Lawmakers take aim at ‘ineffective’ lobby rules
Ministry of the Interior statistics showed that since the Lobbying Act’s promulgation 12 years ago, government agencies at all levels have only registered 427 applications, of which 403 have been approved and 24 repealed. The entrance to the Control Yuan in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei TimesNo fines based on the act have ever been issued, the statistics showed. DPP caucus secretary-general Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said that the main problem with the Lobbying Actstemmed from the government’s lack of effort to enforce it. Amendments that do not address this issue would have no effect, he said, adding that the DPP caucus was willing to discuss any measures to improve the acts.
Source:Taipei Times
October 03, 2020 16:07 UTC
National park attendance plunges nearly 20 percent
National park attendance plunges nearly 20 percentBy Huang Hsin-po / Staff reporterThe number of visitors to national parks in the first eight months of the year has fallen nearly 20 percent, except at Taijiang National Park in Tainan, which recorded an increase, Ministry of the Interior data showed. The number of visitors to Kinmen National Park declined the most, falling by 50.44 percent, followed by a 47.85 percent drop at Dongsha Atoll National Park and a 46.59 percent decrease at Kenting National Park, the data showed. The sign at the entrance to Taijiang National Park in Tainan is pictured on Sept. 11, 2017. However, Taijiang National Park, Yushan National Park and South Penghu Marine National Park appeared to be unaffected by the effects of the pandemic and saw a growing number of visitors. Meanwhile, the numbers of visitors to South Penghu Marine National Park and Yushan National Park increased by 39.57 percent and 37.01 percent respectively, the data showed.
Source:Taipei Times
October 03, 2020 16:07 UTC
Ministry to push English at universities
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei TimesThe source said that less than 30 percent of graduate-level courses at the nation’s universities are taught in English. He also outlined the challenges of increasing the number of courses taught in English over a short period, saying that only one-third of his university’s graduate courses are taught in English, and only 15 percent of its undergraduate classes are taught in English. “Whether universities can push strongly for bilingualism would depend on the students’ English-language foundation,” National Pingtung University president Guu Yuan-kuang (古源光) said. It hopes to have all of its courses taught in English by 2030, it said, adding that 20 percent of its instructors are foreigners. It would then aim to have an additional four courses taught in English per department per year, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 03, 2020 16:01 UTC
Taipei to restore historic building in Dadaocheng
The historic Chen Tien-lai Residence in Taipei’s Dadaocheng area is pictured on Friday. Photo: Tang Hsin-hui, Taipei TimesThe city’s plan to restore the building would cost NT$200 million (US$6.9 million), and work would start by October next year, with plans to finish by 2024, it said. The budget includes NT$130 million to restore the building itself, NT$40 million to repair the surrounding property, and NT$30 million to restore historic artifacts in and around the building, it said. The city would provide 80 percent of the funds, while the Chen family would provide the remaining 20 percent. Speaking to reporters, Chen family members said that they had always wanted to restore the property, but disagreements on how to proceed had prevented any progress.
Source:Taipei Times
October 03, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan ‘no chance’ in war against PLA, former general says
Former army commander-in-chief general Chen Ting-chung is pictured in an undated photograph. “Let’s terminate the subsidy to Chen’s school... As the school’s founder, he insulted people ... and the government should not provide him with further financial subsidies,” DPP Legislator Chaung Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said. The council in a statement expressed its regret about Chen’s remarks, saying that his speech hurt the feelings of the public. “Operating a school for the Taiwanese business community in China is no easy task. To guarantee the right to education for Taiwanese students in China, we should not link the education subsidy to Chen’s personal remarks, as there is no direct connection,” the statement said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2020 16:55 UTC
Longdong border to ease fishers, tourists conflict
The bay has become a popular destination for diving and stand-up paddle boarding, leading to confrontations between tourists and fishers, the office said. People swim in the waters off Longdong in New Taipei City on Sept. 19. Longdong Community Development Association director Chang Tzu-chiang (張自強) said that diving centers were encouraging their customers to dive in local fishing areas, posing a danger to fishers and divers alike. The government needs to enact measures to help keep tourists and fishers safe, he said. She also called on authorities to step up patrols and dissemination of information to tell tourists, tourism companies and fishers about the new boundaries.
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2020 16:18 UTC
DPP bill to ban promoting China or flying its flag
DPP bill to ban promoting China or flying its flagBy Chen Yun and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerDemocratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) proposed an amendment to the National Security Act (國家安全法) to ban activities that promote Taiwan’s unification with China, damage Taiwan’s national identify, or other actions that work in the favor of China, Hong Kong and Macau, or other foreign opposition forces. The draft amendment includes fines of NT$10,000 to NT$100,000, with fines for displaying the People’s Republic of China flag of up to NT$50,000. The proposed amendment has so far gathered support from 28 DPP lawmakers and Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟). Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei TimesHowever, a number of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spoke out against the proposal, citing freedom of speech concerns. It would be more reasonable to ask people not to wave the flag or sing the national anthem of an enemy country, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2020 16:18 UTC
Miaoli to give rewards for leopard cat conservation
Miaoli to give rewards for leopard cat conservationBy Chang Hsun-teng and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Miaoli County Government has approved an ordinance regulating rewards and subsidies for leopard cat conservation to encourage people and organizations working to help these animals. Experts estimate there are 500 to 600 leopard cats nationwide, with 300 to 400 of them in the county’s Cianshan (淺山) area. The county last year promulgated the Autonomous Ordinance for the Conservation of Leopard Cats in Miaoli County (苗栗縣石虎保育自治條例), which serves as the legal basis for the ordinance approved on Tuesday. An undated photo shows a worker examining a leopard cat kitten found in Miaoli County. Farmers and other groups working in fields close to paths visited by leopard cats are to be given NT$5,000 per hectare, it added.
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2020 16:18 UTC
Bureau expecting surge in renewable energy program
Bureau expecting surge in renewable energy programBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterMore than 500 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) are likely to be sold through a Taiwan Renewable Energy Certification Center program through the end of this year, driven by intense corporate demand for green energy, the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspections (BSMI) said yesterday. The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ bureau administers the Taiwan Renewable Energy Certificate (T-REC) program. TSMC in July signed the Climate Group’s global RE100 pledge, promising to be “committed to 100 percent renewable electricity” by 2050. Taipower charges NT$0.058 per kilowatt hour to “wheel” energy from renewable sources through its grid from supplier to producer. An amendment last year to the Renewable Energy Development Act (再生能源發展條例) provided the legislative structure for T-REC, Huang said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2020 16:07 UTC
Food delivery data show credit card spending is surging
Food delivery data show credit card spending is surgingBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCredit card spending on food delivery services rose to NT$1.06 billion (US$36.36 million) in June, double that of a year earlier and higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating that people have continued using such services, despite the pandemic easing, the National Credit Card Center said in a report last week. Food delivery drivers attend a training course in Taichung on Aug. 17. Most people pay for food delivery with a credit card, although some platforms only accept cash, the center said. However, the rise in credit card spending on deliveries did not offset a decline in sales at restaurants, it said. “It seems that food delivery merely cushioned the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food industry and helped restaurants weather the crisis,” the center said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 02, 2020 16:07 UTC
Taipei schedules series of Pride Month events
Taipei schedules series of Pride Month eventsBy Tsai Ya-hua and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaipei is marking Pride Month this month with a series of activities, starting with “rainbow” bus tours set to begin tomorrow and finishing with a weekend of light shows outside Taipei City Hall starting on Oct. 28, the Taipei City Government said on Wednesday. Officials made the announcement at a news conference held atop a “rainbow road” that has been painted on a stretch of pavement in the plaza in front of Taipei City Hall, similar to the Rainbow Sixthat adorns the crosswalk in front of Ximen MRT Station Exit 6. Photo: Tsai Ya-hua, Taipei TimesThere is still a lot of work to be done to achieve LGBT and gender equality, but officials and Taipei City Council members would do everything in their power to support LGBT causes to show that the city cares, Liu said. The department commissioned Weary World to design a 1.2m by 1.4m statue based on the theme “fundamental [chicken] rights” (雞本人權) that would be erected in front of city hall in the coming weeks. Information on the Pride Month events can be found at the department’s Web site, Travel Taipei.
Source:Taipei Times
October 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Highways and Byways: A gift from the gods
The alleyways around Sishu Old Street (喜樹老街) were proving every bit as confounding as those in Sikunshen (四鯤鯓), where I’d started the day’s wanderings. The Wang Ye boat housed in the south wing of Tainan’s Wannian Temple. Placards used in religious processions stored inside Tainan’s Wannian Temple. So Wannian Temple’s resident deities could inspect their earthly domain, the latter vessel used to be sailed along the Erren River (二仁溪). A motorcycle rusts in a ruin near Tainan’s Sishu Old Street.
Source:Taipei Times
October 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
Former Nanya president quits Tsinghua Unigroup
Former Nanya president quits Tsinghua UnigroupBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterFormer Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技) president Charles Kau (高啟全) has reportedly quit his job at China’s Tsinghua Unigroup Ltd (清華紫光) after his five-year contract expired. Kau joined Tsinghua Unigroup in 2015 after retiring from Nanya Technology, the biggest DRAM chipmaker in Taiwan. Former Nanya Technology Corp president Charles Kau speaks at a Monte Jade Science and Technology Association forum on Oct. 20, 2014, in Taipei. Photo: CNALast year, Tsinghua Unigroup appointed Kau as chief executive officer of its newly formed unit, Yangtze Memory Technology Corp (長江存儲), aiming to develop and produce China’s first 3D NAND flash memory chips. Kau confirmed that he did not renew his contract with Tsinghua Unigroup when it expired, Central News Agency reported yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
October 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
City leaders mark Taipei’s centennial
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) hosted of the event, which he touted as a special chance for the ideologically distant mayors to mark a rare milestone together. From left, former Taipei City Council deputy speaker Chen Chin-hsiang, Taipei City Council Speaker Wu Pi-chu, former Taipei mayors Hau Lung-bin, Chen Shui-bian, Wu Poh-hsiung, Hsu Shui-teh, Huang Ta-chou and Ma Ying-jeou, former deputy council speaker Chen Chien-chi and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je attend a special exhibition to celebrate the city’s centennial in Taipei yesterday. The city used to flood and the water would shut off practically every other day, but now those problems have been solved, he added. Chen said he was happy that the former leaders could put aside their differences and come together for the event. The city of Taipei is only here thanks to the efforts of those who built up the area before its incorporation, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
October 01, 2020 15:56 UTC
New agency aims to increase area of irrigated farmland
New agency aims to increase area of irrigated farmlandNO EXPROPRIATION: The director pledged to prove to farmers that the new central department works for them better than its predecessor agenciesBy Yang Yuan-ting and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Agency of Irrigation was yesterday officially established, with its main aim being to increase the number of fields that are irrigated, Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said. The Legislative Yuan on July 2 passed the third reading of a bill to convert the nation’s 17 irrigation associations into a central government body. The agency would promote the use of intelligent irrigation systems and modern equipment, he said, pledging that it would prove to farmers to be better than its predecessor. Agency Director Tsai Sheng-fu (蔡昇甫) said that its priority would be to step up agricultural irrigation construction projects, adding that the agency would later also focus on investigating and handling incidents of water pollution. Most importantly, the agency must supervise the provision of water to an additional 370,000 hectares of farmland outside of the irrigation zone and not just the 310,000 hectares in the zone, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 01, 2020 15:56 UTC