietnamese migrants workers admitting responsibility.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/01
By: Lo Kuang-jen and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) Donya Francis and Rolhensha Henry of St. Kitts and Nevis won a

foreigners singing contest of campus folk songs in Taipei Sunday in which more than two dozen finalists expressed their feelings and techniques in Mandarin on stage.

Angel Kurniawi Chandra of Indonesia won second prize and Burocher Suart Venly of Haiti took third in the contest, organized by Radio Taiwan International (RTI).

All the prize winners, two men and two women, are students, either already matriculated or in language programs at local universities. Venly has been staying in Taiwan for about three months.

RTI President Lai Hsiang-wei (賴祥蔚) said RTI held the singing contest because this year is the 40th anniversary of the advent of campus folk songs. Previously, RTI held mandarin speech contests for more than a decade. Lai expressed hope that via campus folk songs, people at home and abroad can enjoy more cultural interaction.     [FULL  STORY]