Book review: Neither here nor there: Study casts light on aging Taiwanese migrants to the US
Book review: Neither here nor there: Study casts light on aging Taiwanese migrants to the USThe overall feeling among those interviewed for this fascinating book is that “Americanization” has made them more progressive and tolerant as parents, grandparents, husbands and wivesBy James Baron / Contributing ReporterWith droves of Taiwanese Americans reportedly bolting stateside on “vaccine tours,” the issue of transnational healthcare opportunism is back in the public eye. Still, the perception remains that many Taiwanese Americans are taking advantage of both systems in an unscrupulous manner. A fair few deflected by railing against “undeserving others,” including undocumented Latinos, immigrants from China and even lower-income Taiwanese. In Chapter 5, which is titled Navigating Networks of Support, a woman surnamed Guo relates the difficulty of engaging in politics with family back home. “But Mr Guo explained, ‘Yes, they are from Taiwan, but they are waishengren.’ For Mr and Mrs Guo, not everyone from Taiwan counted as ‘Taiwanese,’” Sun concludes.
Source:Taipei Times
June 09, 2021 15:56 UTC
Greatek output to drop due to virus cases
Greatek output to drop due to virus casesBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterChip tester and packager Greatek Electronics Inc’s (超豐電子) shares tumbled more than 3 percent yesterday, as it said it expected output to drop by about 10 percent this month because it has shut some production lines to test all employees for COVID-19 after reporting eight confirmed cases. Greatek was one of five electronics companies in Miaoli County’s Jhunan Township (竹南) that reported COVID-19 infections among migrant workers. Two new rapid screening test centers were yesterday launched at the Southern Taiwan Science Park’s (南部科學園區) two campuses in Tainan and Kaohsiung. The rapid screening test centers can so far test a combined 1,000 people a day, the Southern Taiwan Science Park Administration said in a statement yesterday. Rapid screening test centers were launched at the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) and the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區) on Sunday and Tuesday respectively.
Source:Taipei Times
June 09, 2021 15:56 UTC
‘Bullied’ student dies in apparent suicide
‘Bullied’ student dies in apparent suicideBy Yao Yueh-hung and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerA student at National Chengchi University jumped from the roof of his apartment in the early hours of Sunday after he was allegedly bullied online. At 3am on Sunday, Huang jumped from the roof of his building, leading to questions over whether bullying had played a factor in the apparent suicide. Following the alleged suicide, classmates posted on the online bulletin board Professional Technology Temple confirming that Huang had been bullied online. However, Huang began having conflict online with two new roommates, she said. The school said it would get in touch with students affected by the suicide, and encouraged any student who has problems to ask the school for help.
Source:Taipei Times
June 09, 2021 15:56 UTC
NCC gives BCC a pass, but orders improvements
The nation’s largest radio station was penalized five times during the three-year period for promoting specific products in its programs, accumulating NT$600,000 (US$21,608) in fines, NCC senior specialist Chen Shu-ming (陳書銘) said. The company must also reinforce educational training for workers and ensure that it has a sound financial management plan, the commission said. The commission would offer administrative guidance to BCC if it should change its business plan in accordance with the court’s ruling, Wong said. The radio station was also required to submit in August a financial statement in which its broadcast and non-broadcast revenue are listed in separate categories, Wong said. As Jaw did not accept the position that was offered to him, BCC did not breach regulations in this regard, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 09, 2021 15:56 UTC
Mega Bank fined NT$10m over lax mortgage controls
Mega Bank fined NT$10m over lax mortgage controlsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterState-run Mega International Commercial Bank (兆豐銀行) was yesterday fined NT$10 million (US$360,972) for its lax internal control over 28 mortgages totaling NT$350 million, whose applications were made by dummy accounts, the Financial Supervisory Commission said. Mega Bank became the nation’s third bank to be punished for failing to detect mortgage applications made by dummy accounts. Hua Nan Commercial Bank (華南銀行) was fined NT$3 million in 2016 for offering mortgages to 34 figurehead accounts, some of whom belonged to vagrants, and Hwatai Bank (華泰銀行) was fined NT$3 million in 2018, commission data showed. However, the lender last year found in an internal audit that the mortgage applications were made by figureheads who used funds from a third party to repay the loans, Huang said. Mega Bank has estimated that it would likely incur a loss of NT$22 million due to the 28 problematic mortgages, Huang said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 08, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Police warn about new strategies to defraud people
COVID-19: Police warn about new strategies to defraud peopleBy Hsu Kuo-chen and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerScammers have developed new strategies to extract personal information and money amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan, the Taichung Police Department said on Sunday. The department provided advice to avoid online scams amid a surge in reports of people posing as contact tracing officials or e-commerce platforms. A cellphone displays a text message as a person scans a contact tracing QR code in Taipei on May 23. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei TimesSome pose as contact tracing officials, messaging targets to tell them that they have been listed as a contact of a confirmed case, it said. Such scams often have prices far below market norms and do not provide contact information, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 08, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Morticians in Taichung call for vaccine priority
COVID-19: Morticians in Taichung call for vaccine priorityBy Su Chin-feng and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerMorticians in Taichung are urging the city government to prioritize them for COVID-19 vaccines, citing the dangers of handling funerary arrangements for unknown cases. Morticians are not on the priority list for vaccines, the Taichung Civil Affairs Bureau said. A medical worker prepares a vaccine shot at a new rapid testing station in Taichung Municipal Hui-Wen High School on Friday last week, as the Taichung City Government plans to establish 66 more rapid testing stations for COVID-19. Taichung City Councilor Chiu Su-chen (邱素貞) said that many morticians have contacted her and said they fear being infected while handling bodies that are only confirmed to have COVID-19 after death. The fact that they have not been prioritized for vaccines shows that the city has underestimated the risks morticians face, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
June 08, 2021 15:56 UTC
Delivery workers need jabs: group
Delivery workers need jabs: groupBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) should include delivery workers as a priority group for COVID-19 vaccines, as many consumers rely on their services because dining out has been banned across Taiwan, the Digital Economy Association Taiwan said on Monday. Although most delivery platforms or e-commerce providers do not have enough workers to handle the increase in orders, they still try to complete as many as possible, despite the infection risk workers face from coming into contact with so many people, the association said in a statement. Photo: Liu Hsin-te, Taipei TimesIf delivery workers are vaccinated, they can continue to work safely and are less likely to infect others, which would alleviate the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on businesses and reduce consumers’ anxiety, the association added. California and Singapore view delivery personnel as essential workers and have included them in their vaccine priority groups, the association said. Members of the association include Foodpanda Taiwan Co (富胖達), GoShare Taiwan Ltd (睿能數位), Lalamove Taiwan (啦啦快送), Uber Taiwan and Uber Eats Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
June 08, 2021 15:56 UTC
Environmental Impact Assessment: Will vertical farms upend conventional agriculture?
Environmental Impact Assessment: Will vertical farms upend conventional agriculture? Indoor farms — often called vertical farms, because they occupy small pieces of land but feature multi-level growing areas — bypass the unpredictability of nature. Curl leaf lettuce growing indoors at YesHealth’s vertical farm. What’s more, Taiwan has scores of disused industrial sites that could be repurposed into vertical farms. However, it tends to release toxins only when heated or exposed to sunlight; inside a vertical farm, this is unlikely to happen.
Source:Taipei Times
June 08, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Subsidies to benefit 7.3m people, Premier Su says
COVID-19: Subsidies to benefit 7.3m people, Premier Su saysTARGETED FUNDS: One-time subsidies are to go to farmers, self-employed people and families with young children, but calls for a blanket subsidy were dismissedStaff writer, with CNAAt least 7.3 million people in Taiwan will benefit from a fourth round of subsidies the government is issuing to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 restrictions, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. The legislature is holding an extraordinary session until Friday next week to review a NT$260 billion (US$9.39 billion) relief package proposed by the Cabinet, with Su briefing lawmakers on details of the package yesterday and today. Su said that NT$73.4 billion is for COVID-19 control measures, such as purchasing and developing vaccines and medication. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei TimesThe remaining NT$186.6 billion is to go to subsidies to individuals and businesses, Su said. The subsidies for individuals, which will benefit an estimated 7.3 million people, include a one-time subsidy of NT$10,000 to NT$30,000 for farmers, fishers, tour guides, taxi drivers and self-employed people, among others, Su said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 08, 2021 15:56 UTC
Number of furloughs exceeds 5,000
Number of furloughs exceeds 5,000Staff writer, with CNAThe number of furloughed workers in Taiwan increased by 940 over the past week, bringing the total to 5,065, Ministry of Labor data showed yesterday. A large food manufacturing company placed 840 workers on furlough, accounting for most of the weekly increase, the data showed. Twenty-two businesses initiated furlough programs over the past week, bringing the total to 467, the ministry said. The ministry issues weekly updates on the number of furloughed workers in the nation. Most of the establishments implementing furlough programs are small firms with fewer than 50 employees.
Source:Taipei Times
June 08, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Wanhua shops to take at least half year to recover
Wanhua, home to the Ximending (西門町) shopping area, is usually one of the most visited parts of Taipei. However, people have been avoiding the district since last month, when a COVID-19 outbreak was discovered there. Now, only local residents can be seen on the streets of Wanhua and they pass by quickly without entering the shops, Taipei Business District and Industrial Confederation chairman Hung Wen-ho (洪文和) said. Traditional shops on Dihua Street (迪化街) are open, but foot traffic has dropped to about 10 percent of normal levels, Dihua Shopping District Development Association chairman Hsu Ching-chi (徐慶棋) said. More than half of the businesses on Yongkang Street in Daan District (大安) have temporarily closed, Dongmen Shopping District Development Association chairman Liu Hung-hsiang (劉鴻翔) said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 07, 2021 15:56 UTC
Level 3 alert set to run until June 28
The CECC on May 15 issued the level 3 alert for Taipei and New Taipei City, saying it would last until May 28. Four days later, it expanded the alert to the entire nation before announcing on May 28 that the alert period had been extended to Monday next week. The latest extension was announced following a disease prevention meeting at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. A man has his temperature checked at a COVID-19 screening station in Taipei yesterday. Wedding banquets, public funeral ceremonies and religious gatherings are temporarily banned, while religious venues are temporarily closed to the public, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 07, 2021 15:56 UTC
In remembrance of Huang Tien-lin
In remembrance of Huang Tien-linBy Lu Shih-Hsiang 盧世祥Twenty-one years ago, I telephoned former Presidential Office adviser Huang Tien-lin (黃天麟) to invite him to write an opinion piece for the Chinese-language Economic Daily News. At the time, Huang had just retired as chairman of First Commercial Bank and I had just been hired by the newspaper. Huang later told me that the invitation marked the beginning of a new chapter in his life as a writer. During the 1990s, Huang greatly contributed to the debate over Taiwan’s economic and trade policy toward China, providing concrete research and analysis. During the administration of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Huang served as a Presidential Office adviser for seven years.
Source:Taipei Times
June 07, 2021 15:56 UTC
COVID-19: Foxsemicon suspends production for two days after six workers test positive
COVID-19: Foxsemicon suspends production for two days after six workers test positiveBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterFoxsemicon Integrated Technology Inc (京鼎精密), a semiconductor manufacturing and inspection equipment maker, yesterday suspended production for two days after six foreign workers tested positive for COVID-19. The entrance of Foxsemicon Integrated Technology Inc headquarters in Miaoli County’s Jhunan Township is pictured on Feb. 16, 2017. Foxsemicon said in the filing that it would start to conduct rapid COVID-19 tests of all its workers in Jhunan today. It is estimated that 470 people (excluding foreign workers) are to take the test initially, the filing showed. The company is a subsidiary of Hon Hai Group (鴻海集團) and headed by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) chairman Young Liu (劉揚偉).
Source:Taipei Times
June 07, 2021 15:56 UTC