Bilingual nation, modern nation: is it 2030 yet?
Bilingual nation, modern nation: is it 2030 yet? English policy in Taiwan has long been wide-ranging, with the government quietly investing in many different programs. Why is Taiwan implementing this massive program to make the nation bilingual within a decade? A HUNGER FOR MODERNITYThe other force driving this policy is Taiwan’s ardent desire to be seen, not just as a nation, but as a modern nation. Ditto for the “Bilingual by 2030” policy.
Source:Taipei Times
December 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
Landmark status mulled for Taoyuan Hakka home
Landmark status mulled for Taoyuan Hakka homeBy Hsu Cho-hsun and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerA 92-year-old residence in Sinwu District (新屋), Taoyuan, is being considered for preservation, and could become the area’s second historical landmark. The descendants of the building’s builders, the Yeh (葉) family, are optimistic, saying on Wednesday that landmark status would hopefully “reinvigorate” the hall. Nanyang Hall, the ancestral home of the Yeh family in Taoyuan’s Sinwu District, built in 1928, is pictured on Wednesday. Photo: Hsu Cho-hsun, Taipei TimesNanyang Hall (南陽堂), built in 1928, was constructed in the “one hall four dwellings” (一堂四橫) style typical of Hakka buildings. The wooden structure, materials, construction and artwork are all unique, showcasing the family’s storied history in Sinwu, Tung added.
Source:Taipei Times
December 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
INTERVIEW: KYMCO’s Ko looks to electric future
Kwang Yang Motor Co chairman Allen Ko poses for a photograph during an interview in Taipei on Wednesday last week. Taiwanese consumers are familiar with battery-swapping systems, but in Europe and China, the main trend is to recharge the batteries of electric motorcycles. TT: Kwang Yang makes a very special case by offering electric motorcycles and gasoline-powered models at the same time. The challenge for us is to rebrand as a supplier of electric motorcycles. Those interested in buying electric motorcycles are different from buyers of gasoline-powered ones.
Source:Taipei Times
December 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
Global PMX upbeat due to auto market recovery
Global PMX upbeat due to auto market recoveryBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterGlobal PMX Co Ltd (智伸科), a provider of dual-clutch transmissions and direct-injection parts for gasoline motors, said that it is cautiously optimistic about its business outlook for next year due to a recovery in the global auto market and the electrification trend. Sales contributions from the automotive segment account for 60 to 70 percent of the company’s total revenue, the company said in a statement on Friday. Global PMX said that it is positive about its sales performance next year, given global auto brands’ continuous pursuit for better performing engines, the market’s growing awareness of carbon reduction and saving energy, and the increasing penetration of advanced driver-assistance systems in new vehicles. Global PMX Co Ltd president Eddy Lin poses for a photograph at an extraordinary general meeting in Taipei on Nov. 19 last year. Global PMX reported net profit of NT$391.65 million in the first three quarters, compared with NT$462.52 million a year earlier.
Source:Taipei Times
December 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taichung has 1.11 million cars, but not enough parking
Taichung has 1.11 million cars, but not enough parkingVALUABLE REAL ESTATE: With fewer than 300,000 parking spaces for nearly 3 million vehicles, the city has been building parking facilities wherever it canBy Tsai Shu-yuan and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaichung residents have registered more than 1.11 million cars, far exceeding the number of parking spaces in the city, leading to complaints about parking, a source said Saturday. Residents have also registered nearly 1.74 million scooters and motorcycles, but there are only 145,000 parking spaces for cars and trucks, and 146,000 spaces for scooters — far fewer than residents need, the source said. The parking facilities would provide an additional 4,604 parking spaces for cars and trucks and 2,808 for scooters when they are complete, he added. To attract more people to move to Taichung, the city government would continue to add more parking, Yeh said. To prevent people from abusing free parking spaces by using them for long-term parking, the city would also monitor those spaces and convert them to paid parking if necessary, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
December 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
FSC to crack down on offshore firms
A Financial Supervisory Commission sign is pictured in an undated photograph in New Taipei City. “The commission has asked the Taiwan Stock Exchange to propose relevant strengthening measures,” the FSC said in the report. Taiwan’s campaign to attract investors and explore potential opportunities has seen the number of KY companies reach 110 as of the end of October — 77 on the Taiwan Stock Exchange and 33 listed on the Taipei Exchange. The Taiwan Stock Exchange once touted the listing policy as an opportunity for overseas Taiwanese businesses to consider business upgrades, channel development, long-term corporate sustainability and improve brand recognition. Meanwhile, the report said that the Taiwan Stock Exchange and the Taipei Exchange need to collect further corporate credit information and immediately grasp information that affects a company’s financial situation.
Source:Taipei Times
December 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
TRA’s landslide-hit line is closed until Sunday
TRA’s landslide-hit line is closed until SundayStaff writer, with CNARepairs to a Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) line damaged in a landslide in New Taipei City on Friday would take five days longer than expected, leaving it closed to traffic until Sunday, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. Progress on repairing the damaged section of the line between Rueifang (瑞芳) and Houtong (猴硐) stations has been hampered by poor weather and the risk of further landslides, Lin said. People line up at Taipei City Hall Bus Station yesterday to buy tickets from Taipei to Yilan and Hualien counties after a landslide in New Taipei City on Friday knocked a Taiwan Railways line out of commission. Express trains between Shulin Station in New Taipei City and Yilan Station in Yilan County, as well as local trains between Rueifang and Houtong stations, have been suspended since the incident, the TRA said. Operations on affected sections of the line returned to normal at about 1pm, with about 10,000 passengers affected, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
Tsai touts achievements in human rights, justice
Tsai touts achievements in human rights, justiceBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterTaiwan has made considerable progress in improving its human rights situation, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday at an event marking World Human Rights Day on Thursday, with victims of political persecution among the audience. President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at an International Human Rights Day event at the National Human Rights Museum in New Taipei City yesterday. Tsai pointed to the establishment of the National Human Rights Museum two years ago to promote human rights education and document Taiwan’s progress from authoritarianism to a democratic society. “People can see the positive results of human rights education, and also exhibits and research work at the museum. Tsai also lauded the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission on Aug. 1, an independent agency of the Control Yuan that is tasked with probing rights violations, reviewing the implementation of human rights policies and presenting national reports on human rights.
Source:Taipei Times
December 05, 2020 15:56 UTC
Landslide disrupts travel in the north
The TRA said it is continuing to liaise with bus companies and hopes to increase the number of trips to expedite the transportation of passengers. The landslide deposited 3,800m3 of rock, dirt and debris onto a section of tracks between Rueifang (瑞芳) and Houtong (猴硐) stations in New Taipei City at about 9am on Friday, disrupting transportation. Debris from a landslide blocks a section of railway in New Taipei City yesterday. Travelers yesterday line up at the Hualien Railway Station to return their tickets after train services were suspended due to a landslide on the Yilan line. People whose journeys have been delayed by the landslide by at least 45 minutes can visit any TRA station nationwide for a refund within a year, it added.
Source:Taipei Times
December 05, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan in Time: A doctor’s fight against ‘Taiwan’s chewing gum’
Another problem was that significant plots of land were being cleared to plant betel nut trees, leading to landslides during heavy rains. Despite the numerous threats, Hahn continued his crusade against chewing betel nut, and the government designated Dec. 3, 1997 as the nation’s first Betel Nut Prevention Day. Photo courtesy of Health Promotion AdministrationLONGTIME HABITArchaeological evidence shows that Taiwan’s inhabitants have been chewing betel nut for 4,000 to 5,000 years. Politicians in the betel nut counties of Pingtung and Nantou immediately fired back, and the debate was on. But it wasn’t until 2003 that Hahn’s beliefs were officially validated when the International Agency for Research on Cancer found that betel nut is carcinogenic.
Source:Taipei Times
December 05, 2020 15:56 UTC
Constitutionality of bill queried
The commission was established following passage of the Organic Act of the Control Yuan National Human Rights Commission (監察院國家人權委員會組織法) on Dec. 10 last year. The Control Yuan in September tendered the bill for review by the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee. The entrance to the Control Yuan’s National Human Rights Commission is pictured in Taipei in an undated photograph. Commission members late last month met with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus members to explain the bill. DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) told the meeting that he believes clauses of the bill risk breaching human rights and being unconstitutional, sources said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 05, 2020 15:56 UTC
Uzbekistan eyes Taiwan chicken
Uzbekistan eyes Taiwan chickenIN A NAME: A chicken breed developed by the COA and Kai Shing Food Corp was named after the founder of the nation’s first fast food chain, Kai Shing’s chairman saidBy Yang Yuan-ting / Staff reporterA domestic chicken breed, named for the founder of TKK Fried Chicken, has piqued the interest of Uzbek officials, who might make their country the first overseas destination for the bird, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday. Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei TimesNonetheless, Aripov still plans to visit Taiwan in person to discuss introducing the breed to Uzbekistan after the pandemic subsides, he said. Taiwan hopes to start exporting breeding eggs to the Central Asian country in the near future, he said. Chickens bred from the eggs would not be able to produce offspring, which means that foreign importers must continue purchasing eggs from Taiwan, he added. Although the black chicken breed originated in China, after years of crossbreeding there, it is no longer similar to the version in Taiwan, he said, adding that some Southeast Asian countries have expressed interest in importing it.
Source:Taipei Times
December 05, 2020 15:56 UTC
Octogenarian knits 1,500 sweaters for children in need
Children’s sweaters knitted by Hsueh Lo-sha are pictured in Yunlin County on Saturday last week. After the 921 Earthquake hit, Hsueh reached out to Caoling Village (草嶺) in Yunlin County to ask if any children needed sweaters, former village warden Su Chun-hao (蘇俊豪) said. Hsueh Lo-sha knits a sweater for a child in Yunlin County on Saturday last week. Photo: Huang Shu-li, Taipei TimesSu said he was deeply moved by her story, as she at that point had already been knitting sweaters for children in need for more than 30 years. Su said that if anyone knows a child in need of a sweater, they can contact him.
Source:Taipei Times
December 04, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan-Singapore association launched
Taiwan-Singapore association launchedBy Wu Su-wei and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerLawmakers yesterday celebrated the launch of a Taiwan-Singapore association at an event at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The event commemorating the formation of the Republic of China (Taiwan)-Singapore Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association, which is to be chaired by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), was attended by Taiwan’s Representative to Singapore Yeh Wei-chieh (葉偉傑). Yeh said that Singaporean members of parliament have maintained close relations with their Taiwanese counterparts, forming a strong basis for Taiwan-Singapore friendship. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang, Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Jih-jia, front row, from left, and other officials attend an inauguration ceremony for the Republic of China (Taiwan)-Singapore Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association at the Legislative Yuan yesterday. KMT Legislator Hsieh Yi-feng (謝衣鳳) and Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) are to serve as the association’s deputy chairpersons.
Source:Taipei Times
December 04, 2020 15:56 UTC
Fate uncertain as SBL tips off
Fate uncertain as SBL tips offBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterA hoops war begins this weekend as the SBL tips off at New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang Gymnasium, ahead of the rival P.League+, which begins at the Changhua County Stadium on Dec. 19. The SBL openers today see Taiwan Bank take on Pauian Archiland at 3pm, followed by the marquee matchup at 5:30pm between defending champions Taiwan Beer and last season’s losing finalists the Yulon Luxgen Dinos. Jeoutai Technology, the fifth SBL team, formerly known as Kinmen Kaoliang, play their first game tomorrow against Taiwan Bank, also in Sinjhuang. Players line up for photographers at a news conference in Taipei on Tuesday to promote the 18th SBL season, which begins today. Miller of Taiwan Beer, Branden Dawson of Jeoutai, Jordan Tolbert of Archiland and Zak Irvin of Taiwan Bank.
Source:Taipei Times
December 04, 2020 15:56 UTC