Independent lawmaker Freddy Lim announces he won’t run for reelection in 2024

2023-03-17

With Lai Ching-te set to become the DPP’s presidential nominee, the party will open up registration next week for the legislative elections. Originally, the party had considered to not put forward any nominees for Taipei’s Zhongzheng-Wanhua constituency, which has been represented since 2016 by independent lawmaker Freddy Lim. But that is set to change, as Lim announced on Friday that he won’t be running for reelection in 2024. Let’s hear what he has to say.

Freddy Lim
Independent lawmaker
It’s because of something that happened this Monday, related to a relative of mine who is not in good health and was diagnosed with a rare disease more than two years ago. There’s been regular checkups since. But the results from a checkup this Monday were not as good as we had hoped. So this week I mulled it over. I would like to thank the party’s senior election officials, and I hope that there will also be an opportunity for me to return. This is a major decision, however, and for now I have decided to slow down and spend more time with my family.

With Lim out of the picture, who will take over in the constituency? Some reports say it could be legislator-at-large Lin Chu-yin, but she has made it clear that she is not planning on running. Another person who has turned down the bid is Taipei city councilor Wang Shih-chien, who says he will absolutely not run in that race. So far it seems like the only one willing to take the baton is Taipei city councilor Liu Yao-jen, who says he’ll run if necessary.

陪伴生病家人林昶佐宣布2024不尋求連任

2023-03-17

民進黨下週一即將展開立委初選領表登記作業，台北市中正萬華區原本傾向繼續禮讓無黨籍的現任立委林昶佐，不過，今天早上林昶佐宣布，因為家人罹患罕見疾病，他希望有機會多陪家人，將不再尋求連任。

[[立委(無) 林昶佐]]
"因為這個事情是禮拜一才臨時發生的，也是家人的健康因素，其實是已經兩年多前就有發現有罕見疾病，但是定期追蹤是這個禮拜一，對我們家人來講，不是當初期待的最好的結果，所以在這禮拜反覆地思考，很感謝選務高層黨務高層，其實在這個過程裡面，也是非常希望說是不是有轉圜的機會，但是因為這是一個關鍵的決定，我還是必須選擇希望可以放慢腳步，有機會有時間可以多陪家人"

林昶佐不選，中正萬華誰來接棒選，被外界點名的民進黨不分區立委林楚茵，強調選舉不在個人規劃。台北市議員王世堅，則表示一定不會參選中正萬華區。在地議員劉耀仁倒是率先表態，若黨有需要，當仁不讓。

Registration for DPP presidential primary closes with Lai Ching-te as sole registrant

2023-03-17

President Tsai thanks nation’s mask manufacturers for efforts during pandemic

With the lifting of indoor mask mandates, Taiwan’s "National Mask Squad" has completed its mission. On Friday, President Tsai Ing-wen visited a mask factory in Keelung to thank its workers for increasing the nation’s mask capacity. She also mentioned that the government will invest NT$11 billion in a post-pandemic special budget to assist small and medium-sized businesses transform toward low-carbon and "smart" operations.

Accompanied by Taiwan Financial Holdings chairman Shen Jong-chin and others, President Tsai Ing-wen visited a company within the “National Mask Squad” in Keelung and signed her autograph on a face mask print.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
At the time, everyone rushed to start work during the Lunar New Year festival. It was really hard work. Thank you everyone for your wholehearted dedication to the nation’s people.

President Tsai personally thanked the squad for their efforts to increase the nation’s epidemic prevention capacity during the pandemic. They were able to smoothly increase their production lines from 4 to a current 40. Their record was producing 1 million masks in a day, which were then supplied to the government.

Huang Te-wang
Surgical mask factory general manager
In 2020, Shen Jong-chin gave us a call and invited us to join the national squad and we couldn’t wait to join.

Under the guidance of Shen, the “National Mask Squad” gradually formed. Now that their initial mission in Taiwan is over, they continue making customized masks for the world, exporting to Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries. “Made in Taiwan” masks have become famous internationally.

Tsai’s next stop was to E Tai Enterprises, where she praised the design of bathroom fittings for older adults. There, she announced that a special budget of NT$11 billion will be available to help with the transformation of small and medium enterprises.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
In addition to helping companies recover after the pandemic, we will also allocate resources to assist our industries and small and medium enterprises to be low-carbon and “smart.”

Hung Tuan-chang
E Tai Enterprises
Thank you very much to the Ministry of Economic Affairs for their guidance 15 years ago in transforming our traditional industries.

The company has transformed into a tourist factory showing off the history of bathrooms and has otherwise diversified its operations. With the strong support from government, Taiwan’s small and medium enterprises can operate sustainably.

2023-03-17

Taiwan bids farewell to beloved Hokkien-speaking Japanese diplomat

Yokochi Akira, Japanese deputy de facto ambassador to Taiwan, will leave his post at the end of the month. He got a rousing send-off at the Legislative Yuan on Friday after he gave a speech speaking not Mandarin, but Taiwanese. Yokochi said he would really like another post in Taiwan in the future, but there were too many other Japanese diplomats lining up for the job.

On Friday, the Legislative Yuan inaugurated the “Taiwan and Trans-Pacific Clean Energy Parliamentary Alliance” aimed at heightening Taiwan’s international influence.

Kuo Kuo-wen
DPP legislator
We in Taiwan are not mere pawns. We’re a key player in this crucial game.

Ruling party and opposition lawmakers appeared together as they promoted exchanges between industry, government and academia. At the inauguration, there was also a special guest – none other than Yokochi Akira, the deputy representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Foundation.

Yokochi Akira gave a speech in Taiwanese, which always makes him the main focus of attention. This time he made an important announcement, saying that he will soon return to Japan.

Yokochi Akira
Japan-Taiwan Exchange Foundation
I recent received a transfer order from my country. It’s a real pity that I will have to leave Taipei and return to Tokyo at the end of March.

Lawmakers said they were sad to see a good Japanese friend who has been in Taiwan for more than two-and-a-half-years go home.

Chang Liao Wan-chien
DPP lawmaker
His understanding of Taiwan will be of assistance in getting Taiwan and Japan to be even closer in the future.

Yokochi Akira
Japan-Taiwan Exchange Foundation
Of course, it is a pity that I have to leave Taipei and go back to Tokyo now. However, I strongly hope that I will have the opportunity to come to Taiwan again in the future. There are many people lining up behind me and in front of me, all wanting to work in Taiwan.

Even though he’s leaving for Japan at the end of the month, Yokochi said he would continue to practice Taiwanese to become more fluent for when they next meet again.

2023-03-17

Electricity rates to go up starting April 1, with exceptions for some residential users

2023-03-17

Trade fair brings Taiwan’s sports and fitness technology to an international audience

2023-03-17

Su’ao Township planning to remove 7-meter statue of Chiang Kai-shek

The biggest statue of Chiang Kai-shek in Yilan is set to be removed from its current location outside Su’ao Township Office. Local officials say there are plans to renovate the plaza outside the office, and that the 7-meter-tall statue has to go. Though the current proposal is to get it removed to Taoyuan’s Cihu 慈湖 Park, renovation work at the latter means the statue will stay in Yilan for at least some time.

The largest statue of Chiang Kai-shek in Yilan is located in the plaza just outside Su’ao Township office. The local government recently announced plans to redesign the space, and one of the key elements is the removal of the statue to promote transitional justice. But not everyone agrees with the plan.

Lee Mao-feng
Yilan councilor (KMT)
The statue is a local landmark. On New Year’s Day, many people come here from Taipei to take part in the flag-raising ceremony. They take commemorative pictures here.

Ou Chin-yi
Su’ao Township representative
The township office plans to add a playground to the park, but the statue takes up too much space. And nowadays, public offices don’t have statues like that.

The statue depicting Chiang riding a horse was erected in 1982. The statue itself is 250 centimeters tall and weighs about 500 kilograms. Its pedestal is 450 centimeters tall, making for a total height of 7 meters. Back in 2005, the statue was pulled down by vandals. And a few years later in 2019, it was covered in graffiti with anti-Chiang messages. With so much controversy surrounding the effigy and its relocation, the local township office is asking locals to listen to reason.

Lee Ming-che
Su’ao Township head
We once wrote to the county government, saying that we hoped the statue could be relocated to the military cemetery. But they said that there wasn’t enough space. We’ve also contacted the Taoyuan City government about moving it to Cihu Park.

The Yilan County Government says there is no space in its cemetery, and Taoyuan’s Cihu Park is under renovations and can’t currently take in a new statue. The township head says he will wait for construction to wrap up in Cihu, as he hopes the statue will be relocated there in the future.

2023-03-17

UMC founder launches Taiwan Civil Liberties Union to promote judicial reform

The founder of United Microelectronics Corporation, Robert Tsao, announced Friday the launch of his Taiwan Civil Liberties Union. The group aims to garner support from the general public to promote judicial reform. Some of the key proposals include reclassifying some crimes as civil cases, and introducing juries to mitigate abuses of power by judges and prosecutors.

They shout out, urging the government to walk the talk on judicial reform. At the center of it is UMC founder Robert Tsao, who on Friday launched the Taiwan Civil Liberties Union.

Robert Tsao
Taiwan Civil Liberties Union founder
In the past judicial reform was useless, because it was all from the top down. And every time there were meetings on the matter, the government gave no assurances on how much to change. It was all discussions without a conclusion. No action. But starting today, we will gather power to promote judicial reform from the bottom up. We’ll collect opinions to reform the judiciary into a system we are satisfied with.

Tsao says Taiwan’s judicial system is too slow, resulting in a growing mountain of unprocessed cases. He says a scientific approach can help improve the system’s efficiency.

The union proposes four major changes. The first one is to not allow appeals from prosecutors in cases where they’ve lost their first trial. The second is to put more focus on specialization and division of labor, handing over investigations of small crimes to the police so that prosecutors can focus on court affairs. The third is to decriminalize some crimes or to reclassify them as civil cases. The fourth and last is to introduce juries to crack down on judges and prosecutors who abuse their power.

Robert Tsao
Taiwan Civil Liberties Union founder
Currently defamation cases have to get criminal convictions on the first and second trials before they can be taken to civil court. God knows how many years the process can take. What’s the use of that? So I think defamation should be decriminalized. It should be a matter solely for civil courts. There’s a lot of people who defame others left and right for some gain or other. But if the punishments are heavy-handed, they won’t do that anymore.

Tsao hopes his union will bring together scholars, lawyers, lawmakers and the general public to truly promote judicial reform.

2023-03-17

Sponge crab successfully bred in museum species recovery program

Some great news from a Taiwanese breeding program for crabs! A baby sponge crab has successfully grown to maturity at the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology. The baby crab hatched in December along with tens of thousands of siblings. But very few sponge crabs make it to maturity. Conservation experts are delighted to see one make it successfully into life, in a first for Taiwanese species recovery projects. We head now to the museum to meet the little crab, as well as some of its underwater friends.

This fluffy baby sponge crab is tiny, but it’s carrying something on its back.

Voice of NMMST employee
They carry these heavy things on their backs, to camouflage themselves. It’s so small, but it’s got a sponge on its back. When it’s grown bigger, it will carry a shell.

This species of sponge crab has the scientific name Lauridromia dehaani. It’s also known as “the weightlifter of the sea.” This little baby was born in December as part of a painstaking species recovery program at the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology. The chances of a sponge crab fertilized by artificial methods to successfully hatch and grow into an adult crab, are 1 in 10,000.

Kai Yu-hsuan
National Museum of Marine Science and Technology
We probably had several tens of thousands of crabs that hatched in mid-December. But that number went down through the maturing process, and in the end we have been very lucky to successfully breed one crab.

The museum is also working hard to breed clownfish and horseshoe crabs from Kinmen – as well as this eye-catching beast.

Tsai Yu-hung
National Museum of Marine Science and Technology
The scales all stick together, unlike most fish, which have separated scales. It’s like a set of armor, giving protection. It has very prominent teeth, like an alligator.

Pearly white all over, with scales and teeth more like a crocodile than a fish, this alligator gar is an aggressive invasive species in Taiwan. It’s also known as a “living fossil.”

Tsai Yu-hung
National Museum of Marine Science and Technology
We took this individual in for adoption. He was donated by a member of the public. It’s a good species to exhibit as an example of an invasive species, and we can also protect it, study it, and use it for educational purposes.

The museum is devoted to ecosystem restoration as well as conserving many different types of sea creatures, providing opportunities for visitors to meet and study marine life, and bringing humans closer to the ocean.

2023-03-17

Four eco-friendly tableware products found to contain dangerous chemical

Many people nowadays are turning to recyclable tableware when getting food and beverages to go. But not all eco-friendly products are created equal. The Consumer Protection Committee recently found that 20% of 20 plant-fiber-based tableware items on the market contained formaldehyde, a toxic chemical. The products have been recalled and destroyed.

When buying drinks or meals to go, many people bring their own reusable cups and containers. The options seem to be endless. However, the Consumer Protection Committee warns that some such products have been found to contain carcinogens.

Kao Tzu-chung
Consumer Protection Committee
There is demand for more and more diverse products, and products made from plant fibers have become very popular. We took a random sample of 20 such products in the market and found four of them did not comply with current regulations.

The Consumer Protection Committee found formaldehyde in 20% of the plant fiber tableware products it surveyed, which included cups, bowls and chopsticks. Ingesting high levels of the substance has been associated with lung, liver and kidney damage, as well as a higher risk of miscarriage. The illegal products have been pulled down from shelves and destroyed, and their makers fined NT$30,000 to NT$70,000. But it may be too late, as consumers may have already ingested the problematic chemical.

Wang Te-ming
Consumer Protection Committee
When you open the packaging, if there is a plastic smell, you should air it out as fast as possible. You should then judge if you want to use the product.

Nine of the products were also found to be mislabeled. Consumers are advised to check the labeling thoroughly for heat resistance ranges, manufacture date and materials used before making a purchase.

Wang Te-ming
If there are any problems with the products’ quality, the buyer is entitled to a refund as per current regulations.

The commission advises customers to watch out for subpar eco-friendly tableware, reminding buyers that health is more important than saving a few cents.

2023-03-17

Independent lawmaker Freddy Lim announces he won’t run for reelection in 2024