Virus Outbreak: Universities changing graduation exercises
Virus Outbreak: Universities changing graduation exercisesBy Rachel Lin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerUniversities nationwide are changing how they hold graduation ceremonies this year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. National Sun Yat-sen University president Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) yesterday said that the university, due to its proximity to Kaohsiung’s Sizihwan (西子灣), is to hold its graduation ceremony outdoors on the beach. Sixth-graders and teachers from Datong Elementary School in Changhua County’s Shengang Township wear masks as they pose for a graduation photo at the school on Monday. Chinese Culture University said it is spreading graduation over one week, allowing each of its 62 departments to hold their own ceremonies. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that universities are free to hold ceremonies provided they follow the center’s crowd management guidelines, but high-risk events should be delayed or canceled.
Source:Taipei Times
April 17, 2020 15:56 UTC
Bill passed to increase fine after reporter’s US incident
Bill passed to increase fine after reporter’s US incidentBy Peng Wan-hsin, Chen yun and Dennis Xie / Staff reporters, with staff writerA plan to increase fines for Taiwanese who work for political organizations in China advanced at the legislature in Taipei yesterday, when a draft amendment to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) passed its first reading. Chang is a Taiwanese-born employee at Shanghai Media Group (上海文化廣播影視集團), a state-owned mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The title and logo of the Mainland Affairs Council are seen on a podium at the council’s Taipei offices in an undated photograph. It is a restriction of people’s right to work, an extremely unwise move in Taiwan, which advocates freedom of speech, Yeh said. Chang, who grew up in Yunlin County and has the chance to ask the US president questions, should be applauded, Hung said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 17, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: KMT leaders nationwide call for cash, not coupons
Virus Outbreak: KMT leaders nationwide call for cash, not couponsBy Lee Ya-wen, Tsai Wen-chu and Dennis Xie / Staff reporters, with staff writer and CNAChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members across the nation yesterday called on the government to issue cash handouts, not discount coupons, as part of bailout plans to alleviate the effects of COVID-19 on the local economy. KMT members of 22 municipal councils nationwide convened simultaneous news conferences yesterday morning to make the appeal. Countries around the world are issuing cash handouts to boost domestic economies, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) told a news conference at the Taipei City Council, citing the US, which issued coronavirus stimulus checks on Wednesday. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang, center, black mask, attends a news conference with Taipei city councilors in Taipei yesterday. The party is open to discussion if the central government wants the KMT to propose a policy on cash handouts, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
April 16, 2020 16:00 UTC
Man takes over family puppet troupe at age 18
Man takes over family puppet troupe at age 18By Chen Feng-li and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerWith traditional crafts waning and lacking in successors, 20-year-old Chang Hao-wei (張皓瑋) two years ago decided to forgo university and take over his grandfather’s budaixi, or glove puppetry, troupe. Becoming the head of the troupe at the age of 18, Chang is likely the youngest troupe master in the nation, a position that comes with many duties. Chang Hao-wei operates a traditional glove puppet in Nantou County on March 21. Chang said that he and his troupe have made a name for themselves and are booking more and more performances. Chang said that on March 20, the troupe made a new record when it was contracted to perform for six consecutive days.
Source:Taipei Times
April 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Masks not a problem for teens: survey
The nationwide survey of students from fifth to 12th grade was conducted to gauge the willingness of teenagers to cooperate with disease prevention measures, foundation executive director Joyce Tseng (曾清芸) said. The survey found that 62.8 percent of respondents nationwide, and up to 73.4 percent of respondents in northern Taiwan, said they wore a mask wherever they went. As for public transport, 42.7 percent of students nationwide said they now commute less, with elementary-school students recording a 55 percent drop in public transport use. The survey also found that some teenagers experienced stress and anxiety, Tseng said, advising parents to communicate more with their children. The survey, conducted at the end of last month, collected 11,205 valid questionnaires: 9,667 online questionnaires and 1,538 printed questionnaires.
Source:Taipei Times
April 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Airport to reduce boarding gates: Lin
Virus Outbreak: Airport to reduce boarding gates: LinEFFICIENCY: With passenger traffic plunging, Taoyuan Airport is to close 20 of its 38 boarding gates from today to save on costs and facilitate renovations, the transport minister saidBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporter, Tamsui District, New Taipei CityStarting today, more than half of the boarding gates at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are to be closed as the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sharp decline in passenger traffic at the nation’s largest airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. We have been renovating some of the airport’s facilities and would start closing some boarding gates. Passengers would enter and depart through designated gates, which will allow us to save on personnel and maintenance costs,” Lin said. An airport employee yesterday walks along a travelator at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Terminal Three would be opened in three stages, with the north concourse scheduled to be completed by 2024, the company said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Groups voice opposition to ‘lay judge system’ bill
Groups voice opposition to ‘lay judge system’ billWOLVES AND RABBITS: An attorney said that the draft changes to the judicial system would pit the opinions of ordinary citizens against those of professional judgesBy Jason Pan / Staff ReporterCivil groups yesterday joined the Taiwan Jury Association and the New Power Party (NPP) in opposing the Judicial Yuan’s proposed “lay judge system” bill, instead calling for a jury system, which they said would curtail corruption, so-called “dinosaur judges” and political interference. Attorney Jerry Cheng, third left, accompanied by members of civil groups, the Taiwan Jury Association and New Power Party legislators, speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei TimesCheng called the bill “fake judicial reform,” saying that it made a false promise to allow citizen participation in the judicial system. “The jury system allows true citizen participation in the courts. “That is why the public hopes to see real judicial reform, but the lay judge system would permit the judges to hold on to their power,” it said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
The NT$4 million question
Tedros’ comments came in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “At first, we just wanted to strike back at Tedros,” Lin tells the Taipei Times. Screengrab from https://taiwancanhelp.us/Within hours, the campaign raised over NT$19 million, nearly five times its goal of NT$4 million, with 26,980 people donating and, at one point, crashing the Web site zeczec.com, the crowdfunding platform. A photo of the New York Times full page ad. A photo of the New York Times full page ad.
Source:Taipei Times
April 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Officials reject IMF economic forecast
Virus Outbreak: Officials reject IMF economic forecastEXPANSION: The IMF’s projection that Taiwan’s economy would shrink 4% this year reflected a lack of understanding of the nation’s economic situation, officials saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterGovernment officials yesterday dismissed an IMF forecast that Taiwan’s GDP would contract by 4 percent this year, saying that the nation’s economy would continue to grow by 1.3 to 1.8 percent. “There is no need to take the [IMF] forecast seriously, as the international research body has failed to factor in the government’s NT$1.05 trillion [US$34.96 billion] program to mitigate the effects of the [COVID-19] pandemic,” Chu told reporters. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei TimesThe IMF also does not have the latest figures on Taiwan’s economic performance, as the DGBAS is to disclose first-quarter figures on April 30, he said. The National Development Council said the IMF forecast reflected a lack of understanding of the nation’s economic situation. The IMF forecast that the world economy would contract by 3 percent this year, induced in part by concerted government efforts to combat the pandemic, before rebounding by 5.8 percent next year.
Source:Taipei Times
April 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Bailout briefing rerouted by CAL debate
Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung, right, talks to reporters yesterday at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. Independent Legislator Chao Cheng-yu (趙正宇) said that China Airlines has established a brand over the years and that if it changes its name, it might never be able to get the original one back. However, CAL’s subsidiary, Mandarin Airlines, also flies to China and its special administrative regions, so a rebranded CAL could focus on other international destinations, Chiu said. However, Taiwan does not represent China and does not want to be represented by China. For now, the government is considering changing the exterior of the [CAL] aircraft,” Lin said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Ministry of Culture’s relief subsidies to start soon
Virus Outbreak: Ministry of Culture’s relief subsidies to start soonFIRST IN, FIRST OUT: Those who filed their applications in March might be able to ask for their funds as soon as this week, Cheng Li-chiun said at a news conferenceBy Lee Hsin-fang and Sherry Hsiao / Staff reportersThe initial payouts from the Ministry of Culture’s initial NT$1.5 billion (US$49.95 million) relief package, which drew 7,658 applications, could be requested as early as this week, the ministry said yesterday. The ministry started to review the applications even before the deadline, and those who filed last month might be able to request funds as early as this week, she said. Businesses could apply for up to NT$2.5 million to cover operational costs, while individuals would be eligible for up to NT$60,000, the ministry said. The ministry earlier this month proposed an expanded relief and recovery package with an additional NT$3.72 billion as part of the central government’s second-phase relief and recovery plan, bringing its total funding to NT$5.22 billion. The application period for the second-phase package would open on April 30 and end on May 20, Cheng said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Ministry refutes WHO inclusion claims
The ministry recognizes that the WHO has started to take Taiwan’s existence seriously and its willingness to openly discuss the issue of Taiwan’s participation, he said. While Taiwanese health experts have participated in two WHO networks, the UN agency has never allowed Taiwan access to its laboratory networks, Chen said. It has its own independent, sound medical and public health system, and only a government elected by Taiwanese can represent the Taiwanese public,” he added. “Taiwan can help and Taiwan is helping with concrete action,” Wu said, again urging the WHO to fully include Taiwan in its meetings and mechanisms. Some former allies have “more or less” pitched to Taiwan their requests for medical aid, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
April 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
NPP urges changes to halt infiltration of the media by China
NPP urges changes to halt infiltration of the media by ChinaBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterTougher laws are needed to combat China’s growing influence on Taiwanese media via funding and sponsored news articles with the aim of subverting public discourse and undermining Taiwan’s democracy, New Power Party (NPP) officials said yesterday. “Now we are seeing that an enemy state, whose regime is hostile toward our nation, has been using the power and money of its party, government agencies and military to infiltrate Taiwan’s media outlets,” Chiu said. “Taiwan has come under attack by China through military threats, political warfare and propaganda campaigns,” the NPP said in a statement. “In the past few years, China has been using money and connections to infiltrate Taiwan’s media outlets, civil groups, temples and religious organizations, as well as other sectors of society,” it said. The ban must be extended to curtail China’s influence and control over the local media industry, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
April 14, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Museum uses Facebook to educate amid pandemic
The administrator of the museum’s Facebook page said that they generally aim to link the museum’s exhibits with current events. A statue of Tsai A-hsin, the nation’s first female doctor, is pictured on the National Museum of Taiwan History’s Facebook page yesterday. An image portraying a household embroidery factory is accompanied by a caption reminding people to stay home as much as possible. The post also includes a photograph of a statue of Taiwan’s first female physician, Tsai A-hsin (蔡阿信). The caption thanks frontline doctors and nurses for their efforts amid the pandemic.
Source:Taipei Times
April 14, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: KMT delays final review of COVID-19 act
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday holds a meeting at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei after a cross-party negotiation on the additional budget for a bailout plan failed to reach a consensus. The KMT caucus has proposed budgeting NT$100 billion for cash handouts, KMT caucus whip Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said. Households subject to the 5 percent tax rate would receive NT$15,000; those subject to the 12 percent tax rate would receive NT$10,000; and those subject to the 20 percent tax rate would receive NT$6,000. The KMT caucus held a news conference at which it unveiled its proposal while negotiations were ongoing on Monday, but the DPP had not been informed of them, he added. Members of the KMT caucus later withdrew from the meeting.
Source:Taipei Times
April 14, 2020 15:56 UTC