Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/01/2020
By: Chen Ping-hung, Yeh Kuang-yin and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, June 1 (CNA) A Taipei bookstore that had been open to customers around the clock since 1999 closed its doors on Sunday, but its special ambience and services will not be easily erased from the memory of its faithful patrons.

Eslite Dunnan was hub for artists, writers and cultural icons over three decades, hosting events that ranged from exhibitions, to stage performances and night lectures.

In a final farewell, Eslite Dunnan hosted a nostalgic "18 Hours of Marathon Lectures" on Sunday, inviting writers, book editors and performers to share their memories of the world's first 24-hour bookstore.    [FULL  STORY]

GOING HOME: A total of 427 people infected with COVID-19 have left isolation, with nine people still hospitalized, as the nation enters its 50th day without a domestic case

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 02, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported one new imported case

of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Taiwan to 443.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), head of the center, said that a woman in her 50s, who had visited the US on a business trip in March, returned to Taiwan on Sunday with the disease.

Her symptoms of a fever, runny nose and coughing began on May 18, and on May 21 she lost her sense of smell, he said.

She reported her condition to the airport quarantine officers upon arrival, he said, adding that she was tested for COVID-19 at the airport and has entered a quarantine center.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 05/31/2020
By: Kay Liu

Taipei, May 31 (CNA) Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) will face a recall vote on June 6, nearly 18 months after he began his four-year term at the end of December 2018.

The mayor of the southern city, the third largest of Taiwan's six special municipalities in terms of population, is the first special municipality head to face a recall vote, according to the Central Election Commission's (CEC's) online database.

As of April, Ministry of the Interior statistics show that Kaohsiung had a population of 2.77 million, behind New Taipei's 4.02 million and Taichung's 2.82 million.

Han, a former lawmaker from New Taipei, arrived in Kaohsiung in September 2017 to lead the local branch of Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) ahead of the local elections in November 2018.    [FULL  STORY]

Kaohsiung civic groups hold parade to boost anti-Han fervor, increase voter turnout on June 6

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/05/31
By: Kelvin Chen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On Saturday (May 31), the last weekend before Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu's (韓國瑜) recall vote, civic groups held a parade in Kaohsiung's Qiaotou District.

At 4:00 p.m., people began to gather at the former residence of Yu Teng-fa (余登發), a famous politician considered to be a pioneer of the nation's democracy. With high spirits, the participants set out towards the Mazu temple at Fengqiao, shouting slogans such as, "We resolutely oppose Han. We must vote him out of office," CNA reported.

Following last weekend's event in Qishan District, the parade was held to maintain fervor and increase publicity for the June 6 recall vote.

Along the way, many people scrambled to obtain yellow anti-Han ribbons with some even spontaneously joining the parade. Democratic Progressive Party legislators Chiu Chih-Wei (邱志偉) and Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) were also present to show their dedication to stopping Mayor Han.    [FULL  STORY]

Further government analysis reveals private information dates back further than 2006

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/05/31
By: Kelvin Chen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to reports of a massive government data leak, Cabinet Spokesperson Ting I-ming (丁怡銘) announced on Saturday (May 30) that upon initial analysis by government cybersecurity units, the content of the data is many years old.

Ting added that the information was not leaked from any Taiwanese government agency but is most likely a compilation of a variety of sources, CNA reported.

After verification by the relevant agencies, the data was found to have been circulating since before 2006. In addition to the recently revealed data, there are a total of 29 other data files dating from 2007 onward, including seven from 2007, 11 from 2008, three from 2009, five from 2010, two from 2011, and one from 2016.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 05/31/2020
By: William Yen

Taipei, May 31 (CNA) Taiwan reported no new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus on Sunday, leaving the total number of cases at 442 since the pandemic began late last year, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

During a special press briefing in Tainan to help promote local tourism, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who also heads the CECC, said Sunday was also the 49th consecutive day with no domestically transmitted infections.

"Today marks the seventh week with no domestic infections," Chen said.

The last time Taiwan recorded a domestic infection was April 12, according to the CECC.
[FULL  STORY]

Reuters
Dater: May 30, 2020

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s government said on Saturday it had approved Gilead Sciences’ potential COVID-19 treatment, remdesivir, to treat the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

Governments are racing to bolster supplies of remdesivir, which U.S. regulators this month approved for emergency use. California-based Gilead has said it will donate 1.5 million doses of remdesivir, enough to treat at least 140,000 patients, to combat the global pandemic.

Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Centre said the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration took into account “the fact that the efficacy and safety of remdesivir has been supported by preliminary evidence” and its use is being approved by other countries.

On that basis, the centre said the conditions had been met for approval of the drug for use in patients with “severe” COVID-19 infection.    [FULL  STORY]

East Asia Forum
Date: 30 May 2020
By: Robert Joseph Medillo, Manila

Taiwan’s global efforts in the wake of COVID-19 have the potential to undermine China’s assertive ‘One China policy’ and realise a greater international acceptance of Taiwan’s de facto independence. Drawing from its COVID-19 experience, Taiwan can broaden its place in international cooperation.

In April 2020, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen pledged donations of surgical face masks and other forms of medical assistance to foreign nations to support the global fight against COVID-19. Taiwan has had only 442 confirmed cases — almost 50 per cent of which have recovered — and only 7 fatalities.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed the European Union’s gratitude for Taiwan’s efforts and gestures of solidarity. Taiwan made a direct donation of 1 million face masks to the European Union and donated another 5.9 million face masks through bilateral channels to individual member states. Across Europe, Taiwan has been lauded for its domestic strategy to contain the spread of COVID-19.

In the United States, the State Department issued a statement describing Taiwan’s COVID-19 response as a successful model and Taiwan as ‘a true friend’ in times of need. This follows US President Donald Trump signing legislation to support Taiwan’s recognition in international forums and to take unspecified action against countries that ‘undermine the security or prosperity of Taiwan’.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan should be more proactive in stopping Chinese influence in global organizations

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/05/30
By: Yang Sen-hong, human rights activist and public health expert, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Trump on Friday (May 29) heavily criticized the World Health Organization (WHO) for being contaminated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and announced that the U.S. will withdraw from this unhealthy organization. It's a huge shock for the global community and will surely alter the world order.

Alternatively, the U.S. may seek to establish a new global health system, perhaps calling it the World Health Center (WHC).

In an association without CPP involvement, Taiwan could be an important partner in global public health. In fact, the U.S. has long been considering withdrawing from this international organization that is infiltrated by the CCP.

President Trump has already set a precedent for sudden exits from global endeavors. As soon as he was elected, he withdrew from the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.
[FULL  STORY]