SHORTAGE: As there is no unified wholesale market for eggs, there is no market closure mechanism, a COA official said, adding that the agency was not involved in egg pricing
A group of wholesale egg suppliers in Taipei is threatening to halt sales “indefinitely” if the Poultry Association extends a pricing freeze this week amid a domestic egg shortage. The Poultry Association’s production and marketing supervision committee on Saturday froze the wholesale price of domestically produced eggs, which the group said was unsustainable and would harm egg farmers and suppliers. The wholesale price of eggs in Taiwan is NT$55 per jin (600g), while the farm gate price is NT$45.5 per jin, the highest in several years, amid an egg shortage caused by avian flu epidemics, increased feed costs and a high number of molting hens, government officials said. One of the Poultry Association committee members said the decision to freeze wholesale prices was partly because Taiwan was importing eggs to alleviate the shortage. The nation has already taken delivery of part of a shipment of 5 million eggs from Australia and has ordered 2 million from Turkey, which would start arriving next month, Taiwan Egg Marketing Cooperative head Wu Tien-fu (吳天福) said. When the committee meets this week, it would consider wholesale price adjustments based on whether imported supplies are sufficient to meet market demand, he said. Lin Tien-lai (林天來), who heads the Taipei commercial egg association, said that he would seek a meeting with officials at the Council of Agriculture (COA), and if wholesale prices remain frozen this week, the egg market might be “closed indefinitely.” Department of Animal Industry Deputy Director Chiang Wen-chuan (江文全) on Sunday said that the government agency has not been involved in the pricing decisions, or the negotiations between producers and sellers, and was not part of Saturday’s committee meeting. The COA fully respects the market mechanism, but if the egg price review committee does not set a price, it would be left up to buyers and sellers to negotiate prices, Chiang
At Coffee Wait People (故事的開始等一個人) in Chiayi County, customers can get a coffee personalized to more than just their taste. Coffee cups are a canvas for owner Kao Kuo-fang (高國方), who has been drawing portraits of his customers and famous figures for more than eight years. He does not charge extra for the artwork, saying that he does it for his own amusement, and to give his customers a nice and meaningful surprise. Kao said he was inspired to open the cafe by the novel Cafe. Waiting. Love (等一個人咖啡), which he read while working in the restaurant industry, he said. He opened Coffee Wait People near Minsyong Township’s (民雄) industrial district about 10 years ago, serving inexpensive coffee to the employees of neighboring businesses. Latte art was popular at the time, but it was too time consuming for his busy customers and did not last, but then he got the idea to draw on cups instead, he said. “At first they were super ugly,” said Kao, who has no background in art and found the curvature of the cup particularly challenging to draw on. After years of practice, he said he was gradually able to capture the essence of each of his subjects. He would find pictures of people who liked his cafe on Facebook and draw them in his free time, then upload a photograph and tag the person. If they liked it, they could come to the cafe to buy a coffee and take the cup home with them, he said. Some customers have even brought photos of crushes and asked for a drawing to give as a one-of-a-kind gift, he said. Each drawing usually takes about two hours to complete, although he will sometimes do a quick three-minute portrait of someone in the shop to give as a surprise, Kao said. The cafe’s regulars include Chiayi County Councilor Bonnie
More than 7,000 doses of a monoclonal antibody therapy for treating COVID-19 are to expire in November, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, adding that it would consider expanding the antiviral’s usage. Local media yesterday reported that the center in September last year purchased 10,000 doses of Evusheld — a combination of two medications, tixagevimab and cilgavimab — but only about a quarter of them have been used before their expiration this fall. The drug costs about NT$100,000 (US$3,268) per dose. Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) confirmed the reports and said the CECC would convene a specialists’ meeting to discuss whether the use of the drug should be expanded, but expired doses would be disposed of. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), who is the CECC’s spokesman, said the current usage of the drug is based on the recommendations of the US National Institutes of Health, but the center would present suggestions to healthcare providers about expanding its use at the meeting. There are still about 7,300 Evusheld doses remaining, and the recommended dosage regimen requires two injections, so they could be used on more than 3,600 patients, Lo said, adding that the expiration date is Nov. 30. Although Evusheld is effective for treating infections of some Omicron subvariants of SARS-CoV-2 — such as BA.2.75, the current dominant strain in Taiwan — studies have shown that it is less effective at treating new subvariants, such as BQ.1 and XBB, he added. The center yesterday reported 5,411 new local infections, which is 15.9 percent lower than on Monday last week, and also reported 133 imported cases and 28 deaths. Lo said that people who tested positive on Sunday or earlier should still be reported as COVID-19 cases and placed in isolation under the CECC’s previous policy, as well as
The Postal Logistics Park in Taoyuan’s Gueishan District (龜山) is to become fully operational by 2025, Chunghwa Post said yesterday. “The newly built logistics park will play an important role in developing Taiwan’s logistics industry and enhancing the nation’s competitiveness,” Chunghwa Post chairman Wu Hong-mo (吳宏謀) told a crowd at a ceremony celebrating the company’s 127th anniversary. “We will spend next year making sure that the buildings in the park are equipped with facilities for it to be fully operational” by 2025, he said. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company not only delivered mail, but also masks and alcohol disinfectant, and distributed government-issued stimulus vouchers, he said. “We will soon be entrusted with distributing the government’s NT$6,000 [US$196.12] tax rebate,” Wu said, adding that the efforts demonstrate the company’s service to the public. From April 10, people can access the cash rebate from Chunghwa Post ATMs, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Chi Wen-chung (祁文中) said. The postal company expects sizeable profits because of an urban renewal project involving properties surrounding the Taipei Beimen Post Office, with a potential development value of about NT$80 billion, Wu said. “Logistics services must keep up with the times, as we are in the digital era,” he said. “As such, we need to strengthen our cooperation with private businesses, offer digital financial services and create a mobile app allowing people to access postal services at any time.”
CONTROVERSY: Ma is to visit five cities during a 12-day trip to the country, but as a former president, his trip is not personal and is the concern of Taiwan, an official said
Plans by former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to visit China send the wrong signal to the international community regarding China’s “aggressive, expansionist” behavior toward Taiwan, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday. The 73-year-old former president is to visit Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, Chongqing and Shanghai from Monday next week to April 7, the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation said yesterday. DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) yesterday criticized the move as appeasement by Ma, alluding to the UK’s and France’s concessions to Nazi Germany that contributed to the outbreak of World War II. “China is intimidating Taiwan with its military aggression, yet Ma chooses to visit China. He is embracing appeasement, which sends the wrong message to the world. Taiwanese do not accept a former president willing to be a pawn in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) plan to annex Taiwan,” Chang said. China has “manipulated and pressured our ally Honduras to cut ties with Taiwan, and has not ceased sending warships and aircraft into our seas and airspace, escalating tension in the Taiwan Strait,” he said. “Ma clearly disregards the public sentiment against actions by the Chinese government,” he added. Ma’s trip “crosses the line,” as it comes so soon after the start of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) third term, New Power Party Chairwoman Claire Wang (王婉諭) said, adding that China’s threats against Taiwan show no signs of easing. “Ma is a former elected president, so it would not just be a personal trip, but is the concern of all of Taiwan. It is inappropriate for Ma to visit China during this sensitive time, as China is persisting in its military aggression, and he lacks the political acumen of a former president,” she said. “We ask Ma to keep the interests of Taiwan’s 23 million people in mind. He should take a firm stance to demand that China
‘NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS’: The trip could bring awareness to Germany of Taiwan, its democratic values and the importance of protecting them, an analyst said
A visit by German Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger to Taiwan signals the normalization of relations between Taiwan and Germany, a German expert on cross-strait relations said. Stark-Watzinger, who is scheduled to arrive in Taiwan today for a two-day visit, is the first German minister to visit the nation in 26 years. “One could say that this is a return to normal after decades of self-censorship,” German Institute for International and Security Affairs senior fellow Gudrun Wacker told German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel. As Germany and China increased interactions in economic and political fields after the 1990s, the European country abstained from engaging in exchanges with Taiwan that would aggravate Beijing, she said. The paper called the visit “a journey of historical dimension,” while Die Zeit said it is “symbolic,” considering cross-strait tensions and China’s resentment toward visits by German parliamentarians since autumn last year. “The aim of the trip is to strengthen and expand cooperation with Taiwan in science, research and education,” the German Ministry of Education and Research said, adding that “Germany and Taiwan share the same values and are committed to them: peace, freedom, human rights.” The semiconductor industry would be the focus of the minister’s visit, as Taiwan is a global leader in the field and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co is reportedly planning to set up its first European plant in Dresden, Germany, Der Tagesspiegel reported. Stark-Watzinger is scheduled to meet with National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠), Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) and Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (唐鳳) to discuss cooperation in the high-tech field, along with green hydrogen, battery research and educational cooperation, it said. “The visit of the minister of science makes a lot of sense, because it is exactly the type of cooperation that we are striving for with Taiwan,” European Council on
The military began annual drills yesterday, featuring the air force’s major warplanes and the navy’s anti-submarines, to test their capabilities in conducting joint warfare amid rising military pressure from China. The air force’s backbone fighters — F-16Vs, Mirage-2000 5s, domestically made Indigenous Defense Fighters and P-3C submarine-hunting aircraft — and the navy’s S-70C anti-submarine helicopters and drones have been dispatched from bases around the country to take part in joint drills since their commencement at 6:22am yesterday, a military source said. The drills are set to run through Thursday, and test the air force and navy’s capabilities to conduct joint warfare, the source added. The air force has recently launched a workshop at the Hualien Air Force Base, featuring pilot instructors who teach aerial maneuvers and tactics to pilots of F-16Vs, Mirage-2000 5s and Indigenous Defense Fighters. The actions come amid rising cross-strait tensions, as Chinese warplanes regularly enter into the nation’s air defense identification zone and warships sail near Taiwan’s waters. The drills are held annually and are preparation for bigger military exercises such as the annual Han Kuang drills.
About 2,000 recent immigrants from Hong Kong are under a one-year observation period, as the National Immigration Agency cracks down on nonproductive investments for the purpose of immigration, an official said on Sunday. Since the Hong Kong government passed a National Security Law in 2020, residents have been leaving the territory in large numbers. Some have sought residency in Taiwan, although in steadily decreasing numbers. Agency statistics show that 8,945 residence permits were issued to Hong Kongers last year, down 2,228 people — or 19.9 percent — from a high of 11,173 in 2021. The number who received permanent residency dropped by 389 people from 1,685 in 2021 to 1,296 last year. It was a marked decline from the previous two years, with 1,576 people receiving permanent residency in 2020 and 1,474 in 2019. There are a few reasons for the dramatic decline between 2021 and last year, an official said on Sunday on condition of anonymity. An atmosphere of reluctance in Taiwan to accept immigrants from Hong Kong is palpable, they said, citing relaxed rules for Hong Kong jobseekers proposed last year, which were put on hold due to controversy around national security and job protectionism. Add to this more favorable conditions offered by other countries and a conservative shift in Taiwan’s immigration rules, and many are choosing other destinations, they added. Sentiment among Hong Kongers toward Taiwan has also deteriorated, in part due to some media outlets in the territory disseminating information intended to drive a rift between the two and fomenting misunderstandings about Taiwanese society, the official said. From 2019 to 2021, the number of Hong Kongers granted permanent residency increased by more than 100 each year before falling by nearly 400 last year, they said, but added that it was still higher than before 2019. The change is attributable to shifting immigration policies, especially those governing investment
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) appeared united yesterday for the first time since Hou criticized Chu’s party leadership, hinting at a willingness to cooperate. Hou on Thursday last week criticized the KMT’s intent to establish a central election strategy committee that included members convicted of corruption, stating that political parties should not condone graft. The KMT on Saturday announced the abolition of the committee. Appearing with Chu at the KMT New Taipei City Council caucus meeting yesterday, Hou and Chu stressed the importance maintaining the “characteristics of the KMT’s younger generation.” Hou and Chu are long-time friends and there is “no difficulty interacting or communicating,” Hou told reporters, adding that their friendship would never change and would stand the test of time. Asked about the possibility of joining the party’s nomination committee, Hou said he believed that Chu would put forward appropriate people for the job, and that everyone must play their part if the group hopes to progress. Hou is widely viewed as one of the party’s potential presidential candidates, but he sidestepped whether he would run for president next year, saying that in his 43 years as a public servant, he has never forgotten his dream to keep society stable and safe. Chu and Hou sharing a stage and shaking hands was a move to shift the public’s attention away from the KMT’s infighting, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said, adding that Chu was removed from a situation where he would have been criticized. The KMT abolishing the committee allowed “corrupt individuals” to go underground, DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) said. Hou only paid lip service to anti-corruption ideals, Chang said, adding that Hou’s administration has seen many accused of corruption, but he was too busy politicking with Chu to hold the allegedly corrupt individuals to
DIPLOMACY DPP to host Japan officials Representatives from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are to hold in-person talks for the first time in a closed-door meeting in Taipei today. DPP lawmakers Lo Chih- cheng (羅致政) and Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) are to meet with LDP Foreign Affairs Division director Iwao Horii and LDP National Defense Division director Konosuke Kokuba, the DPP said. Although today would be the first face-to-face meeting between representatives from the DPP and LDP, the two parties held virtual talks in August and December 2021 on topics including diplomacy, national defense and economic security. Despite both parties having undergone personnel changes since those talks, the continued scheduling of meetings was a sign that both sides were hoping to make such exchanges routine, the DPP said, adding that with today’s talks taking place in Taiwan, it hoped future meetings could be held in Japan. TRANSPORTATION Train services to increase Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp is to provide an extra train service from next month to June, to meet high demand for southbound travel in the evenings, the company said yesterday. Starting on April 10, the No. 1549 high-speed train would depart from Nangang Station at 6:25pm from Mondays to Thursdays, stopping in Taipei, Banciao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli and terminating at Taichung Station, it said. The additional service would be offered until June 30, it said, adding that the extra service was established after the company observed an increase in demand for commuting in the evening on work days after COVID-19 restrictions eased. The company would adjust its services depending on demand after the long summer break begins on July 1, it added. Reservations for the new service open tomorrow. AVIATION EVA Air launches merch EVA Air has launched a promotional sale of 80 limited-edition Hello Kitty airline service trolleys, which would be
Atayal elders and members from Miaoli County’s Taian Township office conduct a ceremony asking for rain yesterday. The community gets most of its water from the mountain, where lack of rainfall is threatening drought.
The Rakuten Girls, cheerleaders for Taiwanese professional baseball team the Rakuten Monkeys, hold signs with national flags at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. They announced that their goal this year “is to expand the scale and engagement of their cheerleaders internationally.” They also introduced eight new members, include Lee Da-hye from South Korea. The cheerleading squad now has a total of 32 members.
SEPARATE DELEGATIONS: Both groups are scheduled to meet with the foreign minister, while only the British lawmakers would be received by President Tsai Ing-wen
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed two delegations of British and Paraguayan lawmakers who arrived in Taipei earlier in the day. British lawmaker Bob Stewart, who cochairs the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, is leading the British delegation of cross-party legislators until Friday, the ministry said in a news release. The delegation, which is in Taiwan at the government’s invitation, comprises British lawmakers Sarah Atherton, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Afzal Khan, Marie Rimmer and Rob Butler, the other cochair of the UK-Taiwan parliamentary group, the ministry said. The group is to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Premier Chen Chien-ren (陳建仁) and National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄), and attend banquets hosted by Legislative Yuan Speaker You Si-kun and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), it said. Stewart, who is on his second trip to Taiwan, has since becoming the group’s cochair in 2021 shown strong support for the nation, including leading discussions about Taiwanese-British friendship and cooperation in February last year, the ministry said. Stewart in March 2021 sent a letter to all members of the British House of Lords and House of Commons to voice concerns over China’s growing military threats, it said. The British government and parliament continue to pay attention to security issues across the Taiwan Strait, support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations and seek opportunities to deepen bilateral relations, it said. Taiwan and the UK are solid partners who value freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human rights, it said, adding that Taiwan would continue to work with like-minded states, including the UK, to bolster democratic resilience. Separately, Paraguayan Senator Blas Antonio Llano Ramos and his wife were joined by Paraguayan Senator Fernando Alberto Silva Facetti and member of the Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies Guadalupe Aveiro on a five-day visit. The delegation is to meet with Wu and You, and attend a
UNUSUAL PROCEDURE: A US officials said that they would ‘continue to make our case,’ after the Honduran president announced a plan to establish diplomatic ties with Beijing
The US is trying to discourage Honduras from following through on its plan to switch diplomatic allegiance from Taipei to Beijing, hoping that the lack of a formal agreement might leave the door open for a change of heart, sources with knowledge of the matter said. The ongoing US diplomatic pressure comes after Honduran President Xiomara Castro on Tuesday wrote on Twitter that her country would establish formal ties with China, following up on a pledge she made in her presidential campaign in 2021. Last year, her government appeared to walk back the policy. Officials and former officials from the US and several Central American countries said Castro’s provisional announcement contrasted with how countries in the region have tended to make informal shifts in alliance from China to Taiwan. “We truly don’t know whether it will be days or weeks or months,” a US government official said. “Is it a negotiating tactic? We don’t know for sure, but we will continue to make our case.” However, since Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was elected president in 2016, Panama, El Salvador and most recently, Nicaragua, have officially changed sides. All announced the switch as a fait accompli. “I got an hour heads up, even after I had spoken to the president about it,” said John Feeley, who was US ambassador to Panama when it made the switch in 2017. In another unusual turn, Honduran Ambassador to Taiwan Harold Burgos met with Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials a day after Castro’s announcement, something which Nicaragua’s ambassador had declined to do during her country’s switch in 2021, two diplomatic sources in Taipei said. Reuters could not ascertain the outcome of the meeting, although the foreign ministry said it told Burgos that his country should “carefully consider the matter so as not to fall into China’s snare and make a flawed decision.” China
A judicial reform group has called for constitutional amendments regarding the appointment of grand justices, citing concerns that the current system has enabled presidents to appoint all 15 members of the Constitutional Court. The call came after the Presidential Office on March 7 established a committee to select candidates to replace four grand justices who are to retire on Sept. 30, after serving terms started on Oct. 1, 2015. This means the Constitutional Court would be comprised entirely of justices picked by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), pending their approval by the legislature, Taiwan Jury Association founder Jerry Cheng (鄭文龍) told a news conference on March 9. The grand justices are tasked with protecting the constitutional democratic order by issuing constitutional interpretations, preside over cases with great political implications and, if necessary, impeach the president, he said. Constitutional amendments adopted in 2008 stipulate that the grand justices serve a single eight-year term, Cheng said, adding that they are appointed in two cohorts four years apart, a design intended to prevent the president from wielding too much influence over the court. However, the system has been in disarray since former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) disregarded the cohort mechanism and filled seven vacancies, he said. Articles of the Constitution governing the terms of grand justices should be rewritten to explicitly protect the cohort mechanism and create an alternative system in which not only the president is allowed to nominate candidates, Cheng said. The mechanism should involve a committee comprised of lawmakers, judges, other officials and representatives of political parties, Cheng said, adding that it could also be governed by an independent agency. Tsai should allow the vice president, the Legislative Yuan speaker, opposition parties and an independent body to select one candidate each, Cheng said, adding that this would ensure that diverse opinions are represented in the court. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator
Taipei prosecutors have seized corporate shares held by a former National Security Bureau (NSB) official who has been at large for 22 years, and sold them to recover part of the NT$190 million (US$6.22 million) he is accused of embezzling, the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office said. Prosecutors were in 2021 granted permission to seize shares owned by former NSB payments section head Liu Kuan-chun (劉冠軍), as well as a luxury residence in the city’s Wenshan District (文山) owned by his wife, the office said on March 7. Prosecutors seized shares Liu owned in four local companies: chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corp (UMC), as well as DRAM chip supplier Winbond Electronics Corp and surveillance device maker Everspring Industry Co, it said. They also seized jewelry and gold coins found in his wife’s safe, the office added. Based on the companies’ closing prices on Feb. 19, 2021, Liu’s 208,309 TSMC shares were worth NT$130 million, his 190,837 UMC shares were worth NT$11.30 million, his 190,837 Winbond shares were worth NT$14.11 million, and his 99,858 Everspring shares were worth NT$1.96 million, it said. Prosecutors last month received permission to dispose of the shares, the office said. They sold them during five trading sessions last month, enabling them to recover NT$129 million, the office said. However, a court ruled that the jewelry and gold coins could not be sold, as prosecutors could not prove that Liu obtained them illegally, it said. Prosecutors have appealed the ruling. Liu fled overseas in September 2000 after allegedly embezzling about NT$190 million of NSB funds allocated to secret government projects. Authorities the same month issued a warrant for his arrest on money laundering and corruption charges. Liu is also suspected of working for the Chinese government and engaging in espionage operations. A renewed examination of the case by the High Prosecutors’ Office in 2021 showed
MANDATORY ISOLATION ENDS: People with mild symptoms should practice self-health management for at least five days and until they test negative, the CECC said
People who test positive for COVID-19 are advised to stay at home until symptoms have cleared, despite the lifting of rules that required mandatory isolation, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said yesterday. Starting today, people with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 would not need to have their case reported by a doctor, nor would they need to undergo mandatory isolation, but practicing the “0+N” rule is advisable, said Lo, who is also Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) spokesperson. This would not entail mandatory self-isolation, but practicing self-health management until testing negative, he said. When asked about a physician’s suggestion that confirmed cases should still self-isolate until testing negative, Lo said people can adhere to the advice, but that the CECC would still recommend the “0+N” rule, which is a policy that has been discussed with many experts. The CECC advises people with mild COVID-19 to stay at home and rest until symptoms have lessened, and only leave home for necessary outings, such as for seeking medical attention, picking up medication or shopping for necessary items, he said. People who tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday or earlier are still subject to the “5+N” rule, and must complete five days of isolation, followed by self-health management until they test negative, he added. People who test positive for COVID-19, but who are rejected from medical care by a healthcare facility, can file a complaint with the local health authority, as it would contravene the Medical Care Act (醫療法) and the National Health Insurance Act (全民健保法). The CECC yesterday reported 8,209 local infections, 210 imported cases and 43 deaths, while the local caseload is 7.4 percent lower than on Sunday last week. Separately, starting from today, people who test positive for COVID-19 can ask for sick leave by showing a photograph of a positive rapid test result, and as
CULTURAL DEVICE: The characters and plot aim to draw attention to different approaches and reactions to business mindsets, the author said
The most recent novel published by French author Pierrick Bourgault features a female Taiwanese character, who faces challenges as an expatriate in France. The novel, Journal d’un cafe de campagne, tells the story of two 40-year-olds, a Taiwanese woman named Lin (林) and her French husband Yann, who move to a small town about two hours by train from Paris to open a cafe. One of the major obstacles they face is keeping their small business afloat in a rural area, which is typically plagued by bureaucracy that is unfriendly to entrepreneurs. At a promotional event at a Paris bistro on March 6, which was attended by Representative to France Francois Wu (吳志中) and Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris director Hu Ching-fang (胡晴舫), Bourgault said he crafted the story based on his observations of the plight of young dream chasers in France, where people seek to move out of urban centers into provincial areas, but are often hampered by local government regulations. He chose a Taiwanese character as a lead to draw parallels between a country that cultivates entrepreneurs in rural areas with one that discourages such ideas, he said. Bourgault visited Taiwan in 2012 and did an island-wide tour on scooter. “I was searching for a country [when first writing the novel] that stands shoulder to shoulder and could be compared and contrasted with France,” he said. “Taiwan is a highly developed country whose citizens are democratically independent, making them very suitable for storytelling.” He said Lin’s character was chosen to examine France’s traditions from the perspective of an immigrant, while presenting aspects of Taiwanese culture to French readers. “From the observations I was able to make during my visit to Taiwan, I think Taiwanese women are steadfast and affable,” he said. “They will definitely speak their minds, but won’t deliberately ignite conflict. They are also
That only older people experience rheumatoid arthritis is a misconception, as it often starts to develop in people aged 30 to 50, and is sometimes mistaken for De Quervain tenosynovitis, tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome in its early stages, the Rheumatoid Arthritis Aid Group (RAAG) said yesterday. A 42-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis, surnamed Chen (陳), said she was in a car accident in her 20s and experienced tendinitis after she recovered, which she thought was related to her injury. However, the condition continued even after she took anti-inflammatory drugs for more than six months, she said. “At the time, I wondered how I could get rheumatoid arthritis when I’m still so young,” Chen told a news conference at the RAAG in Taipei. After she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, the pain in her hands affected her career and she had to give up her dream of opening a bakery because she could no longer knead dough or whisk eggs, she said. When rheumatoid arthritis flares up, there is intense pain and stiffness in the joints, which make it difficult to move or even fall asleep, she said, adding that some elderly people have scolded her for sitting on priority seats on public transport, mistaking her for being lazy. There are about 100,000 people with rheumatoid arthritis in Taiwan, and the onset usually occurs in people aged 30 to 50, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital physician Tsai Yun-chen (蔡昀臻) said. However, it is often mistaken for other occupational injuries, such as De Quervain tenosynovitis, tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome in its early stages, Tsai said. Delayed or no medical treatment can greatly increase the chance of joint damage, with about 80 percent of people experiencing joint damage within two years of diagnosis, and functional disabilities affecting daily life and the ability to work in about 40 percent
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