Headline News
Taiwan demands return of nationals
President Ma Ying-jeou has demanded the return of the Taiwanese nationals that have been taken against their will from Kenya to mainland China since April 8. The Taiwanese in question had previously been acquitted in a lawsuit for phone fraud in Kenya mainly targeting mainland Chinese nationals, but were forcefully deported by the Kenyan police.
Ma also directed the Justice Ministry and the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) to send representatives to mainland China to look into the situation.
The MAC stated on April 11 that mainland China’s actions ignored a tacit agreement reached between both sides in 2011 on handling similar cases. It added that mainland China has infringed on the rights of Taiwanese nationals and that the country will be held fully responsible for any consequences the move will have on bilateral relations.
MAC Minister Hsia Li-yan contacted his mainland China counterpart, Zhang Zhijun of the Taiwan Affairs Office, to elucidate Taiwan’s stance on this matter on April 12.
Politics
Taiwan, U.S. sign joint statement on traveler
Head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office(TECRO) in the U.S., Shen Lyu-shen, and managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan, Joseph R. Donovan Jr., have signed the International Expedited Traveler Initiative joint statement on April 4.
The initiative will allow low-risk travelers pre-approved entry into the country at selected entry ports and will help travelers save an average of 40 minutes in the immigration process.
Taiwan is the seventh country worldwide, and the second in Asia after South Korea, to be included in this special procedure.
Culture & Society
Five Taiwan universities ranked in global top 150
Five educational institutions in Taiwan have been ranked among the world’s top 150 universities under 50 years old in the Times Higher Education rankings released on April 6.
The Taiwanese institutions included are National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Yang-Ming University, Chang Gung University, National Sun Yat-sen University and Yuan Ze University. Taiwan has the most universities in the top 150 of all Asian countries.
The top five consisted of Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, Hong Kong’s University of Science and Technology, the Netherlands’ Maastricht University and South Korea’s Pohang University of Science and Technology.
Placements are based on five different criteria, including research, teaching and international activity.
Ang Lee wins BAFTA directing award
Director Ang Lee has been picked as winner of the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). Lee will receive the reward during this year’s ceremony held on October 28.
BAFTA Los Angeles Chairman Kieran Breen said that Lee is “one of the great visionary directors of our time” with an impressive career. “We are looking forward to honoring his remarkable career at this year’s British Academy Britannia Awards,” he added.
Taiwan’s Kavalan whiskey claims top honors
Taiwan’s Kavalan Distillery was lauded with praise for its whiskey for the second year in a row. The distillery claimed top honors in both the World Whiskies Award (WWA) and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC).
Kavalan’s Solist Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Strength was named the best of its kind in the WWA competition. At the SFWSC four other Kavalan Solist series whiskies were double-gold winners, with its Moscatel Sherry Cask being awarded the Best Other Whiskey of the year award.
President of Kavalan’s parent company, Lee Yu-ting, said that “the secret of our critically acclaimed single malt whiskies is Yilan’s clean environment, pristine water and seasonal temperature variations.” The company’s commitment to quality and willingness to compete with its product on a global stage are what make it stand out, he added.