Page Two

Hung shows no sign of quitting election race

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-09-06
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Kuomintang presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu confirmed Sunday morning

Hung shows no sign of quitting. Central News Agency (2015-09-06 15:08:25)

Hung shows no sign of quitting. Central News Agency (2015-09-06 15:08:25)

her intention to stay on the election race remains unchanged despite having taken a short pause from her hectic campaign schedule earlier this week.

Hung’s televised speech was aired during a news conference at the KMT headquarters in Taipei, downplaying speculations that she was considering quitting the game due to poor poll results.

“I apologize for keeping you worried. For the past few days I’ve been contemplating on my past actions and looking at new ways to move forward,” she said.

The presidential contender posted a message on her Facebook page late night Wednesday saying she is suspending her campaign for self-contemplation and reflection.     [FULL  STORY]

ROC president calls for stronger ties with Indonesia: Kompas

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/06
By: Jay Chou and Evelyn Kao

Jakarta, Sept. 6 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou has urged the Indonesian 201509060020t0001government to strengthen cooperation with Taiwan by signing an economic cooperation agreement and other bilateral accords.

In an interview published Saturday in the Kompas, the largest circulating newspaper in Indonesia, Ma also called on the Southeast Asian country to increase official exchanges with Taiwan, especially ministerial visits.

Ma suggested that Taiwan and Indonesia could strengthen cooperation in investment, trade, labor affairs, people-to-people exchanges and fishing by signing bilateral agreements to make them institutionalized.     [FULL  STORY]

Kaohsiung university launches international exchange program

Want China Times
Date: 2015-09-06
By: CNA

A national university in Taiwan was commissioned over the summer by the

National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung. (Photo courtesy of National Sun Yat-sen University)

National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung. (Photo courtesy of National Sun Yat-sen University)

Ministry of Education, to launch an international exchange program allowing foreign students to enroll on short-term courses and take vocational internships.

The two-month Taiwan Experience Education Program, offered by the College of Management at National Sun Yat-sen University in the southern city of Kaohsiung, enabled foreign students to participate in teams consulting selected enterprises during the summer vacation and learn about the operations of Taiwanese companies.

The program also offered foreign students courses in Chinese language studies, as wells as opportunities to exchange work experience with Taiwanese counterparts and visit local economic and cultural sites, as a way of broadening their understanding of Taiwan.     [FULL  STORY]

Criteria for ‘air pollution days off’ detailed by OSHA

NO PAY:Firms are not legally required to declare air pollution holidays, and if they do, employees do not have to be paid unless they have been told to be on stand-by

Taipei Times
Date:  Sep 07, 2015
By: Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter

Criteria for “air pollution days off” have been announced by the Occupational

Emissions from factory smokestacks are seen in Kaohsiung on May 25. Photo: Chang Chung-i, Taipei Times

Emissions from factory smokestacks are seen in Kaohsiung on May 25. Photo: Chang Chung-i, Taipei Times

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The Ministry of Labor organization said that working outdoors should be halted when the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) exceeds 500 or the concentration level of airborne pollutants measuring less than 2.5 micrometers — PM2.5 —is above 500 micrograms per cubic meter.

Outdoor activities should be suspended for workers more vulnerable to air pollution — those with chronic respiratory disease or cardiovascular disease, pregnant women and senior workers — when the PSI is between 400 and 499 or the PM2.5 level is above 350.4 micrograms per cubic meter, OSHA said as it promulgated the new rules last week.     [FULL  STORY]

Perils lie beneath the blooming tourism in Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-09-05
By: Jocylin FC, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

As the Red supply chain rises, the fierce competition between Taiwan and China

Perils beneath the blooming tourism. Associated Press

Perils beneath the blooming tourism. Associated Press

not only affects the technology industry, it also affects tourism in Taiwan. As more major Chinese cities are holding electronic fairs, the number of business travelers declines severely overtime.

Since 2008, the proportion of business travelers falls from more than 20% to less than 7.7% in 2016, according to the Tourism Bureau. A manager from certain hotel told the press that there were fewer people at Computex Taipei because CES held their first exhibition in Shanghai a week before Computex Taipei. President of Taiwan Convention and Exhibition Association, Jason Yeh said that business travelers’ consuming capacity is much stronger than average tourists. The reduction in business travelers threatens the future of tourism and tradeshows in Taiwan. Regent Taipei’s chairman Pam Sy-lian pointed out that in comparison, business travelers’ spending power is five times the spending power of the average tourists. Therefore, the government should also value the quality of tourism and promote the more productive business tourism market.     [FULL  STORY]

Hundreds celebrate opening of century-old lighthouse

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/05
By: Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Sept. 5 (CNA) Hundreds of visitors on Saturday flocked to century-old Fuguijiao (富貴角) lighthouse located at the northernmost point of Taiwan to celebrate its opening to the public, amid efforts to restore historic sites and transform them into tourist attractions.

The celebration, which was postponed until one week after the official opening of the lighthouse due to bad weather, attracted people from all walks of life, who enjoyed live music, free ice-cream and commemorative postcards.

Among them was 68-year-old You Yi-hua (尤義華), who worked in the lighthouse for 30 years, and 14 family members.    [FULL  STORY]

‘Keyword business’ scam makes off with NT$100m in Taiwan

Want China Times
Date: 2015-09-05
By: Meng Hsiang-chieh and Staff Reporter

Five people were arrested on Sept. 3 by the police in Taiwan’s New Taipei City,

Google was one of the companies reportedly in cooperation with the Taiwanese company. (File photo/China Times)

Google was one of the companies reportedly in cooperation with the Taiwanese company. (File photo/China Times)

charged with scamming over 1,000 people out of more than NT$100 million (US$3 million) in paid memberships for a “business” which claimed to collaborate with major internet search engines in keywords on the internet, reports our Chinese-language sister paper China Times.

The group, led by a man surnamed Huang, scammed victims by claiming that the group had teamed up with internet search engine giants Google, Yahoo and Bing to develop a business in the online keyword market since 2008. They bought keywords at low prices from the companies and sold the words to advertising companies for a premium, according to the storyline.

Huang nicked the picture of a CEO of an internet company in Florida and held several overseas events luring people to invest at least US$10,000 for a membership in the business. After becoming a member, investors would be offered a three-day trip to Macau for free. Huang even waved a “diamond-mounted iPhone 6” in front of investors for an investment of US$200,000 or more.     [FULL STORY]

‘Natural landscape park’ to replace Yuanshan museum

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 05, 2015
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

The Taipei City Government yesterday said that it would transform a site in the city’s Yuanshan area (圓山) previously allocated for the planned Taipei City Museum into a 170-hectare “natural landscape park” and that the museum would be relocated to the Taipei City Council’s former site near the Taipei Railway Station.

The adjustment was made in an effort to preserve the 4,500-year-old Yuanshan archeological site, which is inside the project’s proposed site and would have resulted in management problems for the museum, Taipei Deputy Mayor Charles Lin (林欽榮) told a news conference in Taipei.

The museum, which was to be built inside the Taipei Expo Park and consist of two venues, was designed to introduce Taipei’s history.

The revised project has a budget of about NT$340 million (US$10.36 million), which is NT$700 million less than the original budget, Lin said.     [FULL  STORY]

Hsinchu County chief sentenced to 4 months

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-09-04
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Hsinchu County Magistrate Chiu Ching-chun was sentenced to four months in prison Friday after alleging that an election rival took bribes.

Appeals against the verdict by the Hsinchu District Court were still possible.

During the campaign for his re-election last year, Kuomintang incumbent Chiu reportedly made a speech hinting that one of his rivals, former KMT county magistrate Cheng Yung-chin, took bribes on construction contracts.

Cheng sued him under the Election and Recall Act for trying to make him lose the election, and won the first round of his legal case Friday.

The judges listened to a tape recording of Chiu’s speech, reports said. The incumbent county magistrate’s attorney argued that he had used the term “commission,” which was not as serious an allegation. The attorney also said that Chiu never mentioned anybody by name.      [FULL  STORY]

Blind pianist solicits second-hand musical instruments for the poor

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/09/04
By: Zoe Wei and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Sept. 4 (CNA) Visually impaired pianist Huang Yi-siang (黃裕翔) made

CNA file photo

CNA file photo

famous by a Taiwanese movie based on his life on Friday launched a campaign to solicit second-hand pianos and other musical instruments to help students in remote areas learn music.

“Music is my dream and piano is an important partner for me to realize that dream. I want to carry the seed of the dream to the remote areas to work together with the children there,” Huang said.

Huang ‘s musical dream inspired many people after the film “Touch of the Light”(逆光飛翔), which is based on his story, hit the big screens in 2012.

Huang played the lead actor in the movie, which has since received several awards, including for best actor in the Milan Film Festival.     [FULL  STORY]