Eye On Taiwan

WHO Official Hangs Up on Reporter’s Taiwan Question Posted: 04 Apr 2020 11:33 AM PDT NewsMax Date: 04 April 2020 By John Gizzi World Health Organization Assistant Director General Bruce Aylward attends a press conference in Beijing on Feb. 24, 2020, amid the spread of a new coronavirus. (Kyodo via AP Images) ==Kyodo As Taiwan emerges as one of the front-and-center fighters in the international effort to defeat coronavirus, questions are mounting as to why the island-nation is denied membership in the World Health Organization. Last week, a correspondent from Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) asked WHO spokesman Bruce Aylward whether Taiwan would be considered for membership in the United Nations-run health organization. Aylward hung up on her — on live television. The incident has become a social media sensation as a topic of discussion worldwide.  On RTHK's series "The Pulse" — roughly Hong Kong's equivalent of "60 Minutes" — an episode focused on how the coronavirus was affecting New York, London, and Lombardy, Italy.    [FULL  STORY]

2 more European tour group members confirmed with COVID-19 Posted: 04 Apr 2020 09:14 AM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 04/04/2020 By: Chang Ming-hsuan and Lee Hsin-Yin CNA file photo Taipei, April 4 (CNA) Two more members of a 17-person tour group to Austria and the Czech Republic were confirmed as having contracted the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Saturday, bringing the group's cluster infections to eight, the Central Epidemic Control Center (CECC) said that day. The two individuals from the group that traveled from March 5-14 showed no symptoms, said Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), deputy director-general of the Centers for Disease Control and CECC spokesman. It was not until the CECC learned that six members of the tour group were already infected, including one death, that it recalled all group members for a COVID-19 test and identified the two new cases. The two patients had developed pulmonary infiltration, Chuang said, adding that the other nine members are still being tested.    [FULL  STORY]

Larger fines necessary for sex harassment: legislator Posted: 04 Apr 2020 09:11 AM PDT PEOPLE IN POWER: KMT Legislator Wan Mei-ling said many cases that occur in the workplace involve people abusing their authority to sexually harass colleagues Taipei Times Date:  Apr 05, 2020 By: Chen Yun and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wan Mei-ling stands behind a sign that reads: “Education must not become chaotic” while speaking at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on March 6. Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲) is calling for larger fines for sexual harassment, saying that current fines have failed to act as a deterrent amid a growing number of cases. Over the past 11 years, the number of reported cases of sexual harassment has grown nearly fivefold, but offenders have only been fined about NT$20,000 on average per offense, demonstrating that fines have failed to deter such behavior, Wan said on Friday. Laws should be amended to increase the fines from the current range of NT$10,000 to NT$100,000 per offense to NT$30,000 to NT$300,000, she said. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wan Mei-ling stands behind a sign that reads: "Education must not become chaotic" while speaking at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on March 6. Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times Citing data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Wan said that the number of reported cases of sexual harassment grew from 154 in 2007 to 546 in 2018.    [FULL  STORY]

Virus Outbreak: CECC messages warn against crowding Posted: 04 Apr 2020 09:06 AM PDT TARGETED TEXTS: The center’s head said that visitor numbers at scenic spots were greater than expected and people did not do a very good job of social distancing Taipei Times Date:  Apr 05, 2020 By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter People boil food at a hot spring at the Qingshui Geothermal Park in Yilan County’s Datong Township yesterday. Photo: Chang Yi-chen, Taipei Times The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday sent two warning text messages to urge people to practice social distancing, especially by avoiding crowded scenic areas. The two messages were sent at 11:55am on the third day of the four-day Tomb Sweeping Day weekend, reminding people about social distancing and hand hygiene to help prevent COVID-19 infection. “When visiting crowded scenic spots during the Tomb Sweeping Day weekend, please keep a social distance of at least 1.5m indoors and 1m outdoors, wear a mask and wash your hands frequently. Please wear a mask and seek immediate medical attention if you are feeling ill and call 1922 for inquiries,” the first message read. The second message read: “Please avoid going to scenic areas near Kenting (墾丁). Practice social distancing of at least 1.5m indoors and 1m outdoors, or wear a mask. Please wear a mask and seek immediate medical attention if you are feeling ill and tell the doctor your travel history. Call 1922 for inquiries.”    [FULL  STORY]

COVID-19: Taiwan reports seven new cases, total reaches 355 Posted: 04 Apr 2020 08:54 AM PDT Radio Taiwan Internatinal Date:\ 04 April, 2020 By: John Van Trieste With the addition of seven new cases on Saturday, Taiwan has so far recorded 355 cases of COVID-19. With the addition of seven new cases on Saturday, Taiwan has so far recorded 355 cases of COVID-19. Taiwan reported seven new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday afternoon. The addition of these cases brings the total Taiwan has recorded so far up to 355 Six of the new cases are imported, brought in by people with a recent history of travel to Switzerland, the US, Germany, the UK, and countries in South America.    [FULL  STORY]

Why a China vs. Taiwan Clash Could Be Brewing Posted: 04 Apr 2020 08:50 AM PDT We should ask now what America's policy should be if things were to take a nasty turn.  The National Interest Date: April 4, 2020 By: Ted Galen Carpenter Tensions between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have been on the rise ever since Tsai Ing-wen became Taiwan’s president and her pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) gained control of the legislature in early 2016. Her landslide re-election in January 2020 exacerbated those tensions. Now, Taiwanese concerns about the island’s treatment at the hands of the PRC and the rest of the global community during the coronavirus pandemic are widening the political gap between Taipei and Beijing. Taiwanese anger at the PRC’s conduct occurred early and often in the crisis. Chinese leaders worked to block Taiwan’s involvement in World Health Organization (WHO) cooperative efforts to stem the spread of the virus. Beijing even sought to prevent Taiwanese attendance at WHO meetings. PRC demands intimidated the WHO into barring Taiwanese experts from at least one crucial strategy session in late January 2020. Beijing’s propaganda apparatus also generated fake news that the virus was out of control in Taiwan, with deaths overwhelming crematoria. Taiwan Fact-Check Center effectively debunked the claims, and international observers found no evidence to support them. In fact, Taiwan’s efforts to contain the outbreak have been remarkably successful. Anger among Taiwan’s leaders and the general public rose sharply in response to the PRC’s hostile behavior. On at least two occasions in January 2020, Tsai’s government reached out to Beijing, offering to help mainland efforts against the virus. Mainland officials not only spurned those offers, they treated the island as irrelevant, at best, to global cooperation against the emerging pandemic.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan police breathalyze 5-year-old for crashing bicycle into Tesla Posted: 04 Apr 2020 08:43 AM PDT After the incident, police said their officers should be flexible in such situations Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/04 By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer ​The owner of the car posted a picture online of the boy taking a breathalyzer test  (CNA photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Police came under fire Saturday (April 4) for breathalyzing a five-year-old boy after he accidentally crashed his bicycle into a stationary car. The owner of the car, a white Tesla Model 3 he had owned for just one month, posted a picture of the alcohol test online. After drawing criticism for the photo, he said he wanted to show how responsible the little boy was — as he didn't run away but also agreed to take the breathalyzer test, the Liberty Times reported.    [FULL  STORY]

CECC issues national-level alerts to tourist spots amid long break Posted: 04 Apr 2020 08:35 AM PDT Focus Taiwan Date:\ 04/04/2020 By: Chang Ming-hsuan, Wu Hsin-yun and Emerson Lim Taipei, April 4 (CNA) The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Saturday issued national-level alerts to major tourist spots in Taiwan amid a 4-day Tomb Sweeping Day break, after many vacationers were seen not observing proper coronavirus prevention guidelines. In a press release, the CECC said two text messages were sent through the Public Warning System (PWS) at 11:55 a.m., reminding vacationers to avoid crowded places and keep a proper distance from each other. The two messages were rated as "national-level" alerts, which indicates the public in a wide range of areas faces an immediate threat from disaster or danger. "When visiting crowded places during the long break, remember to keep a distance of at least 1.5 meters when indoors and 1 meter when outdoors, or wear a face mask and wash your hands frequently," one of the texts read.    [FULL  STORY]