COVID-19: TPP lawmaker urges vaccine priority overhaul
It is crucial to allow every Taiwanese to get their first shot, she said, adding that the second doses for government officials in the second vaccine priority group should be postponed. People receive COVID-19 vaccines in New Taipei City yesterday. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) gives “important government officials necessary for maintaining disease prevention work” second-highest COVID-19 vaccine priority. The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine should be reserved for priority group members who have not received their first dose, she said. Some countries, including Germany and Iceland, have approved second-dose vaccinations with the BioNTech or Moderna jabs, following the AstraZeneca vaccine, she said, adding that Taiwan should follow that example.
Source:Taipei Times
July 17, 2021 15:56 UTC
US line on Taiwan unreasonable
US line on Taiwan unreasonableBy Lindell LucyOn July 6, US National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell said: “We do not support Taiwan independence.”Campbell’s statement was confusing, immoral, anti-democratic and disappointingly common. Taiwan’s official name, the Republic of China (ROC), is a relic inherited from the Chinese Civil War and Taiwan’s authoritarian past. The CCP falsely claims Taiwan is a province of the PRC and regularly threatens to take it over by force. If the anti-secession law were actually intended to be enforced, the CCP should have invaded Taiwan a long time ago. It is time to stop saying that we do not support Taiwanese independence.
Source:Taipei Times
July 16, 2021 16:12 UTC
EDITORIAL: EU can do more to support Taiwan
EDITORIAL: EU can do more to support TaiwanGerman Institute Taipei Director-General Thomas Prinz said recently that Germany is attempting to balance its relationships with Taiwan and China. Prinz and Casabonne-Masonnave also talked about their countries’ desire for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and sending naval vessels into the region to make a statement of support for freedom of navigation. The representatives’ statements imply that Taiwan is a valuable friend for what it represents in terms of freedom and democracy. Who is to say that Beijing would not do the same to EU countries when their politicians speak up about human rights in Hong Kong or Xinjiang? Friendly nations should bolster ties with Taiwan to send a clear message to Beijing that democracies will stand together.
Source:Taipei Times
July 16, 2021 16:12 UTC
Groups urge respect for replica vessel
Groups urge respect for replica vesselBy Hung Jui-chin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerAdvocates of a replica of a 17th-century merchant ship on display in Tainan on Wednesday said that comments calling for the troubled piece to be burned exposed an attitude against cultural heritage among politicians. An Anping resident surnamed Lin (林) said that the ship is the only reproduction of a vessel from that era. Tainan Citizen Thinktank, a non-governmental organization, said that the city should not shy away from spending money to improve maintenance of the Taiwan Cheng Kung. The replica was unseaworthy because, among other issues, not enough research was done of the building process for such vessels, the think tank said. The culture department said that the Taiwan Cheng Kung has not “expired” and the city government is maintaining it.
Source:Taipei Times
July 16, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Slovakia to donate 10,000 jabs in return for masks
That makes Slovakia the second European nation to announce a plan to donate COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan. Last year, Taiwan sent masks to Slovakia when the country was in difficult times. Now Slovakia hopes to make slight contributions in return by donating 10,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan,” the Slovak office wrote on Facebook in Mandarin and Slovakian. The Taipei Representative Office in Bratislava yesterday wrote on Facebook that Slovakia had as early as late May expressed its intention to donate medical supplies to Taiwan. Ou thanked Slovakia for its sincere friendship and goodwill, adding that Slovakia and Taiwan have been maintaining close cooperation across different sectors.
Source:Taipei Times
July 16, 2021 15:56 UTC
T3EX board approves 10m share issue
However, based on its closing price of NT$244 in Taipei trading yesterday, it could raise at least NT$2 billion from the share offering, it said. The Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp container ship YM Continuity is moored in Kaohsiung on June 25. “We cannot forecast or guess how Yang Ming’s share price will fluctuate in the future,” T3EX said. In the first quarter, T3EX saw its unrealized profits increase as the share price of Yang Ming, in which it owned about 20 million shares, climbed. Despite T3EX’s pulling out, Yang Ming yesterday raised NT$29.12 billion from its 160 million common share issue, it said in a filing with the stock exchange.
Source:Taipei Times
July 16, 2021 15:56 UTC
AIT Director Oudkirk takes office
AIT Director Oudkirk takes office‘HELLO TAIWAN’: The incoming director is to start after completing 14 days of quarantine, while former director Christensen was sent off by officials yesterdayBy Lu Yi-hsuan and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, staff writer, with CNASandra Oudkirk yesterday took over as director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) as the country bid farewell to her predecessor, Brent Christensen, who departed for the US. American Institute in Taiwan Director Sandra Oudkirk arrives in Taiwan on Monday. Oudkirk “looks forward to building on the successes of her predecessors and to further advancing the US-Taiwan relationship,” it said. Former American Institute in Taiwan director Brent Christensen waves goodbye as he leaves Taiwan yesterday. When asked about his gift of Aiwen mangoes to Christensen, Huang said the fruit was originally imported from Florida and to him it symbolized the friendship between the two countries.
Source:Taipei Times
July 15, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Vaccinations lag in KMT-governed areas, DPP says
COVID-19: Vaccinations lag in KMT-governed areas, DPP saysVACCINE ORDERS: The DPP panned a KMT-led plan for four county governments to buy vaccines as an attempt to boost its profile ahead of a party electionBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNACOVID-19 vaccination data show low inoculation rates in cities and counties governed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus said yesterday. The government’s inoculation efforts are a race to end the COVID-19 outbreak, with all local governments doing their best to vaccinate their residents, DPP caucus secretary-general Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) told an online news conference. Wang Sheng-che, formerly a violin repairer for the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, plays traditional songs for people waiting for their vaccinations in a gymnasium in Taichung yesterday. No country would authorize local governments to purchase vaccines, as this would affect the national epidemic prevention policy and the principle of equality, Lo said yesterday. The local vaccine procurement endeavor comes as the KMT chairperson election looms, the DPP said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 15, 2021 15:56 UTC
CECC confirms 14 domestic cases, six deaths
CECC confirms 14 domestic cases, six deathsBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 14 locally transmitted COVID-19 infections, four imported cases and six deaths. Of the local cases, eight were male and six female with an onset of symptoms between Wednesday last week and Wednesday, the center said. Nine of the cases were reported in Taipei, three in Taoyuan and two in New Taipei City, it said, adding that 11 of the cases had known sources of infection, while three were under investigation. Yesterday’s COVID-19 cases brought the total in Taiwan to 15,346 — 13,900 of which were domestic infections reported since May 15, when the nation first recorded more than 100 cases in a single day — while the number of deaths from COVID-19 totaled 759, including 747 since May 15. The Taipei command center also released the places that two of the cases visited in their daily activities.
Source:Taipei Times
July 15, 2021 15:56 UTC
Large low-pressure system could bring storms: CWB
Large low-pressure system could bring storms: CWBBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterMultiple tropical systems could form in the northwest Pacific Ocean in the next two weeks as a result of a large low-pressure system, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday. Spanning from the South China Sea to the Pacific Ocean, the low-pressure system became the dominant meteorological force after a Pacific high-pressure system weakened and receded eastward on Wednesday, the bureau said. “In the next two weeks, Taiwan would be under the influence of the low-pressure system, which could cause multiple tropical systems to form,” bureau forecaster Hsieh Pei-yun (謝佩芸) said. Central Weather Bureau forecaster Hsieh Pei-yun yesterday discusses the possible development of tropical systems in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times“Regardless of whether these systems affect Taiwan directly, the low-pressure system would increase humidity on the east coast and cause afternoon thundershowers nationwide,” she said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 15, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: GDP growth forecast raised to 5 percent
COVID-19: GDP growth forecast raised to 5 percentDEMAND FOR EXPORTS: While a level 3 COVID-19 alert is wreaking havoc on service providers, there is little impact on manufacturers, a Standard Chartered economist saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterStandard Chartered Bank Taiwan (渣打台灣銀行) yesterday raised its forecast for the nation’s GDP growth this year from 4.4 percent to 5 percent, as local firms continue to benefit from strong demand for technology products amid an improving global economy. The upward revision came despite consumer spending taking a hit from social distancing measures implemented to combat a COVID-19 outbreak, the bank said. Domestically, the COVID-19 outbreak is driving up unemployment and consumer confidence would remain weak until vaccination rates reach safe levels, he said. In related news, the Taiwan Research Institute (台灣綜合研究院) yesterday forecast GDP growth of 5.12 percent for this year. Major economies are emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, a trend that bodes well for global trade and the nation’s exports, the institute said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 14, 2021 15:56 UTC
High Court orders return of illegal proceeds
High Court orders return of illegal proceedsBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterA High Court ruling yesterday could pave the way for the return to the government of US$520 million of illegal proceeds from arms dealer Andrew Wang’s (汪傳浦) family in the latest chapter of the Lafayette frigate procurement scandal . Wang reportedly died in the UK in 2015. Following the Supreme Court’s decision, Switzerland in February agreed to return US$266 million to Taiwan, while the procedure for the return of another US$312.5 million is under way, ministry officials said. The deal soon became embroiled in allegations of corruption, bribery and other illegal activities involving Wang, Taiwanese naval officials and many other parties. A fugitive since 1993 who is on Taiwan’s most wanted list, Wang reportedly died in the UK in 2015 at the age of 86.
Source:Taipei Times
July 14, 2021 15:56 UTC
Hualien struck by earthquake swarm
Hualien struck by earthquake swarmBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterHualien County was yesterday struck by more than 30 shallow earthquakes, with a few homes damaged, although there were no reports of injuries. The earthquake swarm began with a magnitude 5.2 tremor at 6:52am, with the epicenter 5.1km southwest of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 5.9km. From 6:53am to 8:08pm, it was followed by 38 aftershocks of magnitude 3 to 5, Central Weather Bureau data showed. Fallen masonry and sheet metal lie in front of a shop on Guangfu Street in Hualien City after an earthquake struck the region yesterday morning. The rapid succession of events yesterday was unusual, Chen said, adding that more aftershocks might occur over the next week.
Source:Taipei Times
July 14, 2021 15:56 UTC
NHRC report clears Lin Shui-chuan
NHRC report clears Lin Shui-chuanBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) yesterday released its first report, clearing pioneer democracy advocate and former Taipei City councilor Lin Shui-chuan (林水泉), who was imprisoned by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). NHRC Chairwoman Chen Chu (陳菊) said Lin ran as an independent candidate for Taipei City councilor in 1960, but in 1961 the KMT branded him a “hoodlum,” and imprisoned him without due judicial process. From left, National Human Rights Commission Deputy Chairman Kao Yung-cheng, Chairwoman Chen Chu and Commissioner Chang Chu-fang announce a report on pioneering democracy advocate and former Taipei City councilor Lin Shui-chuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo courtesy of the National Human Rights Commission via CNALin had the courage to criticize the KMT government for supressing people’s rights, Chen said. The NHRC’s investigation was completed in April, and Lin had been informed of its findings, but the report was not released due to a local COVID-19 outbreak.
Source:Taipei Times
July 14, 2021 15:56 UTC
Radioactive blast from ICRT’s past
The cover photo for the Radioactive Taiwan podcast. “We were by far a lot more than just a radio station,” Monday says. Longtime former ICRT DJ Bobby Kong narrates Radioactive Taiwan. Members of Cutting Crew and the immensely popular Air Supply share their memories of playing in Taipei on the podcast. With traditional media in decline due to the Internet, the show provides fascinating insight to what a radio station could do back then.
Source:Taipei Times
July 14, 2021 15:56 UTC