Taipei Times
Date: Aug 07, 2015
By: Yu Chao-fu and Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The New Taipei City Government has canceled a proposed photography contest focused

A Siberian white crane accompanies a farmer while he works in a field near New Taipei City’s Chingshui wetland on Monday. Photo: Yu Chao-fu, Taipei Times

on a rare Siberian white crane that migrated to a wetland in the city late last year amid criticism the contest could threaten the bird’s habitat with the influx of competitors and tourists.

The contest was promoted on the city’s Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office Web site to raise awareness of bird conservation and the rarity of the white crane — an endangered species — but the office canceled the contest due to conservation concerns, office director Chen Yuan-chuan (陳淵泉) said.

The office has deployed a security guard to maintain order at the site, cordoned off the rice paddies where the bird dwells and set up warning signs to caution the public against getting too close to the bird, Chen said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-08-05
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taipei Dome developer Farglory Group has sued Taipei City

Farglory sues Ko for defamation. Central News Agency

Mayor Ko Wen-je for defamation, reports said Wednesday.

Ko and Farglory tycoon Chao Teng-hsiung have been enveloped in a war of words ever since the former took office last December 25. At issue have been the safety, the environmental impact and the pricing of the Taipei Dome, a 40,000-seat sports stadium complex.

At the origin of the latest move were repeated statements by Ko accusing Farglory of being a “greedy business.” The company had filed a suit for aggravated defamation with the Taipei District Court, the Chinese-language Liberty Times reported Wednesday.

Since Chao had brought the complaint and Ko was the only target of the legal action, it was possible that both could confront each other in court, reports said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/08/05
By: Jay Chou and Lillian Lin

Jakarta, Aug. 5 (CNA) Taiwan and Indonesia agreed at a meeting between

Chang Liang-jen, Taiwan’s representative in Indonesia CNA file photo

representatives of the two countries on Tuesday to further cooperate on immigration issues, the prevention of human trafficking and the prosecution of traffickers.

Taiwan’s representative to Indonesia Chang Liang-jen (張良任) and Indonesia’s representative to Taiwan Arief Fadillah signed the minutes of Tuesday’s meeting in Jakarta to seal the consensus.

Mo Tien-hu (莫天虎), director-general of Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency, confirmed Wednesday that immigration officials of the two countries discussed the framework for further cooperation at the third Taiwan-Indonesia conference on immigration affairs Tuesday.

Mo flew into Jakarta on Monday to attend the conference, visit refugee shelters, and get a look at the automatic customs clearance system at the international airport on the island of Bali.     [FULL  STORY]

The Bangkok Post
Date: 4 Aug 2015
By: AFP

TAIPEI – Taiwan’s government promised to review its controversial new school curriculum

Activists march with placards that read “fix the disputed curriculum” during a demonstration by Taiwanese students and activists against the island’s China-centric curriculum changes, in Taipei on August 2, 2015

Tuesday after protests by students who have slammed it as “China-centric”.

But angry students who have been camped out in the compound of the education ministry after storming it on Friday have vowed to stay, saying their demands have not been met.

The crisis was triggered by the suicide of young activist Lin Kuan-hua who opposed the curriculum changes.

Smaller protests against the adjustments have been going on for months, including students breaking into the education ministry building.

Talks with Education Minister Wu Se-hwa broke down on Monday in an emotional meeting with students, who have threatened to escalate their actions.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 05, 2015

Hsinchu City’s Cultural Affairs Bureau held a seminar at the Image Museum on July 25,

Albert Leung poses for a picture on August 2 last year in Taipei.
林夕。攝於去年八月二日，台北。
Photo copied by Chao Shih-hsun, Taipei Times
照片：自由時報記者趙世勳攝

inviting Albert Leung, known as “Asia’s god of lyrics,” to speak about his creative concepts. Leung told the audience that imagination and real-life experience are both indispensable. If imagination is the only thing, there will be no sense of resonance, so you need to have a grounding in reality.

Leung, a well-known lyricist based in Hong Kong, has written more than 3,000 songs, including Faye Wong’s Adzuki Beans, Eason Chen’s Ten Years and many other popular songs that have touched people’s hearts.

Hsinchu is also nicknamed “the windy city,” and Leung said that wind is romantic. At the outset of the creative process, he said, at the superficial stage, before any thought is given to humanistic concerns or social perspectives, lyrics are written for pure beauty. Then when the lyricist goes through the ups and downs of life, acute sensibility becomes essential for creativity, as if time leaves its marks as it crawls across the writer’s skin.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-08-04
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Students protesting against curriculum changes said Tuesday

Students to stay at MOE. Central News Agency (2015-08-04 18:11:24)

they would remain in front of the Ministry of Education despite a consensus reached at the Legislative Yuan and an approaching typhoon.

The ruling and opposition caucuses at the Legislature reached an agreement Tuesday morning to ask the MOE to allow each school to choose between the original high-school curriculum and the new version which provoked strong protests over the past few weeks.

A protest spokesperson said their aim was still the complete withdrawal of the new curriculum guidelines for the time being, so they would not leave the space in front of the MOE which they have been occupying for five days. The protesters also expressed disappointment about the Kuomintang caucus at the Legislative Yuan having voted against a special summer session about the issue.     [FULL  STORY]