Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

‘No support’ for referendum, AIT says

Taipei Times

Former minister of national defense Michael Tsai, right, calls for amendments to the Referendum Act at a news conference organized by the Formosa Alliance in Taipei on Jan. 31.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday said it does not support a referendum on Taiwanese independence, after a former AIT chairman penned an open letter advising against the proposed plebiscite by pro-independence group Formosa Alliance.

Flight turned back over Taiwan issue

Taipei Times

Passengers board an Air New Zealand flight at Christchurch International Airport on Sept. 20, 2017.
Photo: AP

An Air New Zealand flight on its way to Shanghai was forced to return to Auckland after several hours in the air on Saturday because paperwork for the flight included a reference to Taiwan, news Web site Stuff reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Research on Taiwan merits local recognition

Tiunn Hok Chu 張復聚

The Taiwanese are an outstanding people, they just do not know it. Centuries of colonial education have kept Taiwanese from forming and recognizing their own identity and establishing a Taiwanese subjectivity.

It was not until 1997 that the class “Understanding Taiwan” (認識臺灣) was added to the junior high school curriculum, introducing students to the study of Taiwanese society, history and geography. Previously, most Taiwanese had very limited knowledge about Taiwan’s history, culture and core values.

Labor insurance needs bold reforms

Taipei Times Editorial

When the Executive Yuan submitted its most recent draft amendments to the Labor Insurance Act (勞工保險條例) to the Legislative Yuan for review in April 2017, it said that the government would subsidize the Labor Insurance Fund by NT$20 billion (US$651 million at the current exchange rate) every year to improve the labor insurance program’s financial situation.

The bills also included other measures to keep the fund afloat for several more years, such as raising insurance premiums by 0.5 percentage points every year until they reach 12 percent of insured people’s salaries. They would expand the scope of the insurance by 12 months each year, with payout in the case of inability to work to eventually be based on the person’s highest monthly salary in the previous 15 years, up from five years.

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