Taiwan vessel released from pirate control: EU Navy

Taipei, Jan. 29 (CNA) Taiwanese fishing vessel Taiyuan 227 had been released after being hijaced by Somali pirates for nine months, European Union Naval Force Somalia (EUNAVFOR Somalia) said Saturday Taiwan Time.

"Although exact details surrounding the situation are not known at this time, there are indications that the Taiwanese flagged fishing vessel TAI YUAN 227 has been released from pirate control, " the naval military operation -- codenamed Operation Atlanta -- established to protect maritime security said in a release posted on its website.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is trying to confirm the news, " Bruno C.H. Shen, deputy director-general of the MOFA's Department of African Affairs, told CNA by telephone Saturday morning.

"We have not received related information or contact from the crew so far, " he said.

The Kaohsiung-based longliner with 28 crew members from China, Vietnam, Kenya, Mozambique and the Philippines was held May 6 last year while operating northeast of the Seychelles.

The vessel's owner "apparently received a call from the master stating that they had been released but that they did not know why, " EUNAVFOR said in the release, adding that the crew were provided with fresh water and food by a United States warship after their release.

Taiyuan 227, which had likely been used as a pirate mothership until three days ago according to the EUNAVFOR, is now heading away from Somalia.

Latest statistics of the EUNAVFOR showed that there are two Taiwanese fishing vessels still in the hands of pirates-- Zechuntsai No. 68 and Shiuh Fu No. 1, which were hijacked in March and December of last year, respectively.

There are 30 vessels and 711 hostages being held by Somali pirates as of Friday, according to the statistics. (By Chris Wang) enditem/jc

Taiwan's Chan advances to Australian tennis open mixed doubles final

Taipei, Jan. 28 (CNA) Chan Yung-jan became the first Taiwanese player to make the mixed doubles finals in a Grand Slam tennis event Friday after teaming up with Australian Paul Hanley for a come-from-behind 2-1 semifinal victory in the 2010 Australian Tennis Open tournament.

The Chan-Hanley duo beat Bathanie Mattek-Sands of the United States and Horia Tecau of Romania 2-6, 6-3, 11-9 in 72 minutes.

Chan's record-setting win came after her 2-1 victory over compatriot Chuang Chia-jung and Dick Norman of Belgium a day earlier had equalled the best mixed doubles record established by Hsieh Shu-wei, who teamed with Zimbabwe's Kevin Ullyett to make the 2009 U.S. Open semifinal.

Plagued by eight unforced errors, Chan and Hanley gave up the first set in 28 minutes before regaining their rhythm and taking the second set 6-3. They had five winners, including two timely aces, in a hard-fought third set.

The 21-year-old Chan, ranked No. 119 in women's singles and No. 18 in women's doubles in the world, and Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, lost in the women's doubles third round to Russian duo Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko. Chan did not make the women's singles main draw this year, losing in the third round of the qualifying singles.

Chan and Hanley's opponents in the finals will be the second-seeded duo Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia and Daniel Nestor of Canada, who defeated third-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia 6-4, 7-5 in the other semifinal match. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Wikileaks document shows U.S. concern over Taiwan's export controls

Taipei, Jan. 28 (CNA) The United States urged Taiwan to tighten its export controls in 2009 after a Taiwanese company sold high-tech items to Iran earlier that year, according to a leaked U.S. document released by the website Wikileaks.

Officials of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) , the U.S. representative office in Taiwan in the absence of official bilateral diplomatic ties, urged Taiwan at the time to give greater priority to its export controls.

It said Taiwan's performance in the way its export controls were managed lagged far behind places such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea, according to the cable dated Aug. 13, 2009 that was sent by the AIT to the U.S. State Department.

The cable, released on Jan. 25 by Wikileaks, showed that AIT officials met with Su Chi, then-National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general, Vice Economic Affairs Minister Lin Sheng-chung and Office of Homeland Security Director Chang Chih-Yu, to discuss the matter.

The visits came after Taiwan-based Heli-Ocean Technology Co. sold 108 Swiss-made nuclear-related transducers to Iran via China in early 2009.

Though the product was not listed on any embargo list of sensitive commodities, several U.S. Congressmen expressed concern over the sale in December 2009.

In response to the U.S. complaints, Chang was quoted as saying in the cable that Taiwan's top priority was controlling commodities exported to China rather than overall export controls for goods shipped to other countries, such as Iran or North Korea.

The cable was the first AIT-related document released by Wikileaks, which announced that it will release in stages 251,287 cables originating from 274 U.S. embassies between Dec. 28, 1966 to Feb. 28, 2010, including 3,456 cables that were sent between the U.S. State Department and the AIT. (By Chris Wang) Enditem/ls 

Agency anniversary marks two decades of cross-strait exchanges

Taipei, Jan. 28 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) , Taiwan's top China policy-making agency, celebrated its 20th anniversary Friday and looked back on the roller-coaster ride of cross-strait exchanges during that period.

"It takes enormous patience to handle cross-strait affairs, which had never been an easy task, " President Ma Ying-jeou said at the anniversary ceremony.

Taiwan-China relations have changed a lot during the past three decades. Late President Chiang Ching-kuo declared his "three noes" policy of "no contact, no compromise, no negotiation" when the United States normalized relations with China in 1979. Last year, more than 1 million Chinese tourists visited Taiwan and more than 260,000 Chinese spouses were living in Taiwan.

Ma said his China policy, which advocates cross-strait detente and forging exchanges with China based on the so-called "1992 Consensus" has taken Taiwan on the right track, evidenced by relaxed tension across the strait and the 15 agreements signed between the two sides.

The situation was very different before Ma, who served in 1988 as executive secretary of a mainland affairs task force under the Executive Yuan -- the predecessor of the MAC -- took office in May 2008.

The institutionalized framework of cross-strait dialogues and meetings were marred by a visit to the U.S. by former ROC President Lee Teng-hui in 1995, Taiwan's first direct presidential election in 1996 and the 2000-2008 administration of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), during which China opted to have dialogue with the then-opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and ignore the DPP-led government.

"Not until my presidential campaign in 2007 did I have an opportunity to call for a resumption of cross-strait exchanges, " Ma said at the ceremony, which was attended by several former MAC chairmen, including former National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi and Chen Ming-tung, who headed the council during the DPP administration.

Noticeably absent was DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen, who served as MAC chairwoman from 2000-2004. Tsai and her party have been formulating a new China policy of their own and have been trying to establish direct dialogue with China.

"Like it or not, we have to face the fact that China has become the second-largest economy in the world, " Ma said, adding that while Taiwan will keep shoring up its defensive capability, it hopes never to be at war with China. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

MAC advises Chinese philanthropist on controversial trip

Taipei, Jan. 27 (CNA) Taiwan's top China policy-making agency advised a Chinese billionaire to act in a moral manner after the tycoon embarked upon a high-profile and controversial philanthropic trip Thursday during which he plans to donate up to NT$500 million (US$17.22 million) to Taiwan's needy.

Chinese philanthropist Chen Guangbiao gave away NT$6.7 million-worth of "red envelopes" that day in the northern county of Hsinchu, the first stop of his philanthropic trip, to local disadvantaged families, in cooperation with the county government.

The 43-year-old is known for carrying out highly publicized philanthropic trips around China, using the schtick of a piled-up "wall of banknotes" that he then hands out. He has been quoted as saying that he likes to make donations in a high-profile manner because he hopes his actions will be recognized by the public and will inspire people to carry out acts of philanthropy of their own.

"The way Chen conducts his philanthropy has caused challenges for both the government and the underprivileged, " Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Liu Te-hsun said in a press briefing.

Chen has not violated any laws, though, so there is no way for the government to interfere in the matter, he said, adding that the underprivileged will have to decide for themselves whether or not accepting his cash will cause them to lose their dignity.

"We will certainly condemn Chen's behavior if his trip is found to come with any political motive, " Liu said.

Liu's comment came after Chen was stopped by several poor people begging for cash during his trip to Hsinchu.

Such behavior of the local poor, as well as the extensive media coverage and involvement of local governments in Chen's stunt, have all made the trip controversial. Some Taiwanese county governments and opposition party officials have voiced opposition to his donation plans in Taiwan, raising concern that his high-profile donation manner might hurt the recipients' feelings or dignity.

Meanwhile, Chen's cancellation of his business itinerary that morning also raised doubts, because he was granted entry to Taiwan as a business professional and was supposed to participate in business activities during his stay under the regulations governing cross-strait travel.

Chen is scheduled to visit the central county of Nantou and the eastern county of Hualien during the remainder of his trip. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

`Working poor' phenomenon worries labor rights advocates

Taipei, Jan. 27 (CNA) The "working poor" phenomenon in Taiwan remains a concern, despite the latest official statistics showing that the unemployment rate has fallen to below 5 percent, labor rights advocates said Thursday.

"If there is one word that can describe Taiwan's labor environment in 2010, it would be the `working poor phenomenon, ' which could haunt Taiwanese workers for a long time, " Sun Yu-lien, secretary-general of the Taiwan Labor Front, said in a press conference.

Taiwan's unemployment rate was lowered to 4.67 percent last December, showing that Premier Wu Den-yih has fulfilled his pledge early last year to narrow the jobless rate to below 5 percent.

However, the local average monthly wage of NT$42,141 (US$1451) in 2010 has fallen to the 1998 level, and the number of workers who were paid less than NT$20,000 (US$689) per month has reached 1.38 million, around 12.4 percent of Taiwan's total workforce of 11.1 million, Sun said, citing statistics released by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

The "working poor" are defined in the United States as persons who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force during the year (working or looking for work) , but whose incomes fell below the official poverty level. The term has not been clearly defined in Taiwan.

The government did lower the jobless rate, but it failed to tackle the issue of the working poor, which could ultimately lead to a wide range of social problems such as low birth rate and high crime rate, Sun said.

The numbers show that Taiwanese workers received low wages despite their average working hours per year ranking among the top five in the world, said Huang Shu-ying, a legislator of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

On average, she said, a Taiwanese worker tallied 2,154 working hours in 2008, 51 percent more than a German worker's 1,432 hours in the same year, although the German worker's salary was three times higher.

"Without a doubt, Taiwan's labor environment has been deteriorating. It is going to take joint efforts by different agencies of the Cabinet, rather than only the Council of Labor Affairs, to solve the problem, " said Chang Feng-yi, executive director of the Taiwan Labor and Social Policy Research Association.

Chang also warned of the increasing rate of unemployed university graduates. There were more than 100,000 university graduates who were not employed for at least 12 months in Taiwan last year, which accounted for over 45 percent of the unemployed.

The number suggests that Taiwan's high education policy might not be well-connected to its labor policy and market, Chang said, since more than 160 local universities have produced too many graduates for the labor market to absorb. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan aborigines want to reclaim land in government hands

Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) A Taiwan aboriginal tribe will stage a protest Friday in an effort to reclaim their traditional territory which they said had been illegally seized by the government and the former Japanese colonial authorities for over 100 years.

Aborigine rights advocates and people of the Amis, one of Taiwan's 14 indigenous tribes, are scheduled to gather in front of the Presidential Office Friday to demand an official apology and respect for the aborigines' basic rights, which include land rights, Namoh Nofu Pacidal, one of the organizers of the overnight protest, told a press conference.

As the island's first residents, Taiwan aborigines effectively owned the island's mountainous areas until the Japanese colonial period from 1895-1945 and the takeover by the Kuomintang authorities after World War II, Nofu said.

Except for the eight years between 2000 and 2008, Taiwan has been ruled by a Kuomintang government since 1945.

Due to the influx of the Han people, modernization and changes in Taiwan's society, the indigenous peoples had no choice but to leave their lands and try to earn a living in the cities, ultimately became "tribes in exile, " said Tibusungue Vayayana, a professor at National Taiwan Normal University.

There were 512,701 aborigines in Taiwan as of December 2010, according to the statistics of the Ministry of the Interior. The number accounts for approximately 2.2 percent of Taiwan's population of 23 million.

Thirty-six point six percent of them are Amis, the largest of the 14 tribes recognized by the Taiwan government.

Vayayana claimed the Taiwan government was even worse than the Japanese, who tried to "civilize" the aborigines but designated the mountains as a "reservation, " adding that the Taiwan authorities incorporated tribal lands into state property.

The advocates also condemned the government's attempts to develop eastern Taiwan, where the majority of aborigine population reside nowadays, granting build-operate-transfer (BOT) contracts without taking into account the land rights and living conditions of the aborigines.

That was why the group also demanded an immediate moratorium on development projects in the mountainous area and eastern Taiwan.

The Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) , Taiwan's government agency overseeing aboriginal affairs, has not had dialogues with the advocates and has ignored the group's requests, said Oto Micyang, executive secretary of the Indigenous Peoples Action Coalition of Taiwan (IPACT).

The draft of the Indigenous Autonomy Act failed to pass the legislature this year and the contents of the draft were not consistent with the existing Indigenous Peoples Basic Law, either, Micyang added.

"It's unfortunate that the respect for indigenous rights has gone backwards during this administration. And we want to change that, " he said.

Well-known local singer/actress Francesca Kao, who is also known by her aboriginal name of Paicu Yatauyungana, was among the advocates despite her Tsou tribe origin. (By Chris Wang) enditem/jc

Taiwan's international aid programs now more consistent: ICDF

Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) Improved cross-Taiwan Strait relations have helped Taiwan maintain consistency in its international assistance programs, despite China's continued interference in United Nations-affiliated organizations, an official said Wednesday.

"The diplomatic truce that President Ma Ying-jeou advocated has made a difference. We don't have to worry about losing diplomatic allies now, so we are able to focus on long-term development of our international assistance programs, " said Lee Pai-po, Deputy Secretary-General of Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF).

Established in 1996, the ICDF is the principal administrator of Taiwan's development projects abroad, providing assistance to partner countries to develop human resources and achieve socio-economic growth.

The organization has sent medical, agricultural and technical missions to more than 30 countries, including Taiwan's 23 official diplomatic allies, and provides assistance in lending and investment, technical cooperation, humanitarian assistance, and international education and training.

Taiwan has said that the effort is its way of paying back the international community for its humanitarian aid and cash relief to Taiwan from the end of the World War II to 1975.

Because of Taiwan and China's diplomatic war in the past, Taiwan's overseas missions had to worry about the stability of the country's foreign relations all the time, Lee said on the sidelines of a ceremony to launch the book "Endless Love. " The publication documents the ICDF's development programs in various countries.

"Once Taiwan severs diplomatic ties with a country, we have to completely pull out of that country, " Lee said.

The current administration's focus on transparency also makes the ICDF's job easier, according to Lee. In the past, cash donations, particularly to developing countries, caused a lot of trouble such as corruption, he said.

Under Taiwan's new policy, a "program-oriented" approach has been adopted in international assistance, and direct investments in infrastructure are no longer made, he said.

The previous policy was open to corruption and management problems but the new approach has helped the ICDF to better manage its annual budget of NT$3 billion, he said.

However, Lee said, Taiwan is still facing difficulties with multilateral aid, especially with those programs that involve U.N.-affiliated organizations, due to the sensitive political issue of the "one China principle" that China insists on.

He said there has been more room for Taiwan to maneuver in international and regional organizations in which both Taiwan and China have membership, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) , European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD) , Asian Development Bank (APB) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). (By Chris Wang) Enditem /pc

U.S. keeps Taiwan in mind in joint statement: envoy

Taipei, Jan. 25 (CNA) The United States did everything it could to protect Taiwan's interests in its joint statement with China issued last week during Chinese President Hu Jintao's official visit to Washington, a U.S. envoy said Tuesday.

The U.S. "purposefully constructed a document that in no way violates any of Taiwan's interests... We kept Taiwan in mind during the process of negotiating the document, " American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt told reporters after briefing President Ma Ying-jeou on Hu's visit.

In the U.S.-China Joint Statement released by U.S. President Barack Obama and Hu Jan. 20, the U.S. states that it "follows its one China policy and abides by the principles of the three U.S.-China Joint Communiques." Obama also mentioned the Taiwan Relations Act in his talks with Hu.

Burghardt, whose Jan. 23-26 visit is his 10th to Taiwan, said the U.S. blocked China's attempt to secure a communique with the U.S., as well its intention to "have repeated references to the phrase `core interests'" in the joint statement, because the phrase has caused difficulties and misunderstandings for the U.S. in the past.

"The result is a document that in no way breaks any new ground on any issues that would be a concern for Taiwan, " said Burghardt.

He also clarified a paragraph in the statement that says the U.S. would like to see Taiwan and China "increase dialogue and interaction in `economic, political and other fields, '" saying that the U.S. neither plays any role as a mediator nor has any interest in acting as a mediator.

The pace, timing and subject of the negotiations are up to the two sides to decide, he said, adding that "political" talks do not necessarily refer to sovereignty issues. According to the U.S. definition, he said, discussion of Taiwan's international participation is a political issue.

He reassured Taiwan of the friendship of the U.S., describing the country as "the best friend Taiwan has" and an ally that takes the issue of Taiwan's international participation seriously. He also said Washington has offered a lot more assistance than people might imagine.

On U.S. arm sales to Taiwan, Burghardt underlined the extensive bilateral military-to-military exchanges between the two sides and urged Taiwan to "pay more attention to the little things" rather than focusing solely on new arms packages.

In response to a reporter's question about U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' recent comment in Beijing that the U.S. could re-examine its arm sales to Taiwan if the security situation changes in the future, Burghardt said it is unlikely to be a scenario that will happen for many decades.

China now has an offensive posture that is not only limited to the missiles aimed at Taiwan but also includes other weapons, cyber warfare and its Anti-Secession Law, while Taiwan has a defensive posture, Burghardt said.

If Taiwan's needs in the future change along with its posture, the U.S. will make necessary adjustments to its stance on Taiwan's new requests because U.S. military aid to Taiwan is always based on Taiwan's perception of what it needs, he said. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Atmosphere not good for resumption of TIFA talks: U.S. official

Taipei, Jan. 25 (CNA) The atmosphere is not good for the United States (U.S.) and Taiwan to resume talks on further trade liberalization, in light of Taiwan's removal of U.S. beef from supermarket shelves because of a banned drug, a U.S. official said Tuesday.

"Press conferences about ractopamine...ordering the removal of beef from supermarkets live on national television and creating a public misperception that there is a risk to public health, when in fact these products are safe and consumed around the world every day, is not what I would call a good atmosphere, " Raymond Burghardt, Chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said at a media roundtable.

The diplomat was commenting on the postponement of a new round of talks under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) , which Taiwanese officials had said would be held in the last week of January.

The TIFA is an official framework for Taiwan-U.S. dialogue on trade and economic issues in the absence of diplomatic ties. TIFA talks have been suspended since 2007 mainly because of a controversy over beef imports from the U.S.

The U.S. decided to postpone the talks further when Taiwan blocked some shipments of U.S. beef last week after it was found that they contained residues of ractopamine, an animal feed additive that promotes leanness.

Taiwan regulations do not allow for any residues of ractopamine in meat.

Burghardt reiterated that Taiwan had considered lifting the ractopamine ban in 2007 after its own scientific research assessed that the use of the additive was safe. Taiwan even notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of its plan and stated an actual number for its planned maximum residue level (MRL), he said.

But massive protests from local pig farmers changed everything, and the proposal by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Council of Agriculture (COA) was never implemented, he noted.

"There is a distinction between how imported products and domestic products are handled," he said.

On TIFA talks, Burghardt said it was Taiwan officials who unilaterally made the announcement that the TIFA meeting would be held in January.

The U.S. "never announced when to hold the TIFA Joint Council" but intended to engage in exchanges with Taiwan on various trade issues.

He did not offer an opinion on when the TIFA talks might commence.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) also said Tuesday it does not believe that "the current environment is conducive to holding productive high-level discussions, " in an email received by CNA. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc