TPP Hsinchu mayoral candidate Ann Kao listed as defendant in wage fraud case

2022-11-17

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office on Thursday listed Hsinchu mayoral candidate Ann Kao as a defendant, after completing the first stage of a process to investigate allegations of fraud and corruption. Former assistants say that Kao, who is running for mayor with the Taiwan People’s Party, used some of their wages to make her own private purchases, among other accusations.

According to a political pundit, the former assistants of Kao say she fraudulently reported their salaries and overtime pay and pocketed their wages for herself. They say she also forged documents and engaged in corruption. Also involved in the case is Kao’s boyfriend, Lee Chung-ting. Lee allegedly received a monthly salary of NT$500,000 from the Yonglin Foundation formed by former Hon Hai chair Terry Gou, while actually working as an assistant for Kao. An investigation has been launched into whether that salary violated the Political Donations Act.

涉詐助理費高虹安.李忠庭遭列貪汙被告

2022-11-17

高虹安涉嫌詐領助理費，今天北檢簽分他字案，將高虹安及男友李忠庭都列為被告，民進黨立委王定宇直言，要將現任立委列為被告，表示檢調手中掌握相當證據。

資深媒體人分析，吹哨者提供的內部帳目資料，能佐證高虹安涉嫌浮報助理薪資、加班費，詐領助理費，涉及貪汙治罪條例，以及偽造文書。但更嚴重的，恐怕還有李忠庭任職鴻海永齡基金會期間，月入50萬，卻全時段處理高虹安助理工作，讓這筆錢被質疑是變相政治獻金，也涉犯貪汙還有違反政治獻金法。

President Tsai delivers prerecorded speech at Struggle for Freedom conference

2022-11-17

US general states Taiwan invasion would be a strategic mistake

At a press conference on Wednesday, U.S. official Mark Milley was questioned about the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Milley responded that China would be playing a “dangerous game” by crossing the Taiwan Strait, and that China following Putin’s example in Ukraine would be a strategic mistake. Let’s hear more of what he had to say on the issue.

At a press conference held by U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to report on the situation in Ukraine, the media was also eager to know Milley’s thoughts on whether Chinese leader Xi Jinping would attack Taiwan.

Mark Milley
US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
As best I can tell, he’s a rational actor, and I think he would conclude that an attack on Taiwan in the near future would be an excessive amount of risk and it would end in a strategic debacle for the Chinese military.

Milley believes that Xi will make a decision that is in China’s national interest. After all, Taiwan has an easily defensible strait and rugged natural terrain.

Mark Milley
US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
That is a very difficult military task to do. You’ve got a large city of Taipei with 3 or 4 million people with suburbs of about 7 million people. You’ve got very complex terrain of mountains. Most of Taiwan is mountainous. So it’s a very difficult military objective.

Milley also remarked on China’s lack of actual combat experience.

Mark Milley
US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
For a military that hasn’t fought in combat since fighting the Vietnamese in 1979, they would be playing a very, very dangerous game to cross the straits and invade the island of Taiwan.

Milley also used the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an example, saying that it would be a strategic and geopolitical mistake if China imitated Putin and took action against Taiwan. He also emphasized that the U.S. military is fully prepared.

Mark Milley
US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
And I think it would be unwise, it would be a political mistake, a geopolitical mistake, a strategic mistake. I can tell you that we’re watching closely, we are militarily prepared, and one of the keys now is to make sure that Taiwan can defend itself.

Reports say Xi could attempt to unify Taiwan by force by 2027. However, according to Milley, Xi’s plans are nothing but a dream.

2022-11-17

Executive Yuan finalizes draft bill to raise tax break for high tech firms

2022-11-17

Foxconn finds more than 70,000 new workers after mass COVID exodus in China complex

Reports say an iPhone assembly factory owned by Taiwanese multinational manufacturer Foxconn could return to operating at full capacity by the end of the month. The reports come after a mass exodus of workers earlier this month at the plant, which is located in China’s Zhengzhou City. COVID had been detected in the factory complex, and workers say they were afraid of being infected with the disease and getting locked down in isolation at the site. Already, through a series of subsidies and enticements, the company has attracted more than 70,000 new workers in just one week.

Earlier this month, hundreds of Foxconn workers fled from the company’s factory complex in Zhengzhou city in China’s Henan province. Since then, the company has offered four sets of subsidies and salary raises to lure workers back. The Henan government has ordered civil servants to go to the factory to help out for up to half a year.

Huang Junwei
Workstation supervisor
They can help themselves to warm rice, and they can get disinfecting wipes, and face masks for free. That’s what we’re providing to all the new workers moving in.

Foxconn worker
I’m getting 12,100 yuan (NT$52,000). That means I need to work for 30 days without being late, taking leave, being absent, or leaving early. That’s the only way I can get the 12,100 yuan.

On Chinese social media, a worker shares what his daily life is like, showing that some people are willing to accept the conditions. Though just as many find the conditions deplorable, Foxconn has managed to attract more than 70,000 new workers in just one week. The factory complex, which is an important assembly line for Apple’s iPhone, could return to full capacity operations in late November, according to reports.

Yang Jui-lin
ITRI
This of course could create some opportunities for Foxconn’s competitors to jump in. Perhaps they won’t expand their factories in China, and instead look to expand in other areas.

After the exodus of workers, financial services company Morgan Stanley revised its expectations for iPhone deliveries in the fourth quarter down to 79 million units. That’s a cut of 6 million phones, or a drop of 7%.

2022-11-17

Crowds flock to Banqiao for festive cheer at New Taipei Christmasland

The annual New Taipei Christmasland is back in action! New Taipei’s year-end extravaganza that runs until Jan. 2 will feature Disney character art installations as well as artificial snow shows. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us in for a look!

Children play with artificial snow in this igloo. For the first time, organizers of the annual New Taipei Christmasland have built one of these icy homes for children to play in and snap pictures.

Children can also ride the merry-go-round at this Christmas extravaganza that’s put on by the New Taipei city government each year. During the festival, the plaza in front of city hall and a nearby park become the stage for light shows and installations featuring Disney characters. Even in the morning, the plaza is packed with people. Many wanted to come early to avoid nighttime crowds.

Member of public
There are more people at night, not so many in the morning. I’m afraid of something like what happened in South Korea.

Member of public
I want to bring my children to play here because it is Disney-themed. My children like Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters very much.

Member of public
My favorite character is Spiderman.

Member of the Public
Visiting in the morning was not bad. I walked around and felt that this year’s Christmas will be different from before. I just went to the New Taipei City observation

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
The annual Christmasland has kicked off. Besides light shows and concerts, visitors can also visit the Christmas market where they can buy food, acessories, and play games.

Now in its 12th edition, Christmasland presents the country’s largest light projection show every year. This year’s show will be held in the square in front of the city government building. The theme of the festival will be Disney+. In addition, it will play a show inspired by the Northern Lights. Also at the venue, there will be artificial snow shows and a Christmas market to buy snacks and trinkets.

Hou Yu-ih
New Taipei mayor
Christmasland has become one of the top 50 Christmas events in the world. It’s the best place. To be able to hold this event here for such a long time is an honor for our city’s brand. This wasn’t easy to do. There are six famous brands represented here, including Disney, Pixar, National Geographic and Star Wars.

2022 New Taipei City Christmasland will be open until Jan. 2 for a total of 53 days, making it the longest the longest-lasting Christmasland to date.

2022-11-17

Keelung mayoral candidates Tsai and Hsieh pull in presidents to boost campaigns

The race for Keelung continues to heat up as both the DPP and KMT mayoral candidates brought in current and former presidents Thursday to help boost their campaigns. As President Tsai Ing-wen promoted fellow party candidate Tsai Shih-ying at the city’s soon-to-be-completed transit station, KMT rival Hsieh Kuo-liang canvassed Keelung with former President Ma Ying-jeou. Both candidates seem to be pulling out all the stops as Election Day approaches.

Keelung’s intercity transit station is nearing completion. Early Thursday, President Tsai Ing-wen came to inspect the site. During her remarks there, she promoted the DPP candidate for mayor of Keelung, Tsai Shih-ying, thanking him on behalf of the city’s people.

Tsai Ying-wen
President
Six years ago, after Tsai Shih-Ying took office as a legislator, his first meeting was to coordinate the site of our intercity transit station. At that time, his office was still being decorated and his business cards were not even printed, but he was already fighting for its construction for Keelung citizens.

Tsai Shih-ying’s KMT opponent, Hsieh Kuo-liang, also played the presidential card, and invited former President Ma Ying-jeou to join him as he canvassed for votes.

Hsieh Kuo-liang
Keelung mayoral candidate (KMT)
I believe that President Ma has helped us very much. The other party is afraid of being overwhelmed. They’re afraid, so today they asked their President Tsai to come and assist.

Tsai Shih-ying
Keelung mayoral candidate (DPP)
When Ma was in power, Keelung was in last place among Taiwan’s cities. The transport minister appointed by Ma Ying-jeou had harshly criticized Keelung’s urban development. I don’t know if my opponent called in Ma to remind the people of Keelung that he was one of the butchers who messed up the city before.

Lin Yu-chang
Keelung Mayor
In the past, Keelung was a city abandoned by the KMT during its rule. Although the KMT had total power at the central and local levels, it was stingy in giving resources to the city, so Keelung’s debt increased by NT$10 billion in the ten years before I took office.

With days to go before the election, both camps are pulling out all the stops in order to win supporters.

2022-11-17

DPP lawmakers say KMT’s Simon Chang shot down plans to bring railway underground in Taoyuan

Two DPP lawmakers on Thursday held a press conference, saying that Simon Chang, the KMT’s mayoral candidate for Taoyuan, had not always supported plans to bring the railway tracks underground in the city. The lawmakers say that while Chang was in the Executive Yuan, he had issued a document that greatly limited financial aid from the central government for such a project, effectively shooting down the proposal. The lawmakers say that goes against Chang’s current claims that he had worked toward such an infrastructure overhaul.

Two DPP lawmakers are accusing the KMT mayoral candidate for Taoyuan, Simon Chang, of being a liar. Chang in recent days has stated that when he was vice premier, he supported proposals to bring the railway tracks in Taoyuan underground. The lawmakers say that according to documents from the time, Chang is not telling the truth.

The document states that the central government would offer a subsidy of NT$19.975 billion for plans to elevate the railway tracks. It adds that, should the plan change to bring the tracks underground instead, the subsidy amount would remain the same, despite the higher costs. Lo and Huang say that, with an estimated cost of around NT$100 billion to bring the tracks underground, Taoyuan would have had to foot a bill of more than NT$80 billion for the project.

Lo Chih-cheng
DPP lawmaker
There isn’t a single local government that would be able to pay NT$80 billion on its own. So to put things simply, it was an indirect way to shoot the project down. Or perhaps not so indirect, telling the local government that the Executive Yuan would not support such a plan. Now that Simon Chang is running in the election, he’s tried to give a spin to this document. But we’ve realized that his explanations don’t add up.

Huang Shih-chieh
DPP lawmaker
Had Mr. Simon Chang not had been in the Executive Yuan to put this NT$80 billion financial obstacle to block the project to bring the tracks underground, then we wouldn’t have needed such a long time to discuss everything again with the transport ministry and National Development Council.

The lawmakers also showed footage of an interpellation session in 2016, where Chang was asked to comment on Taoyuan’s industrial sector. Then, he had replied that he didn’t know much about the local industry. The lawmakers questioned whether Chang was fit to be mayor of the special municipality.

Simon Chang
Taoyuan mayoral candidate
The point of the document is to explain what the original subsidy was. Then the transport ministry could give a more detailed plan for how the funds would be distributed.

Huang Shih-chieh
DPP lawmaker
If he really was such a big supporter of bringing the railway underground, why did he write that on the financial plan for the project? He didn’t say the matter should be reviewed. He drew a conclusion, saying that the central government would not cover any additional expenses.

Huang and Lo criticized the mayoral candidate, saying that there was a full record of his positions while in government.

2022-11-17

Meta reveals the favorite emojis of different generations in Taiwan

What are your favorite emojis? Maybe some kind of smile or laugh, or a heart? What about thumbs up? Maybe not so much! New data from Meta, the company that owns Facebook, is revealing Taiwan’s most used emojis. How you use emojis can often give hints about what groups you belong to – where you’re from, and how old you are. We take a look at some of the most popular emojis in Taiwan and around the world.

For many of us, picking up a phone and writing a friend a message isn’t complete until it’s signed with some emojis.

Member of public
It’s this “laughing while crying and rolling on the floor” emoji. It means laughing out loud.

Member of public
I often use this one, the bitter laughter. Sometimes in life you feel really helpless, but you have to face it somehow. And then without knowing why you start laughing.

As so many of us are glued to our phones, emojis have become an important new language. Your emoji usage often shows clear hints of what generation you belong to.

These are the most loved emojis in Taiwan, according to Meta. Among all generations, the “red heart” is in the top three. The fire emoji is beloved among the 18-24 demographic. From ages 18 to 44, “rolling on the floor laughing” ranks high. While for those 45 and over, the “birthday cake” and “thumbs up” are popular. And of course, most of us have our least favorite emojis.

Member of public
This one that’s crying. They’re telling you something bad.

Member of public
This one means I’m genuinely laughing. But this one means I feel embarrassed but I have to laugh about it. It makes me wonder if I said something wrong.

The internet is global, and other countries have their own favorite emojis.

Surveys by media around the world claim that this “laughing with tears coming out” is the most popular emoji worldwide. Second place is for the “red heart,” and third is that old favorite, “rolling on the floor laughing.” Perhaps surprisingly, national flags also feature high up on the rankings.

Among the 51 countries of Europe, 19 feature in the most used, including the Ukrainian flag, which has grown popular as a way to express support for Ukraine as it resists the Russian invasion.

Emojis are a vivid way to express yourself digitally, more emotive than dry text. They can also express multiple meanings, and are unique to each user.

2022-11-17

Musical show ‘Farewell Beitou 2.0 Revival’ to hit the stage once again in December

"Farewell Beitou" is a musical produced by the Greenray Theatre that has been thrilling audiences since 2018. The musical is set in north Taipei in the 1960s, inspired by a hot spring hotel in the area. The newest edition of "Farewell Beitou" will be hitting the stage again in Taipei in December. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us in for a sneak peek.

"Farewell Beitou" tells a story set in the 1960s, written by acclaimed director Wu Nien-jen and award-winning songwriter Chen Ming-chang. The story was greatly inspired by a hot spring hotel in Chen’s childhood, and many of Chen’s signature song pieces are integrated into the plot.

Chen Ming-chang
Music Director
This is a story that everyone can enjoy. It is a story about Taiwan. Perhaps it can be turned into a repertory theatre piece in the future, where it can be performed for generations, and even showcased all over the world.

Wang Chun-chieh
Conductor
In fact, Nakasi music is a very important element in “Farewell Beitou.” I personally think Nakasi can be likened to Taiwanese jazz because both Nakasi and jazz are performed in clubs. Although in Taiwan, it is performed in bars, it is similar.

The newest edition of “Farewell Beitou,” titled "Farewell Beitou 2.0 Revival," has been upgraded in many areas, spanning from its music and script to stage effects. The cast has also welcomed a few new faces. One new cast member is actor Fang Wen-lin. She will be playing one of the main characters, Ai-jiao, previously played by Lotus Wang.

Fang Wen-lin
Actor
The place where I lived when I was young was very close to Beitou, so I am very familiar with this place. Honestly, the first time I read the script, I was very stressed because I am new to stage play.

Lin Yu-hsuan
Actor
I did a tour of Beitou, and then walked around the whole Beitou. I visisted bars and learned about the history of Beitou. I discovered that the scenes in our play, the scene of the wooden house, really seemed to have been moved directly from Beitou to the stage.

The show hopes to allow the audience to learn more about Beitou’s history. "Farewell Beitou 2.0 Revival" will be on show at the Taipei Performing Arts Center from Dec. 3 to Dec. 11.

2022-11-17

TPP Hsinchu mayoral candidate Ann Kao listed as defendant in wage fraud case