Probe urged for alleged use of excessive force by policeBy Hsieh Chun-lin and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerNew Power Party (NPP) Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) yesterday called for an independent investigation into allegations that police used excessive force during a protest in Taipei on Friday. The Railway Bureau on Tuesday last week began tearing down the three remaining homes that stood in the way of a planned railway relocation project. Students clash with police in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei on Friday. The National Human Rights Committee had on Aug. 1 discussed whether to investigate the railway relocation project, Chiu added. “Is that not a clear violation of human rights and the principle of proportionality?” she asked.

TWSE urges caution ahead of launch of odd-lot intraday trading on Oct. 26By Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterWith odd-lot intraday trading scheduled to start on Monday next week, the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) urged investors to be cautious and not to confuse it with regular trading. The TWSE has asked securities brokerages to provide new online trading platforms that are exclusively for odd-lot intraday trading to differentiate it from current platforms for regular stock trading, TWSE trading division director Ben Chen (陳正斌) told the Taipei Times by telephone. “Investors need to be careful about which platform they are using when placing orders,” Chen said. While the TWSE has adopted a continuous trading mechanism for its regular stock trading, it would adopt a call auction mechanism for the odd-lot intraday trading, in a bid to help investors differentiate the two platforms, it said. The existing after-hours odd-lot trading will remain unchanged, with trading from 1:40pm to 2:30pm and matching orders taking place only once at 2:30pm, it said.

The bank aims to reduce its carbon emissions as its parent company, HSBC Holdings PLC, earlier this month said it targets to reduce emissions in its daily operations and supply chains to net zero by 2030, as well as net zero emissions of its portfolio of customers by 2050, it said. HSBC Taiwan has adopted measures to make its branches and offices eco-friendly and cut their power consumption, such as installing automatic sensors that turn off lights when there is enough daylight and after business hours, HSBC Taiwan corporate sustainability head Ruth Lee (李清如) said. HSBC Taiwan is considering to use more renewable energy sources to further improve its carbon footprint, although it still needs to talk to the landlords of its offices and persuade them to purchase green energy, Lee said. HSBC Taiwan would continue granting loans to local renewable energy developers such as wind or solar power developers, as well as providing financing to companies in other sectors to help them reduce carbon emissions, the bank’s chief risk officer Angus Tsang (曾德誼) said. HSBC Holdings said it aims to provide US$750 billion to US$1 trillion by 2030 to customers to help them become more sustainable.

Insurance holdings’ earnings up mildlyMIXED PERFORMANCE: While insurance-focused companies resisted a downturn, their banking-oriented peers showed losses, due to lower interest rate spreadsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterInsurance-focused financial holding companies last month saw milder earnings growth compared with a year earlier, while their banking-focused peers reported steep declines in earnings, several companies’ earnings results released last week showed. A sign displaying the logo of Fubon Life Insurance Co is pictured outside the company’s headquarters in Taipei on Nov. 22 last year. Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控) reported net profit of NT$4.68 billion for last month, the highest among its peers. Last month, the insurance unit set aside an additional NT$2 billion in foreign-exchange volatility reserve that slightly pared its profit. In the first nine months, CTBC Financial’s cumulative net profit was NT$36.13 billion, with earnings per share of NT$1.8, ranking third among its local peers.

Both parties must apologize for pork import issue: KoBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe controversy over lifting the ban on US pork containing ractopamine is not only a food safety issue, but also a communication and management problem, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday. Ko, who is chairman of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), was addressing a party forum in Taipei. Ko said he recently saw a video clip on the Internet of a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker asking Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to apologize for his past opposition to imports of US pork and beef, seeing that he had now reversed course. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je speaks at a Taiwan People’s Party forum in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei TimesKo cited Su as asking the lawmaker if he would also apologize, as the KMT had supported such a policy in 2012.

Fine for feeding conservation area fish starts in 2021By Huang Ming-tang and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerFeeding fish has become a finable offense at the Fushan Fisheries Resources Conservation Area (富山漁業資源保育區) in Taitung County’s Beinan Township (卑南), a conservationist said on Monday. Fish swim in a lake at the Fushan Fisheries Resources Conservation Area in Taitung County’s Beinan Township on Oct. 11. Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei TimesIn August, the conservation area management decided that it needed to monitor visitors, enforce the ban and fine offenders, he said. As many nearby stores sell fish food, the conservation area has advised them to sell food that the visitors can eat, so their revenue is not affected, he said. Aside from being disrespectful, the waste affects the ecosystem of the area surrounding the waterfall, a village official said, adding that villagers would begin patrolling the conservation area.

Tournament showcases Taiwan-Latin America tiesStaff writer, with CNAAn annual soccer tournament featuring Latin American and Taiwanese teams yesterday started in New Taipei City, highlighting the bonds among Taiwanese and the people of the region. Players compete in a soccer match in the Copa America Taiwan in New Taipei City yesterday. “We hope to bring together people who are interested in strengthening Taiwan-Latin America relations, paving the way for future cooperation,” TDDA chairwoman Kuo Chia-yo (郭家佑) said. The tournament also highlights that Taiwan can host events with live spectators, because of its success in handling COVID-19, the association said. One of the players, Dale Neal of Belize, said that he has competed in the Copa America Taiwan for the past five years and is happy to see people from Latin America, Taiwan and other countries having fun this year.

Control Yuan member and environmental activist Ma Yi-kung addresses the Taipei City’s mishandling of the Yuanta I Pin Building case. The cover of Ma Yi-kung and Han Han’s book, We Only Have One Earth. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia CommonsAccording to the Taiwan Environmental Information Association, experts still don’t agree on whether today’s mangroves are native to Tamsui. Those that support the theory maintain that as early as the 1600s, Spanish colonizers in northern Taiwan record seeing many mangrove forests in the area. The mangrove forests in southern Taiwan, however, are definitely not native as they were planted as a natural barrier in the 1950s to protect Taiwan’s shores.

The TV station’s license is to expire in December, and the National Communications Commission (NCC) is on Monday next week to hold a public hearing on its license renewal application. However, since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in May 2016, the nation has embarked on a road further away from democracy and freedom, he wrote. Ma also urged the US and other foreign friends to closely follow CtiTV News’ license renewal process. DPP Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) said that Ma, while he was president, was suspected of intervening in the NCC’s review proceedings. Six years ago, more than half of the NCC’s external consultants did not agree with CtiTV News’ license renewal, but the station still got its license, he said.

Academy signs agreement to open branch in TaipeiBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe National Academy of Marine Research yesterday announced a deal to open an ocean research branch in Taipei, as well as plans to construct three research vessels. The branch at National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU) would be the academy’s first research unit outside of Kaohsiung. A group of people attend an unveiling of a sign at the National Academy of Marine Research’s new research branch at National Taiwan Ocean University in Taipei yesterday. A plan to obtain research vessels from the TORI or other research institutions fell through, but the academy hopes to build its own fleet of vessels, Lin said. “The plan is to construct three research vessels — 4,000 tonnes, 300 tonnes and 100 tonnes — for about NT$2 billion [US$69.02 million],” he said.

Oyster shell heat pack is an eco-friendly cost saverBy Chien Hui-ju and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerA water-activated heat pack developed from oyster shells is expected to generate at least NT$10.35 million (US$357,155) annually for the industry, the Fisheries Research Institute said on Monday. The flameless cooker is made from oyster shells, so it is more environmentally friendly and safer than chemical-based alternatives, and production costs could fall 20 percent, the institute said. Council of Agriculture’s Fisheries Research Institute assistant researcher Ye Nien-tzu, right, and others yesterday in Taipei hold up signs introducing a water-activated heat pack developed by the institute. The institute in 2018 began introducing ways to better utilize the shells in the hope of advancing a circular economy, she added. Researchers found a way to transform the calcium carbonate in the shells into calcium oxide on contact with water, emitting heat in the process, Yeh said.

New Taipei police seize 513 cannabis plantsBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterNew Taipei City police discovered 513 cannabis plants following two raids this week, with investigators saying the suspects stood to make an estimated NT$123 million (US$4.24 million) in illegal profits from the plants. In the first raid on Thursday afternoon in Tamsui District (淡水), police recovered 166 potted cannabis plants, along with cultivation tools and equipment. Seized cannabis plants are displayed at New Taipei City Police Department’s Tamsui Precinct yesterday. Photo: Wu Jen-jieh, Taipei TimesAfter questioning Liao, police later that afternoon raided another building in Bali District (八里), where they found a larger operation, recovering 347 potted cannabis plants, together with cultivation tools and equipment. However, experts and lawyers criticized the police figures as unrealistic and inflated, disputing the formula police used to estimate the street value of drugs.

Survey shows 80% back formal ties with US‘A CLEAR RESULT’: ‘ROC’ is being replaced, with people more often preferring ‘Taiwan’ for the nation, a World United Formosans for Independence official saidBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterMore than 80 percent of respondents supported formalizing ties with the US, while the proportion advocating using the name “Taiwan” in the relationship reached a new high, a survey released yesterday by the World United Formosans for Independence (WUFI) showed. Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei TimesThe results clearly show what the vast majority of Taiwanese want, independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) told the news conference. Lim called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to eschew a passive, indifferent attitude toward ties with Washington and instead strive to re-establish them. Three point one percent identified themselves as Chinese; 20.8 percent said they are Taiwanese and ROC nationals, with Taiwanese prioritized; and 14.8 percent said both, without prioritizing Taiwanese, she said. “The survey shows that 44.2 percent advocate use of ‘Taiwan’ to replace ROC, although 47 percent still favor retaining ‘ROC.’”The poll was conducted on Monday and Tuesday by Focus Survey Research Co.

Succulents becoming more popular amid dry spellBy Wu Jun-feng and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerSucculents are becoming more popular due to their resilience to drought and relatively little need for water amid an unusually dry year, an industry representative said. A woman arranges a display of potted succulents at a garden center in Tainan on Monday. Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Taipei TimesThere are thousands of succulent varieties, with the most common belonging to the cactus family, Huang said. Other common succulents include aloe, the pencil tree, Lithops or pebble plants, and dogbanes that have flowers, but no thorns, Huang added. Aside from their medicinal uses as balms or ointments, succulents can also clean the air and absorb radiation, he said.

TWSE sees 41% more ‘big account’ investors in Q3By Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterThe number of “big accounts,” who invest and trade local stocks heavily, last quarter increased 41 percent to 2,369 from a quarter earlier, encouraged by the bull market, Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) data showed yesterday. The number of “big accounts,” which set an all-time high, is seen as an important indicator of investor confidence in the local markets. A “big account” is defined as an individual investor who trades at least NT$500 million (US$17.25 million) of shares on the exchange in a single quarter. The index then dropped to 12,515 points at the end of last month, dashing investors’ hopes that it would surpass 13,000 points. The increase in “big accounts” could be attributed to more mid-sized investors focusing on day trading to take advantage of market volatility, TWSE trading division director Ben Chen (陳正斌) told the Taipei Times by telephone.