Majority supports lay judge system, DPP poll shows
Majority supports lay judge system, DPP poll shows‘NATIONAL JUDGE ACT’: The survey showed 78.2 percent support for the DPP initiative as opposed to a jury system, which had only 19.2 percent supportBy Yang Chun-hui, Chiu Yan-ling and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writerNearly 80 percent of the public prefer a lay judge system over a jury system, a survey conducted by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) showed. The DPP has come under fire for not including a proposed jury system on the agenda for legislative talks on judicial reform, despite the party’s charter calling for a jury system. It has instead pushed for a lay judge system, which was initially proposed by the Judicial Yuan. Photo: Su Fun-her, Taipei TimesThe survey, released on Sunday, showed that 78.2 percent of respondents support a “national judge system,” while only 19.2 percent support a jury system. The national judge system represented an “evolution of the jury system,” the statement said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
FDA warns on risk of food poisoning
FDA warns on risk of food poisoningCAUTION: Taiwan had zero cases of death from food poisoning for six years until last year, when two people died after eating wildlife, an FDA official saidBy Lin Hui-chin and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday urged the public not to eat wildlife or unidentified wild plants, as they could be fatal, with nearly 7,000 people affected by food poisoning last year, including two deaths due to wildlife consumption. The number of food poisoning incidents increased by nearly 50 percent last year, from 398 cases involving 4,616 people in the previous year to 503 cases involving 6,944 people, FDA data showed. Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei TimesAmong the 503 cases, 87 were food poisoning clusters affecting 4,019 teachers and students, due to contaminated food provided by caterers, the agency said. Norovirus was another major cause of food poisoning last year, the FDA said. Taiwan had no cases of death due to food poisoning for six consecutive years until last year, when two people died after eating wildlife, FDA official Chou Pei-ju (周珮如) said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
Tsai visits marines in hospital after deadly accident
Tsai visits marines in hospital after deadly accidentStaff writer, with CNAPresident Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday visited two hospitalized Marine Corps personnel rescued after their vessel overturned during a military exercise in waters off Kaohsiung on Friday. Senior military officials observe a moment of silence at a news conference in Taipei yesterday for two soldiers who died on Sunday after an accident in a military drill last week. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei TimesThe second marine, 24-year-old female Sergeant Chen Jo-ying (陳若盈), is in a stable condition with a minor lung infection, Tsai said. Tsai also visited the families of Private First Class Tsai Po-yu (蔡博宇) and Staff Sergeant Chen Chih-jung (陳志榮), who passed away on Sunday after the incident. Speaking at a meeting with senior military officials, Yen expressed his condolences over the deaths of Tsai Po-yu and Chen Chih-jung.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
Judicial reform groups slam DPP poll
“From the Presidential Office to the Judicial Yuan and DPP legislators, these government leaders are digging in, rigid in their hardline stance against judicial reform measures. They just want to ... get the procedure over with, while excluding the jury system, which is favored by a majority of society,” he added. Members of the Judicial Reform Foundation in Taipei yesterday protest against the government’s proposed lay judge system. “Our poll showed that only 8 percent favor the Judicial Yuan’s proposed bill to conduct criminal trials using the lay judge system,” Cheng said. “Yes, that is true, but it is much easier to bribe and influence a ruling in the lay judge system,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
Railway park in Taipei opens to public
Railway park in Taipei opens to publicBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe National Taiwan Museum’s Railway Department Park in Taipei is to open to the public today. During the Japanese colonial era, the site housed the railway department of the Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan’s Bureau of Transportation. Journalists attend an event outside the National Taiwan Museum’s Railway Department Park in Taipei’s Datong District yesterday. The park has three permanent exhibitions: the “Historic Site Exhibition,” “Taiwan’s Railway Culture Exhibition” and “Steam Dream Works,” which was designed for children. The Railway Department Park is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9:30am to 5pm, including national holidays, except for Lunar New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT institute resumes party training sessions
KMT institute resumes party training sessionsBy Shih Hsiao-kuang / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Institute of Revolutionary Practice yesterday resumed its training sessions after a 20-year hiatus, with institute director Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) saying the party should do more to connect with young people. During the session’s opening ceremony in Taipei yesterday, Lo said he was moved to see 400 applicants sign up “even when the KMT is in its darkest era.”Lo Chih-chiang, director of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Institute of Revolutionary Practice, talks to reporters in Taipei yesterday as the institute resumed its training sessions after a 20-year hiatus. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei TimesGiven its limited quota, the institute only admitted 100 applicants, he said. “Young people’s interest in the session is an extremely precious gift for the KMT, as the party has almost nothing left but ideals, its mission and glory in its counteraction against the power-abusing Democratic Progressive Party,” Lo said. KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), serving as the director of the session’s camp activity, met with trainees at an evening forum yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
July 04, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan in Time: In remembrance of the ‘Liver King’
In the 1950s, most experts believed that liver disease was caused by parasites and poor diet. During his clinical clerkship, he saw countless terminal liver cancer patients, many of them men in their 40s and 50s. He thought about the families like his that were traumatized by liver cancer, and vowed to find a solution. Chen and Sung would work closely together over the years as one of three teams in Taiwan focusing on liver disease. Known as the “Liver King” for his contributions to liver disease research, Chen Ding-shinn died on June 24.
Source:Taipei Times
July 04, 2020 15:56 UTC
Coast guard airborne unit worth it
Coast guard airborne unit worth itBy Wu Tung-ming 吳東明After the Ocean Affairs Council submitted an assessment report to the Legislative Yuan in February on the feasibility of establishing airborne patrolling and monitoring capacity for the Coast Guard Administration (CGA), I wrote an opinion piece to explain the necessity of setting up such a unit, given the situation and developments in other countries. Establishing the specialized coast guard airborne unit would be a more professional and practical solution than borrowing aircraft from the NASC, which deploys aircraft over land and sea. One of these airports would be an ideal base for a coast guard airborne unit. The benefits of setting up a coast guard airborne unit to safeguard Taiwan’s marine rights and bolster national security far outweigh the equipment and training costs. The many advantages that a coast guard airborne unit would bring to the nation make setting it up necessary and practical.
Source:Taipei Times
July 04, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: UK list shows Taiwan is ‘trustworthy’
Virus Outbreak: UK list shows Taiwan is ‘trustworthy’‘TRAVEL CORRIDORS’: Chen Shih-chung thanked the UK for recognizing Taiwan’s control over COVID-19, adding that flights to Vietnam could soon restart as wellBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterEngland on Friday placed Taiwan on a list of countries and territories from which visitors would not be placed under quarantine, implying that Taiwan is trustworthy, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. “I believe the UK looked at various scientific data and considered Taiwan a trustworthy country with low infection risk,” he said. If they must travel for business, science, academic research, diplomacy or other important reasons, they should be mindful of their health, Chen said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also welcomed the UK’s decision, saying the inclusion of Taiwan on the list marks London’s affirmation of Taiwan’s achievement in containing the COVID-19 pandemic. The CECC would continue to adjust its list of low and low-medium infection risk countries, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 04, 2020 15:56 UTC
More alcohol prevention needed for teens: doctors
More alcohol prevention needed for teens: doctorsDOING ENOUGH? Government agencies focus less on alcohol education and prevention for young people than on tobacco and drug prevention, but alcohol consumption is the cause of multiple health and social issues, Yen said. “Hopefully, the government will add alcohol prevention as an item in its budget next year,” he added. HPA Tobacco Control Division official Lu Meng-ying (呂孟穎) said that alcohol prevention is promoted through interministerial channels. The HPA bundles alcohol prevention with its tobacco prevention, so the tobacco prevention funding is available to alcohol prevention efforts, typically in the form of special projects, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
July 04, 2020 15:56 UTC
Control Yuan nominees’ legislature visit canceled
Control Yuan nominees’ legislature visit canceledBLOCKED PLANS? KMT lawmakers had assembled at an entrance, apparently seeking to prevent Chen Chu from entering the Legislative Yuan for a planned courtesy visitBy Chen Yun and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Legislative Yuan at the last minute yesterday canceled a scheduled visit by Chen Chu (陳菊), who has been nominated as Control Yuan president, and other nominees to visit lawmakers, citing “intelligence” it received and other arrangement issues. The KMT caucus opposes Tsai’s nomination of Chen, saying that her qualifications to lead the branch are stained by cases being investigated by the Control Yuan from when Chen was Kaohsiung mayor. If Chen is to become Control Yuan president, she would be “handling her own corruption cases,” which would severely undermine the nation’s constitutional system, the KMT caucus said. The TPP caucus has initiated steps to abolish the Control Yuan and the Examination Yuan with constitutional amendments, making the visit even more unnecessary, Lai said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2020 15:56 UTC
Far EasTone to invest NT$30bn on 5G
That implies about 3.54 million subscribers switching to 5G, based on the company’s 7.08 million subscribers as of the end of February. Models demonstrate the speed difference between a 5G handset, left, and a 4G phone, right, at a Far EasTone Telecommunications Co news conference in Taipei yesterday. The company started its 5G services yesterday. Far EasTone Telecommunications Co chairman Douglas Hsu, left, announces the start of the company’s 5G services at a news conference in Taipei yesterday, while company president Chee Ching looks on. It has budgeted NT$10.2 billion for capital expenditure this year, mainly for 5G network buildout.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2020 15:56 UTC
Government expels PRC journalists amid probe
The two reporters — Ai Kezhu (艾珂竹) and Lu Qiang (盧薔) — worked for Fujian Province-based Southeast Television and arrived in Taiwan in December last year. If TV news programming had been produced in Taiwan, then the Chinese journalists must have contravened the law, Chiu said. “Our job in Taiwan is to interview people and ask questions; we don’t make TV programs in Taiwan,” Ai said. Southeast Television journalists had not made any appearances on political talk shows or offered any personal opinions, she said. The objective reporting of Taiwanese issues by Chinese reporters over many years had helped Chinese viewers better understand Taiwan, Zhu said, adding that the rights of Chinese reporters should be protected and respected.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Extend relief programs, business group says
Virus Outbreak: Extend relief programs, business group saysPOLICYMAKING: The General Chamber of Commerce called for a balanced economic development approach, with services and manufacturing accorded the same careBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe government should extend relief programs by another three months for all businesses other than urban hotels and travel agencies that continue to struggle due to the nation’s border controls, the General Chamber of Commerce (全國商業總會) said yesterday. General Chamber of Commerce chairman Lai Cheng-yi, left, speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday as vice chairman Paul Hsu looks on. It is time the government adopts a balanced economic development approach that would take care of all, he added. “A balanced approach is urgent and critical as the virus outbreak is reshaping people’s behavior... Some jobs might be lost forever and policy directions are badly needed to help companies transform and survive,” Lai said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2020 15:56 UTC
CIB detains three on counterfeiting charges
CIB detains three on counterfeiting chargesMORE FAKE MONEY: Officials said they seized fake US$100 bills that contained the same misspelling as US$11.04 million in bills seized in December last yearBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterAuthorities have detained three people for their alleged involvement in counterfeiting US currency, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said yesterday. The CIB said an examination of the bills and records was completed at the end of last month. CIB experts said they believe the bills came from a Taiwanese counterfeiting ring in New Taipei City that authorities broke up in December last year. In that case, police arrested five people and seized a total of US$11.04 million in counterfeit US$100 bills. Kaohsiung prosecutors said they intend to indict the three people on fraud charges and offenses related to counterfeiting currency.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2020 15:56 UTC