Brothers’ win puts them on topBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe Rakuten Monkeys and the CTBC Brothers traded places atop the CPBL table for the second day in a row yesterday, with the Brothers on top after an 8-5 win at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium. Chou Szu-chi of the CTBC Brothers, right, slides into third during their game against the Rakuten Monkeys at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium yesterday. They looked good for a comeback win, with closer Chen Yu-hsun holding the Brothers scoreless in the eighth. Photo: Huang Chih-yuan, Taipei TimesIn Friday’s opener of the three-game series, Rakuten starting pitcher Lisalverto Bonilla handcuffed the Brothers hitters for a 4-0 win in Taoyuan. In the other game yesterday, the Uni-President Lions edged the Fubon Guardians 3-2 in Tainan.

FEATURE: Taiwan-Japan ties ‘always good,’ official saysBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterTaiwan-Japan relations are “always good,” but as with any couple, the occasional dispute is inevitable, a government official said, as interaction between the two nations has recently experienced ups and downs. Ties between Taiwan and Japan have been informal since Tokyo switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1972. The group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, are claimed by Taiwan, Japan and China. “Taiwan-Japan ties are a rare jewel among bilateral relations around the world,” the ministry official said. Democratic values bond Japan and Taiwan together, while mutual benefit and honesty are essential for sustaining enduring ties, he said.

Ketagalan rally vows to recall Tsai, DPP officials‘FULL-ON CLASH’: ‘KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang asked us not to initiate revenge recalls, but that is exactly what we are going to do,’ retired teacher Chou Ming-tai saidBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterAbout 500 protesters demonstrated on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei yesterday, vowing to recall President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and lawmakers in the pan-green camp. Democracy Watch Alliance convener Huang Cheng-chung (黃正忠) said that if the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) does not take action on the death of KMT Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Hsu Kun-yuan (許崑源), he would quit the party. Demonstrators attending a Democracy Watch Alliance rally along Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei yesterday call on President Tsai Ing-wen to step down. Huang said that Hsu died a wrongful death, and that yesterday’s rally sought in part to redress the injustice perpetrated against him. New Power Party Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Jie (黃捷) and Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) are DPP members in all but name, Chou added.

Groups hold BLM rally in TaipeiAN OPPORTUNITY: A professor attending the rally with his family said that it was a chance for Taiwanese to reflect on their own prejudicesBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterAfrican Americans in Taiwan yesterday held a rally in Taipei to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, and were joined by Aboriginal rights advocates who spoke out about all racist violence. The rally, which started at 2pm in front of the National Taiwan Museum, attracted nearly 300 people, according to police estimates. People stand in front of a sign with the names of victims of police violence during a Black Lives Matter rally in Taipei’s 228 Peace Memorial Park yesterday. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei TimesStefanie Davis, of the Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative, said that it was important to show solidarity with people in the US, where there have been numerous protests and rallies. People hold up signs during a Black Lives Matter rally in Taipei’s 228 Peace Memorial Park yesterday.

Yang Ming-jou sworn in as Kaohsiung acting mayorStaff writer, with CNAKaohsiung City Councilor Yang Ming-jou (楊明州) yesterday took the helm as Kaohsiung acting mayor, stepping into the vacancy left by the recall of former mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜). Yang, who served as deputy mayor under former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), is to remain in the post until the city chooses a new mayor in an Aug. 15 by-election. Kaohsiung Acting Mayor Yang Ming-chou is sworn in yesterday at Kaohsiung City Hall. Photo: Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei TimesThe 64-year-old Yang has been working for the Kaohsiung City Government since 1984. After Han became mayor in December 2018, he appointed Yang to be the city’s secretary-general.

White papers are to be published annually, with this year’s offering five suggestions for the nation: “Develop a national strategy for talent circulation, facilitate international academic exchange, leverage foreign talent already in Taiwan, encourage the free circulation of start-up talent and increase the participation of women in Taiwan’s professional life.”President Tsai Ing-wen, center, applauds the release of the first Annual Talent Circulation Alliance white paper alongside others at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. The white paper’s primary goal is to transform the nation into an international talent hub, Christensen said, citing last year’s Talent Circulation Summit, the Fulbright Fellowship and a collaborative project between Microsoft and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) to train chief executives as examples of US efforts to help Taiwan achieve talent circulation. The Talent Circulation Alliance aims to help Taiwan replicate its economic success in the digital age by bringing in expertise from the US and other nations, Christensen said. The alliance seeks to help the nation’s talent grow and prevent a brain drain, he said. “The best way to prevent the loss of talent is to create a viable alternative, namely easy circulation of talent among like-minded economies, in particular the United States,” Christensen said.

Taishin urges ministry to give it CHBCLAIMS OF DECEPTION: Taishin said that a CHB statement that said the ministry had better managed the bank since 2014 was false and meant to deceive its foreign investorsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterTaishin Financial Holding Co Ltd (台新金控) yesterday asked the Ministry of Finance to let it take over state-run Chang Hwa Bank (CHB, 彰化銀行), and end their legal dispute over the management of the bank, Taishin chairman Thomas Wu (吳東亮) told a shareholders’ conference in Taipei. Wu made the remark after CHB shareholders said they were concerned about the position Taishin would take on CHB’s board during its shareholders’ meeting next week. The conglomerate has been contesting the ministry’s right to manage CHB since 2014, when it lost a majority on the CHB board to the ministry, as the ministry had in 2005 agreed that Taishin should keep the rights. Taishin Financial president Welch Lin speaks to reporters at the company’s shareholders’ meeting yesterday in Taipei. Taishin did a good job running CHB, given that its average ROE was 11.6 percent from 2006 to 2014, higher than all banks’ average of 6.6 percent during the same period, Lin said.

Civic group to buy 228 victim Tang Te-chang’s houseBy Hung Jui-chin and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Tainan Cultural Heritage Protection Association has raised more than NT$20 million (US$671,998) from about 8,000 donors to purchase the former residence of 228 Incident victim Tang Te-chang (湯德章) from a private owner, saving it from demolition. The civic group initiated the fundraising campaign after learning that the owner of the property planned to turn it into a private parking space. The appeal was backed by several politicians, including Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) and former Tainan mayor George Chang (張燦鍙). The house of lawyer Tang Te-chang, who was executed without a trial following the 228 Incident, is pictured in Tainan on May 23. The park was renamed Tang Te-chang Memorial Park in 1997.

No Computex, organizers sayHEALTH AND SAFETY: Show organizers said that COVID-19, travel restrictions and lockdowns would likely prevent many participants from attending the eventBy Natasha Li / Staff reporterComputex Taipei’s organizers have canceled the annual computer and technology trade shows due to lingering concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic and large-scale travel restrictions, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會) said. Originally scheduled to take place earlier this month, Computex was initially postponed to late September as the pandemic wreaked havoc across the globe. “Preserving the health and safety of Computex’s participants remain our top priority... After careful deliberation, we have decided to cancel this year’s show,” TAITRA said. “Nobody can afford to shoulder this kind of responsibility” of new COVID-19 cases in the nation, Huang said. Computex, one of the largest trade shows of its kind, is cohosted by the Computer Association and attracts more than 40,000 visitors annually.

A year after the first large demonstration against the bill, the protests in Hong Kong have continued, and many Hong Kongers have been bludgeoned, raped or killed by members of the Hong Kong Police Force, Chou said. Citing efforts by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and lawmakers to support Hong Kongers looking to flee the territory, he said Taiwan welcomes Hong Kongers and would forever accept them with open arms. He called on Taiwanese and Hong Kongers to help each other through desperate times. In a separate video, Hong Kong actor Chapman To (杜文澤) said that he felt inferior to the young Hong Kongers of today. Beijing is planning to turn Hong Kong into an “inferno,” and democratic Taiwan would always be ready to embrace Hong Kongers, he said.

New immigrants are an integral part of Taiwan: ministerStaff writer, with CNANew immigrants are an integral part of Taiwanese society and are a key to making the country beautiful, Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said yesterday at a charity sale for the benefit of migrant workers. New immigrants are defined as foreigners who have emigrated to Taiwan within the past two decades, many of whom have married Taiwanese spouses. Zongzi, or traditional glutinous rice wraps, from Vietnam were sold to raise funds for sheltering migrant workers who are unable to return to their countries of origin. The funds will go toward migrant workers’ living expenses and for airfare back home, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said in a statement. The association includes many new immigrants who provide services to each other and should be commended, Hsu said.

Yilan councilors approve new name for DiaoyutaisSTAYING CORDIAL: Legislative Speaker You Si-kun said that Taiwan and Japan should work together in the face of Chinese threats and set aside differencesBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAThe Yilan County Council yesterday passed a provisional motion recommending that the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) be renamed Toucheng Township Diaoyutai (頭城釣魚台). The sovereignty controversy over the islands, which are claimed by Taiwan, Japan and China, resurfaced after Chinese Coast Guard vessels this week entered waters near the islands. Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei TimesThe Yilan County councilors approved the motion with 29 votes. Yilan County Government Secretary-General Lin Mao-sheng (林茂盛) said that the county government would examine the issue and inform the council of how to implement the motion. Lin Tzu-miao yesterday said that she is having a discussion about visiting the islands with fishers and the local fisheries association.

In a morning interview with radio host Clara Chou (周玉蔻), TPP Legislator Tsai Pi-ru (蔡壁如) said she believed that parties could work together, but their nominee must be independent and local. Former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is to leave office today following Saturday’s successful recall vote. Focusing on northern Taiwan has led the KMT to overlook Kaohsiung and the resource distribution gap following the 2010 merger of Kaohsiung city and county, he said. Han’s 2018 victory had changed Kaohsiung residents’ perception of the KMT and upset the political balance in the region, Chiang said. “The recall results is a reminder that we should not take the open-mindedness of the people of Kaohsiung for granted,” he added.

A supporter of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu yesterday signs an umbrella to be sent to Han as a sign of support after he was recalled on Saturday last week. Photo: Ko Yu-hao, Taipei TimesMore than 97 percent of the ballots were cast in favor of recalling Han. He was apparently referring to what Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) wrote on Facebook, which linked Hsu’s death to underground betting. The rally was not organized by Han’s supporters, Wu said, adding that Han has distanced himself from it, so it would be an issue for him to participate. “I ask Han Kuo-yu to come out with courage — Han must not abandon his supporters,” Huang said yesterday, adding that in quitting and running away, Han and Wu have “no guts.”

Yang to become acting Kaohsiung mayor: sourceBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterThe Executive Yuan has selected former Kaohsiung City Government secretary-general Yang Ming-jou (楊明州) as Kaohsiung acting mayor, sources with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. Yang was acceptable to the pan-blue and pan-green camps, easing tensions in preparation for a Kaohsiung mayoral by-election after Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) was recalled on Saturday last week, they said. Former Kaohsiung City Government secretary-general Yang Ming-jou talks to the media in an undated photograph. His experience in municipal affairs also makes him an ideal acting mayor as the Kaohsiung City Council begins a month-long intensive question-and-answer session on Friday next week, they added. In related developments, DPP Kaohsiung City Councilor Kao Min-lin (高閔琳) on Wednesday said that she would not support DPP Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) becoming acting mayor.