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1 killed, 6 injured in 2 car accidents in rainy southern Taiwan

eTaiwan News
Date: 2015-05-24
By: Central News Agency

Taipei, May 24 (CNA) A woman in the back seat of a car was killed Sunday after the car, driven by her husband, was hit by a falling rock amid torrential rain near a bridge leading to the mountainous Alishan area in Chiayi County, southern Taiwan. The couple are teachers at Fengshan Elementary School in the mountainous area of Chiayi. After spending their weekend at their home in Chungpu Township, they were driving back to the school with their daughter who was also in the back seat but was unharmed in the accident, according to local police. The teacher showed no signs of life when her husband drove her to Fengshan to seek emergency treatment.

The falling rock was reportedly triggered by torrential rain amid the current plum rain front. As of 9 p.m. Sunday, Alishan has received 215 mm of rain over the past 24 hours, while Fengshan got 140 mm, according to the Central Weather Bureau. Also on Sunday, a sport utility vehicle rammed into a tour bus after losing control on a slippery road due to rain in Fangshan, Pingtung County and was careening toward and then hit a car on its right side, causing injuries to three men and three women.     [FULL  STORY]

Nuclear power not cheap, being phased out: expert

Taipei Times
Date: May 24, 2015
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

Former US Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman Gregory Jaczko yesterday said that nuclear energy is playing an increasingly insignificant role in electricity generation worldwide, and that, contrary to popular belief, it is actually more expensive than a range of methods of energy generation.

At a news conference in Taipei, Jaczko said that the future for nuclear power generation in the US and worldwide is one of “decreasing use and eventual phase-out.”

Referencing data generated by the US commission, Jaczko said that even if all US nuclear power plants were able to renew their operational licenses, the use of the energy source in the nation would come to an end by about 2055.

Diminishing use of nuclear power is a global trend, with just about 70 reactors under construction worldwide — a small fraction of operational reactors worldwide, he said, adding that the majority being built are in China.     [FULL  STORY]

Be wary of political bedfellows: lawyer Lai

Taipei Times
Date: May 24, 2015 – Page 3　
By: Lii Wen  /  Staff reporter

Human rights lawyer Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said on Friday that emerging “third force” political parties — such as the Green Party, Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the New Power Party (NPP) — should carefully consider their relationships with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Lai questioned recent remarks from veteran political activist Lin I-hsiung (林義雄), who on Friday said that the DPP should yield at least 30 constituencies to minor parties in next year’s legislative elections.

Basing their campaigns on “begging for constituencies” from the DPP would make it impossible for emerging political parties to monitor the actions of a future DPP administration, Lai said.     [FULL  STORY]

MND welcomes U.S. bill backing military cooperation with Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/05/23
By: Tony Liao, Y.F. Low and Elaine Hou

Taipei, May 23 (CNA) Taiwan expressed gratitude Saturday to the U.S. Senate 2015052300251Armed Services Committee for having inserted provisions promoting military cooperation with Taiwan in the 2016 National Defense Authorization Bill.

“The Defense Ministry is grateful to members of the U.S. Senate Armed Forces Committee for pushing a bill that would strengthen the Republic of China’s self-defense,” said ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Luo Shou-he (羅紹和).

His remarks came after the bill, which includes a section on Taiwan’s asymmetric military capabilities and bilateral training activities, cleared the Armed Services Committee on May 14. It will be submitted to the full floor for a vote.     [FULL  STYORY]

Taiwan to feature director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s works in Europe

Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-23
By: CNA

Taiwan is scheduled to launch a movie festival in Europe next week, featuring works

Hou Hsiao-Hsien, 3rd right, and the cast of the Assassin attend the 68th Festival de Cannes, May 22. (Photo/Lo Yung-ming)

Hou Hsiao-Hsien, 3rd right, and the cast of the Assassin attend the 68th Festival de Cannes, May 22. (Photo/Lo Yung-ming)

by internationally-renown Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien and other Taiwanese directors, the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris said Friday.

The event, set to start from May 26, will be the largest-ever movie festival held by Taiwan to showcase the country’s achievements in the movie industry to audiences from around the world at a time when international movie critics have expressed admiration toward Hou’s latest movie The Assassin.

A Tang Dynasty martial arts film starting Taiwanese actress Shu Qi and actor Chang Chen, The Assassin is one of the 19 entries in the main competition at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival. Hou spent 10 years making the film.

The French newspaper Liberation even said that The Assassin has a great chance of winning the top prize in the Cannes Film Festival, which started on May 12 and will run through May 24. Le Figaro Magazine also selected The Assassin as one of the top 15 movies at this year’s festival.     [FULL  STORY]

Tsai responds to Lin’s broadside blast

MIX AND MATCH:Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen said negotiations with rising political entrants could lead to ideal legislative candidates

Taipei Times
Date: May 24, 2015
By: Alison Hsiao  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), responding

Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen, right, speaks to reporters in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chen Hui-ping, Taipei Times

Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen, right, speaks to reporters in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chen Hui-ping, Taipei Times

to veteran political activist Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) remarks targeting the party on Friday, yesterday said that the idea of maintaining the “status quo” does not contradict the Resolution on Taiwan’s Future in the DPP charter.

Lin said that Tsai’s “maintaining the ‘status quo’” is a mystery to him, asking whether it is so hard to follow the DPP’s charter on this issue.

In response, Tsai said that the basic idea of “maintaining the ‘status quo’” is calling for open, transparent and fairer dealings in cross-strait affairs and public participation in policies, which are “not inconsistent” with the resolution.     [FULL  STORY]

Sufferers of bad luck have best life stories: Chi Pang-yuan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/05/22
By: Chen Chi-chung and Lilian Wu

Taipei, May 22 (CNA) People who have suffered from bad luck have the best life 201505220028t0001stories to tell, said writer Chi Pang-yuan (齊邦媛) on Friday, and she hoped more people will write the hard-luck stories of those who retreated to Taiwan after the Chinese civil war.

At a forum marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the second Sino-Japanese War in 1945, Chi said the best parts of the “Records of the Grand Historian of China” (史記) by Ssu-Ma Chien (司馬遷), a literary master and historian of the West Han dynasty, are the records of those with poor luck.

“Those who have bad luck have the best stories, because people can only reach the pinnacles of their lives after suffering bad luck and disappointment and having their values seen by others,” Chi said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s strategic value to rise as China adds pressure

Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-22
By: Chen Chun-shuo and Staff Reporter

China has reclassified the Taiwan issue as an issue of “national security” as

Tsai Yu-tai, director of National Chung Cheng University's Institute of Strategic and International Affairs speaks during a seminar on May 20, 2015. (Photo/Chen Chun-shuo)

Tsai Yu-tai, director of National Chung Cheng University’s Institute of Strategic and International Affairs speaks during a seminar on May 20, 2015. (Photo/Chen Chun-shuo)

opposed to its former classification as an “internal issue,” said Tsai Yu-tai, director of National Chung Cheng University’s Institute of Strategic and International Affairs.

Professor Tsai made the statement during a seminar on May 20 on cross-strait issues focusing on China upgrading Taiwan’s issue to the level of national security.

Huang Wei-feng, an associate research fellow of Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, said that Asian countries have started to adopt a policy of regional integration, which will lead many of them to rely on China for their own economic development, while relying on the US to guarantee their security.

Huang said that by upgrading the Taiwan issue to a national security level, China is putting pressure on the US and Japan to respond and make promises on regional security issues. This grants Taiwan a greater strategic value, according to Huang.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan a vital partner for US: official

COMMITMENT:The US reiterated its support for close cooperation and democratic developments in Taiwan, and welcomed discussions during Tsai Ing-wen’s US visit

Taipei Times
Date: May 23, 2015
By: William Lowther  /  Staff reporter in WASHINGTON

Taiwan is a “vital” partner of the US and Washington is committed to supporting the nation’s “confidence and freedom from coercion,” a senior US Department of State official said on Thursday, adding that Washington welcomes Democratic Progressive party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) visit next month.

In a speech that seemed geared toward boosting the relationship prior to Taiwan’s next presidential election, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton heaped praise on Taiwan as a “society worthy of emulation and envy.”

“We look forward to another dazzling display of Taiwan’s robust democracy in action,” she said.     [FULL  STORY]

Beijing warns US military flights in South China Sea could lead to accident

South China Morning Post
Date: 23 May, 2015, 1:14am

Beijing said on Friday it was “strongly dissatisfied” after a US military plane flew

A US Navy crewman aboard a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft views a computer screen purportedly showing Chinese construction on the reclaimed land of Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands. Photo: Reuters

A US Navy crewman aboard a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft views a computer screen purportedly showing Chinese construction on the reclaimed land of Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands. Photo: Reuters

over part of the South China Sea near where China is building artificial islands, and called on Washington to stop such action or risk causing an “accident”.

“Such action is likely to cause an accident; it is very irresponsible and dangerous and detrimental to regional peace and stability. We express our strong dissatisfaction. We urge the US to strictly abide by international law and international rules and refrain from taking any risky and provocative actions,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular news briefing.

“China will continue to closely monitor the relevant area and take the necessary and appropriate measures to prevent harm to the safety of China’s islands and reefs as well as any sea and air accidents.”

Watch: ‘Go away!’ US Navy spy plane in tense radio exchange with Chinese navy over South China Sea     [FULL  STORY]