Page Two

Groups urge TIAP to forgo elections

POLITICAL REALITY:Taiwan Independence Action Party leader Chin Heng-wei said the new party would not work with the third political force to nominate a candidate

Taipei Times
Date:  Jul 05, 2015
By: Lee Hsin-fang  /  Staff reporter

Pro-localization groups yesterday urged the newly founded Taiwan Independence Action Party (TIAP) to drop its plan to nominate candidates for next year’s legislative elections, citing concern the move could divide pan-green voters and hurt the camp’s prospects of securing a majority in the legislature.

Northern Taiwan Society chairman Chang Yeh-sen (張葉森) called on TIAP cofounder Chin Heng-wei (金恒煒), a senior political commentator, to instead assume the role of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) watchdog if the DPP wins a majority in the Legislative Yuan.

Chin on Wednesday announced that he is organizing the new party along with former presidential advisers Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) and Wu Li-pei (吳澧培), as well as former Presidential Office secretary-general Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟).     [FULL  STORY]

Cook in MRT incident out on bail

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-07-04
By Matthew Strong

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The cook whose knife injured a 15-year-old boy at a Mass

Cook in MRT incident out on bail -- Central News Agency

Cook in MRT incident out on bail — Central News Agency

Rapid Transit station was released on bail of NT$20,000 (US$647), reports said Saturday.

Some media reports shortly after the incident happened Friday afternoon had spoken of a case of senseless violence, drawing parallels with the stabbing deaths of four passengers on an MRT train in May last year.

However, the police investigation led to the authorities to believe that Friday’s case was an accident, with a knife carried by a cook inside a backpack being insufficiently packaged and harming the teenager who inadvertently bumped against the man.

The suspect, surnamed Wu, works as a cook at an Italian restaurant and reportedly takes his knives to work on the MRT each day. After he was located by police Friday evening, he expressed regret and was allowed to go free on bail.     [FULL  STORY]

Cadaver skin from Holland to arrive in Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/07/03
By: Leaf Jiang and Flor Wang

Brussels, July 3 (CNA) A shipment of cadaver skin donated by the Euro Tissue Bank in Amsterdam was expected to arrive in Taiwan late Friday to help Taiwan treat people who suffered severe burns in fiery explosions at a New Taipei water park on June 27.

Ger Kropman, manager of the skin bank, decided to make the donation and contacted Taiwan’s representative office in the Netherlands after learning of the tragedy on CNN, according to De Telegraaf, the country’s biggest daily morning newspaper.

Because the burn victims are at growing risk of developing infections in the coming days, the shipment must get to Taiwan as soon as possible to help save their lives, Kropman was quoted as saying by the newspaper.     [FULL  STORY]

More Chinese airports approved to run flights to Taiwan

This article was produced by the Xinhua News Agency, the official press agency of the People’s Republic of China. Xinhua describes itself as the “information organ of the central government.” Given China’s size and importance, GlobalPost publishes Xinhua’s press feed as a resource for its readers and makes no claims as to journalistic accuracy.

Global Post
July 3, 2015

BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) — Six more Chinese airports have been approved to run flights to Taiwan, according to Civil Administration of China on Friday.

The number of airports connecting the mainland and Taiwan has risen to 61, following the addition of the airports in the cities of Yangzhou, Huai’an, Nantong, Yiwu, Yanji and Kashgar.

Total flights to and from Taiwan per week have increased to 890.

Massena Central High School student headed for Taiwan as part of Rotary Youth Exchange

Watertown Daily Times
Date: JULY 3, 2015
By: BOB BECKSTEAD

MASSENA, NY — Evan George says he heard the stories his two sisters told about their

Jan-Vincent Hannappel from Frankfurt, Germany, talks to Massena Rotary Club members about his experiences during a yearlong stay in Massena as part of the Rotary Youth Exchange program.

Jan-Vincent Hannappel from Frankfurt, Germany, talks to Massena Rotary Club members about his experiences during a yearlong stay in Massena as part of the Rotary Youth Exchange program.

Rotary Youth Exchange visits to other countries, and soon he’ll have some stories of his own to share.

Mr. George, who attends Massena Central High School, will be spending the next school year in Taiwan. Most recently, one sister, Mackenzie, spent a year in Denmark as part of the program. Another sister, Mikayla, spent a year in Finland.

“I’ve known about it since I was little,” he said.

He said Taiwan wasn’t his original first choice.

“At first I wanted to go to Sweden,” Mr. George said.

But after attending a cultural fair with attendees representing several different countries, Taiwan jumped to the top of his list.    [FULL  STORY]

Spanish couple arrested for human smuggling

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/07/03
By: Chiu Chun-chin and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said Friday that a Spanish couple who allegedly tried to smuggle two young Sri Lankans out of Taiwan to Canada were arrested on Thursday.

The suspects were arrested at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport when they attempted to flee the country after coming under investigation following the arrest of the Sri Lankans on June 28, NIA officials said.

The trail to the Spaniards began when the Sri Lankans — an 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman — pretended to be transit passengers en route to Vancouver with fake Indian passports and Canadian visas, officials said.     [FULL  STORY]

I ‘respect’ new independence party, Tsai says

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 04, 2015
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on Thursday that she “respects” a move by pro-independence campaigners to establish a new political force called the Taiwan Independence Action Party.

Political commentator Chin Heng-wei (金恆煒) announced on Wednesday that he is organizing the new party along with former presidential advisers Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) and Wu Li-pei (吳澧培), as well as former Presidential Office secretary-general Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟).     [FULL  STORY]

President presents ROC flag to son of war heroine

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/07/03
By: Lu Hsin-hui and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) attended the launch Friday of two 201507030021t0001exhibitions on people’s lives during the 1937-1945 Second Sino-Japanese War and presented a Republic of China flag to a son of a war heroine.

The two exhibitions, one about wartime lives and the other specifically about Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule and Chiang Wei-shui (1891-1931), both curated by CNA, are being held at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei.

Ma gave the ROC flag to Chu Fu-kuei (朱復圭), a son of Yang Hui-min (楊惠敏 1915-1992), who as a girl guide supplied ROC flags and supplies to Chinese troops besieged by the Japanese army in Shanghai in 1937, to show gratitude and respect to citizen heroes and heroines in the war.

Ma said that “the mistakes of history might be gradually forgotten, but historical truth cannot be forgotten, since forgetting history could lead to the recurrence of the same mistakes.”     [FULL  STORY]

184 burn patients in critical condition: Taiwan health ministry

Want China Times
Date: 2015-07-03
By: CNA

Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday that 184 burn victims remained

Medical staff treats a burn victim at the China Medical University Hospital, July 1. (Photo courtesy of China Medical University Hospital)

Medical staff treats a burn victim at the China Medical University Hospital, July 1. (Photo courtesy of China Medical University Hospital)

in critical condition in the wake of a flash fire at a water park in New Taipei last weekend, which injured hundreds of revelers and left two dead.

Currently, 495 people who were injured in the fire are being treated at 41 hospitals around Taiwan, the ministry said.

Among them, 241 are in intensive care units or on burn wards and 184 are listed as in critical condition, according to Huang San-kuei, director general of the ministry’s National Health Insurance Administration.

In particular, he said, the condition of one victim at a Taoyuan hospital has been deteriorating and the patient has been put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a form of partial cardiopulmonary bypass used for long-term support of respiratory and/or cardiac function.     [FULL  STORY]

President attends openings of war exhibitions

Taipei Times
Date: Sat, Jul 04, 2015
By: Staff writer, with CNA

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday attended the openings of two exhibitions on

President Ma Ying-jeou, right, presides over the opening ceremonies for two exhibitions on the Second Sino-Japanese War yesterday in Taipei. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times

President Ma Ying-jeou, right, presides over the opening ceremonies for two exhibitions on the Second Sino-Japanese War yesterday in Taipei.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times

people’s lives during the 1937 to 1945 Second Sino-Japanese War and presented a Republic of China (ROC) national flag to the son of a war heroine.

The two exhibitions, one about wartime lives and the other specifically about Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule and Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水, 1891-1931) are being held at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei.

Ma gave the ROC national flag to Chu Fu-kuei (朱復圭), the son of Yang Hui-min (楊惠敏, 1915-1992), who as a girl guide supplied ROC national flags and supplies to Chinese troops besieged by the Imperial Japanese Army in Shanghai in 1937, to show gratitude and respect to citizen heroes and heroines during the war.

Ma said that “the mistakes of history might be gradually forgotten, but historical truth cannot be forgotten, since forgetting history could lead to the recurrence of the same mistakes.”     [FULL  STORY]