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KMT fight with Tsai moves to ‘Diplomat’ arena

CROSS-STRAIT FOCUS:Lee Shih-chuan used an article printed in a regional magazine to criticize Tsai Ing-wen about her China policy and the ‘status quo’

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 15, 2015
By: Shih Hsiao-kuang and Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

In an article published in The Diplomat magazine on Saturday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Secretary-General Lee Shih-chuan (李四川) called on Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to clarify her “nebulous” China policy.

Coming on the heels of a letter Lee wrote to the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, the magazine article, titled “Time for Taiwan’s Opposition to Clarify Its Cross-Strait Policy,” is the latest in a series of similar calls from the KMT for Tsai to define the cross-strait “status quo” that she has vowed to maintain.     [FULL  STORY]

Risk of cardiovascular disease higher in less affluent areas of Taiwan: HPA

Want China Times
Date: 2015-06-14
By: CNA

People in New Taipei, Taitung county and Hualien county have a higher risk of developing

A cardiovascular disease prevention event held in Taipei, Sept. 27, 2012. (File photo/Chen Chun-wei)

A cardiovascular disease prevention event held in Taipei, Sept. 27, 2012. (File photo/Chen Chun-wei)

cardiovascular disease than those in other regions because they tend to smoke and drink heavily and do not exercise, Taiwan’s Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said Friday.

In 2002, the standardized death rate for people 30-70 years old as a result of vascular disease–including cardiovascular disease and diabetes–was 115.9 per 100,000 population. The figure dropped by 23% to 89.2 in 2013. Taitung county and Hsinchu, which saw their death rates fall by 10% and 12%, respectively, were the areas with the smallest decrease.

According to the HPA, such health inequality due to the urban-rural gap is also reflected in the risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

In the rankings for such risk factors, New Taipei, Taitung county and Hualien county had the highest scores, the HPA said.     [FULL  STORY]

Tsai, democracy activists pay tribute to Lynn Miles

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 14, 2015
By: Loa Iok-sin  /  Staff reporter

The funeral of veteran human rights and social activist Lynn Miles was held yesterday in Taipei, with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and a number of democracy advocates paying tribute to Miles and his work.

Offering a sunflower and a glass of beer while holding Miles’ hand, Tsai expressed gratitude for Miles’ contribution to the nation’s movement for democracy during the White Terror era.

Tsai made a brief stop at the Taipei Municipal Second Funeral Parlor before traveling to Kinmen for campaign events.     [FULL  STORY]

Woman’s compensation for tripping over dog gives post office ‘paws’

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/06/13
By: Liu Shih-yi and Y.F. Low

Taipei, June 13 (CNA) A post office in New Taipei City must provide a woman NT$170,000 201506130014t0001(US$5,444) in compensation for her injuries incurred from tripping over by a dog at the post office, according to a ruling by the Taiwan High Court.

The accident occurred on Dec. 26, 2012 when the woman, surnamed Wang, went to Qingshui Post Office in Tucheng to mail a letter. When she was prepared to leave, she tripped over a dog lying on the floor of a main walkway. The woman then collided into an umbrella stand, resulting in a 2 centimeter laceration on her jaw, the verdict said.

During the first trial, a district court determined that the post office should be held responsible for Wang’s injuries and should pay the victim NT$150,000 in compensation in spite of the post office’s argument that the dog was brought in by another customer and it was in no position to deny entry to anyone with dogs much less to control the canine.     [FULL  STORY]

The tactical reasons behind the VIP treatment of Tsai Ing-wen in US

Want China Times
Op-Ed
Date: 2015-06-13
By: Wang Kun-yi

Tsai Ing-wen, chair and presidential candidate of the Taiwan’s major opposition Democratic

Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech at the Center of Strategic and International Studies in Washington, June 3, (Photo/Wang Chueh-wei)

Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech at the Center of Strategic and International Studies in Washington, June 3, (Photo/Wang Chueh-wei)

Progressive Party (DPP), recently returned from a 12-day visit to the United States, where she laid out her platform for her presidential run in 2016. The US accorded her VIP treatment, which likely raised some eyebrows in China and among the leadership of Taiwan’s ruling Kuomintang.

First, Tsai delivered a speech to a prominent US think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in which she stated that once elected as president, she will push for cross-strait policy under the current constitutional system of the Republic of China (ROC) and make an effort to bridge partisan political divides within Taiwan. This has been interpreted by some in the DPP-led pan-green camp as giving up the Taiwan Independence party platform.

This may be overinterpreting her comments, however, as, in the past, when former DPP chair Frank Hsieh advocated for a “constitutional one China”, China didn’t issue any response. As Tsai’s rhetoric is lacking in concrete content, it’s unlikely it will have a significant effect on DPP policy.     [FULL  STORY]

WSJ runs president’s article on South China Sea Peace proposal

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/06/12

Taipei, June 12 (CNA) The U.S. Wall Street Journal published an article written by President 201506120033t0001Ma Ying-jeou on June 11 (Easter Time) about his South China Sea Peace Initiative, addressing him as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Ma reiterated that the proposal is a “practical” and “visible” solution to addressing tensions in the region and urged all claimants to shift their focus from settling territorial disputes to jointly developing resources.

“Although sovereignty cannot be divided, resources can still be shared,” the president wrote, expressing Taiwan’s hope to engage in “peaceful dialogue and to cooperate with the other claimants in the South China Sea.”

Following is the complete text of the president’s article:     [FULL  STORY]

Jason Hu receives Visionary of the Year award in Toronto

Want China Times
Date: 2015-06-12
By: Mei-Tzu Kuo

Former mayor of Taichung Jason Hu received the 2015 Visionary of the Year award from New 20150612000114York-based Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) on Thursday in Toronto.

The vice chair of our parent group Want Want Group who governed Taichung for 13 years was praised by experts for the Taichung Metropolitan Opera House designed by renowned Japanese architect Toyo Ito.

“Taiwan has one of its grandest moments tonight,” said Hu who received a standing ovation from audiences after he gave a keynote speech during the ICF’s annual summit held from June 8-12. Taiwan’s performances in building intelligent communities wowed the organization’s judges, said the vice chair. New Taipei City was named as one of the ICF’s Top 7 Intelligent Communities of 2015 and Taichung was named the Intelligent Community of the Year in 2013 while Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, won the same honor in 2006, said Hu.     [FULL  STORY]

Nine on bail in military procurement scandal

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 13, 2015
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Prosecutors yesterday said they had detained seven suspects and released nine others on bail in an ongoing investigation into military corruption at the 209th Arsenal over the production of CM-32 Clouded Leopard (雲豹) armored vehicles.

The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office confirmed that Chiang Yi-fu (江義福), chairman of Chung Hsin Electric and Machinery Manufacturing Corp (CHEM, 中興電工), the main contractor in the case, was released yesterday after posting bail of NT$5 million (US$160,123).

Earlier, prosecutors confirmed an investigation of four military personnel, including a colonel and a staff sergeant, at the Ministry of National Defense Armaments Bureau’s 209th Arsenal, which produces tanks and armored vehicles at the Ordinance Readiness Development Center in Nantou County.     [FULL  STORY]

Travel advisory to Shanghai raised one level after new H7N9 case

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/06/12
By: Zep Hu and Lilian Wu

Taipei, June 12 (CNA) Taiwan has raised the travel advisory to Shanghai one level higher after 201506120037t0001an additional H7N9 influenza case was reported there on Wednesday, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Friday.

The MAC said that in keeping with the suggestions by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it upgraded the travel advisory to Shanghai to “alert.”

Besides Shanghai, Taiwan currently also has a level two alert for China’s Fujian, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces. That means travelers to those areas should take a high degree of caution and adopt strong protective measures.     [FULL  STORY]

Cross-strait ties critical for US: former official

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 12, 2015
By: William Lowther  /  Staff reporter in WASHINGTON

Future US-Taiwan relations would be “conditioned in significant measure” by the way Taipei adopts constructive and effective approaches to cross-strait relations, a former senior US Department of State official said.

“Given the potential impact of developments in cross-strait ties on US national interests, no one should doubt that this is an issue to which Washington will attach great importance,” Stimson Center East Asia program director Alan Romberg said.

In a long academic paper published this week by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, Romberg said that during her Washington visit earlier this month, Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) had avoided language that would “trigger rejection” from Beijing.     [FULL  STORY]