Exhibition shines spotlight on White Terror torture
Exhibition shines spotlight on White Terror tortureBy Chen Yu-fu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerAn exhibition of formerly classified records and artworks depicting the use of torture during the White Terror era has opened at the Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute/Rose Historic Site (蔡瑞月舞蹈社/玫瑰古蹟) in Taipei. Dialogues With the Past, Present and Future (彼時影‧未來光), organized by the Transitional Justice Commission, opened on Friday last week and runs through July 26. Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei TimesSeveral works by artist Ouyang Chien-hua (歐陽劍華), a White Terror victim, depict torture methods used during that time, Chen said. Chen said another painting depicts a man who bit off his own tongue in a bid to commit suicide. Since her death in 2005, the foundation and the Rose Historic Site have played a prominent role in promoting Taiwan’s human rights movement.
Source:Taipei Times
July 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Cathay Life needs permission before it can raise stake in Indonesian bank
Cathay Life needs permission before it can raise stake in Indonesian bankBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCathay Life Insurance Co (國泰人壽) must apply to the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) before it can raise its stake in Indonesia’s Bank Mayapada Internasional Tbk PT beyond 40 percent, the commission said. The nation’s largest life insurer by market share has reportedly been conducting due diligence on raising its stake in the Indonesian lender from 37.33 percent to 51 percent, Reuters reported on Monday, citing an Indonesian regulatory official. Flags are displayed in front of the Cathay Life Insurance headquarters in Taipei’s Xinyi District in an undated photograph. While the Indonesian regulator has demanded the bank’s major shareholders inject capital to shore up its capital strength, Cathay Life has no such obligation, as the local insurer does not have a controlling stake in the lender, Tsai said. Cathy Life is still mulling raising its stake in Bank Mayapada, executive vice president Lin Chao-ting (林昭廷) said by telephone.
Source:Taipei Times
July 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Book Review: Charting Taiwan’s future through its past
Keating’s position is one that more people in Taiwan seem to share, as evidenced from recent polls and election results. Keating calls them “Generation D,” who grew up only knowing a democratic Taiwan and carry less baggage from its convoluted past. Thus, it is a worthy exercise to examine Taiwan’s identity and internal struggles from this framework to provide ideas on how the nation can move forward. The argument that Taiwan should embrace its Austronesian past to further distance itself from China is one that is often heard and sounds great on paper. While they are well-written with clear viewpoints that provide valuable insight, the book can get repetitive because Keating espouses similar ideas in many pieces.
Source:Taipei Times
July 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
China to sanction Lockheed over Taiwan arms sale
China to sanction Lockheed over Taiwan arms sale‘BARBARIC INTIMIDATION’: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned China’s move, saying that weapons and upgrades are needed to maintain peace in the Taiwan StraitAFP, BEIJINGChina yesterday said that it would impose sanctions on Lockheed Martin Corp, days after the US approved a potential US$620 million refurbishment package for missiles to Taiwan. The possible foreign military sale involves Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles. In Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it “strongly condemns” China’s gesture, describing it as “irrational clamor and barbaric intimidation.”Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou hosts a regular news conference in Taipei on July 7. Zhao said that China’s move to hit Lockheed with sanctions was “to safeguard its national interests.”Last year, China threatened sanctions on US firms linked to a sale of warplanes to Taiwan as well, calling the move a serious interference in its internal affairs. Taiwan is bolstering its defenses for what it sees as increasingly threatening moves by Beijing, such as its regular air force and naval exercises near the country.
Source:Taipei Times
July 14, 2020 15:56 UTC
Peak electricity usage hits a new record: Taipower
Peak electricity usage hits a new record: TaipowerBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterRecord heat is bringing record electricity use this month, after peak electricity consumption yesterday broke all historical records, Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) said. The top 10 peak consumption records have all occurred in the past three years, Taipower said. “Our operating reserve margin is still 10.38 percent,” Chang told the Taipei Times by telephone, referring to the company’s “green” indicator. “Yellow” means that the operating reserve margin is 6 to 10 percent, while “orange” signals a reserve margin of below 6 percent, “red” indicates less than 900,000 kilowatts and “black” less than 500,000 kilowatts. Chang credited solar power for generating 2.13GW of electricity during peak usage, when it was needed most, saying that it accounted for 5.5 percent of total peak usage yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
July 14, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT legislators win tussle for chamber
KMT legislators win tussle for chamberINJURED: Several KMT lawmakers fought their way through DPP members into the legislative chamber, while others lay on a driveway to block Chen ChuBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterScuffles broke out at the Legislative Yuan yesterday as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers again occupied the legislative chamber, stymieing a report by Control Yuan presidential nominee Chen Chu (陳菊) and a question-and-answer session. Scuffles broke out as the KMT lawmakers tried to force their way through the door, injuring legislators on both sides. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party legislators clash in front of the entrance to the main chamber of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNADPP and KMT lawmakers ran for the speaker’s rostrum once the chamber’s doors opened for yesterday’s meeting, but KMT lawmakers were quicker, allowing them to freeze the proceedings for the rest of the day. As of press time last night, the legislative chamber was still controlled by the KMT caucus.
Source:Taipei Times
July 14, 2020 15:56 UTC
DBS Bank Taiwan launches co-branded iPass card
DBS Bank Taiwan launches co-branded iPass cardBIODEGRADABLE POLYMER: The bank said that its iPass credit card, the first such card issued by a foreign bank, gives it access to stores that do not accept its credit cardsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterDBS Bank Taiwan (星展台灣) yesterday launched its first co-branded credit card with iPass Corp (一卡通票證), and said it expects its credit card business to fully recover in the second half of this year. The new “DBS eco card” is made of polylactic acid — a bio-based biodegradable polymer that can be produced from renewable resources — and is the bank’s first credit card to have the iPass electronic payment function, it said. The partnership would give the bank new business momentum, DBS Bank Taiwan general manager Lim Him-chuan (林鑫川) told a news conference in Taipei. DBS is the first among the nation’s foreign banks to issue a co-branded iPass credit card, indicating that the Singaporean-based lender is committed to local development and digital transformation, he added. Each credit card contributes profit of NT$200 per month to the bank, the highest among all banks, which shows that its strategy works, said Calvin Lin (林群凱), DBS Bank Taiwan’s executive director of cards and unsecured loans.
Source:Taipei Times
July 13, 2020 15:56 UTC
NHRI team finds potential brain cell repair tool
NHRI team finds potential brain cell repair toolPATENTS PENDING: The researchers have been granted a Taiwan patent for their discovery and are applying in the US, the UK and Japan, the team leader saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterExosomes derived from stem cells have the potential to regenerate damaged brain cells, and could someday be used for to treat brain damage and neural degeneration diseases, researchers from the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) said yesterday. Team leader Li Hua-jung (李華容), an associate investigator at the Institute of Cellular and System Medicine, told a news conference in Taipei that brain damage and neurodegenerative diseases often cause irreversible impairment for patients, and increase the risk of dementia. Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei TimesTraumatic brain injury, unhealthy habits, hypertension, diabetes, long-term stress or mental illness are all potential risk factors for brain damage and neurodegenerative disease, she said. Although clinical studies have suggested that stem cells have the potential to repair a damaged central nervous system, there are risks of complications from implantation, ectopic tissue formation and unwanted engraftment, Li said. Her team spent seven years studying alternatives, and discovered that exosomes secreted by mesenchymal stem cells found in human bone marrow or fat tissues contain substances that can facilitate cranial nerve regeneration and brain functional recovery.
Source:Taipei Times
July 13, 2020 15:56 UTC
Craftsmen series features miniaturist
Craftsmen series features miniaturistBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe General Association of Chinese Culture yesterday released the latest short film in its documentary series The Soul of the Craftsman (匠人魂), featuring miniaturist Hank Cheng (鄭鴻展). Miniaturist Hank Cheng displays his work Man’s Romantic at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chen Yu-hsun, Taipei TimesWhen he was in junior-high school, Cheng was diagnosed with congenital amblyopia, or lazy eye, the association said. In the film, Cheng says although he does not know how much longer his eyes would allow him to create miniatures, he intends to continue doing so until he loses his sight. The film on Cheng is the 23rd installment in the series.
Source:Taipei Times
July 13, 2020 15:56 UTC
NPP says questions to nominees unanswered
NPP says questions to nominees unansweredBy Chen Yu-fu, Hsieh Chun-ling and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe New Power Party (NPP) yesterday expressed regret after questions it posed to President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) nominees for the Control Yuan went unanswered. The NPP said it had sent questions to the nominees via the Presidential Office and sought a reply by Thursday last week, but as of yesterday it still had not received a response. New Power Party (NPP) caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih, left, and NPP Legislator Chen Jiau-hua present a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. The NPP would see how the nominees respond to questions on Friday before deciding whether to back their appointments, Chiu said. Control Yuan members “should be braver” in the face of the conflict between judicial and supervisory authorities, Hsu said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 13, 2020 15:56 UTC
Doctor tells men to use parasols
Another possible reason is that while women often use umbrellas during summer, men are more likely to wear wide-brimmed hats to protect against the sun, he said. Only about one in every 20 men on the street uses an umbrella, Chu said, citing his personal observations. Among the patients, there were 2.65 times as many men as there were women, the data showed. Data from 2016 to last year also showed that about three to four times as many men were sent to the emergency department for heat injuries than women from May to October. HPA Community Health Division head Lo Su-ying (羅素英) urged men not to be shy about using an umbrella when going outside.
Source:Taipei Times
July 13, 2020 15:56 UTC
Chunghwa Post voucher system starts
Chunghwa Post voucher system startsBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterNearly 90,000 orders for physical Triple Stimulus Vouchers through Chunghwa Post’s online system had been made within six hours of the launch of the service yesterday, the company said. Chunghwa Post estimated that a large percentage of the remaining 13.62 million people would claim their vouchers from post offices nationwide. A woman reads information on Triple Stimulus Vouchers at a Chunghwa Post branch in Taipei yesterday. They can do so through Chunghwa Post’s Web site or by calling 0800-700-199 to avoid long wait times at branches, it said. People who order vouchers online can start claiming them on Monday next week, Chunghwa Post said, adding that its Web site would show the number of vouchers it has in stock.
Source:Taipei Times
July 13, 2020 15:56 UTC
Line Taiwan aims to sell sticker-based merchandise
Line Taiwan aims to sell sticker-based merchandiseBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterMessaging app Line hopes to cash in on the popularity of artist-created “stickers” by offering physical merchandise of fan favorites, Line Taiwan Ltd (台灣連線) said yesterday. From left, Line Taiwan Ltd service planning head Neil Lin, senior director Rebecca Lu, general manager Roger Chen, corporate business head Susan Wang, content business head Janice Chang and commerce business head Jerry Ku pose for a photograph at the company’s annual Line Converge news conference in Taipei yesterday. Line Taiwan yesterday also announced a bevy of upgrades and redesigns for the app, including a new karaoke function, a more personalized home page, and “special effect” stickers that trigger background effects. Line Taiwan said its traffic volume tripled from January to May this year, likely due to increased communication caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the moment, people are looking for as little physical contact as possible when making purchases, Line Taiwan managing director Roger Chen (陳立人) said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 13, 2020 15:56 UTC
Chen Chu’s office accuses KMT
With the terms of the current Control Yuan members expiring on July 31, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has nominated Chen to head the branch. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Lin Wei-chou, third right, caucus secretary-general Lin Yi-hua, second right, and KMT Legislator Chen Yu-jen, right, stand by a barricade outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei TimesThe KMT caucus yesterday criticized increased security measures, including barricades, outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei ahead of Friday’s vote. KMT legislative caucus whip Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said that in his three terms as a legislator he has never seen this level of security. KMT Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said that the situation outside the Legislative Yuan made it seem like martial law had been imposed.
Source:Taipei Times
July 13, 2020 15:56 UTC
Tatung controversy shows rules need altering: experts
Tatung controversy shows rules need altering: expertsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterLegal experts have urged the government to consider amending regulations to prevent more listed companies from taking controversial actions to maintain control of their boardrooms. However, Tatung announced that it would appeal the ministry’s rejection and said it would defend itself against the center’s suit. “Put it simply, there is nothing the government can do if Tatung is determined to ignore all the government’s instructions and public opinion. Tatung must obey the court ruling, but the legal process will likely take a long time,” he said. “What Tatung did is wrong, but I am more frustrated that the government could not solve the situation quickly,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 12, 2020 15:56 UTC