Government unwilling to vouch for own rules
Government unwilling to vouch for own rulesForeign ARC/APRC holders are still asking why they won’t be getting stimulus vouchersBy Steven Crook / Contributing reporterTobie Openshaw is confident that Taiwan’s government has good reasons for not including him in the Triple Stimulus Voucher Program, which launched at the beginning of this month. “Surely we deserve a small thank you, just like Taiwan citizens. Premier Su Tseng-chang holds up two mock copies of the Triple Stimulus Vouchers, which come in denominations of NT$200 and NT$500. Whether it’s shared by the officials who crafted the Triple Stimulus Voucher Program is hard to say, because they’ve shown little willingness to discuss their reasoning. “There’s no logical reason not to include an entire subset of taxpayers if the goal is a broad economic stimulus.
Source:Taipei Times
July 07, 2020 16:00 UTC
Ministry lauds Canada’s UBC for ‘Taiwan’ reference
Ministry lauds Canada’s UBC for ‘Taiwan’ referenceBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter, with ReutersThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday commended the University of British Columbia (UBC) for “resuming its academic autonomy,” after the school said it would refer to the nation as “Taiwan,” instead of as “Taiwan (Province of China)” as it had done in an annual report. In the report’s 2018-2019 edition, the school had referred to the nation as “Taiwan” without any parenthesized note. “Moving forward, UBC will only refer to Taiwan without any additional descriptors in future reports,” Heinrich said. The ministry is glad to see the university resume its academic neutrality and autonomy, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) told a news briefing in Taipei. The ministry lauded the university for understanding the essence of the problem and its willingness to correct the inappropriate appellation, she added.
Source:Taipei Times
July 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
University seeks to encourage Chinese medicine for animals
University seeks to encourage Chinese medicine for animalsBy Wu Po-hsuan and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerNational Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) has established a team of cross-disciplinary academics to promote incorporating Chinese herbal medicine into pet food, as many ingredients have been proven to benefit the health of animals. Research has shown that diets involving certain medicinal herbs benefit animals’ health, Lee said, adding that using these herbs as health supplements can reduce the animals’ chances of developing illnesses at a later age, saving their owners the cost of treatment using Western medicine. Veterinarian Huang Mei-jung (黃美蓉), an executive officer at a pet food company, said that all Chinese herbal medicine would be tested on animals before being introduced to the market. This means that Chinese medicinal herbs that enter the market are safe for animals to consume, if given in proper amounts, Huang added. A woman surnamed Chen (陳), who owns a nine-year-old dachshund, said that feeding her dog snacks made of Chinese medicinal herbs for one month greatly enhanced the animal’s physical strength and energy levels.
Source:Taipei Times
July 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
Tsai warns China against overreaching
Tsai warns China against overreachingHONG KONG SECURITY: The president blasted regulations requiring Taiwanese agents or political organizations to provide information on their Hong Kong-related activitiesBy Chung Li-hua, Lin Ching-hua and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerPresident Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday warned of countermeasures should controversial Chinese national security legislation imposed on Hong Kong undermine or harm Taiwanese interests. “If necessary, we will issue warnings and guidance to Taiwanese groups and people [in Hong Kong],” Tsai said. “Beijing and the Hong Kong government should not trample on human rights and commit jurisdictional overreach to harm the rights of Taiwanese groups and organizations in Hong Kong,” the MAC said. It called on the Hong Kong government to clarify how it would protect Taiwanese interest and rights, as well as the safety and freedom of Taiwanese in Hong Kong. Taiwan is not under the jurisdiction of China or Hong Kong, the DPP said, adding that the Taiwanese government would never comply with acts that would oppress human rights.
Source:Taipei Times
July 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
Travel restrictions biggest hindrance: German firms
Travel restrictions biggest hindrance: German firmsRIGHT BALANCE: Taiwan and the EU should ‘reach a compromise on mutually lifting their travel restrictions’ imposed due to the global pandemic, Axel Limberg saidStaff writer, with CNAAn overwhelming majority of German companies operating in the nation consider travel restrictions between Taiwan and the EU harmful to their businesses, a survey by the global network of the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad found. Among the surveys of the chambers’ 140 locations in 92 nations from June 15 to 26, the one in Taiwan found that 90.5 percent of respondents cited travel restrictions as the biggest burden on their operations, the German Trade Office Taipei said on Monday. Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times“It was with great regret that we have learned about the decision of the European Union not to add Taiwan to the list of safe travel destinations,” German Trade Office Taipei Executive Director Axel Limberg said. China provisionally made the list, but only on condition that Beijing reciprocally grant EU visitors the same right of entry. The trade office is lobbying the German government to include Taiwan on the list to facilitate bilateral business efforts, Limberg said, adding that lifting travel restrictions is essential for business development.
Source:Taipei Times
July 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
DGBAS shrugs off deflation concerns as CPI falls 0.76%
DGBAS shrugs off deflation concerns as CPI falls 0.76%By Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe consumer price index (CPI) last month contracted 0.76 percent from a year earlier, as the COVID-19 pandemic reduced transportation, recreation and food costs, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. Photo: Clare Cheng, Taipei TimesThe index gained 0.79 percent from a month earlier and picked up 0.39 percent after seasonal adjustments, Chiou added. Core CPI, a more reliable long-term tracker of consumer price movements because it excludes volatile items, rose 0.13 percent. The wholesale price index (WPI), a measure of production costs, dropped 10.36 percent, easing from a revised 12.15 percent decline a month earlier, the DGBAS said. For the first six months of the year, the CPI edged down 0.22 percent and the WPI fell 8.2 percent, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
Examination nominee critic criticized
Examination nominee critic criticized‘TOO ARBITRARY’: Legislator Fan Yun said that Examination Yuan nominee Ho Yi-cheng’s articles are listed in databases with strict standards for the articles they acceptBy Chen Yun and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerAn academic yesterday drew criticism from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) after saying that President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) nominees for a Examination Yuan president and member are unfit for the positions. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun takes part in a public hearing on Control Yuan nominees at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Huang’s resume shows his leadership qualities, such as his considerable effort on behalf of the human rights movement during the nation’s Martial Law era, but that experience is more relevant for the Control Yuan than the Examination Yuan, he said. Kuei also raised doubts over the nomination of Ho Yi-cheng (何怡澄), head of National Chengchi University’s public finance department, to be an Examination Yuan member. However, the post of Control Yuan president would probably be a much better match for his experience, Kuei said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
Task force mulling name, changes for passport, CAL
Task force mulling name, changes for passport, CALBy Chen Yu-fu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerAn Executive Yuan task force is reviewing templates for name and logo changes for the nation’s passport and China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空), following calls to remove the word “China” after several countries refused medical donations from Taiwan after mistaking it for China. A CAL plane delivering medical supplies to Luxembourg on April 9 was mistaken for the Chinese carrier Air China Ltd (中國國際航空). The Executive Yuan is awaiting the finalized versions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), Cabinet spokesman Ting Yi-ming (丁怡銘) said. Photo: Cheng Wei-chi, Taipei TimesPremier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) would review all versions and reach a decision before forwarding it to the Legislative Yuan, a source in the Executive Yuan said. As for the passport cover — which Taiwanese travelers have said has led them to be misidentified as Chinese — the DPP said the MOTC should look into measures that would help identify the passport holder as “Taiwanese.”
Source:Taipei Times
July 07, 2020 15:56 UTC
Majority supports lay judge system, DPP poll shows
Majority supports lay judge system, DPP poll shows‘NATIONAL JUDGE ACT’: The survey showed 78.2 percent support for the DPP initiative as opposed to a jury system, which had only 19.2 percent supportBy Yang Chun-hui, Chiu Yan-ling and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writerNearly 80 percent of the public prefer a lay judge system over a jury system, a survey conducted by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) showed. The DPP has come under fire for not including a proposed jury system on the agenda for legislative talks on judicial reform, despite the party’s charter calling for a jury system. It has instead pushed for a lay judge system, which was initially proposed by the Judicial Yuan. Photo: Su Fun-her, Taipei TimesThe survey, released on Sunday, showed that 78.2 percent of respondents support a “national judge system,” while only 19.2 percent support a jury system. The national judge system represented an “evolution of the jury system,” the statement said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taichung MRT to launch this year, Mayor Lu says
Taichung MRT to launch this year, Mayor Lu says‘WE ARE CONFIDENT’: The city is planning a ceremony to celebrate the launch, and would invite former officials who helped oversee the project, Mayor Lu Shiow-yen saidBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe Taichung City Government would apply for a preliminary inspection next month of the Tai-chung MRT Green Line, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said yesterday, adding that the line would become operational by the end of this year. Taichung city councilors take a test ride on the city’s Mass Rapid Transit system’s Green Line yesterday. Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), who was Taichung mayor from 2014 to 2018, oversaw the project as well, Lu said. Ticket prices for the Taichung MRT Line would start at NT$20, with an extra NT$5 to be added for every 2km traveled, she said. The Taichung Transportation Bureau is also preparing for the launch of the MRT service, Yeh said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
Protection center to file Tatung suit
Protection center to file Tatung suitBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterThe Securities and Futures Investors Protection Center would file a lawsuit for an order to dismiss Tatung Co (大同) chairwoman Lin Kuo Wen-yen (林郭文艷), as the firm has severely breached shareholders’ rights, agency chairman Chiou Chin-ting (邱欽庭) said yesterday. The center filed the suit as Lin Kuo severely breached shareholders’ rights and disrupted market order by revoking the voting rights of 27 shareholders who own a combined 53 percent stake in Tatung, Chiou said. “What Lin Kuo did was wrong and hence we do not think it was a fair election,” Chiou said. Chiou rejected Tatung’s attorney Lai Chung-chiang’s (賴中強) remark that disputes regarding voting rights are part of a firm’s self-governance. “That statement clearly indicates that Tatung knew it had no right to cancel the voting rights of its shareholders, so it needed to apply for an injunction,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
Ama Museum to close on Nov. 10
Ama Museum to close on Nov. 10By Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Ama Museum in Taipei, dedicated to Taiwan’s “comfort women,” is to close on Nov. 10 for financial reasons, the Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation said yesterday. The museum became a platform for international exchanges on human rights and gender equality, and drew more than 125,000 visitors, the foundation said. Opening-day visitors look at photographs at the Ama Museum in Taipei on Dec. 10, 2016. Despite government support, shop revenue and donations, the museum lost between NT$4 million and NT$5 million (US$135,359 and US$169,199) annually over the past three years, it said. The foundation sold its office last year to make up for the losses.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
Tsai visits marines in hospital after deadly accident
Tsai visits marines in hospital after deadly accidentStaff writer, with CNAPresident Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday visited two hospitalized Marine Corps personnel rescued after their vessel overturned during a military exercise in waters off Kaohsiung on Friday. Senior military officials observe a moment of silence at a news conference in Taipei yesterday for two soldiers who died on Sunday after an accident in a military drill last week. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei TimesThe second marine, 24-year-old female Sergeant Chen Jo-ying (陳若盈), is in a stable condition with a minor lung infection, Tsai said. Tsai also visited the families of Private First Class Tsai Po-yu (蔡博宇) and Staff Sergeant Chen Chih-jung (陳志榮), who passed away on Sunday after the incident. Speaking at a meeting with senior military officials, Yen expressed his condolences over the deaths of Tsai Po-yu and Chen Chih-jung.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
FDA warns on risk of food poisoning
FDA warns on risk of food poisoningCAUTION: Taiwan had zero cases of death from food poisoning for six years until last year, when two people died after eating wildlife, an FDA official saidBy Lin Hui-chin and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday urged the public not to eat wildlife or unidentified wild plants, as they could be fatal, with nearly 7,000 people affected by food poisoning last year, including two deaths due to wildlife consumption. The number of food poisoning incidents increased by nearly 50 percent last year, from 398 cases involving 4,616 people in the previous year to 503 cases involving 6,944 people, FDA data showed. Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei TimesAmong the 503 cases, 87 were food poisoning clusters affecting 4,019 teachers and students, due to contaminated food provided by caterers, the agency said. Norovirus was another major cause of food poisoning last year, the FDA said. Taiwan had no cases of death due to food poisoning for six consecutive years until last year, when two people died after eating wildlife, FDA official Chou Pei-ju (周珮如) said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2020 15:56 UTC
Judicial reform groups slam DPP poll
“From the Presidential Office to the Judicial Yuan and DPP legislators, these government leaders are digging in, rigid in their hardline stance against judicial reform measures. They just want to ... get the procedure over with, while excluding the jury system, which is favored by a majority of society,” he added. Members of the Judicial Reform Foundation in Taipei yesterday protest against the government’s proposed lay judge system. “Our poll showed that only 8 percent favor the Judicial Yuan’s proposed bill to conduct criminal trials using the lay judge system,” Cheng said. “Yes, that is true, but it is much easier to bribe and influence a ruling in the lay judge system,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 06, 2020 15:56 UTC