Taiwan to extend COVID-19 curbs into next month

TAIPEI - Taiwan will extend its coronavirus curbs by 2 more weeks until July 12 as the situation has yet to reach a point where they can be relaxed, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said Wednesday.

Taiwan has been dealing with a rise in domestic infections since May after months of relative safety, leading the government to limit personal gatherings and close entertainment venues. Those restrictions were meant to end on June 28.

But Chen told reporters they would be extended.

"Although the overall trend has improved during this period, it has not met our requirements. So for 2 more weeks, everyone will endure and work together, hoping to reach a more stable level after July 12," he said.

Chen announced 104 new domestic infections, up from up from 78 on Tuesday.

Although Taiwan's numbers remain comparatively low, authorities are reporting community transmission and clusters of infections.

Taiwan has logged 14,260 cases since the pandemic began, including 599 deaths.

-reuters-

Dozens dead, many injured as train derails in Taiwan

TAIPEI --  A Taiwan express train with almost 500 aboard derailed in a tunnel on Friday after hitting a truck that had slid down a bank onto the track, killing at least 50 passengers and injuring 146 in the island's worst rail disaster in seven decades.

Images from the scene showed some carriages ripped apart by the impact, with others crumpled, hindering rescuers in their efforts to reach passengers.

By mid-afternoon no one was still trapped, though the fire department said it had found body parts, meaning the number of those killed, who included the driver, was likely to rise.

"People just fell all over each other, on top of one another," a woman who survived the crash told domestic television. "It was terrifying. There were whole families there."

Taiwan's government said there were 496 people on the train, including 120 without seats. Many were tourists and people heading home at the start of a traditional long weekend holiday to tend to family graves. One French citizen was among the dead, officials said.

The train was traveling from Taipei, the capital, to the southeastern city of Taitung.

It came off the rails north of the eastern city of Hualien after hitting a truck that had slid off a road from a nearby construction site, Feng Hui-sheng, the Taiwan Railways Administration's deputy director, told reporters.

Feng said the manager of the site, which was stabilizing the mountainside to prevent landslides, visited around 9 a.m. and stopped his truck in front of the site office.

"At present it is suspected because the vehicle wasn't braked properly, it slid for around 20 meters along the site access road and entered the eastern trunk line," he added.

The official Central News Agency said police had taken in the manager for questioning.

The fire department showed a picture of what appeared to be wreckage of the truck beside the derailed train, with an aerial image of one end of the train still on the track next to the construction site.

'EVERYTHING SHOOK'

Survivors described their terror as the train slammed into the truck and ground to a halt.

"It suddenly came to a stop and then everything shook," one told local television. "It was all so chaotic."

Passengers in some carriages still in the tunnel had to be led to safety, the railway administration said.

Images showed an injured passenger carried away on a stretcher, with her head and neck in a brace, while others gathered suitcases and bags in a tilted, derailed carriage as some walked on the train's roof to exit the tunnel.

The accident occurred at the beginning of a long weekend for the traditional Tomb Sweeping Day holiday.

Taiwan's mountainous east coast is a tourist destination. The railway that snakes down from Taipei hugs the coast and is known for its tunnels, in one of which the crash took place. The link to Taipei opened in 1979.

Taiwan's state-owned railways are generally reliable and efficient, but have had a patchy safety record over the years.

The last major crash was in 2018, when 18 people died and 175 were injured when a train derailed in the island's northeast.

In 1948, 64 people are estimated to have died when a train burst into flames in northern Taiwan.

-reuters-

Taiwan holds Pride March amid COVID-19 lockdown

Participants march during the "Taiwan Pride March for the World!" at Liberty Square at the CKS Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday. Taiwan is one of the few countries where a gay pride event was held amid the lockdowns imposed in many parts of the globe due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Associated Press

Taiwan tells agencies not to use Zoom on security grounds

Taiwan's cabinet has told government agencies to stop using Zoom Video Communications Inc's conferencing app, the latest blow to the company as it battles criticism of its booming platform over privacy and security concerns.

Zoom's daily users ballooned to more than 200 million in March, as coronavirus-induced shutdowns forced employees to work from home and schools switched to the company's free app for conducting and coordinating online classes.

However, the company is facing a backlash from users worried about the lack of end-to-end encryption of meeting sessions and "zoombombing," where uninvited guests crash into meetings.

If government agencies must hold video conferencing, they "should not use products with security concerns, like Zoom," Taiwan's cabinet said in a statement on Tuesday. It did not elaborate on what the security concerns were.

The island's education ministry later said it was banning the use of Zoom in schools.

Zoom did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Taiwan would be the first government formally advising against use of Zoom, although some US schools districts are looking at putting limits on its use after an FBI warning last month.

Zoom Chief Executive Officer Eric Yuan last week apologized to users, saying the company had fallen short of the community's privacy and security expectations, and was taking steps to fix the issues.

Zoom competes with Microsoft's Teams, Cisco's Webex and Google's Hangouts.

Taiwan's cabinet said domestically-made conferencing apps were preferred, but if needed, products from Google and Microsoft could also be considered.

Zoom's shares dipped 1 percent in premarket trading on the Nasdaq. They have lost nearly a third of their market value since touching record highs late March.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Taiwan revels in first pride parade since legalizing gay marriage

TAIPEI - Some two hundred thousand revelers marched through Taipei in a riot of rainbow colors and celebration on Saturday as Taiwan held its first pride parade since making history in Asia by legalizing gay marriage.

The island has long hosted the region's largest pride marches but this year Taiwan's LGBT community and their supporters had an extra reason to celebrate.

In May, lawmakers took the unprecedented decision to legalize same-sex marriages, becoming the first place in Asia to do so.

Over 2,000 couples have since wed, many of them taking part in Saturday's festival.

"I am very excited because it's the first pride parade after same-sex marriages are recognized and I got married," said Shane Lin, who became one of the first to wed his partner in the days after the new law came in.

"I am very moved that people around the world are joining us," the 31-year-old said.

Behind him passed a stready stream of color, from dancers with gym-honed bodies to unicorn floats and rainbow balloon arches.

"I support marriage equality because it is a basic human right," Henry Wu, a heterosexual teacher who brought his five-year-old son to the march, told AFP.

"Taiwan made huge progress in legalizing same-sex marriages ... I feel very proud we are the first in Asia to do so," he added.

In the last decade, Taiwan has become increasingly progressive on gay rights with Taipei home to a thriving LGBT community and increasingly large pride marches.

Organizers estimated more than 200,000 people attended Saturday's festivities.

But the issue of same-sex equality has deeply polarized society.


[BOLD] Landmark ruling, conservative backlash

Taiwan's Constitutional Court made a landmark ruling in 2017 to legalize gay marriage and ruled its decision must be implemented within two years.

Conservative and religious groups mobilized to oppose amending the Civil Code and comfortably won a series of referendums last November in which voters rejected defining marriage as anything other than a union between a man and a woman.

In May, conservative lawmakers put forward rival bills that offered something closer to limited same-sex unions but those measures ultimately failed in parliament.

Opponents have vowed to punish incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen and the lawmakers who supported the gay marriage law at January 11 elections when voters will elect both a new president and a new parliament.

But it remains to be seen whether the issue will harm her on the campaign trail, especially in more rural and conservative places, during an election that will more likely be dominated by the relationship with China and local economic issues.

Taiwan's gay marriage law still contains restrictions not faced by heterosexual couples.

Same-sex couples can currently only adopt their partners' biological children and can only wed foreigners from countries where gay marriage is also recognized.

"Marriage equality is the beginning, it's not the end," said Leong Chin-fai, a 31-year-old Macanese national who is currently unable to wed his Taiwanese partner.

"We hope to keep pushing for issues including recognition of international marriages, parental and adoption rights," he added.

Taiwan is at the vanguard of the burgeoning gay rights movement in Asia. It is also praised as a "beacon" of democracy in the region for its democratic reforms and civil liberties since it emerged from one of the world's longest periods of martial law.

But International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) noted Taiwan still faces key challenges and passed a motion condemning its use of death penalty Friday as it wrapped up a week-long congress in Taipei, its first held in Asia.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Dior apologizes for China map excluding Taiwan

BEIJING - Luxury brand Dior has become the latest company to apologize to China over a perceived insult to national sovereignty, saying Thursday it "cherishes the feelings of the Chinese people."

The French luxury brand found itself in hot water after using a map of China which did not include Taiwan, a self-ruled island which Beijing views as part of its territory awaiting reunification.

The scandal broke after a student posted an anonymous video to the Chinese social media app Weibo, purporting to show a presentation Wednesday at Zhejiang Gongshang University, in eastern China.

In the video a presenter from Dior displays a map without the island of Taiwan marked, which quickly drew criticism online and prompted Dior to deny that it represented the brand's position.

"Dior always respects and maintains the principle of One China, strictly upholds China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and cherishes the feelings of the Chinese people," the French brand said in a statement.

"The company has started to investigate seriously and promised to deal with it severely," Dior's statement read.

By Thursday afternoon, the hashtag "Dior apologizes" had more than 250 million views.

China reacts strongly to any brand that appears to insult its territorial sovereignty.

"Haven't we talked about this many times this year? It's definitely intentional," one netizen posted on Weibo.

A number of companies and international airlines have edited their websites to refer to the democratic island of Taiwan as "Taiwan, China" or "Chinese Taipei."

Hotel chain Marriott's website in China was shut down by authorities for a week in 2018 after a customer questionnaire listed Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong as separate countries, prompting the hotel chain to apologize and change the wording.

Brands that appear to support the unrest in Hong Kong have also faced consumer ire, including the territory's flagship carrier Cathay.

Jewellery brand Tiffany removed an advert showing a woman covering one eye earlier this month, after Chinese consumers accused the company of supporting protesters by referencing a well known injury.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Taiwan joins global protest in support of Hong Kong

TAIPEI - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Taipei and four other major Taiwanese cities on Sunday as part of a global "anti-totalitarianism rally" in support of Hong Kong protesters who have been demanding greater democracy for the last four months.

Similar rallies were held in over 40 other cities around the world including Berlin, Sydney and Tokyo.

In the capital Taipei, organizers said more than 100,000 showed up at a march that began outside the legislative compound and also ended there.

Braving heavy rain, participants chanted "Free Hong Kong" and "Taiwan with Hong Kong," with many holding placards critical of Beijing's proposal to use the "one country, two systems" formula for Taiwan.

Senior members of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which has long been identified with Taiwan independence, took part in the march.

Since June, there have been protests almost every weekend in Hong Kong, many turning violent, initially triggered by a now-suspended extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kong people to be sent to mainland China for trial.

The protesters have now made a list of five demands, which include and independent inquiry into alleged police brutality and democratic reform.

The organizers of Sunday's march said that Taiwan and Hong Kong should object to "one China" and peace agreements with China. "One China" refers to Beijing's view that Taiwan is not a separate and independent country from mainland China.

They also called on Taiwan's government to establish a legal framework to shelter Hong Kong people who flee political persecution.

Before the march began, Hong Kong singer-activist Denise Ho was attacked by a Chinese man who poured a can of red paint over her head while she was talking to reporters.

Undaunted, Ho continued the interview and said she will not be intimidated by what she called "red terror."

"What such dramatic behavior tells us is that China wants us to shut up," Ho said. "But we will never back down because there is nowhere to go."

President Tsai Ing-wen criticized the perpetrators on her Facebook page, saying that her government will not tolerate such "violent disruption" and that no one should ever attempt to challenge Taiwan's democracy and rule of law.

Despite disagreeable weather, the march in Taipei attracted people from all walks of life and of different nationalities.

Also taking part in the march was Paul Lin, cofounder of the Taiwan Youth Anti-Communist Corps and a political commentator.

Lin was born in the Chinese city of Chongqing but fled to Hong Kong, where he became a journalist and a vocal critic of China. He and his Taiwanese wife relocated to the United States and then Taiwan, where he became a citizen.

Lin said what Taiwan can learn from Hong Kong is that the Communist Party of China is not at all trustworthy because it has no problem negating its commitment to Hong Kong.

Another participant, Daniel Lin, said he attended the march because he wanted Hong Kong people to know that Taiwanese people care about them.

The 37-year-old businessman who came to the event with his dog said he hopes all Hong Kong people will be able to enjoy the same level of individual freedom, security and human rights they had before the city was handed over to China in 1997.

Taiwan and mainland China have been governed separately since they split amid a civil war in 1949. Beijing has since then endeavored to diplomatically isolate Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province awaiting reunification.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Populist pro-China mayor to face Tsai in Taiwan presidential clash

TAIPEI - A populist mayor who favors closer ties with Beijing was announced as the presidential candidate for Taiwan's opposition on Monday as it looks to unseat President Tsai Ing-wen in upcoming elections.

Han Kuo-yu won the primary for the opposition Kuomintang party, comfortably seeing off a challenge from Taiwan's richest man, billionaire Foxconn founder Terry Gou.

His victory sets up an unpredictable clash as Taiwan goes to the polls in January in a contest that will be dominated by relations with China.

Han, 62, has had a meteoric rise in the last two years, journeying from relative obscurity to becoming his party's presidential candidate in a phenomenon that has been dubbed the "Han tide".

Some have likened him to US President Donald Trump and other populist leaders who hail from outside establishment circles and command a fervent voter base buoyed by lofty promises of resurrecting their fortunes.

Han won 45 percent of votes cast in the KMT's primary -- which polls members of the public by telephone -- compared with Gou's 28 percent, a major setback for a man who made his fortune assembling iPhones and other key electronic devices in huge factories on the Chinese mainland.

Han was a relative unknown until he seized the Kaohsiung mayoralty in local elections last year in a contest few thought he would win given the southern city had long been a heartland for Tsai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

He has been able to muster huge, enthusiastic crowds during his presidential bid, where he has vowed to restore warm ties with Beijing and kickstart the economy.

Relations with Beijing have soured since Tsai came to power three years ago because she and her party refuse to recognize the idea that Taiwan is part of "one China". 

Since her election Beijing has cut official communications, ramped up military exercises, poached diplomatic allies and ratcheted up economic pressure on the island. 

Taiwan has been a de facto sovereign nation since the end of a civil war in 1949 but China still views it as its own territory and has vowed to seize it, by force if necessary.

Tsai has described the 2020 presidential election as a "fight for freedom and democracy", setting herself up as someone who can defend Taiwan from an increasingly assertive Beijing. 

Supporters see Han as a plain-talking maverick and political outsider who has shaken up the staid politics of the KMT -- but detractors are unnerved by his efforts promoting warmer China ties.

aw/jta/qan

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Asus ditches the notch with a ‘flip’ camera on the Zenfone 6

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Asus’ new flagship phone has an all-screen front, and the best selfie camera on any smartphone right now, according to a website that reviews photography equipment. 

The Taiwanese tech giant unveiled its flagship Zenfone 6, more than a week ahead of Taiwan’s Computex trade show. The Zenfone 6 drew long lines of tech journalists who were eager to see its “Flip Camera.” 

While Chinese rivals Oppo and Vivo slide and hide the front camera when it’s not in use, Asus made one of the more interesting solutions to the riddle of designing an all-screen smartphone while keeping the all-important selfie shooter. 

The Zenfone 6 doesn’t have a dedicated camera in front for selfies. Instead, its main camera module at the back flips outward to face the user when selfie mode is activated. 

This eliminates the need for a camera notch in front, which means the Zenfone’s 6.4-inch display is all screen. At the same time, this rotation of the camera module allows the same powerful photography hardware used to capture landscapes and sports for self-portraits.

The main module houses two cameras — a 48-megapixel shooter with an f1.8 lens and 26-mm focal length; and a 13MP shooter with an f2.4 aperture and a very wide 11-mm focal length. 

Asus’ new flagship also captures 4K video at 30 frames per second by default and full HD video at 240 fps. The tilt of the Zenfone 6’s Flip Cam can also be manually adjusted, which makes it easier for users to take shots and footage from different angles. 

Because of these features, photography website DxOMark gave the Zenfone 6 a selfie score of 98, the highest for any phone on the market right now. 

Asus also put top-of-the-line specs on its new flagship. The Zenfone 6 uses the latest Snapdragon 855 chipset with Adreno graphics, up to 8GB of memory, and up to 256GB of storage. 

The build quality is also excellent, with Gorilla Glass 6 on front and brushed metal at the back. 

The company seems to have also taken a cue from its line of Zenfone Max mid-tier phones that cater to people who want bigger batteries. The Zenfone 6 has a pretty big 5000 mAh battery. In comparison, most other flagships use 3,800 to 4,300 mAh batteries. 

Audiophiles who have already invested in high-end headphones will also be glad to know that the Zenfone 6 comes with a standard 3.5mm audio jack.

Asus did not say when the Zenfone 6 will be available in the Philippines or how much it would cost. 

A limited edition Zenfone 6 with 12GB of memory and 512GB of storage will also go on sale to mark Asus’ 30th anniversary.

The Zenfone 6 enters a brutally competitive smartphone market that, according to industry tracker IDC, has also declined 6.6 percent in the first quarter of the year.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Taiwan unveils long-awaited gay marriage bill

TAIPEI - Taiwan's ruling party unveiled its latest attempt to create Asia's first gay marriage law on Thursday, a bill offering same sex-couples "permanent unions" as well as limited adoption rights, despite stiff opposition from conservatives.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has had a stuttering and troubled journey towards delivering on their 2016 election promise to grant same-sex couples equal marriage rights.

In November, conservatives won a referendum against revising the island's Civil Code to allow gay marriage, in a blow to President Tsai Ing-wen's party and a stark illustration of the social divide caused by the issue.

The referendum came after Taiwan's Constitutional Court voted to legalize gay marriage in 2017 -- the first place in Asia to do so -- arguing that denying same-sex couples marriage rights was unconstitutional.

The court ordered the government to amend the law by May 24, 2019 but did not specify how it wanted gay marriage to be brought in.

The bill published Thursday by the cabinet is the Tsai administration's attempt to square that circle -- a new law that meets the court's demands while trying to respect the referendum result by not altering the Civil Code which currently defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

The draft law released by the justice ministry proposes allowing "two persons of the same sex to create a permanent union of intimate and exclusive nature for the committed purpose of managing a life together to realize the equal protection of the freedom of marriage."

Gay couples will be allowed to adopt the biological children of their partner while both parties are financially responsible for each other and are entitled to inheritance rights.

The law is set to take effect on May 24 but needs to pass parliament, where the DPP holds a majority.

Taiwan is seen as one of the most progressive societies in Asia when it comes to gay rights, and it stages the biggest gay pride parade in Asia annually. 

Gay marriage rights receive high approval ratings among young people in particular.

But it also remains a staunchly conservative place with powerful religious lobbies especially outside urban areas, and analysts say DPP underestimated how controversial their gay marriage proposals would be. 

President Tsai openly supported the legalization of gay marriage before she was elected but has since said there needs to be more consensus in society.

If the bill is passed, it would be Asia's first gay marriage law. In December, Thailand's junta rulers proposed a similar bill but it has yet to make it to parliament in the kingdom that is currently in the midst of an election campaign. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Taiwan grandpa catches 'em all playing Pokemon Go on 15 phones

TAIPEI - Chen San-yuan turns heads as he cycles through a suburb of Taipei, Taiwan's capital.

The reason why?

Attached to the front of his bicycle are 15 mobile phones which Chen, 70, uses to simultaneously play the augmented-reality game Pokemon Go.

The smartphone-based game requires players to 'catch' animated characters that appear in real locations.

Known as Pokemon Grandpa, videos of Chen and his fan-shaped phone setup cycling between "Pokestops" have gone viral on the internet and made him a minor celebrity in Tucheng district, where he lives.

"I used one cellphone and then kept playing and playing," Chen, dressed in a crisp, white long-sleeved shirt and pants, told Reuters Television on a recent outing.

"After a month, it became three cellphones, six cellphones, nine cellphones, 12 and then 15," he said, crediting his grandson with introducing him to Pokemon Go in 2016.

Chen said his gear cost more than $4,800 and he spends about $300 a month on virtual currency to use in the game.

Playing on multiple phones allows him to get to higher levels in the game more quickly and capture rarer creatures, he said.

The pensioner said he sometimes plays all night thanks to the custom-made portable battery packs that recharge the phones.

Chen's fellow players are amazed at his energy.

"He's able to take care of fifteen cellphones at once," said Shih Wun-sheng, 45. "From going out until returning home, Chen can remain energetic for six to seven hours, not feeling tired. That's really impressive."

Pokemon Go, jointly developed by Nintendo Co and Niantic Inc, has been the biggest hit so far among games using so-called augmented reality, where digital characters are superimposed on the real world. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Thousands rally for Taiwan independence vote

TAIPEI- Thousands of Taiwan independence campaigners took to the streets Saturday for a major rally that is a rebuke to Beijing and a challenge to the island's already embattled government.

The protest in central Taipei came as China increasingly pushes its claim to the self-ruling democratic island and President Tsai Ing-wen struggles to appease Beijing and independence factions.

It was the first large-scale protest calling for an outright independence vote since Taiwan first became a democracy more than 20 years ago.

Organizers claimed a turnout of 80,000. A police estimate was not immediately available.

Demonstrators gathered outside the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters chanting slogans and waving flags reading "Independence Referendum."

"Want Referendum!" and "Oppose Annexation!" the crowd shouted.

China still sees Taiwan as part of its territory to be reunified, despite the two sides being ruled separately since the end of a civil war on the mainland in 1949.

Taiwan considers itself a sovereign state, with its own currency, political and judicial systems, but has never declared formal independence from the mainland.

Beijing has warned it would respond with force if Taiwan tried an official split.

Organized by new group Formosa Alliance, which is backed by two pro-independence former Taiwan presidents, Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian, the rally called for a public vote on whether the island should formally declare independence from China.

"Only through holding a referendum can Taiwanese people show to the international community our right to build an independent new country," said Tsai Wen-li, 63, a retired postal worker who wore a T-shirt reading "Taiwan is my country".

Engineer Rex Yang, 35, described Taiwan as an "orphan in the international community".

"Taiwanese people want Taiwan to become a normal country...that is why I stand out here today", he told AFP.

BEIJING PRESSURE

Even though the DPP is traditionally independence-leaning, President Tsai has said she wants to maintain the status quo with China.

But that has not prevented relations deteriorating since she took office in 2016, as she refuses to adhere to Beijing's line that Taiwan is part of "one China".

Beijing has made a multi-pronged attack to erase Taiwan from the international stage, including blocking it from global forums and poaching its dwindling number of official diplomatic allies.

China has also successfully pressured global firms to list Taiwan as part of China on their company websites.

At the same time, Tsai's measured approach has alienated some pro-independence DPP supporters.

A vote on independence would require an amendment to current laws, which bar referendums on changing the constitution or sovereign territory. 

Formosa Alliance is urging the DPP government, which has a majority in parliament, to change the laws to allow such a vote.

Analysts agree Tsai would be unlikely to allow such an amendment which would be a red flag to Beijing.

Chinese authorities have already said Formosa Alliance should not go down what they called a "dangerous path".

The DPP publicly prohibited its officials and candidates from attending Saturday's rally, instead holding its own rally against China's "annexation" of Taiwan in the southern city of Kaohsiung. 

The move was seen as a way for the party to distance itself from activists but to reflect the feelings of some of its more pro-independence members and supporters.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Taiwan crowds march in Asia's biggest gay pride parade

TAIPEI - Tens of thousands marched in Taiwan's capital Saturday in Asia's biggest gay pride parade, with many hoping presidential elections next year bring to power a pro-gay government that will legalize same-sex marriage.

About 78,000 people took part in the 13th Taiwan LGBT Pride event, with supporters waving rainbow flags and handmade placards calling for marriage equality as they circled downtown Taipei.

Some donned costumes including a group of men dressed up as characters from Japanese manga Sailor Moon while a choir group called G-Major sang as they walked with the crowds.

While Taiwan is one of the most progressive Asian societies when it comes to homosexuality, a bill to make same-sex marriage legal has been stalled in parliament since it was first proposed in 2013.

"There's been huge changes in the society in recent years with a lot of grassroot efforts pushing for equality," said Jennifer Lu, an openly gay candidate for the Social Democratic Party in next year's elections.

"But the government hasn't kept pace. That's why I want to run," she told AFP.

Widely expected to become Taiwan's next president -- and the island's first female leader -- Tsai Ing-wen of main opposition Democratic Progressive Party expressed support for same-sex marriage.

"Everyone is equal before love," she said in a video posted on her Facebook page Saturday.

But Tsai has yet to commit to pushing the bill through, saying in a separate statement that it's "an issue the whole society must face together as there are many who support marriage equality but there are also many who are reluctant."

This year's march coincides with several events held in Taipei, including a queer film festival and a regional LGBT conference.

"Taiwan certainly is one of the more progressive in Asia," said Ashley Wu, co-chair of this year's conference which attracted about 400 activists from countries including China, Thailand, Cambodia, and Nepal.

"But there is still strong opposing voices such as Christian groups. Their numbers aren't big but their political influence is significant," Wu said.

While marriage is not yet an option, some are encouraged by recent developments in gay rights.

Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan earlier this year became the first city to allow same-sex partners to be listed in household registration records.

"Progress is inevitable," said 25-year-old JJ Chang, taking part in the parade for the fourth time.

This year Chang chose to celebrate his aboriginal identity by wearing a colourful headdress from his tribe in eastern Hualien county.

"Someone said there is no 'tongzhi' in the aboriginal community, so we couldn't stay silent," he said, using the Chinese term for gay and lesbian people.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Taiwan town still cut off after typhoon

Taiwanese authorities were rushing to repair roads in the mountainous hot spring town of Wulai on Monday, where 1,100 people were without electricity or water after Typhoon Soudelor ripped through the island.

Landslides triggered by the storm, which hit in the early hours of Saturday and was billed as the most powerful typhoon this year, blocked the main road into the northern township just south of capital Taipei.

"People are now able to walk past the area after our emergency repair, but it may take another three or four days for vehicles to get through," Chiang Chien-ming, a chief road engineer at the transportation ministry, told AFP.

About 100 residents in Xiaoyi village who were previously unaccounted for were contacted Saturday night and were safe.

Soldiers searching the area later also contacted another 10 people previously reported to be unreachable, a spokesman for the New Taipei City fire bureau told AFP.

More than four tonnes of supplies have been flown into the area, mostly instant noodles, bread, and water.

Television footage of the once scenic aboriginal town showed damaged houses, cracked roads, and mounds of rubble.

Soudelor caused at least eight deaths in Taiwan as it flooded rivers, ripped up trees, and triggered landslides. Toppled trees and signboards damaged electricity lines, knocking out power to a record 4.3 million households.

More than 50,000 households were still without power Monday evening, more than two days after the storm. More than 400 people were injured, according to the latest government statistics as of Saturday evening.

Taiwan's farming sector is estimated to have suffered about Tw$1.3 billion ($41.1 million)of losses from the typhoon, mainly destroying banana and pomelo crops.

After hitting Taiwan, Soudelor struck the Chinese mainland on Saturday night, killing 21 people there with five more missing, state media reported Monday.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Witnesses describe Taiwan water park blast as 'hell'

TAIPEI -- Witnesses described the scene at a Taiwan water park as "hell" after a ball of fire ripped through a crowd, with authorities putting the injured at more than 500 on Sunday, almost 200 of them seriously hurt.

The injury toll in the blast late Saturday, which came as colored powder being sprayed on the partygoers ignited, more than doubled as officials began to track down victims who had taken themselves to hospital or been ferried there by others.

Horrifying amateur video footage showed crowds of young revelers dancing in front of a stage and cheering as clouds of green and yellow powder covered them at the "color party."

But their joy turned to terror when the powder suddenly erupted into flames engulfing them in an inferno as they ran screaming for their lives.

Some were dressed only in swimwear and images from the scene show many with severe burns being tended by those who escaped.

One male student who sustained minor injuries described the scene as "hell."

"There was blood everywhere, including in the pool where lots of the injured were soaking themselves for relief from the pain," he told reporters.

His visibly shaken girlfriend added: "I saw lots of people whose skin was gone."

Ambulances had struggled to reach the scene, and victims were carried away on rubber rings and inflatable dinghies as friends desperately tried to get them out.

Bystanders poured bottles of water on the scorched skin of the injured. Trails of bloody footprints leading away from the stage remained.

Around 1,000 spectators had been at the Color Play Asia event at the Formosa Fun Coast water park, just outside the capital Taipei, according to officials.

One male witness told local news channel CTI: "It started on the left side of the stage. At the beginning I thought it was part of the special effects of the party but then I realized there was something wrong and people started screaming and running."

Lee Lih-jong, deputy chief of the health bureau of the New Taipei City government, said 519 people had been injured with 190 of them seriously hurt.

The severely wounded are being treated in intensive care units at 37 different hospitals.

"The reason why the burns were so severe was that in addition to burns to the skin, there were also injuries caused by burns to the respiratory organs from the large amount of color powder inhaled," Lee told AFP. "The next 24 hours will be critical for those severely injured."

Several major hospitals in Taiwan have been asked to donate skin grafts and surgical equipment to help treat the injured, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.

Young victims

One father broke down as he told how his daughter was in intensive care with third degree burns. "She was attending a music concert... why would there be an explosion?" he wept bewildered.

"More than 80 percent of her body has been scorched," he told reporters.

The man, who was not named, lashed out at authorities saying they had not contacted him or offered any help.

The water park issued a statement Sunday saying it was "deeply saddened" and would cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

General manager Chen Hui-ying told reporters that all partygoers had been insured but did not say to what amount. "Throwing colored corn starch around... we had never heard such an activity could be dangerous," she said.

The health bureau's Lee said details of the ages of the victims were not yet available, "but all looked very young, in their 20s or even younger."

The national news agency CNA reported 13 of the injured were foreign nationals. Among them were four from Hong Kong, two each from China and Japan, one from Macau, Malaysia and Singapore respectively, with another being identified as from "Europe or America" and the last remained of unknown origin.

"Our initial understanding is this explosion and fire... was caused by the powder spray. It could have been due to the heat of the lights on the stage," said a spokesman for the New Taipei City fire department.

Deputy fire chief Chen Chung-yueh said Sunday the blast may have been caused by "sparks from machinery or lighting equipment."

Five people including event manager Lu Chung-chi were detained by police. They are being questioned by prosecutors on charges of offences against public safety and negligence of duties that caused severe injuries, a police spokesman said.

Color Play Asia has also run other "color parties" in Taiwan in the past two years.

Taiwan's premier Mao Chih-kuo, who visited the injured Sunday, ordered that all such events be banned unless their safety could be assured.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

More than 200 injured in explosion at Taiwan water park

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- More than 200 people were injured, over 90 of them seriously, in an explosion at a water park outside Taiwan's capital Taipei Saturday after colored powder being sprayed onto a crowd ignited, officials said.

Footage on the Apple Daily newspaper website showed crowds dancing as music played and clouds of powder being sprayed out which suddenly turned into a ball of fire that tore through the spectators.

Terrified partygoers were then shown running for their lives, screaming, as they were overtaken by flames.

As ambulance crews struggled to reach the site, victims were carried away on rubber rings and inflatable dinghies as friends desperately tried to get them out.

Bystanders poured bottles of water on the scorched skin of the victims still at the scene.

Around 1,000 spectators had been at the Color Play Asia event at the Formosa Fun Coast waterpark, just outside the capital Taipei, according to officials.

One male witness told local news channel CTI: "It started on the left side of the stage. At the beginning I thought it was part of the special effects of the party but then I realised there was something wrong and people started screaming and running."

Authorities said 229 had been hospitalised with 97 seriously hurt.

Media reports said some victims had suffered burns to more than 40 percent of their bodies.

A doctor treating 41 victims at one hospital in Taipei said 17 of them were "seriously burned".

"They all had respiratory system damage," he said.

"Our initial understanding is this explosion and fire... was caused by the powder spray. It could have been due to the heat of the lights on the stage," said a spokesman for the New Taipei City fire department.

A man responsible for the event had been detained by police for investigation, the spokesman said.

Prosecutors were also looking into the incident, local media reported.

Television images showed the stage on fire and crowds running away, some of them only dressed in swimwear and covered in coloured powder.

Trails of bloody footprints leading away from the stage remained in the aftermath of the inferno, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

The fire was quickly extinguished, according to authorities.

Officials said that ambulances had found it difficult to get near to the site and had to send in emergency workers with stretchers.

"We feel sad and regretful about the accident," said New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu who was reported as saying it was the municipality's worst ever incident of mass injury.

He said that extra doctors had been called in to help treat the victims.

"I've ordered the park to shut down immediately and be placed under a rigorous investigation," Chu added.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

At least 9 dead as Taiwan plane cartwheels into river

TAIPEI - At least nine people were killed and dozens were unaccounted for after a Taiwanese TransAsia Airways plane with 58 passengers and crew on board crashed into a Taipei river shortly after take-off on Wednesday, officials and domestic media said.

Dramatic pictures taken by a motorist and posted on Twitter showed the plane cartwheeling over a motorway close to Taipei's downtown airport soon after the turboprop ATR 72-600 aircraft took off for the island of Kinmen.

Television footage showed passengers wearing life jackets wading and swimming clear of the river. The crash was the airline's second disaster in the last six months.

Emergency rescue officials in inflatable boats crowded around the partially submerged fuselage of Flight GE235, lying on its side in the river, trying to help those on board.

The civilian aeronautic authority said soon after the crash that two people had been killed. Taiwanese television later reported the death toll had risen to nine.

The aeronautics authority reported 16 people had been rescued, meaning as many as 33 people were still missing.

Other Taiwanese government authorities said the plane was carrying 58 passengers and crew, including 31 tourists from mainland China.

The weather appeared to be clear when the plane took off.

Footage shown on Taiwanese television as well as on YouTube showed the plane's port-side wing clipping an overpass after it missed what appeared to be apartment buildings by metres.

A van skidded to a halt, just missing the stricken plane's wing. Pictures showed damage to the overpass next to the river, with small pieces of the aircraft scattered along the road.

Taipei's downtown Songshan airport, the smaller of the city's two airports, provides mostly domestic flights but also connections to Japan, China and South Korea.

STRING OF CRASHES

The crash is the latest in a string of mishaps to hit Asian carriers in the past 12 months. An AirAsia jet bound for Singapore crashed soon after taking off from the Indonesian city of Surabaya on Dec. 28, killing all 162 people on board.

Also last year, a Malaysia Airlines jet disappeared and one of its sister planes was downed over Ukraine with a combined loss of 539 lives.

TransAsia is Taiwan's third-largest carrier. One of its ATR 72-500 planes crashed while trying to land at Penghu Island last July, killing 48 of the 58 passengers and crew on board.

Taiwan has had a poor aviation safety record in recent years, including the disintegration of a China Airlines 747 on a flight from Taipei to Hong Kong in 2002, killing 225. In 1998, a China Airlines A300 crashed while trying to land at Taipei's main international airport, killing 196.

In 2000, a Singapore Airlines jetliner taking off for Los Angeles during a storm hit construction equipment on the runway, killing at least 77 people.

The plane involved in Wednesday's mishap was among the first of the ATR 72-600s, the latest variant of the turboprop aircraft, that TransAsia received in 2014.

They are among an order of eight placed by TransAsia in 2012. The aircraft have 72 seats each. The planes are mainly used to connect the capital, Taipei, with smaller cities and islands.

The airline also operates Airbus A320 and A330 planes on domestic and regional services.

ATR is a joint venture between Airbus and Alenia Aermacchi, a subsidiary of Italy's Finmeccanica. (Additional reporting by Siva Govindasamy in SINGAPORE and Ben Blanchard in HONG KONG; Editing by Paul Tait)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Taipei loss hurts Gilas chances in KO stage

MANILA, Philipppines – Aside from wounded pride, the heartbreaking loss to Chinese Taipei on Saturday night opened up the possibility of facing tall odds in the quarterfinal round.

Gilas Pilipinas wound up with a 2-1 record and will face Japan, Qatar and Hong Kong in the next round in that order starting Monday.

“Second place in our group doesn’t mean anything. What’s important is the placing after the next round,” Gilas coach Chot Reyes told reporters after Saturday night’s loss.

But the odds are now stacked against them. They will need to sweep those three assignments and hope that Chinese Taipei falls to have a chance at top spot.

The top team in their group will meet the No. 4 team of the other group in the knockout quarterfinal match that will likely be Kazakhstan since Iran, China and Korea are shoo-ins to clinch the top three. But that relatively lighter assignment in the knockout stages is now bleak with the loss last night.

“Yes, we’re very aware of that possibility [to face China, Iran or Korea at the start of the knockout stages],” Reyes added.

Still feeling the heat of the loss, the outspoken Gilas coach was not in the mood to answer a question from Taiwanese media when asked about their earlier choice of joining Chinese Taipei in Group A instead of Group D.

“I’m sick and tired of that question of Group A or Group D. If we’ve gone to Group D then we lost to Kazakhstan then we couldn’t even go to the quarterfinals,” said a visibly irked Reyes.

“If Kazakhstan had beaten us in Group D, we go to second round against China, Iran and Korea then we might not even go to the quarterfinals. My point is to get to the quarterfinals first then whoever we play there, we play,” Reyes pointed out to the Taiwanese reporter. “It doesn’t matter who.”

But in all likelihood, the margin of error is now zero for Gilas Pilipinas entering the second round.

Whether they like it or not, Gilas now needs to go through the giants in their quest to get back in the World Championship. And they will need a strong support from the crowd even bigger and louder than last night to have a chance.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Steve Jobs angel TV ad causes uproar in Taiwan

TAIPEI - A Taiwanese television commercial featuring a Steve Jobs look-alike angel complete with white wings and a halo has caused uproar, with critics saying it is disrespectful towards Apple's late founder.

The commercial shows well-known local comedian A-Ken in blue jeans and a black turtleneck praising the virtues of a tablet from Taiwan-based Action Electronics that runs on Google's Android operating system.

"I'd like to present to you a new generation of tablets. It's amazing," a smiling A-Ken says in the 20-second commercial. "My God, I finally have another Pad to play with."

Jobs, who died in October at the age 56, was no fan of Google's Android system, considering it a rip-off of Apple's technology.

On Facebook, Taiwanese writer Wu Ruo-quan criticised the commercial, calling it "shallow" and revealing a lack of respect for Jobs' family.

A majority of reactions by average Taiwanese Internet users were also negative.

"Maybe there is nothing wrong with impersonating Steve Jobs, but it's improper for A-Ken to impersonate him promoting the products of his rival," wrote one user with the signature "Sweetheart".

Action Electronics vice-president Sun Yi-min said the commercial is simply aimed to promote sales and is not meant to show disrespect for anyone, according to the United Daily News.

The paper said he declined to comment on whether the company would modify or drop the advert.

Action Electronics could not be reached for comment Monday. Bravo Inc, a public relations company representing Apple Taiwan, said the US company had no comment as yet.

Last month, a China-based company was forced to scrap plans to market a doll made to resemble Jobs following "immense pressure" from lawyers.

source: interaksyon.com