Justin Huang spurns Tsai nomination
Justin Huang spurns Tsai nominationCONTROL YUAN ROW: The KMT said Tsai Ing-wen should have consulted it before reaching out to Huang, while a DPP member said the party was not informed eitherBy Sherry Hsiao, Lee Hsin-fang and Huang Hsin-po / Staff reportersFormer Taitung County commissioner Justin Huang (黃健庭) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday declined a nomination from President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to serve as Control Yuan vice president. The entrance to the Control Yuan is pictured in Taipei on Wednesday. Chen, who is expected to be nominated as Control Yuan president, has been involved in three impeachments and more than 50 cases of corrective measures by the Control Yuan, the KMT said. If Tsai, who doubles as DPP chairperson, believes Huang is suitable for the position, she should defend the nomination, instead of allowing members of her party to attack Huang, the KMT said. The Presidential Office did not communicate with DPP members about Huang’s planned nomination, said a party member, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Source:Taipei Times
June 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taipei exhibition highlights Hong Kong protests
Taipei exhibition highlights Hong Kong protests‘BE WATER’: Causeway Bay Books owner Lam Wing-kei said at the opening that Hong Kongers should be prepared to fight for the territory from abroadBy Chung Li-hua / Staff reporterAn exhibition documenting pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong against a now-withdrawn extradition bill opened yesterday in Taipei, with a theme that says Hong Kong protesters should be as resilient as water. Hong Kong Outlanders spokeswoman Justine said that the large 23kg banner is iconic, as it embodies the voices of Hong Kongers from all 18 districts in the territory. A person yesterday speaks at an exhibition in Taipei documenting the pro-democracy protests against the now-withdrawn extradition bill in Hong Kong. He is optimistic about Hong Kongers rebuilding Hong Kong from elsewhere in the world, he said, adding that Hong Kong does not have to represent a geographic location. The council should clarify the review procedure for applications prospective Hong Kong immigrants submit and introduce a mechanism for civil participation when offering Hong Kongers assistance, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT disputes Chen Chu’s Control Yuan nomination
From left, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Chen Yu-jen, Lin Wei-chou, Lin Yi-hua and Lee De-wei gesture at a news conference at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Lin asked if Chen became Control Yuan president, whether investigations into the 58 cases would continue, and if they would, whether Chen would resign if illegalities were found. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has long advocated eliminating the Control Yuan, yet it insists on nominating Chen and 27 Control Yuan members so it can engage in pork-barrel politics one last time, he said. However, Chen is to date the most unfit candidate for Control Yuan president, she said. The DPP should be establishing a parliamentary system and abolishing the Control Yuan and Examination Yuan, instead of handing out positions in organizations it itself calls “unnecessary” and “out-moded,” Chang said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT task force unveils four pillars for stable, peaceful cross-strait relations
KMT task force unveils four pillars for stable, peaceful cross-strait relationsBy Shih Hsaio-kuang and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerA Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) task force on cross-strait discourse has proposed new guidelines for the construction of stable and peaceful relations across the Taiwan Strait as part of the party’s reform efforts. In its presentation, the task force proposed that the “1992 consensus” should be viewed as “a historical description of past cross-strait interaction.”Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang speaks at a meeting of the party’s reform committee in Taipei yesterday. Although past KMT administrations had deemed the “1992 consensus” an important basis for seeking common ground in cross-strait interaction, the term has been marred by President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration, the task force said. The KMT would continue to promote long-term economic and trade relations across the Strait, but would ensure that the fruits of such economic development benefit the majority of Taiwanese, the task force said. “We will do everything we can for peace, but we will never kneel down for it,” the task force said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
The Executive Yuan names Shen Jong-chin as vice premier
The Executive Yuan names Shen Jong-chin as vice premierBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterThe Executive Yuan yesterday announced the appointment of Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) as vice premier and Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) to head the ministry. Shen and Wang are to assume their new roles today, Executive Yuan spokesman Ting Yi-ming (丁怡銘) said after former vice premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) resigned on Wednesday to contest the Aug. 15 Kaohsiung mayoral by-election. Shen has a well-rounded understanding of the business sector, where he has accumulated many years of experience, Ting said. Executive Yuan spokesman Ting Yi-ming speaks in front of a projection that shows the curriculum vitae of incoming vice premier Shen Jong-chin, who formerly served as Minister of Economic Affairs, at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) believes that Shen’s expertise would make him his top aide for economic affairs, Ting said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Daylengths affect burying beetles’ breeding: study
Daylengths affect burying beetles’ breeding: studyCLIMATE CHANGE: The study examines the adaptability to environment of different populations of burying beetles, which are sensitive to temperature changesBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe reproduction of burying beetles is affected by differing daylengths, while they develop different survival mechanisms at varied elevations and latitudes, Academia Sinica Biodiversity Research Center associate research fellow Shen Sheng-feng (沈聖峰) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. The research team studied the behavior of burying beetles (Nicrophorus nepalensis), which are found across mountains in Asia and are sensitive to temperature changes, to examine the environmental adaptability of different populations of the species, Shen said. Academia Sinica Biodiversity Research Center associate research fellow Shen Sheng-feng, third right, and his research team hold placards showing burying beetles and their habitats at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. To focus on their genetic traits, the team bred the beetles in a laboratory and studied their offspring, Shen said. Even if the beetles at lower elevations emerged from cocoons in times with longer daylengths, they were not sexually mature, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
China Steel eyes turnaround by year’s end
China Steel eyes turnaround by year’s endBy Natasha Li / Staff reporter, in KaohsiungChina Steel Corp (CSC, 中鋼) yesterday said it aims to turn business around by the end of the year by improving post-pandemic market demand and new product developments. China Steel Corp chairman Wong Chao-tung, standing, presides over a company shareholders’ meeting in Kaohsiung yesterday. “We need to set our focus on top-quality and high-precision steel products [in order to maintain growth],” he said. “Major steel companies have slashed production since the second quarter, including us, by 10 percent, in an attempt to stem losses,” Wong said. Citing recent price hikes from Chinese, Japanese and South Korean industry peers, Wong said market demand is showing signs of recovery.
Source:Taipei Times
June 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Government holds CHB board
Government holds CHB board‘GROW STRONGER’: Both sides declared victory after the election, with Taishin saying it focused on electing independent directors to enhance oversight at CHBBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterGovernment-appointed candidates yesterday retained majority control of state-run Chang Hwa Bank’s (CHB, 彰化銀行) board of directors, while Taishin Financial Holding Co (台新金控) won four seats, including all three independent directors’ seats. Taishin’s strategy to focus on independent directors’ seats fell in line with the ministry’s expectation, Juan said. The ministry aimed to maintain majority control of the board room and achieved that goal, he added. CHB has nine board seats, including three independent directors who are in charge of the auditing, remuneration and sustainability committees. Taishin urged newly elected board members to soon convene a meeting and elect a new chairperson to lead CHB.
Source:Taipei Times
June 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Groups seek improved HK aid plan
Groups seek improved HK aid planOFFICE ISSUES: Advocates said the rules on political asylum and the conditions for offering humanitarian assistance to Hong Kongers should be revealed to the publicBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterA coalition of civic groups yesterday called for the Hong Kong Humanitarian Assistance Action Plan to be improved by making it more transparent and flexible. The civic groups commended the government for the plan after the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday unveiled it and an office to oversee it, but added that there were problems with it. International law forbids a government from repatriating asylum seekers against their will, so the government must not repatriate applicants to Hong Kong should they not want to return there, she said. Asked whether Hong Kongers seeking asylum through unconventional means would be approved, Executive Yuan spokesman Ting Yi-ming (丁怡銘) at a later news conference said that those situations would be reviewed case-by-case. The government has always provided Hong Kongers with assistance, and the council would likewise strive to provide substantial assistance within its purview, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
June 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Public action sought on ‘improper education’
Public action sought on ‘improper education’By Huang Hsin-po and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerAdditional action by students, families and school faculty is required to support the Ministry of Education’s efforts to curtail improper education at schools, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said yesterday. Many schools, whether to “diversify” education content or simply to cover a shortage of teachers, are hiring uncertified people to teach classes, Fan told a news conference in Taipei. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun, second right, and parents’ and students’ representatives hold signs and gesture at a news conference in Taipei yesterday on proposed rules to combat “improper education” at schools. There were 65 complaints submitted against the two associations from August last year to April, Fan said, citing data from the ministry’s K-12 Education Administration and other information gathered by her own office. The K-12 administration would maintain close contact with schools via local governments to ensure that they implement the measures, Chang said.
Source:Taipei Times
June 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Premier Su sends off Chen Chi-mai on his last day
Premier Su sends off Chen Chi-mai on his last dayBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterPremier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday thanked former vice premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), a physician, for his contributions to the nation’s fight against COVID-19, during Chen’s last Cabinet meeting in the position. Former vice premier Chen Chi-mai waves goodbye to reporters at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday. During his stint as vice premier, Chen, as chief information security officer, also led the Cabinet’s information technology team in pushing for 5G development and upholding information security, Su said. Chen’s use of big data in contact tracing has significantly helped the nation’s disease prevention efforts, he said. Chen became vice premier when Su became the premier for a second time on Jan. 14 last year.
Source:Taipei Times
June 18, 2020 15:56 UTC
New Taiwan-HK office to run HK aid project: MAC
New Taiwan-HK office to run HK aid project: MACBy Jake Chung and Dennis Xie / Staff writers, with CNAThe government’s Hong Kong Humanitarian Aid project is to be implemented through a Taiwan-Hong Kong Interaction Office, which is to begin operations on July 1, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) said yesterday. The aid plan has been anticipated since China’s National People’s Congress last month endorsed national security legislation for Hong Kong, despite Beijing’s past promise that the territory would remain autonomous until 2047. The office is to render humanitarian aid to Hong Kongers, while complying with Taiwan’s laws and upholding national security, he said. The project’s implementation fully embodies the government’s support of Hong Kongers’ efforts to uphold human rights and defend the values of democracy, and its goodwill toward them, he said. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday also reaffirmed her commitment to support Hong Kongers.
Source:Taipei Times
June 18, 2020 15:56 UTC
Former aides suspected of espionage
Former legislative assistant Lee Yi-hsien, center, walks into the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday. Photo: Chen Wei-tzu, Taipei TimesThe trio allegedly passed material to Chinese Ministry of State Security officials while working as aides to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers between 2014 and 2018. Lee worked for then-KMT legislator Chang Li-shan (張麗善), who is now Yunlin County commissioner, while Chen and Lin worked for then-KMT legislator Chen Shu-huey (陳淑慧), who is now Chiayi deputy mayor. Former legislative assistant Lin Yung-ta walks past a security checkpoint at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday. Photo: Chen Wei-tzu, Taipei TimesLin had also worked for then-legislator Chen Chin-ting (陳進丁) from 1999 to 2008.
Source:Taipei Times
June 18, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: NTUH celebrates virus survivors
Virus Outbreak: NTUH celebrates virus survivorsBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNANational Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) yesterday held a celebration for patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19 who have recovered from the disease, including a middle-aged man who was at death’s door at one point. Since it started admitting COVID-19 patients on Jan. 23, the Taipei hospital has treated 17 patients, including three who were diagnosed with severe respiratory failure and six with pneumonia. The man also underwent dialysis due to a complication of renal failure during the treatment process, Ku said. The patient thanked the doctors profusely for helping him recover within such a short period. National Taiwan University vice president Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said that the COVID-19 mortality rate in Taiwan is low due to the nation’s excellent medical care.
Source:Taipei Times
June 18, 2020 15:56 UTC
Chen Chu to be Control Yuan head
Chen Chu to be Control Yuan headDIVERSE EXPERTISE: President Tsai Ing-wen’s list of nominees for the National Human Rights Commission covers various areas to handle a variety of rights issues, sources saidBy Dennis Xie / Staff writer, with CNAFormer Presidential Office secretary-general Chen Chu (陳菊) is to be appointed as Control Yuan president today, while doubling as head of the nation’s newly established National Human Rights Commission. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has drawn up a list of seven other people to serve on the commission, in line with the Organic Act of the Control Yuan National Human Rights Commission (監察院國家人權委員會組織法), which was passed by the Legislative Yuan in December last year and promulgated in January. Under the act, the 10-member commission is to be headed by the Control Yuan president and composed of seven Control Yuan members, with its other two members to be selected from candidates nominated by the commission members and replaced annually. Former Presidential Office secretary-general Chen Chu attends an event in Kaohsiung on May 26. The new Control Yuan members are to assume their duties from Aug. 1.
Source:Taipei Times
June 18, 2020 15:56 UTC