The Kaohsiung City Government has ordered petrochemical companies that use underground pipelines within its boundaries to relocate their headquarters to the city. It said that if the companies refuse, they will be banned from using the pipelines, and described the change as needed to improve safety in the wake of pipeline explosions that killed more…
China began trial runs of its controversial M503 flight path on March 15, according to an announcement by Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration. The flight path was criticized because as initially announced, it would run just 7.8 kilometers from the median line separating the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. The Taiwan government charged that Beijing…
Taiwan highly acclaimed Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation on March 16 withdrew its controversial plan to develop an environmentally sensitive piece of land in Taipei’s Neihu District following allegations that the group was trying to steamroll the project over environmental concerns and that it used donation funds to purchase property and stocks. Tzu Chi…
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je continues to gain media attention with verbal gaffes, including his March 8 reference to foreign brides as having been “imported.” His remarks raised the ire of various organizations, including the Taipei branch of the Female Immigrant Care Association and the TransAsia Sisterhood Alliance, who demonstrated in front of the mayor’s residence…
DPP Chair Tsai Ing-wen accepted the resignation of party spokeswoman Hsu Chia-ching on March 9 following Hsu’s recent allegations that former president Chen Shui-bian had accepted billions of NT dollars in bribes from construction magnates during his presidency. Speaking before the Taiwan Benevolent Association of Dallas, Texas, on February 15, Hsu said she had been…
Painful memories of the 2-2-8 massacre were brought to the fore as Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je wept during ceremonies marking the anniversary of the event while recalling his grandfather, who died as a result of torture during the incident. The 228 Incident began on February 27, 1947 with the beating of a contraband-cigarette vendor…
Phase-3 water rationing will begin April 1 in parts of northern Taiwan as the nation struggles with its worst drought in 67 years, declared Yang Wei-fu, vice minister of economic affairs, at a press conference March 19. The stringent water rationing will be implemented in New Taipei City’s Linkou, Banqiao, and Xinzhuang districts, along with…
The Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee on March 19 issued a non-binding resolution calling on the Ministry of Economic Affairs to ban the import of certain U.S. and Canadian beef products. The resolution move was in response to the Council of Agriculture’s declaration that six products, including tallow and bone marrow, were not internal organs and…
Civic groups and politicians commemorated the one-year anniversary of the Sunflower Movement protest that saw demonstrators opposing the proposed Cross-Strait Trade in Services Agreement (CSSTA) with China seize control of the Legislative Yuan’s main chamber. An organization known as the People as Masters Association led a demonstration outside the Legislative Yuan on March 18 to…
The New Year Brings some positive news. While no one seems able to agree on whether the new Chinese year is the Year of the Sheep or the Goat, the Taiwan economy broadly speaking bears more resemblance to a charging Ram. The Taiwan economy beat most growth forecasts in 2014 to come in at 3.74%,…
