Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/26
By: Lillian Wu and Christie Chen

Taipei, Oct. 26 (CNA) The largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) conference in Asia will be held for the first time in Taiwan, with 300 activists in the LGBT community from over 30 countries participating, the Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBT) Hotline Association (台灣同志諮詢熱線協會) announced Monday.

The 6th ILGA-Asia Regional Conference will be held at the Chientan Overseas Youth Activity Center in Taipei from Oct. 28 to 30. ILGA stands for International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.

The conference will discuss such issues as marital equality, AIDS, health services, LGBT rights in Muslim societies, strategies to combat criminalization of homosexuality, and LGBT activism in Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and other Asian countries.     [FULL  STORY]

Photo courtesy of the Wild Bird Society of Taipei

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/25
By: S.M. Yang and Lillian Lin

Taipei, Oct. 25 (CNA) The Wild Bird Society of Taipei (WBST) held its 17th Taipei International Birdwatching Fair this weekend at Guandu Nature Park, in Taipei.

A WBST spokesman said Sunday nearly 7 percent of the world’s bird species can be seen in Taiwan, as many of them are endemic and the country is central to East Asia’s main migratory routes.

The wetlands of Guandu Nature Park are at the confluence of the Tamsui and Keelung rivers and the opportunity to view these migratory birds makes it a popular area for birdwatchers.

Every spring and autumn for the past decade, WBST has sponsored the Birdwatching Fair at Guandu Nature Park to introduce birders and the general public to the wetlands’ ecological resources and conservation efforts.     [FULL STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-25
By: CNA

An annual event showcasing music, dance and food from across the Asia-Pacific region

Vice President Wu Den-yih makes mochi at the Asia-Pacific Culture Day in Taipei, Oct. 24. (Photo/CNA)

opened Saturday in Taipei to promote cultural and artistic exchanges between Taiwan and other countries in the region.

The Asia-Pacific Culture Day, now in its fourth year, is presenting music, dance and martial arts performances of the participating countries. Organized by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it will run through Sunday.

“We hope that today’s event will foster greater cultural exchanges among countries in the Asia-Pacific,” deputy foreign minister Bruce Linghu said at the opening ceremony, which was attended by Vice President Wu Den-yih and officials from the participating countries.

“Globalization highlights the importance of international cultural exchanges. Such interactions foster mutual understanding and lead us closer to realizing the dream of a global village,” he added.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 26, 2015
By: Chang Hsiao-ti and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) commemoration of the 70th anniversary of

Schoolchildren perform a song at a Retrocession Day commemoration in Taipei yesterday against a backdrop showing Chiang Kai-shek, then-US president Franklin Roosevelt, then-British prime minister Winston Churchill and Soong Mei-ling seated in front of military and civilian officials at the 1945 Cairo Conference. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

Retrocession Day yesterday betrayed a hidden China-centric and pro-unification agenda, academics said at a forum in Taipei.

The forum, hosted by the Taiwan Association of University Professors, was aimed at challenging the official “liberation” narrative of Taiwan’s post-World War II history.

“‘Liberation’ is the shackling of the Taiwanese by a military junta led by Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石); a shackling that is still in evidence 70 years later,” association secretary-general Hsu Wen-tang (許文堂) said. “It is a liberation that never was.”

“The political subtext of the liberation anniversary is unification,” Taiwan Thinktank deputy executive director Lai I-chung (賴怡忠) said.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-24
By: CNA

The Taipei Water Department has created a Web page on its official website that enables

A lead pipe, top, and a steel pipe. (Photo/Taipei City Government)

city residents to check if their houses are being served drinking water through pipes made of lead installed decades ago.

Through the website, which was launched Thursday night, city water users can enter the account number on their water bill in the spaces provided to check if their water is exposed to the lead water pipes.

The special Web page, in Chinese only, can be accessed at: http://www.water.gov.taipei/ct.asp?xItem=127401280&CtNode=85025&mp=114001

Taipei water customers can also call the water department’s hotline at 8733-5678 or e-mail call@water.gov.taipei for further information.

Concerns over the use of the lead pipes were sparked by a report in Apple Daily earlier this week that the buildings of up to 36,000 water users in seven cities and counties in Taiwan, including Taipei, were still being served by small-diameter feed lines made of lead.     [FULL  STORY]