Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/05/31
By: Zoe Wei and Christie Chen

Taipei, May 31 (CNA) “Why do I have you as my child?” and “why are you so stupid?” have each topped a list of the most damaging things parents can say to their children, according to a survey released Sunday by a civic group.

“Why do I have you as a child?” was voted the most damaging thing to say to block the communication of love between parents and children, according to an online survey by the Humanistic Education Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting human-centered education.

It was followed by “you let me down,” “shut up,” “then stay here, all by yourself,” “behave, and dad and mom will like you,” “don’t ever think I will help you,” “what’s all the crying about?” “why do you have to be different from the others?” “can’t you just be more careful?” and “hurry up, I am going to count to three.”      [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-31
By: CNA

A mysterious old man who maintains an old house furnished with abandoned

materials and painted pure white, has stirred interest in eastern Taiwan’s Taitung county.

The man, surnamed Lee and possibly in his 80s, has been collecting waste wood, bricks and glass to refurbish the house over the past 30 years, according to local people.

Opinions differ as to what kind of person Lee is and what kind of house he is keeping because Lee, who is hearing-impaired and inarticulate, has never revealed his story.

Standing distinctively on an empty plot of land covering thousands of square meters, however, the house has recently become a tourist attraction.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-30
By: CNA

Taiwan and the Philippines will soon hold a meeting in an effort to address remaining

differences on bilateral law enforcement cooperation in their overlapping economic waters, Taiwan’s foreign minister David Lin said Friday.

Officials from related agencies in both countries will gather at the meeting, expected to take place in June and negotiate on matters such as the scope of law enforcement by respective authorities, Lin told reporters on the sidelines of a swearing-in ceremony for Taiwan’s new representatives overseas and other senior foreign affairs officials.

Lin’s remarks came one day after a Taiwanese fishing boat suspected of entering waters within 24 nautical miles of the Philippines attracted the Philippine Coast Guard’s attention but it later left the area when a patrol approached the vessel.

The Taiwanese fishing boat was reportedly harassed by the Philippine government vessel while operating in the two countries’ overlapping exclusive economic zones, prompting Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration to send a patrol vessel to protect the fishing boat, which has resumed normal operations.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-29
By: Scott Pursner

Taiwan’s yellow-margined box turtles are being overharvested at an alarmingly high

rate in order to be shipped to China where wealthy businesspeople view the animal as an investment opportunity.

Also known as the Chinese box turtle, the small turtle with its high-dome shell was once a common sight throughout Taiwan but population numbers are declining rapidly. Most English-language reports on the threats to the species cite the pet trade or the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) industry are the likely culprits. But Dr Tien-hsi Chen, a professor at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology’s Institute of Wildlife Conservation and Taiwan’s foremost turtle expert, says the reality is much more complicated.

Taiwan is losing its turtles to rich Chinese individuals, Chen says, not because they want them as pets or for TCM but rather because they are “speculating” on the turtle market, as every year their value increases.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/05/29
By: Tseng Pei-shan and Scully Hsiao

Taipei, May 29 (CNA) The mercury in Taipei reached 35.7 degrees Celsius Friday afternoon, the highest reading on the island that day, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

Temperature in the nation’s capital topped 30 degrees Celsius at 8:00 a.m., bureau data showed, before it edged up to hit 35.7 degrees at 2:21 p.m.

“The south wind has arrived … before the afternoon thunderstorms develop, the temperature should be pretty high,” wrote Cheng Ming-dean, head of the bureau’s Weather Forecast Center.

Temperatures also surged in other parts of Taiwan that day, with the mercury reaching highs of 35.1 degrees in Banqiao District in New Taipei and Dawu Township in the eastern county of Taitung, according to the bureau.     [FULL  STORY]