Dead woman’s family hopes judicial investigations will provide answers
Dead woman’s family hopes judicial investigations will provide answersBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterFamily members of a woman who reportedly died last month by jumping from a building after writing on Facebook about having been sexually assaulted, yesterday said they hope investigations will reveal the truth about her case. The woman, surnamed Lin (林), who worked for the New Taipei City Department of Health. Family members of a woman surnamed Lin speak at a press conference in Taipei yesterday. The family knows that the public has many questions about the case, and the family is also searching for answers, Lin’s cousin said. She hopes that through judicial investigations those answers will be found.
Source:Taipei Times
August 13, 2020 15:56 UTC
Protesters slam Ma’s ‘first battle will be the last’
Other protestors hold placards demanding that Ma apologize for having said that Taiwan would lose in a war with China. Photo: Jason Pan, Taipei TimesChen and other protesters called Ma “a bootlicker” of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and a colluder with an enemy state, seeking to sell out Taiwan. Members from the Taiwan Independence Party (建國黨), the Nation Building Forum (建國廣場) and a youth group advocating Taiwan’s liberation from colonial powers also joined the protest. Other protesters presented documents and news reports in which the former president and KMT lawmakers stalled legislative sessions 69 times from 2008 to 2016, eventually blocking three major arms deals with the US. During Ma’s presidency, he tried to end the development of indigenous missiles at Taiwan’s top weapons research institutes, they added.
Source:Taipei Times
August 12, 2020 16:00 UTC
Book review: Tales of the miraculous and mundane
The only big difference, perhaps, is that Christopher Logan no longer lives here but in the US state of Oregon, where his publishing company, Deep World Publishing, is based. TAIWAN THROUGH FOREIGN EYES: Stories from the Miracle Days, edited by Christopher Logan. Logan says in his Introduction that these stories were meant to be published after his book Culture Taipei! Logan includes three of his own stories in this new book, and they’re all very good, and very different. Lastly, whether the tales are set in the 1990s or the present day didn’t appear, whatever the editor said, to matter one iota.
Source:Taipei Times
August 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Remote fishing village under threat
The 78-year-old Chen is an active “sea woman” (海女) in Taiwan’s easternmost fishing village of Makang (馬崗) in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮). She lives alone in the village, as her children have moved to the cities for work, returning for weekends and festivals. “They now realize that the tourists actually like these stone houses and come take pictures of them on weekends. “The final vote was 8-0, so New Taipei City claims that Chang wouldn’t have made a difference,” Yeh says. They can also aim to become a fishing village special district under the Urban Planning Act (都市計畫法),whereupon the residents will have a bigger say over the future of Makang.
Source:Taipei Times
August 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Sercomm net profit rises 34% on virus lockdowns
Virus Outbreak: Sercomm net profit rises 34% on virus lockdowns‘BOON’: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major changes in people’s lives, such as telecommuting and distance education, Sercomm chairman Paul Wang saidBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterTelecom equipment maker Sercomm Corp (中磊) yesterday said that net profit last quarter expanded 34 percent year-on-year as remote study and work-from-home trends amid the COVID-19 pandemic boosted Internet use. Photo: Wang Yi-hung, Taipei TimesRevenue last quarter surged 36 percent sequentially to NT$9.25 billion (US$313.13 million), with fixed-mobile products contributing the most. In the April-to-June period, Sercomm’s net profit expanded to NT$241 million from NT$180 million in the corresponding period last year. On an annual basis, net profit expanded 2.77 times from NT$87 million. The pandemic “provides a boon to networking companies,” Sercomm chairman Paul Wang (王伯元) said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Ministry approves call to select new Tatung board
Ministry approves call to select new Tatung boardBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday approved an application by some individual and institutional shareholders of Tatung Co (大同) to hold an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting to elect a new board of directors, a month after the ministry deemed Tatung’s June 30 shareholders’ meeting invalid and rejected registering the board directors elected at that meeting. Under Lin Kuo’s instructions, Tatung blocked several shareholders, who collectively hold a 53 percent stake in the company, from voting at the June 30 annual general meeting on accusations that they received funding from Chinese investors. As the existing board is not legally capable of calling a shareholders’ meeting, the ministry said it therefore approved the petition by some rebel shareholders to hold an extraordinary meeting by the end of November to elect a new board, she said. Some of the rebel shareholders in a joint statement thanked the authorities for approving their petition and vowed to hold a fair and open meeting soon. “All shareholders’ rights will be equally respected.
Source:Taipei Times
August 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: NTU dean suggests shorter quarantine
New imported cases and foreign nationals testing positive after returning home from Taiwan has sparked public debate on whether the government should expand COVID-19 testing to all inbound travelers to better detect asymptomatic cases locally, he said. National Taiwan University College of Public Health vice dean Tony Chen presents his policy proposals yesterday in Taipei. If travelers are tested upon arrival, quarantined for five days and tested again, more than 99 percent of cases would also have be detected, he said. Testing all travelers upon arrival might cause those who test negative to let down their guard during quarantine, he said. Strictly implementing the current policy of a 14-day quarantine and an additional seven-day self-health management would be a better method of preventing imported cases causing local infections, Fang said, adding that mask wearing remains equally important.
Source:Taipei Times
August 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Minister denies lending former NPP chair NT$3m
Minister denies lending former NPP chair NT$3m‘SPECULATION’: Hsu Yung-ming reportedly told prosecutors that the money was loaned to him by a government official who had been a senior classmate of hisBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterMinister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday denied that he had lent former New Power Party (NPP) chairman Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) NT$3 million (US$101,557) to cover NPP expenditure. Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung, front right, examines locally made products in Miaoli County yesterday. After Liao left the meeting, the official then took the money out and gave it to him, the report said. “Minister Lin is not familiar with the case, which is now under investigation. On March 4, the National Communications Commission approved TOP’s application to turn one of its local TV channels into a news channel.
Source:Taipei Times
August 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Legal experts, party representatives say administrative court ruling aids China
Legal experts, party representatives say administrative court ruling aids ChinaBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterLegal experts and representatives of political parties yesterday accused the Taiwan High Administrative Court of aiding China in its “united front” campaign against Taiwan, after it ruled against the Ministry of the Interior, which had fined 27 Taiwanese for working for local government offices in China. Huang, along with legal experts and academics from the Taiwan Association of University Professors (TAUP), at a briefing yesterday urged the ministry to appeal the court’s ruling on Thursday last week. Independent Legislator Freddy Lim at a news conference in Taipei yesterday criticizes a Taiwan High Administrative Court ruling, which favored Taiwanese who were working for local government offices in China. Lim said that “the ruling would permit our citizens to work for an enemy state,” which has would to go to war to annex Taiwan. Huang said the ruling showed the failure of the government’s push for judicial reform, as the Taiwan High Administrative Court had in the past few years years made rulings that went against the public’s expectations.
Source:Taipei Times
August 12, 2020 15:56 UTC
Jane Lee welcomes help from ex-Han team
Jane Lee welcomes help from ex-Han teamBy Wang Jung-hsiang / Staff reporterKaohsiung City Councilor Jane Lee (李眉蓁), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate for the Kaohsiung mayoral by-election on Saturday, yesterday said that having members of former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu’s (韓國瑜) administrative team help with her election campaign highlights her campaign’s main theme of being corruption-free. Photo: Ko Yu-hao, Taipei TimesIt seems that Han’s team is trying to return to power through the by-election on Saturday, Huang wrote. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang, right, accompanies Kaohsiung City Councilor Jane Lee, the KMT’s Kaohsiung mayoral by-election candidate, while she campaigns in the city yesterday. Lee has asked Han to show his support for her in public, a person close to Han said, adding that although Han is not sure how he can help Lee in the by-election, he is certainly going to vote on Saturday. As Han’s former administrative team, led by Chen Hsiung-wen, have publicly showed their support for Lee, speculation is rife that Han would also step out to publicly support Lee.
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2020 15:56 UTC
Azar praises Taiwan’s health efforts
Azar praises Taiwan’s health effortsCHASTISING CHINA: Taiwan’s approach to combating the coronavirus stands in stark contrast to the country where the outbreak began, the US health secretary saidBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterInternational organizations are not the place to play politics, especially when the matter relates to healthcare, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said in Taipei yesterday, adding that the region and the world are safer because of Taiwan’s commitment to health promotion. Thanking Azar for supporting Taiwan’s fight for international space, Wu said that the battle is not just about Taiwan’s status, but about sustaining democracy in the face of authoritarian aggression. The US would continue advocating for the contributions Taiwan can make to the world on important issues like health, Azar said, adding that he would discuss these issues and Taiwan’s global health leadership with Wu. Following his talk with Wu, Azar and his delegation attended a luncheon banquet hosted by Vice President William Lai (賴清德), representing Tsai. “The Indo-Pacific region and the whole world are safer because of Taiwan’s commitment to this public health work,” he added.
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2020 15:56 UTC
NPP urges changes to HK-Macau rules
Former New Power Party chairman Huang Kuo-chang in Hsinchu County yesterday answers a question about whether he intends to stand for party chairman again. Following Lai, Hong Kong police arrested advocacy group members Andy Li (李宇軒) of Hong Kong Story and Lee Tsung-tzu (李宗澤) and now-disbanded Demosisto founding member Agnes Chow (周庭) on charges of colluding with foreign forces. “We strongly condemn this misuse of the Hong Kong National Security Law to suppress dissidents,” the NPP said. Addressing speculation that former NPP executive chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) might be tapped for the position again, NPP caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) yesterday said there were no such plans at present. Several party members have expressed an interest in running for chairperson, and the party hopes a new chairperson would be chosen quickly, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2020 15:56 UTC
Groups urge support for Hong Kong
“Taiwan and international society should continue monitoring the political situation in Hong Kong and ask the Chinese regime to abide by its legal obligations as stated in the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong. Taiwan’s government should coordinate with officials in other nations in imposing sanctions against China, as well as preparing for the arrival of more migrants from Hong Kong,” they said. Lai had frequently said that he would not leave Hong Kong or his employees behind, Thumper said. The fates of Taiwanese and Hong Kongers are connected, and we must not let them hang out to dry,” Hung said. Taiwanese will stand by Hong Kongers in defending their common shared values of democracy, freedom and human rights, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2020 15:56 UTC
EDITORIAL: Changing opinions about university
EDITORIAL: Changing opinions about universityIn an unprecedented move, a recent graduate from Changhua Girls’ Senior High School put off attending college to join the workforce. Under the program, high-school graduates work for one to three years while receiving a regular salary, as well as a government stipend that is deposited into an account they can access after the program ends. In a society where the vast majority of high-school graduates attend university and not doing so brings great shame to the family, the program’s low numbers are not surprising. In response to the student’s decision, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said: “Our young students do not all have to take the ‘express train’ from elementary school to university and even graduate school. Yet things are changing, and students need to keep up with the realities of the world.
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2020 15:56 UTC
Revamping tradition
Revamping traditionDaxidaxi updates the traditional temple parade with its own mixture of music, costumes, exhibitions and workshops, dragging an old tradition into the 21st centuryBy Noah Buchan / Staff reporterArchitect Tammy Liu (劉真蓉) recalls being stumped when studying in the Netherlands a teacher asked her to describe Taiwanese culture. A member of an Eight Generals performance troupe performs on Aug. 1 in front of Puji Temple in Taoyuan’s Dasi District. UPDATING TRADITIONA lion dancing troupe performs in front of Puji Temple in Taoyuan’s Dasi District on Aug. 1 as part of Daxidaxi cultural festival. Students wearing traditional costumes that they made out of recycled materials perform on Aug. 1 in front of Dasi Puji Temple in Taoyuan’s Dasi District. Caricatures of Guan Gong designed for the Daxidaxi cultural festival, a two-week event held at Puji Temple in Taoyuan’s Dasi District.
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2020 15:56 UTC