Radio Taiwan International
Date: 19 June, 2020
By: John Van Trieste

Human rights groups have unveiled a draft of a law that would grant refugees protection in Taiwan.

Taiwan has no refugee act in place, and attempts to pass one over more than a decade have failed to yield results.

The human rights groups unveiled their proposal for a refugee act on Friday, one day before World Refugee Day. At a press conference, the groups voiced support for efforts towards helping protect Hong Kongers from persecution. However, they called on the government to treat the protection of those fleeing persecution from other places with importance as well.    [FULL  STORY]

ANI News
Date: Jun 19, 2020

Hong Kong, June 19 (ANI): A social media campaign has been launched with the hashtag #JunkOneChina to raise voice against dubious One China policy.

Twitterati hit out at China for its expansionist policies and creating uncertainty in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang. They highlighted the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) headed by President Xi Jinping.

"There is and there can never be One China. It is a dubious policy drafted by the biggest conglomerate of human right oppressors in living history called the CCP," said a Twitterati.
It added, "The Uyghurs, the Tibetians, the Taiwanese, the Manchurians and the Hongkongers will all fight and break out from the cages of the oppressive CCP regime."
Another Twitterati said, "The world must break its silence against China. Why is the West repeating its blunder that it did before the Second World War — Stop appeasing the Chinese regime and Xi the dictator! The myth of One China has to be broken from its core ideology."
[FULL  STORY]

Simplified Chinese writing spotted on mysterious metal object found on N. Taiwan beach

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/19
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A 2.4-meter-long metal object discovered at Yongzhen Seaside Park in Taiwan's Yilan county on Tuesday (June 16) is thought to be an empty missile shell used by the Chinese military during one of its firing trials.

During a press interview Friday (June 19), Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) Chairman Young Hong-tsu (楊宏智) said the cone-shaped metal object appears to be the remains of a ballistic missile. He said aviation safety officers had determined the mysterious object was not aircraft wreckage since it contained a metal matrix composite, which is not used for constructing airplanes.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/19/2020
By: Lin Chang-shun and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, June 19 (CNA) Taipei District Court ruled Friday that the diaries of former presidents Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) dating from their terms in office are property of Taiwan's government, while those from their years as private citizens belong to the Chiang family.

The court's decision, after five years of litigation, found that portions of the diaries from the two presidents' terms in office belong to the Academia Historica under the Presidential and Vice Presidential Records and Artifacts Act, while the portions dating from outside those years can continue to be held as private property.

The dispute over the diaries dates to 2005, when Chiang Ching-kuo's daughter-in-law Chiang Fang Chih-yi (蔣方智怡) signed an agreement for the diaries to be curated for 50 years by Stanford University's Hoover Institution.

After receiving conflicting claims of ownership to the diaries, Stanford University filed an interpleader action in the United States in 2013 to determine who held legal rights to the documents.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 18 June, 2020
By: John Van Trieste

Taiwan is set to donate 20,000 rapid COVID-19 testing kits to several diplomatic allies in Central America. That was the word from the foreign ministry’s head of Latin American affairs, Alexander Tah-Ray Yui, on Thursday.

Yui said that the kits are made in Taiwan and have an accuracy rate of over 90%.
[FULL  STORY]

The Standard
Date: 18 Jun 2020

Taiwan authorities will establish a new office to help Hongkongers move to the self-ruled city, starting services on July 1.

Chen Ming-tong, minister of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, said this afternoon the office with two hotlines will cater to Hongkongers seeking humanitarian aid, as well as prospective students, employees, investors and entrepreneurs.

For those in need of humanitarian assistance in specific, they will receive “necessary help” from the Taiwan government, including legal advice and “basic living care”, according to Chen.

“The expenses incurred will be paid by government funding,” he said, adding that the budget depends on how many people will apply for the aid.    [FULL  STORY]

World famous primatologist awarded Tang Prize for work on sustainable development

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/18
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — British primatologist Jane Goodall was named winner of the 2020 Tang Prize for sustainable development on Thursday (June 18) after dedicating her life to redefining the relationship between humans and our closest animal relative.

Known as "the girl who lived among wild chimpanzees," Goodall was revealed as the Tang Prize laureate Thursday at a press conference held by the Tang Prize Foundation and members of the Academia Sinica selection committee. The award citation referred to Goodall's anthropological work and environmental conservation, calling it "groundbreaking" and "unparalleled," according to UDN.

The Tang Prize Foundation pointed out that Goodall's insight into how chimpanzees make and use tools, in the 1960s, has shaken the foundation of modern science and reshaped global understanding of primates and species conservation. It added her findings were also among the examples of proof to defy the longstanding idea that only humans understood tool usage.

Following the award announcement, Goodall expressed gratitude for the recognition in a video and said she was overwhelmed by the news. The 86-year-old said she was delighted for her Taiwanese connections and wanted to thank the island nation's researchers for having faith in her pursuit of animal conservation.    [FULL  STORY8]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/18/2020
By: Hou Wen-ting, Matthew Mazzetta and intern Melissa Wu

Taipei, June 18 (CNA) Taipei plans to boost its status as an LGBT tourist destination once the COVID-19 pandemic has lifted by offering commemorative certificates to same-sex couples visiting from abroad, the city's Department of Civil Affairs (DCA) said Wednesday.

Taiwan became the first country in Asia to pass a marriage equality law last May and more than 4,000 couples tied the knot in the first year since the policy took effect, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

On Wednesday, Taipei City Councilor Lee Chien-chang (李建昌) held a forum to discuss how the city can use this distinction to promote its LGBT or "rainbow" economy, particularly in the tourism sector.

At the event, DCA Section Chief Wu Chung-hsin (吳重信) said the city government plans to offer "commemorative certificates" to visiting LGBT couples, though their exact name and design are still under discussion.    [FULL  STORY]

FATAL DISEASE: The council said it would compensate farmers for shrimp destroyed due to the virus and help them rehabilitate their farms

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 19, 2020
By: Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA

Sixteen crayfish and shrimp farms across the nation were found to have been infected with the Decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1), which was first found in China in 2014, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday, adding that there is no risk of human transmission.

A COA inspection of crayfish and shrimp farms nationwide from May 8 to May 21 found that 12 crayfish farms, three king prawn farms and one giant tiger prawn farm tested positive for the virus, COA Deputy Minister Huang Chin-cheng (黃金城) told a news conference in Taipei.

All crayfish, shrimp and prawns testing positive for DIV1 are to be disposed of, Huang said.

Of the 16 farms, two king prawn farms are in New Taipei City, while the other king prawn farm and one giant tiger prawn farm are in Yilan County, Huang said.    [FULL  STORY8]