Odds and Ends

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J Michael Cole sent this around:

Dear readers and friends of Taiwan Sentinel: Please note that as of April 1, 2018, Taiwan Sentinel (sentinel.tw) will no longer receive financial backing from the New Taiwan Peace Foundation. Since its launch in January 2017, Taiwan Sentinel has positioned itself as an indispensable platform for timely and in-depth analysis about Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait. More than 215 original articles were published on the site during that period, and many of those were cited in domestic and international media. We thank Mr. Koo Kuan-min and the New Taiwan Peace Foundation for the generous financial support over the past 16 months, which allowed us to successfully launch our operations. As we continue our operations, we are now actively looking for new funding to ensure the sustainability and independence of our important work for Taiwan; we are associated with a non-profit organisation that can legally receive donations.

J. Michael Cole
Chief editor, Taiwan Sentinel
jmc@sentinel.tw

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Back in the north the KMT is looking pretty good in New Taipei City at the moment as the DPP has not decided on a candidate, and Eric Chu, the current Mayor, has groomed a capable successor, Hou You-yi, according to some smart observers. To wit:

He said he had learned much in the seven years he was deputy mayor and hoped to do more for the city and Taiwan.

“This has been my dream since my first day as a police officer,” Hou said, adding that his aspirations have never changed.

He said he would continue to propose ideas that would help make New Taipei City better, adding that he was open to suggestions from all parts of society.

As this would be his first election, Hou said he knows what he is fighting for — the betterment of living conditions for residents of New Taipei City.

Chu was just in China meeting the new TAO head where he re-affirmed the 1992 Consensus which says that Taiwan is part of China. I am curious to see whether his patron Hou must also make the trip across the Strait to kiss Xi's ring and recite the 1992C. That will not make him popular with local voters.

Another observation: talking with a friend interested in reforming Taiwan's immigration laws, and he pointed out that William Lai is strongly supportive of liberalizing immigration. Probably, my friend suggested, because he has watched Tainan empty of its young who head off to K-town, Taichung, or the Celestial Dragon Kingdom in search of jobs.

A couple of days ago, CSMonitor published a piece on how China is luring Taiwan's young. This is clearly important news, since TIME published the same idea in Aug of 2017, the NYTimes worried about it in 2016, BBC said China was land of opportunity for Taiwan's youth in 2014, and FT wrote on it in 2013. Well, this time it's different, right?

UPDATE: At last, Taiwan has spoken out, accusing Beijing of deliberately fueling the brain drain. Too late. Or... the gov't could try getting businesses to raise salaries. Just sayin'.

LOLOL. Reactor 2 at the second nuke plant was restarted. It immediately had to be shut down for safety concerns. The reason that we have electricity issues in Taiwan is that our nuke plants are so unreliable, as I posted on before. Fortunately the DPP Administration is raising electricity rates next month... have to see how that affects the elections.
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Daily Links

• Beijing using content farms to spam fake news to social networks in Taiwan
• Brian H puts finger on fundamental issue: Should Taiwan celebrate Bolton and Navarro appointments while rest of world recoils in terror?
• Civil groups want government to amend the Environmental Impact Assessment act because of the Shenao Coal plant mess, which is widely disliked.
• Rep. Ted Yoho in TNI: Taiwan's marginalization must end
• ZOMG Taiwan Travel Act could start a war! Or... nothing could happen. Another piece of tension-exploiting, error studded clickbait. 
• Poor Songshan Airport, everyone wants to shut it down.
• Defending Taiwan against China's United Front. Another sturdy piece from the very sharp mind of Lauren Dickey.
• 2 tons of ketamine ingredients found in imports from China
• Taiwan to purchase TOW missiles from US. This is how deliveries should be handled, in small batches instead of huge sales that attract media attention and Beijing's faux ire. 
• My Taiwan Tour wants your stories: call for submissions. Hang on, I will see if I can find out what the details are...

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