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Kaohsiung Department of Health specialist Pan Chao-ying points to the timeline of a migrant worker from Indonesia, who traveled to Taipei and stayed with the nation’s 32nd confirmed COVID-19 case from Feb. 16 to Feb. 18, at a news conference in Kaohsiung yesterday.Photo: Huang Hsu-lei, Taipei Times
The Kaohsiung Department of Health has tracked down nearly 100 people who have had contact with an Indonesian factory worker after she visited a friend in New Taipei City who later tested positive for COVID-19.

The friend — an Indonesian caregiver — was on Sunday confirmed as the nation’s 32nd COVID-19 patient, and the search began after a check of the people she came in contact with included the Indonesian factory worker, a Gangshan District (岡山) resident who also fell ill.

The investigation found that the factory worker visited a local clinic on Saturday last week because of a sore throat, after which she went to a hot pot restaurant with three friends.

She was taken to a hospital and quarantined on Sunday, department official Pan Chao-ying (潘炤穎) said yesterday.

In a first round of testing, the worker tested negative for the virus, but the hospital is doing another round of tests.

Tracing her movements, Pan said the worker traveled to New Taipei City on Feb. 16 and returned to Kaohsiung via high-speed rail on Tuesday last week.

After arriving at Zuoying Station, she took the MRT to her workplace in Gangshan.

In the days that followed, the worker made contact with nearly 100 people, including friends, coworkers at the factory and medical workers at the clinic she visited, the department said.

Those known to have come in contact with the Indonesian worker have been asked to follow self-health management guidelines for 14 days, Pan said.

On Thursday, the Central Epidemic Command Center detailed the movements of the Indonesian caregiver confirmed to have the virus.

From Feb. 16 to 24, the caregiver took public transportation in the Greater Taipei area and passed through Taipei Railway Station several times.

She also took the Taiwan Railways Administration train to Shulin and Banciao stations, visited Taipei City Mall and Longshan Temple (龍山寺), as well as took the Sanchong Bus “Blue 38” line, and the Taipei MRT Tamsui-Xinyi, Bannan and Zhonghe-Xinlu lines.

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title: Virus Outbreak: City tracks down 100 tied to suspected case


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A woman wearing a mask walks along a road in the Yaba area of Lagos, Nigeria, yesterday.Photo: AFP

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Nigeria yesterday reported the first COVID-19 case in sub-Saharan Africa and a major global auto show was canceled in a bid to stop contagion, as the deadly epidemic sent global stock markets and oil prices plunging.

The coronavirus has proliferated around the globe over the past week, emerging in every continent except Antarctica, prompting many governments and businesses to try to stop people traveling or gathering in crowded places.

Switzerland yesterday became the latest nation to announce drastic measures, saying that all events with more than 1,000 participants would be suspended until March 15.

The ban forced the cancelation of the Geneva International Motor Show — a major event on the global auto industry calendar — that was due to start next week.

The coronavirus has killed more than 2,800 people and infected more than 83,000 worldwide — the vast majority in China — since it emerged apparently from an animal market in Wuhan, China, in late December last year.

The number of deaths and new infections has been tapering off in China, following unprecedented quarantine efforts locking down tens of millions of people in the worst-hit cities, but infections elsewhere have started to surge, with Iran, Italy and South Korea becoming the major new hotspots and cases being confirmed in about 50 nations.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday said that the world was at a “decisive point” and nations could still contain the epidemic if they “act aggressively now.”

“No country should assume it won’t get cases; that could be a fatal mistake, quite literally. This virus does not respect borders,” Tedros said in Geneva, Switzerland.

The WHO has voiced particular concern about Africa’s preparedness, warning that the continent’s healthcare systems are ill-equipped to respond to a COVID-19 epidemic.

Cases had previously been reported in Egypt and Algeria, but not in the sub-Saharan region until yesterday, when Nigeria reported its first case: an Italian man who returned to densely populated Lagos this week.

Stock markets around the world have plummeted this week as it has become increasingly clear the coronavirus would take a huge toll on the global economy.

European exchanges yesterday lost more than 3 percent, tracking huge losses in Asia and the US.

Oil prices also dived 4 percent to their lowest levels for more than a year, with Brent crude for April delivery sinking as low as US$50.05 a barrel.

British Airways parent International Consolidated Airlines Group SA said it was expecting “weaker demand” as a result of the coronavirus, while no-frills carrier EasyJet PLC said it would have to cancel some flights — particularly to and from Italy.

Analysts have warned that China, the world’s second-largest economy, would see a major cut in growth this quarter as the nation remains largely paralyzed by quarantines and containment measures.

However, signs in China offered hope that the outbreak could be contained.

China yesterday reported 44 more deaths, raising its toll to 2,788, with 327 new cases — the lowest daily figure for new infections in more than a month.

The biggest concern for health officials, though, was outside of China, with governments this week forced into increasingly drastic measures in an attempt to battle spiraling cases.

The biggest death toll outside China is in Iran, where 34 people have died. As elsewhere, the coronavirus has mostly killed the elderly or people who had other health conditions.

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title: Virus Outbreak: Concern as virus case reported in sub-Saharan Africa


people: 蔡英文 蘇貞昌 柯文哲

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NSB must declassify documents: Tsai

WORK IN PROGRESS:The bureau said that it is removing sensitive information, such as intelligence sources, agent names and intelligence shared by overseas governments
By Chen Yu-fu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA
Family members of 228 Incident victims present white lilies and pray at a commemorative ceremony at 228 Peace Memorial Park in Taipei yesterday.Photo: CNA

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President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that she has instructed the National Security Bureau (NSB) to declassify files requested by the Transitional Justice Commission within one month, with the exception of the few that cannot be published due to legal restrictions.

Tsai made the remark in a speech at a ceremony in Taipei commemorating the 228 Incident, a crackdown launched by the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime against civilian demonstrators following an incident in Taipei on Feb. 27, 1947.

Regarding the files the commission has requested — such as those relating to the deaths of political activist Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) family members and Carnegie Mellon University assistant professor of statistics Chen Wen-chen (陳文成) — the bureau must “maximize transparency and minimize restrictions” for public use, she said.

The government’s efforts to promote human rights education would continue, Tsai said, adding that the Control Yuan’s soon-to-be-established national human rights commission should endeavor to ensure that the concept of human rights takes root in Taiwan.

The bureau later said that it is in the process of removing about 500 pages of files that include intelligence sources, agent names and intelligence shared by foreign governments, which comprise only 0.0038 percent of all documents and would be stored separately.

The remaining files that are not classified would be transferred to the National Archives Administration by the end of next month, it added.

In addition to Tsai, politicians including Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) joined survivors of the 228 Massacre and their families at the ceremony at 228 Peace Memorial Park (228和平紀念公園).

Tsai laid a wreath at the monument to the victims and awarded certificates that “restored the reputation” of the victims and their families, overturning the designations given to them at the time as “rioters,” “rebels” or “communist sympathizers.”

“We believe that by remembering history and reflecting on the past, we can make our society more united, more democratic and more consolidated, and move Taiwan forward,” Tsai said.

Due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, this year’s commemoration was scaled down, as many victims and their descendants live abroad — in places such as Japan and South Korea, which are facing outbreaks of the coronavirus — and were unable to attend.

An Executive Yuan 228 Incident report issued in 1992 said that 18,000 to 28,000 people, many of them members of Taiwan’s intellectual elite, were killed during the subsequent government crackdown, which lasted until May 1947.

The 228 Incident marked the beginning of the White Terror era, during which political dissidents were suppressed, imprisoned or executed, with the nation remaining under martial law until 1987.

Additional reporting by Huang Hsin-po

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title: NSB must declassify documents: Tsai


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Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung, front row third left, yesterday speaks about the COVID-19 outbreak alongside Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang, left, CDC Director-General Chou Jih-haw, second left, at a news conference at the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei.Photo: CNA
Two more people were yesterday confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, bringing the nation’s number of confirmed cases to 34, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.

The 33rd patient is a man in his 30s who visited Osaka, Japan, where he most likely contracted the virus, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, told a news conference in Taipei.

The man and 21 other members of a tour group stayed in Japan from Monday to Thursday last week, Chen added.

The man on Tuesday started displaying pneumonia-like symptoms and was yesterday confirmed to have contracted the virus, Chen said.

The 34th case is a woman in her 50s who had not traveled overseas in the 14 days prior to it being confirmed that she had contracted the coronavirus, he said.

On Feb. 14, the woman felt fatigued and suffered from low blood sugar and was hospitalized the same day, but only developed a cough and fever on Friday last week, Chen said, adding that she tested positive yesterday.

Disease-prevention personnel are screening the people who came into close contact with the two patients, including hospital staff and members of the tour group, the center said.

Asked whether the center would tighten border controls for people returning from Japan, Chen said that the center is retaining a level 2 “alert” for the nation.

The center is more concerned about the number of cases in South Korea, Italy and Iran, he added.

Three more patients treated for COVID-19 were discharged from hospital on Thursday after recovering, the center said adding that nine people have now been discharged from hospital.

Other nations have reported COVID-19 patients who relapsed after being discharged, so people must now test negative on three screenings before being discharged, Chen said.

The Ministry of Labor has translated disease-prevention procedures into English, Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese, and they are to be displayed at airports, broadcast on the radio and posted on social media, so that migrant workers can be informed about the coronavirus and their fears allayed, Workforce Development Agency Deputy Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) said.

Asked whether employers of foreign workers should quarantine them in their place of employment, Tsai said that is illegal, as the law guarantees workers’ right to take leave.

However, employers should remind workers to wash their hands frequently and avoid contact with wild animals, he said, adding that workers should be given a mask if they go to a hospital.

Factory owners can voluntarily cease operations at their facilities if a worker tests positive for COVID-19 and the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法) gives workers the right to take leave should clear risks of contracting an epidemic arise, Tsai said.

Centers for Disease Control Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said that people should not rule out the possibility of their dogs contracting COVID-19, after trace amounts of the coronavirus were found in a pet dog in Hong Kong.

People should wash their hands after touching animals and promptly consult a veterinarian if their pet shows signs of illness, he said.

Additional reporting by CNA

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title: Virus Outbreak: CECC confirms two more cases


title: Taiwan’s Hsieh reaches doubles final

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Australia’s Ashleigh Barty returns to Spain’s Garbine Muguruza during their Qatar Open quarter-final in Doha on Thursday.Photo: AFP
Taiwanese-Czech top seeds Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova on Thursday had to battle to reach their fourth doubles final of the year, while singles world No. 1 and Australian Open champion Ashleigh Barty set up a ninth career meeting with two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova at the Qatar Open.

Hsieh and Strycova beat Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova 6-4, 4-6, 12-10 in 1 hour, 35 minutes in their second semi-final meeting of the season with the Czech fourth seeds.

The pairings were evenly matched, with both saving four of six break points and converting two, but the top seeds just had the edge on second service — winning 53 percent of their points on second serve and 63 percent returning those of their opponents.

Despite that, the Taiwanese-Czech duo still had to rally from 7-3 down in the super tiebreak to complete their second semi-final victory of the season over the Czech pairing after an often feisty encounter at the Australian Open last month.

Hsieh and Strycova, who won their second title of the season in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, last Saturday, are looking to pull off a rare Middle East double and become the first pairing to sweep the two titles since Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond in 2012.

In the singles, Barty saw off Spain’s Garbine Muguruza 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2 in her quarter-final in windy and chilly conditions in Doha.

“I felt like I started exceptionally well and I was able to get the ball kind of in my areas a lot more,” the Australian top seed said.

“Then in the second set, Garbine was able to shift her court position and take a few more risks, put me on the back foot,” Barty added. “It was frustrating, I felt like I wasn’t doing a lot wrong, but I wasn’t making the most of my opportunities and wasn’t getting opportunities. So I was happy to be able to start the third set well.”

Barty has won her past three meetings with Kvitova, including the quarter-finals at the Australian Open last month.

Kvitova, the 2018 Qatar champion, trailed Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur by a break in the second set and saved two set points before securing a grueling 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4) win after 1 hour, 44 minutes.

“I’m glad how I was able to manage those tiebreaks for sure,” the Czech left-hander said. “So I’m really glad that I improved something.”

“It was difficult with the crowd as well, with the wind, different conditions today, for sure,” Kvitova added. “So I’m really glad that with very talented player as she is, with the great touch, I was able to play a good game.”

In the other semi-final, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova was to take on Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Kuznetsova beat Swiss fourth seed Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-4, while ninth seed Sabalenka came from behind to knock out China’s Zheng Saisai 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3.

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AUSTRALIA

Victim donates to charity

A boy with dwarfism whose distress from bullying became a viral video is to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to charity rather than a trip to Disneyland. The clip of nine-year-old Quaden Bayles was watched millions of times and prompted US comedian Brad Williams to start a GoFundMe page that eventually raised almost US$475,000. Although the funds were meant to send Bayles and his mom to Disneyland, his aunt told NITV News that the money would be used for charities instead. “What kid wouldn’t want to go to Disneyland, especially if you have lived Quaden’s life,” she was quoted as saying. “But my sister said: ‘You know what, let’s get back to the real issue.’ This little fella has been bullied. How many suicides, black or white, in our society have happened due to bullying. We want the money to go to community organizations that really need it. They know what the money should be spent on.”

BELGIUM

Flight delay claim nixed

Air travelers cannot receive cash compensation if their flight is delayed by a passenger biting others and assaulting crew members, an adviser at the European Court of Justice said on Thursday. Such incidents were “extraordinary circumstances,” advocate general Priit Pikamae wrote in a non-binding opinion, a form of guidance that is normally followed by the court. A traveler flying from Brazil to Norway via Portugal in August 2017 sought 600 euros (U$663) compensation after his flight departed late. The plane had to be diverted to disembark a passenger biting and assaulting crew members, delaying the following outgoing flight. “A passenger biting other passengers and attacking the cabin crew trying to calm him down ... leading to a flight delay, falls under the concept of extraordinary circumstances,” Pikamae said. The court typically follows the opinions of its advocates general.

BELGIUM

Laced wine alert issued

Prosecutors have issued an alert after a woman died after taking a sip of wine from a bottle suspected of being used to transport the drug MDMA. The 41-year-old collapsed shortly after opening the French red to enjoy with a colleague after work. She took a sip from a glass, which left an unpleasant taste, and the intake was enough to give her a fatal dose of MDMA. The unnamed woman, from Puurs near Antwerp, died five days later in hospital. “[She] was 100 percent against drugs... We also do not understand where that bottle came from. She only drank one sip,” her sister told Het Nieuwsblad. Prosecutors in Antwerp confirmed that there was no link between the woman and drug use, and said there was evidence of tampering with the bottle’s cork. Drug traffickers have been known to use wine bottles to conceal drugs during transportation.

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title: World News Quick Take


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Converted reactor supplies neutrons for more than 120 cancer patients’ therapy

OVERSEAS PATIENT:A Spanish woman last year arrived in Taiwan to get treatment for a malignant brain stem tumor, which was reduced to 1.06cm
Taipei Veterans General Hospital oncologist Chen Yi-wei, second right, poses with a patient, right, a relative of the patient, third right, medical staff and members of National Tsing Hua University’s Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Center at the hospital in an undated photograph.Photo courtesy of National Tsing Hua University via CNA
More than 120 people with brain or head and neck cancer have been treated with a boron neutron capture therapy developed by National Tsing Hua University, a team of researchers said yesterday.

The nation’s only research nuclear reactor was owned by the university, which converted it into a device for clinical therapy and established the Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Center.

The conversion was not directly related to the nation’s change in nuclear power policy, center director Lee Min (李敏) said, adding that the university’s College of Nuclear Science had been exploring more applications for radiation.

In the 1990s, the college sent personnel to learn the therapeutic technique at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where the first clinical trials were conducted, he said, adding that only Taiwan and Japan have continued to develop and use it in clinical applications.

In the therapy, drugs containing boron — a nonmetal element used in nuclear reaction — are injected in cancer patients and accumulate in tumors, which are then irradiated by a neutron beam generated by the reactor, Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Science professor Chou Fong-in (周鳳英) said.

High-energy particles produced through nuclear reactions kill tumor cells without affecting normal cells, making the therapy suitable for combating tumors that are widespread and harder to surgically remove, she said.

After the cancer cells absorb the drugs, the high-energy radiation “ignites” the drugs, which function like “explosives,” annihilating the malignant cells, Taipei Veterans General Hospital oncologist Chen Yi-wei (陳一瑋) said.

Through a connection between the center and the International Society for Neutron Capture Therapy, a Spanish woman in October last year arrived in Taiwan for treatment of a malignant tumor in her brain stem, the team said, withholding the woman’s name to protect her privacy.

After receiving an examination at the hospital, the woman last month visited the center to receive the therapy, which reduced her tumor from 3.51cm to 1.06cm, it said.

As her second radiation session was scheduled for Feb. 14, the team helped the woman mark Valentine’s Day, with her husband — who is a physician — preparing a bouquet to celebrate her recovery, it added.

The woman has returned to Spain for follow-up observation, Lee said.

As it is a relatively new therapy, cancer patients can only receive it after careful evaluations by doctors and personnel from the center, and as well as with case-by-case approval from the Food and Drug Administration, he said.

Since the center started working with physicians at the hospital in 2010, more than 120 patients have received the therapy, he added.

The university is also working with the Taoyuan City Government on a planned affiliated hospital at the Taoyuan Aerotropolis, Lee said, adding that he hopes the therapy would benefit more patients.

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title: World Business Quick Take

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FRANCE

Consumer spending dips

Consumer spending last month fell unexpectedly sharply, official data showed yesterday, flagging a weak start to the year even before the COVID-19 outbreak began taking its toll. National statistics agency INSEE said that consumer spending fell 1.1 percent from December, which crushed the forecast for an increase of 0.1 percent in a Reuters poll of 14 economists in which none had expected anything lower than minus-0.6 percent. INSEE blamed much of the decrease on a sharp drop in sales of new autos as a government scheme to increase the price of more polluting vehicles took effect last month. The economy increasingly faces a broader challenge from the virus outbreak, which the government estimates could shave 0.1 percentage points from its growth forecast of 1.3 percent for this year.

JAPAN

No Olympics to jolt economy

If COVID-19 forces the government to cancel the Tokyo Olympics, it would jolt the nation’s financial system, BNP Paribas SA economist Ryutaro Kono said yesterday. In addition to the loss of inbound tourism spending, it would trigger a jump in nonperforming loans in the tourism and real-estate sectors, Kono said. The government would likely have to respond with spending support for the economy and with bailouts for struggling regional banks, he said. The Bank of Japan might also eventually step in to provide loans to the banking sector at negative rates and buy more exchange-traded funds, Kono said. In the worst-case scenario, should the global economy also fall into a recession, Japan could see a negative spiral similar to the one in Europe in the 2010s, where government loans to suffering banks caused financial difficulties for the state that in turn impacted the banking sector in a loop, he said.

TOURISM

Industry faces US$22bn hit

The COVID-19 outbreak would cost world tourism at least US$22 billion owing to a drop in spending by Chinese tourists, the head of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) said on Thursday. “It is too soon to know, but the WTTC has made a preliminary calculation in collaboration with Oxford Economics, which estimates that the crisis will cost the sector at least US$22 billion,” Gloria Guevara told El Mundo. “This calculation is based on the experience of previous crises, such as SARS or H1N1, and is based on losses deriving from Chinese tourists who have not been travelling in recent weeks,” she said. “The Chinese are the tourists who spend most when they travel.” The loss figure is the most optimistic scenario envisaged by the study published on Feb. 11 by Oxford Economics.

TELECOMS

Huawei plans French plant

Huawei Technologies Co (華為) on Thursday said that it would begin manufacturing radio equipment for next-generation 5G networks in France, its first such facility outside of China. Its planned 200 million euro (US$220.7 million) facility would employ 500 people and produce equipment for the European market, Huawei chairman Liang Hua (梁華) told a news conference in Paris. “The site will begin manufacturing radio equipment and then branch out to other products in the future, depending on the needs of the European market,” Liang said. The US has been pressuring European allies to exclude Huawei from their 5G networks, but France and Britain have so far refused to be swayed.

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Anger as murderer, rapist pays camels to escape penalty

The release of a Somalian man on death row for the rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl after he paid 75 camels undermines a landmark law to curb gender violence and promotes a culture of impunity in the east African nation, women’s rights groups said.

Aisha Ilyes Aden was abducted from a market in Galkayo, Somalia, in February last year. She had been gang-raped, and strangled to death and her genitals mutilated.

Three men were sentenced to death in May last year under a 2016 sexual offenses law in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, the first area in Somalia to criminalize offenses such as sexual harassment and rape.

Two of the three men were executed by firing squad earlier this month.

The execution of the third man, Abdisalan Abdirahman, was delayed at the time without any official explanation.

A relative of the victim confirmed that Abdirahman had been released on Thursday last week after an agreement to pay the family 75 camels as compensation for the girl’s rape and murder.

“I am upset at how the third man was left out. In Puntland, and in Somalia in general, rape victims don’t get justice due to the involvement of traditional leaders,” said Ubah Mohamed of the Somalia Gender Hub, a women’s rights group. “I am against such matters being handled through customary laws and traditions. This is a major problem in our judicial system, and it undermines the rights of women and girls.”

Somalian Ministry of Justice officials declined to comment.

Rape is pervasive and often goes unpunished in much of Somalia, where decades of conflict have fueled a culture of violence and weakened institutions meant to uphold the law.

Victims have traditionally been forced to accept compensation — often in the form of camels or livestock — and marry their assailants, a centuries-old practice designed to end disputes between rival clans.

The brutal nature of Aden’s killing sparked outrage and triggered public demonstrations.

The conviction of the three men was hailed as a first for Puntland.

Women’s rights campaigners said that violence against women would never end as long as customary laws allowed for agreements to resolve such crimes.

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title: Hyundai halts factory on COVID-19

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Employees wearing masks to prevent contracting COVID-19 yesterday walk at a Hyundai Motors factory in Ulsan, South Korea.Photo: Reuters Via Yonhap
Hyundai Motor Co yesterday shut down a factory in South Korea after a worker tested positive for COVID-19, disrupting production of popular models such as the Palisade sport utility vehicle (SUV).

Shares of the automaker ended down more than 5 percent after the news, while the wider market was down 3.3 percent. The closing dealt a fresh setback to Hyundai, which has gradually resumed production at local plants hit by a parts shortage in the wake of an outbreak in China.

South Korea has the most infected people outside of China, affecting companies like Samsung and Hyundai.

“The company has also placed colleagues who came in close contact with the infected employee in self-quarantine and taken steps to have them tested for possible infection,” Hyundai said in a news release.

The company added that it was disinfecting the factory. It did not say when production would resume.

The factory is in Ulsan, less than an hour from Daegu, the epicenter of outbreak in South Korea.

Hyundai operates five vehicle factories in Ulsan, which has an annual production capacity of 1.4 million vehicles, or nearly 30 percent of Hyundai’s global production. Hyundai employs 34,000 workers there in the world’s biggest auto complex.

The factory that was shut down produces SUVs such as the Palisade, Tucson, Santa Fe and Genesis GV80.

A factory run by Hyundai supplier Seojin Industrial Co Ltd had been closed after the death of a virus-infected worker there. It reopened on Wednesday.

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd shut down a smartphone factory in the southeastern city of Gumi over the past weekend after one of its workers tested positive. It resumed production on Monday.

South Korea’s top carrier, Korean Air Lines Co Ltd, yesterday said that it would redue the number of flights to the US next month as part of a plan to cut its global capacity by 11 percent that month.

It plans to check the temperatures of passengers traveling to the US before boarding and said that it would not allow anyone with a temperature higher than 37.5°C to fly.

One of its flight attendants who served the Incheon-Los Angeles route has tested positive for virus.

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Local developers and builders plan to launch NT$160.64 billion (US$5.3 billion) in presale housing projects for the spring sales season, a 27.6 percent decline from a year earlier, as virus concerns dampen buying interest, the Chinese-language Housing Monthly (住展雜誌) reported on Thursday.

The planned volume — the lowest in nine years — reflects delay tactics by developers that could take on speed once COVID-19 is contained, the property publication said.

“Developers have turned conservative as the lethal flu-like disease is spreading and keeping people at home to avoid infections,” research manager Ho Shih-chang (何世昌) said.

The spring sales season starts in the final week of next month and runs until the end of April.

Real-estate companies previously bet on a property boom after housing transactions last year reclaimed the 300,000 level.

Small apartments continue to be popular, as they are more affordable for people with real demand, a My Housing Magazine report found.

New Taipei City reported the biggest volume of presale projects at NT$60.8 billion, with most of the projects planned for rezoning areas, Ho said, citing the NT$11 billion in presale projects that Farglory Land Development Co (遠雄建設) plans to construct in Jhonghe District (中和).

Taipei reported the second-biggest volume at NT$47.25 billion — significantly lower than an estimate of more than NT$100 billion prior to the outbreak, Ho said.

An apartment complex on a 1,800 ping (5,950.42m2) plot is drawing the most interest for to its convenient location near the city’s Linguang MRT Station, Ho said, adding that the complex might take in NT$11 billion in sales.

Presale projects in Taoyuan total NT$30 billion, while those in Hsinchu total NT$16 billion, Ho said.

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title: Presale housing projects fall more than 27% on virus


title: Denmark smash team pursuit world record three times

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France’s Sebastien Vigier, second right, competes in the first round of the keirin at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships at the Velodrom in Berlin on Thursday. In the final, it was the Netherlands’ Harrie Lavreysen in first, Japan’s Yuka Wakimoto in second (0.036 seconds behind the leader) and Malaysia’s Mohd Azizulhasni Awang in third (0.108 seconds behind).Photo: AFP
Denmark on Thursday smashed the men’s team pursuit world record for the third time in two days as they raced to the gold medal at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

Lasse Norman Hansen, Julius Johansen, Frederik Rodenberg Madsen and Rasmus Pedersen clocked 3 minutes, 44.672 seconds, having lowered it to 3 minutes, 46.203 seconds on Wednesday.

Silver went to New Zealand, with Italy beating defending champions Australia for the bronze.

The Berlin track has seen several records fall in two days — including a world record twice for the Netherlands sprint team on Wednesday.

“The track is very fast,” France team manager Bruno Lecki said. “The temperature and pressure favor records.”

On Thursday, three other world titles were decided.

In the scratch — a 15km non-Olympic event — Belarusian Yauheni Karaliok emerged triumphant, while Dutch rider Harrie Lavreysen, who helped his team to the team sprint world title, added the keirin — an Olympic event — to his collection. Defending world champion Matthijs Buchli, also of the Netherlands, was only fourth in his semi-final.

In the women’s events, the US won the team pursuit ahead of Britain and Germany.

UAE TOUR CANCELED OVER COVID-19

The final two stages of the UAE Tour, which is featuring some of the world’s leading riders, has been canceled due to two Italian participants testing positive for COVID-19, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council said on Thursday.

The Council did not identify anyone, but said that all of the race participants, staff and organizers were being screened for the flu-like virus.

“The decision has been taken to ensure protection of all the race’s participants,” the Council said in a statement, adding that “safety comes at the top of all priorities.”

Several riders had earlier used social media to confirm that they were being tested and that the event had been canceled.

“It’s a shame that the #UAETour has been cancelled but public health must come first,” four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, making his comeback from injury at the race, said. “We are all awaiting testing and will remain at the hotel until further notice. I hope those affected make a speedy recovery and there aren’t any further cases #coronavirus.”

Media reports said that the official race hotel in Abu Dhabi was sealed off late on Thursday.

A report on the Web site of Cycling News said that riders, staff and journalists were not allowed to leave pending health checks.

The situation could have implications for the world track championships in Berlin.

Danish rider Michael Morkov was at the UAE Tour until Wednesday and was due to join the Danish team in the German capital on Thursday, ahead of Sunday’s madison.

A spokesperson from the British Cycling team in Berlin said that the team doctor was liaising with the UCI medical team.

The last two stages of the UAE Tour had been scheduled to be staged from Al Ruwais to Al Mirfa (158 km) on Saturday and Al Maryah Island to Abu Dhabi (127 km) on Sunday.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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title: Reconstructuring military villages

content_text:
The preservation of Gonghe New Village (共和新村) in Pingtung County’s Donggang Township (東港) is probably the most complicated among the nation’s reconstruction projects for military dependents’ villages.

In July 2018, 41 buildings in the village, which were built as dormitories for military officials during the Japanese colonial era, were granted cultural heritage status and listed as “historical buildings” by the Pingtung County Government’s cultural assets review committee. That meant all buildings should be kept, but the villagers who had not moved out were still not satisfied.

The Taipei Times on July 27 that year quoted resident Wang Li-hao (王立皓) as saying that the international understanding is that “a cultural heritage site should cover an entire cultural entity, which includes residents who have lived on a site for many years; it should not just refer to buildings.”

Wang was not particularly happy about the decision, because listing the buildings as cultural assets meant that the eviction of residents would continue.

As a fourth-generation resident of the village, Wang said that gaining cultural asset status to prevent the buildings from being demolished was just the first step, and that there was still a long way to go to before they could fulfill their ultimate wish — to spend their final years in the house where they were born.

Soon after the end of the Lunar New Year holiday last month, Wang expressed concern about a lawsuit filed by the Ministry of National Defense against the village’s community development association, demanding that the land and property be returned. A second court session is to be held next month.

Wang said that during a recent out-of-court mediation, the ministry’s lawyers took a tough stance.

The association is located in the village’s class-1 dorm building, which was damaged by fire a dozen years ago.

It was the association that raised funds and repaired the building, and although official documents about the project were exchanged between residents and the military at the time, the military did not provide a single cent for the restoration, Wang said.

This is a matter of difference in understanding between the government and the implementation of laws on one hand, and residents and expectations on the other. The question is if it would be possible to reach a compromise and find a solution that satisfies both parties.

There were also protests at Jianye New Village (建業新村) in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District (左營), but the Jianye residents achieved better results. At the time, resident representatives came to me for advice, and I suggested that they reach an agreement with the government that once the land and buildings have been returned, the government should sublet the houses to tenants, who should also be responsible for maintaining them.

Under the agreement, the original residents should have priority to rent the houses, and they should pay the rent on time and fulfill their obligation to maintain the properties.

In April last year, the Kaohsiung City Government approved the applications of seven households in Jianye for certification allowing them to be operated as bed and breakfasts. I have not inquired whether my advice had any influence over this decision.

The preservation of former military dependents’ dorms should not be disconnected from the idea of repurposing and revitalizing the area. The three parties involved — the ministry, the local government and residents — need to sit down and talk, put themselves in each other’s shoes and join efforts to come up with a solution that satisfies the greatest public interest. This is the way to create benefits for all.

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taiwan-subdivisions: 東港 左營


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Pence not fit to head US’ virus effort: experts

As an aspiring US congressman, US Vice President Mike Pence once claimed that “smoking doesn’t kill,” while as governor of Indiana, he faced heavy criticism for his handling of what turned into the worst HIV crisis in the state’s history.

This track record illicited immediate outrage from health specialists when US President Donald Trump on Wednesday appointed Pence to lead the US response to COVID-19.

Those who have witnessed Pence make a series of what they see as ill-informed public health decisions throughout his political career have said that he is a dangerous choice.

“We have the greatest experts — really in the world — right here,” Trump said at a news conference at the White House on Wednesday, as he addressed the virus crisis following days of criticism about his government’s sluggish response to warnings from his own federal agency that it is a case of when and not if there will be community spread in the US.

From those experts, Trump then plucked Pence.

“We have no higher priority than the safety, security and health of the American people,” Pence told the media.

However, experts have said that Pence’s very appointment flies in the face of his own statement.

“[Trump] made the choice of putting someone absolutely not up to the task to this crucial position,” Yale University epidemiology professor Gregg Gonsalves said on Twitter. “It’s like putting an arsonist in charge of the fire department, a bank robber in charge of the US Mint.”

As governor of Indiana, Pence oversaw one of worst HIV outbreaks in the state’s history in 2015. Pence’s response was widely criticized as inadequate and ill-informed.

When HIV badly hit southern Indiana, health workers found their efforts hampered by a woeful lack of public health staffing. Pence had slashed public health funding after assuming office.

An attempt to introduce needle-exchange programs, which were seen as key to combatting the HIV crisis, was thwarted by Pence’s resistance to those efforts.

In April 2015, Pence finally allowed a needle-exchange program, three months after the outbreak began, but only for 30 days.

Pence, an ardent evangelical who regularly introduces himself in speeches as “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican — in that order,” has a troubling record on HIV that goes back even further.

As a US congressman, Pence supported a controversial plank of then US President George W. Bush’s global AIDS program, which stipulated that 33 percent of funds must be spent on efforts to promote sexual abstinence and strict heterosexual monogamy.

“The timeless values of abstinence and marital faithfulness before condom distribution are the cure for what ails the families of Africa,” Pence told the US Congress in 2003.

On Thursday, US Democrats scrambled to respond to Pence’s new assignment.

US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a first-term progressive congresswoman with a nationwide following, summed up the feelings of many Trump opponents.

“Mike Pence literally does not believe in science,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “It is utterly irresponsible to put him in charge of US coronavirus response as the world sits on the cusp of a pandemic. This decision could cost people their lives. Pence’s past decisions already have.”

With Pence in charge of the medical response, Americans are anxiously awaiting answers, but his track record is giving pause.

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title: US-India expanding strategic ties

content_text:
On Monday, US President Donald Trump made his first state visit to India. Officials in Washington believe that India — the world’s most populous democracy with a population of more than 1.36 billion — is a natural ally, with the two countries sharing a rapidly expanding list of common interests.

From a geopolitical perspective, India is sandwiched between China and the Middle East — the two most important regions on the globe for the US. India is the fourth-largest economy in the world, behind only the US, China and Japan. Since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi rose to power, the nation’s economy has been growing at breakneck speed, with GDP growing at about 8 percent over the past few years. Within the next 12 years, India’s population would surpass that of China, and in the future, its economic potential would be on a par with China’s.

China’s rise is challenging the US’ status as world leader. Washington therefore believes that the US and India should work together to contain China’s growing strength and ambitions.

The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy defines China as a primary “threat” and “adversary.”

From a military perspective, China has the ability to threaten the US, but Washington has no such concerns when it comes to New Delhi. Trump has previously emphasized the doctrine of “peace through strength” and, on taking office, took immediate action, increasing the defense budget and rebuilding the nation’s armed forces, reversing former US president Barack Obama’s policy of deep cuts to defense spending and the voluntary abandonment of military capabilities.

During the 1950s, India joined the Non-Aligned Movement, a grouping of developing nations that chose not to formally align themselves with any power bloc.

At the time, the movement hoped to become a “third force” in the face of the US’ and Soviet Union’s struggle for global hegemony. However, after India was defeated by China in the Sino-Indian War of 1962, the Indian government looked to the USSR for support and protection, and maintained frosty relations with the US.

At the end of the Cold War, India for all practical purposes abandoned the Non-Aligned Movement and pursued a “Look East” policy. This involved strengthening security and economic ties with Japan, and later embarking on a US-India strategic relationship. The overriding goal was to pursue cooperation with the US and Japan as a way to neutralize the China threat.

The strategic collaboration between the US and India was on full show when Modi held meetings with Trump at the White House during a visit to the US in June 2017. The two heads of state held a press conference in the Rose Garden, during which Modi twice entered into a bearhug with Trump, garnering positive coverage from the assembled international media.

Trump declared that US-India relations had “never been stronger.” Both leaders emphasized their intent to work together to defeat terrorism and vowed to cooperate closely over the war in Afghanistan and other areas of national security, including sanctions against Iran and pressing North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

To assist India with its naval defense and help contain China’s expansionist ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, the Trump administration has provided India with a wide array of weaponry. Of particular note is a purchase agreement for 22 “Guardian” aerial drones, the first time that the US has sold the system to a non-NATO country. The day before Trump embarked on his visit to India, Washington and New Delhi announced an additional US$3.5 billion defense procurement agreement for 30 US-made military helicopters for the Indian armed forces.

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content_text:
Chinese regulators have removed the video game Plague Inc, which has surged in popularity amid an outbreak of COVID-19 in China, from Apple’s China app store, saying that it contained illegal content, its developer said.

The strategy game, where players create a pathogen to destroy the world, last month soared to the top of the China app store charts as consumers turned to virus-related games and films during the outbreak. It has also jumped in app rankings for other countries.

“This situation is completely out of our control,” UK-based developer and publisher Ndemic Creations said in a statement, adding that its immediate priority was to make contact with the Cyberspace Administration of China to understand its concerns and work toward a resolution.

The regulator did not respond to requests for comment. Apple Inc and Ndemic did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

China has stringent rules on content from video games to movies to music, and censors anything it believes violates core socialist values. Gaming companies must also seek licenses for the games they want to publish.

Although there was a brief window when public criticism of authorities’ handling of the outbreak was allowed, censors have tightened their grip in recent weeks. WeChat groups and podcasts have been shut down while social media posts and articles have been deleted.

“The game may have simply been taken down due to sensitivities around the topic and gameplay of the title given the recent COVID-19 outbreak,” Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad said.

He added that it might be related to a new feature in the game which allows players to create “fake news” stories about a virus, noting other epidemic-related games albeit ones with some educational content were still available in China.

He said that he did not think the game’s removal was related to an update Apple made this week that requires developers of revenue-generating mobile games on its Chinese site to obtain a license from the Chinese government as other unlicensed games had not been affected. Apple, which has lagged other app stores in enforcing this rule, has set a June deadline.

The game has been installed by about 2.2 million Apple iOS users in China since its introduction in 2012, of which 9 percent have occurred since last month, statistics from gaming data tracking firm Sensor Tower showed.

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title: China pulls virus game from Apple’s app store


title: Authorities file charges against foiled stowaway

content_text:
A man who was arrested in November last year for attempting to climb onto a China Airlines airplane as it prepared to take off at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport has been charged with contravening the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法), prosecutors said yesterday.

The man was previously reported to be from Belarus, but prosecutors said that they have yet to ascertain his nationality.

He has not spoken to law enforcement officers since his arrest and remains uncooperative, despite efforts to communicate with him in several languages, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office said.

The man had no form of identification on him when he was arrested on Nov. 2 last year while attempting to climb onto the landing gear of the China Airlines aircraft, which was about to depart for Palau, prosecutors said.

In the dramatic incident, the man was spotted darting out of the bushes on the perimeter of the airport and running to the undercarriage of the Boeing 737-800 as it taxied toward the runway for takeoff.

The pilot of an Asiana Airlines airplane, which was behind the China Airlines aircraft, reported seeing the man, who was subdued by airport security, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said.

The man refused to speak to police and had no identification on him, but because a Bible and other books found in his backpack were in Russian, officers called for a Russian interpreter to try to communicate with him.

However, the interpreter, a priest from an Orthodox Church, was also unsuccessful in eliciting any response from the man, prosecutors said.

During the investigation, prosecutors said that the only information they managed to obtain was that the man wanted to go to Palau, which he indicated by means of a drawing.

The man’s case is to be heard by the Taoyuan District Court, prosecutors said.

If found guilty, he could face a maximum of three years in prison and/or a fine of up to NT$90,000, they said.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: CECC identifies Chinese troll accounts, actions

Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau Deputy Director-General Liu Chia-jung points at a presentation slide warning the public about epidemic disinformation at a news conference at the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei yesterday.Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday unveiled seven duplicate Facebook accounts as well as templates used by Chinese trolls when spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan.

Of the seven accounts, two are in English: “Ye Kangzhuo” and “Wing Hong,” and five are in simplified Chinese: Hu Xin (胡鑫), Huang Zitao (黃子濤), Zhong Mingyuan (鐘明遠), Sun Dachuan (孫大川) and Gao Zhao (高兆), Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau Deputy Director-General Liu Chia-jung (劉家榮) told a news conference in Taipei.

The bureau also discovered a pattern widely used by Chinese trolls when spreading disinformation about the nation’s disease-prevention efforts, he said.

The pattern often involves fake news that are passed off as insider stories and contain alleged quotes from Taiwanese politicians, while a template usually cites a place in Taiwan where the poster’s friends or relatives allegedly live and where the government has reportedly attempted to cover up a COVID-19 outbreak, Liu said.

The bureau also uncovered a bogus Executive Yuan announcement being spread online, claiming that starting from yesterday, people could buy 10 masks at a time if they presented their National Health Insurance cards, he said.

The falsified document looks real, as it sports the same layout as an official Executive Yuan document, complete with a false signature and seal of Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), he said.

Chinese trolls often share the false content on Chinese social media Web sites, such as Facebook and Sina Weibo, to elicit public responses, he said, urging people not to relay unsubstantiated information.

People can use the Taiwan FactCheck Center or Cofacts fact-checking Web sites to verify reports, Liu said.

The bureau presented five scenarios in a bid to pre-empt Chinese trolls’ next attempt to disrupt the nation’s disease-prevention efforts.

Trolls are likely to claim that the Taiwanese government is prepared to use inhumane strategies to cover up an outbreak that is out of control; that news about the government’s power wavering had percolated from a US official or think tank or forum member; and that the government clarifies disinformation on the epidemic because it fears the public would discover the truth, Liu said.

Furthermore, they are likely to edit photos to create a false image of a full outbreak in Taiwan and to falsify the government’s official documents, he said.

Separately yesterday, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said that it has questioned 107 people who are facing pending charges on 77 cases of spreading misinformation about the disease. These included spreading rumors about a tissue paper shortage, that hundreds have died from COVID-19 infection in Taiwan and that cyanide could kill the Wuhan virus.

Such actions have breached provisions of the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法) and the Special Act on COVID-19 Prevention, Relief and Restoration (嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例), CIB Deputy Commissioner Chu Tsung-tai (朱宗泰) said, adding that those found guilty could be fined up to NT$3 million (US$99,245) and sentenced up to three years in prison,

CIB investigators added that they were working together with the Taipei City Government to identify the latest fake news circulating online, with one claiming that starting today, city hospitals would be handing out free masks to the public, and another saying Taiwan has developed a vaccine and starting yesterday, people can receive free shots at designated hospitals.

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content_text:
The global smartphone market might not recover as anticipated this year as the COVID-19 outbreak creates greater uncertainties, a report released yesterday by market advisory firm International Data Corp (IDC) showed.

The report forecasts a 2.3 percent year-on-year decline in shipments this year to 1.34 billion units.

“COVID-19 became yet another reason to extend the current trend of smartphone market contraction, dampening growth in the first half of the year,” IDC senior research analyst Sangeetika Srivastava said, predicting a 10.6 percent fall in shipments from 644 million units a year earlier.

As an outbreak of COIVD-19 in China continues to hamper manufacturing and logistics across the industry, with local factory workers struggling to resume production amid persisting transportation challenges, IDC forecasts a multi-quarter period for the recovery of smartphone production.

“While China, the largest smartphone market, will take the biggest hit, other major geographies will feel the hit from supply chain disruptions,” Srivastava said. “Component shortages, factory shutdowns, quarantine mandates, logistics and travel restrictions will create hindrances for smartphone vendors to produce handsets and roll out new devices.”

“The overall scenario is expected to stabilize from the third quarter of the year as the COVID-19 situation hopefully improves and 5G plans pick up the pace globally,” Srivastava added.

Market demand for 5G devices is expected to drive shipments next year, which is forecast to grow 6.3 percent year-on-year to 1.42 billion units.

In the meantime, smartphone makers are likely to reschedule key product launches intended in the first half of the year as the outbreak hinders production, casting a pall over the industry, the report said.

Changes in schedules might lead to further adjustments of product plans in the short run and would even affect the supply chain in the long run, it added.

“For the epicenter, China, we forecast the domestic market to drop by nearly 40 percent year-over-year for the first quarter, and even with a potential March recovery it will still be difficult to reach last year’s levels,” IDC research manager Will Wong said.

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title: Smartphone comeback unlikely as virus shakes market


title: Aussie double as Rebels, Waratahs win

content_text:
The Melbourne Rebels yesterday survived an Otago Highlanders counterattack to record their maiden Super Rugby win in Dunedin, New Zealand, as the Waratahs broke through for their first victory of the season.

The Rebels scored four tries to three, including two intercepts for wing Andrew Kellaway, in a hard-fought 28-22 victory for their second win of the campaign.

In Sydney, the Waratahs jumped quickly out of the blocks to post a big early lead before grinding out a 29-17 win over South Africa’s Golden Lions.

After a three-try burst to go 21-0 up, the Rebels were forced to dig deep in on defense as the Highlanders roared back in front of a vocal home crowd.

“It went back and forth, we had all the momentum in the first half and they had everything in the second half,” Rebels skipper Dane Haylett-Petty said. “It was just a great clash.”

Highlanders captain James Lentjes was stretchered off in the first half with an apparent broken leg. Lentjes, 28, who only became captain this year after the departure of All Blacks Ben Smith and Luke Whitelock, suffered what seems certain to be a season-ending injury.

The hosts attempted to up the tempo after the break, but Kellaway again pounced on a loose pass and took off from deep within his own half for his second intercept try.

The Highlanders ground out a try from Scott Gregory, but the debutant was sinbinned moments later for dangerous play, stalling their comeback hopes.

In Sydney, the Waratahs skipped out to a 19-3 lead midway through the first half after tries to Gus Bell, Lachlan Swinton and Jack Dempsey.

However, the Johannesburg-based Lions fought back to trail 19-10 at halftime after a converted try by Marnus Schoeman.

The home side increased their lead to 24-10 with a spectacular try from James Ramm, who dived over in the corner after the ball shot through eight pairs of hands from a turnover on halfway.

However, the Lions kept in touch with Schoeman’s second try before the Waratahs clinched a bonus-point win with a try to Tetera Faulkner in the final minutes.

“Great win and a confidence-booster for us. It’s been a tough few weeks for us, but it was really important to come out and get a win in front of our home fans,” Waratahs back Kurtley Beale said.

Lions skipper Elton Jantjies said that his team recovered well from conceding three early tries.

“We gave ourselves a chance by just staying in the game, but critically a few stupid penalties went against us toward the end,” he said.

GAMES MOVED OVER VIRUS

Australia are to host two Super Rugby home games of the Sunwolves after they were relocated from Japan yesterday due to COVID-19 concerns.

The Sunwolves were due to host the ACT Brumbies in Osaka on March 8, but that game is to take place two days earlier in Wollongong, south of Sydney.

Their clash with New Zealand powerhouse Canterbury Crusaders in Tokyo has also been moved to Australia, with that game to be played in Brisbane on March 14.

“It was very clear that we had to make changes to the match schedule to conform to Japanese government requirements and health authority directives,” Super Rugby chief Andy Marinos said. “The relocation of these matches has involved an incredible amount of detailed logistical and operational work, and these efforts reflect the great spirit within the rugby family at times like these.”

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content_text:
Compared with many other nations, the Taiwanese government has reacted with admirable speed and efficiency to the outbreak of a new coronavirus in China, starting with the establishment on Jan. 20 of a Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), before the nation began a week-long break for the Lunar New Year holiday.

It also pushed through the Special Act on COVID-19 Prevention, Relief and Restoration (嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例) in record time: The bill was submitted to the legislature on Thursday last week, lawmakers approved it on Tuesday and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) signed it just hours later.

One key reason might be that the people in the nation’s top three posts — Tsai, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) — were all members of the former Democratic Progressive Party administration during the SARS outbreak in 2003, with Chen, an epidemiologist by training, serving as minister of health, and were quick to recognize that a crisis was developing.

Yet like many other governments, Taiwan was caught unprepared by the immediate and widespread public demand for masks and disinfectants, forcing it to step in not only to help produce masks, but to implement a rationing system.

However, the government’s commitment to the free flow of information, with daily CECC news conferences and social media posts, has helped keep the public informed about the spread of the virus, travel alerts, entry restrictions and new policy measures — a sharp contrast to Beijing’s efforts to restrict access to information and the use of Chinese Communist Party propaganda departments to focus coverage on uplifting stories and stress that the party’s leaders have everything under control.

Beijing has also tried to shape the same narrative internationally, spoon-feeding data to an increasingly tame WHO, leading Xinhua news agency on Monday to trumpet that a 25-member WHO team on a nine-day tour of the country had hailed China for playing “a critical role in protecting the international community, buying precious time for countries to adopt active prevention and control measures, and providing them with worthwhile experience.”

Famed Chinese epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan (鍾南山) even told a news conference this week that the virus had peaked in China and the outbreak should be under control by April, before suggesting that it might not have originated in China after all.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Commissioner in Hong Kong Xie Feng (謝鋒), in an opinion piece published yesterday in the New York Times, continued to promote this pretense, writing that Beijing “has kept the public informed with daily updates, and has solicited the people’s suggestions and complaints via the Internet and social media platforms,” adding that “it has been highly responsive to public opinion.”

That is certainly not the view of many people in or outside China, or of the South China Morning Post team, who on Thursday published a special investigative report into the outbreak, titled “How Disease X, the epidemic-in-waiting, erupted in China.”

The CECC’s efforts have not always been smooth, and there are lessons that can be learned, for future crises or to be implemented now.

The daily press briefings are admirable, but have sometimes created more confusion, as policy measures are announced in broad strokes, with details left to be worked out later.

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people: 陳建仁 蔡英文 蘇貞昌

title: EDITORIAL: Taking time to think can save time


title: Telecoms eyeing third quarter to launch 5G services

content_text:
The nation’s top three telecom operators, which paid a combined NT$122.07 billion (US$4.02 billion) for access to the 5G spectrum in auctions that ended last week, are racing to launch 5G services by the third quarter.

Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) on Tuesday paid NT$58.37 billion for the 5G spectrum it won during the auctions.

The nation’s biggest telecom company secured 90 megahertz (MHz) of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, the optimal bandwidth for 5G services, as well as 600MHz in the 28GHz frequency band.

The companies are required to pay for the 5G spectrum they won within one month of the final round of auctions on Saturday last week.

Chunghwa Telecom also submitted its 5G business plan and related documents to the National Communications Commission (NCC) for review, with aiming to roll out its 5G services in July.

Once approved, Chunghwa Telecom can submit its 5G network deployment plan, which details its 5G equipment suppliers and base station locations.

The company said that it has ordered NT$7.39 billion of 5G equipment from Nokia Solutions & Networks Oy and Ericsson AB.

Far EasTone Telecommunications Co Ltd (遠傳電信) on Wednesday paid NT$43.04 billion for its auction bids and submitted its 5G plan to the NCC, it said.

The company plans to order 5G equipment by the end of the month, as it targets the third quarter to roll out 5G services.

Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大) on Thursday paid NT$30.66 billion to the NCC for its 30MHz bandwidth on the 3.5GHz frequency band, it said in a statement.

After receiving NCC approval, it plans to install 5G base stations to offer better coverage, ultra-high-speed Internet connections and low-latency broadband services, it said.

Separately, Taiwan Mobile on Thursday said it acquired the exclusive rights to distribute online games developed by US-based League of Legends developer Riot Games in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

Taiwan Mobile would distribute Riot Games’ digital card game Legends of Runeterra on PCs and mobile phones at the end of April.

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content_text:
Citigroup, Goldman cut stock earnings estimates

ADJUSTING EXPECTATIONS:Analysts said that global earnings per share this year could contract 10 percent, while Goldman Sachs predicts no earnings gain for US firms
Citigroup Inc expects zero growth in global earnings this year as COVID-19 throttles economic growth, and it warns that even its new forecast might prove too optimistic.

The bank’s call on earnings per share (EPS) follows moves on Thursday by Wall Street peers Goldman Sachs Group Inc and JPMorgan Chase & Co to cut profit estimates on US companies. Goldman expects no earnings gain for US firms this year.

“Given obvious further risks to global GDP, it seems prudent to forecast flat global EPS in 2020,” Citigroup analysts including chief global equity strategist Robert Buckland wrote in a research report.

The bank expected 4 percent growth at the start of the year.

“Maybe even flat EPS is too optimistic,” the team wrote. “If the virus slows global economic growth to 2.0 percent in 2020, our models suggest global EPS could contract around 10 percent.”

Global equities have sold off precipitously, with MSCI’s all-country stock index dropping more than 10 percent over its seven consecutive days of decline. It was last down 0.5 percent today at 2:15pm Hong Kong time. The S&P 500 is down 11 percent so far this week, in the fastest correction from a record high in history.

Investors have been scrambling to evaluate the outbreak’s effects on the global economy as it spreads to more countries, throws supply chains into chaos and restricts movement of people and goods.

Citigroup lowered its target on the local-currency MSCI All Country World Index to 660 by the end of the year, down from a previous target of 690. That would still mark a gain of about 7.5 percent from current levels.

“We would prefer it to be closer to panic before going all-in. It is not there yet,” the analysts said. “Our global bear-market checklist still says buy this dip, although our US panic-euphoria indicator says not yet.”

Goldman Sachs also lowered its earnings forecasts for Asia ex-Japan stocks as the outbreak looks more severe than it did originally, prompting the firm to reduce GDP growth predictions for China and the region.

Consensus expectations of 13 percent profit growth “are likely to fall,” analysts including Timothy Moe wrote in a research report, citing earnings sensitivity to China’s economy and supply chain linkages.

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title: NZ, Australian PMs lock horns at fiery meeting

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday told Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to stop deporting “your people and your problems” to her nation in a testy joint public appearance.

Ardern tore into her counterpart over Australia’s policy of forcibly deporting New Zealand citizens — even if they had lived almost all their lives in Australia.

“Look, I have been absolutely clear — this is corrosive to our relationship,” Ardern said bluntly as she described the problem as seen from Wellington during the joint news conference in Sydney.

“Australia is well within its rights to deport individuals who break your laws, New Zealand does the same, but we have a simple request — send back Kiwis,” she said. “Genuine Kiwis.”

“Do not deport your people and your problems,” she said, complaining that some of the more than 2,000 people Australia has deported were de facto Australians.

The two leaders had begun the news conference smiling in Sydney Harbour’s sunshine, but the mood soon turned frosty.

Both looked on sternly as the other spoke, no doubt mindful of how it would play out with voters.

Ardern faces a tough re-election battle later this year, while Morrison is reeling after a series of high-profile scandals and crises.

The 51-year-old Australian staunchly refused to change his government’s policies — which are hugely popular with his conservative base — saying that anyone who “doesn’t hold the title of ‘citizen of Australia’ does not get a special deal.”

“Doesn’t matter how long you have been here. It doesn’t matter whether you turned up yesterday or many years ago,” Morrison said. “If you are not a citizen of Australia, and you violate our laws, then under my government’s policies you will not be allowed to remain in Australia.”

The pair also noted differences over climate change, with Ardern referencing repeated Pacific Island calls for coal-producing Australia to do more to tackle emissions.

“We each know each other’s policies,” the 39-year-old said. “New Zealand’s taken its position, Australia have taken theirs, and we discuss the expectations ... that the Pacific rightly has of both of us.”

Ardern also offered her condolences to the Australian communities affected by deadly bushfires, which experts say were made worse by climate-influenced drought and weather patterns.

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Turkish troops killed in airstrike

RISK OF ESCALATION:Turkey has urged the Syrian regime to withdraw from its observation posts in Idlib, while Moscow has accused Ankara of aiding ‘terrorists’
At least 33 Turkish troops were killed in Syria’s Idlib Province after an airstrike blamed on Damascus, prompting condemnation from Washington and a UN warning on the risk of escalation.

Dozens more troops were injured and taken to Turkey for treatment, said Rahmi Dogan, governor of Turkey’s Hatay Province.

The heavy losses in northwestern Idlib came after weeks of growing tensions between rebel supporter Ankara and Damascus ally Moscow.

“Without urgent action, the risk of even greater escalation grows by the hour,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement that reiterated UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for an immediate ceasefire.

A US Department of State spokesperson said that Washington stands by its NATO ally Turkey and continues to call “for an immediate end to this despicable offensive by the [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad regime, Russia and Iranian-backed forces.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged de-escalation by all parties of “this dangerous situation,” his spokesman said.

In a telephone call with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu, Stoltenberg “condemned the continued indiscriminate airstrikes by the Syrian regime and its backer Russia in Idlib Province,” the spokesman said.

Turkey has urged the Syrian regime to withdraw from its observation posts in Idlib, while Moscow has accused Ankara of aiding “terrorists” in Syria.

Under a 2018 deal with Russia meant to bring calm to the province, Turkey has 12 observation posts in the region — but several have come under fire from al-Assad’s forces.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hastily convened an emergency meeting in Ankara after the attack.

Erdogan’s top press aide, Fahrettin Altun, said the Turkish military retaliated against all known positions of the regime after the airstrike.

The latest attack means 53 Turkish security personnel have been killed in the province this month.

There was a flurry of diplomatic activity as Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin spoke with US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, state news agency Anadolu reported without giving details.

Militants and Turkish-backed rebels on Thursday re-entered Saraqeb, a key Idlib crossroads town they had lost earlier this month, reversing one of the main gains of the government’s devastating offensive.

However, the counteroffensive could be short-lived as Russian-backed Syrian troops continued to chip away at other parts of the rebel bastion, capturing 20 localities.

Seven civilians, including three children, were killed in the regime and Russian bombardment of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding to more than 400 such deaths since December last year.

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title: Turkish troops killed in airstrike


content_text:
Markets facing worst year in decade

LONG RECOVERY AHEAD:Central banks have not yet cut interest rates, but analysts say that if supply chains are broken, lower rates would do little to spur activity
A man wearing a mask yesterday walks past sculptures of bulls in Beijing. Asian stock markets fell further yesterday on spreading virus fears, deepening a global rout after Wall Street endured its biggest one-day drop in nine years.Photo: AP
The world economy might be heading for its worst performance since the financial crisis more than a decade ago as the spread of COVID-19 increasingly dashes hopes of a swift rebound.

Just weeks after most economists bet the China-led slump would quickly reverse once the virus was contained, many are rethinking that optimism as swathes of Chinese factories remain shut and workers idled.

Having already cut supply chains and undermined tourism and trade, outbreaks from Europe to the Americas threaten activity elsewhere, too.

Bank of America Corp economists on Thursday warned clients that they now expect 2.8 percent global growth this year, the weakest since 2009. They were already penciling in the softest growth in China since 1990, but now say that the US would expand the least in four years.

“The risks are still skewed to the downside,” Bank of America economists led by Ethan Harris said in a report. “Our forecasts do not include a global pandemic that would basically shut down economic activity in many major cities.”

The outlook contrasts with the IMF, who on Saturday last week said it would likely knock only 0.1 percentage point from its global growth estimate of 3.3 percent for this year, although it was studying more “dire” scenarios.

Now the Washington-based fund is reconsidering the scale and scope of policy meetings it was scheduled to host in mid-April. As stocks plunge, companies are also sounding the alert. Standard Chartered PLC on Thursday joined HSBC Holdings PLC in saying that it would miss profit targets because of the virus.

“We remain sensitive to external conditions generally and recognize that these could as easily recover as worsen,” chief executive officer Bill Winters said.

Eager for insight into China’s economy, investors are hotly anticipating today’s release of a key manufacturing gauge. The consensus in Bloomberg’s survey is for the official purchasing managers’ index to slide to 45, the lowest since 2008, from last month’s 50, with forecasts ranging from 50.1 to 33. That underscores the confusion surrounding the virus and how the reading could rock markets.

China still has a long recovery ahead. Bloomberg Economics calculates the economy ran at 60 to 70 percent of normal this week, albeit up from 50 to 60 percent a week ago.

Key central banks are holding off cutting interest rates as they wait to see the full economic effect of the virus with rates already at or near record lows.

There is also a debate over what further easing would achieve. If supply chains are broken, lower rates would likely do little to spur activity.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde told the Financial Times on Thursday that it is too soon to respond, echoing comments on Tuesday from US Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Richard Clarida.

In a potential model for others, the Bank of Korea resisted demands to cut rates, preferring instead to target support for companies by making cheap loans easier to get.

However, economists are beginning to join investors in predicting that the major central banks would eventually loosen policy. Those at Standard Chartered on Wednesday told clients that they now expect the Fed to cut its benchmark rate in April and June having previously assumed no change this year.

Money markets already see three Fed reductions this year — starting in April — and one by the ECB by October.

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title: Markets facing worst year in decade


content_text:
A Feb. 10 Bloomberg report said that 20 percent of semi-finished goods in the global manufacturing industry are imported from China. This can be as high as 40 percent in Asian countries and about 30 percent in the US.

These figures show that China is a major power in the global manufacturing supply chain.

If companies want to make money, they should not only be able to predict their clients’ needs, but also control their output to ensure product quality. Compared with clients’ unpredictable behavior, it is easier for companies to control raw materials and the manufacturing process.

However, the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 in China has been challenging companies’ traditional thinking.

On Monday last week, Apple Inc admitted that it would miss its revenue forecast for the second quarter largely due to the outbreak. Apple relies on Chinese supply and factories to assemble its iPhones, and its sales are dependent on the Chinese market, which has become a double-edged sword for the US company.

As an internationally well-known high-tech giant, Apple should have been able to control its supply chain. Instead, it has overcentralized it, allowing it to become locked down by China’s epidemic-prevention measures, dragging down its global supply of handsets.

Feeling the impact of the epidemic, Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook would inevitably review the drawbacks of the overcentralization of its supply chain. Faced with those risks, Apple is expected to adopt a decentralization strategy.

Taiwan is a neighbor of China, and Taiwanese businesspeople have zealously helped build up the Chinese supply chain. How should they respond to the structural industrial change that is about to take place?

Since Taiwan has limited resources, it might be unrealistic for the nation to take a hydra-headed approach to the development of supply chains for various industries.

Rather, it should take advantage of its strengths in the semiconductor industry, precision machinery and biomedical technology to focus on one or two strategic industries, and make every effort to build supply chains for these industries to create a high value-added economy.

Other Asian nations might have already sensed a structural change to the supply chain as an effect of the outbreak. Neighboring countries are likely to fight each other over fleeting business opportunities.

President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration should play a leading role in planning and organizing the matter. Taking into consideration the balanced development of urban and rural areas, it should come up with a blueprint for the construction of an industrial supply chain in a timely manner.

After being hit by the outbreak in China, experienced and ambitious Taiwanese businesspeople there should take the lead in building Taiwan’s own industrial supply chain for the sake of better business opportunities.

At the same time, the government should make its regulations simple and transparent, reduce the uncertainties for business investments and strengthen administrative efficiency to attract international high-tech companies to Taiwan for long-term investment cooperation and reciprocal procurement.

As the economic, structural transformation and upgrading take place, Taiwan must also further strengthen its democracy and rule of law as it proudly holds its head high and steps onto the global stage.

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title: Staking a claim on the new economy


content_text:
Publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai, center, leaves Kowloon City Police Station in Hong Kong yesterday.Photo: AFP
Hong Kong police yesterday arrested publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英), an outspoken critic of Beijing, and two other pro-democracy activists on charges of illegal assembly, drawing international condemnation.

Lai, a self-made millionaire who has made financial contributions to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and has been a target of criticism in mainland media, was picked up by police at his house, Cable TV and TVB News reported.

The Apple Daily, one of the publications under Next Digital Ltd (壹傳媒) in which Lai is non-executive chairman, said he was accused of participating in an illegal march on Aug. 31 last year.

It said Lai had followed a crowd along a central route for two hours on that day, singing hymns and praying.

Veteran democracy activists and former Hong Kong legislators Lee Cheuk-yan (李卓人) and Yeung Sum (楊森) were also arrested on the same charges, Cable TV reported.

Hong Kong police confirmed the three had been charged for participation in an unapproved gathering and would appear in court on May 5.

Lai was seen by a reporter leaving Kowloon City Police Station in a black Mercedes. He gave no comment.

“The charges will not hinder our fight for democracy, freedom and our human right to continue to gather, march and protest,” Lee told reporters in front of the Cheung Sha Wan Police Station.

Lai was previously arrested in 2014 for refusing to leave a pro-democracy protest site. Following his arrest he resigned as Apple Daily editor-in-chief.

In Taipei, the Mainland Affairs Council expressed its concern over Lai’s arrest and urged the Hong Kong government to protect the right of its people to assemble as guaranteed by its Basic Law.

The Hong Kong authorities should prioritize COVID-19 outbreak containment instead of political reprisal, the council said.

“Considering the current situation, we hope the Hong Kong side can exercise restraint and respond to people’s demands sincerely, to be able to get to the crux of problems and resolve them,” it said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) also lamented Lai’s arrest on Twitter.

“Right when #Taiwan commemorates Feb 28, 1947 massacre & say no more to authoritarianism, we are saddened to learned about Jimmy Lai’s arrest. @appledaily_hk is a symbol of press & speech freedom in #HongKong & will stand tall despite repeated assaults by evil forces,” he wrote.

Amnesty International said the arrests were “a shameless attempt to harass and silence those in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.”

The Hong Kong Democracy Council, a Washington-based non-governmental organization, said that the arrests were “blatant acts of political suppression by the Hong Kong government and the Chinese Communist Party.”

Additional reporting by CNA

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title: Hong Kong police arrest Jimmy Lai for illegal assembly


content_text:
Bill aims to merge institute, arsenals

CENTRAL ARMORY:The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology would absorb the four units to further research and increase its manufacturing capabilities
A legislative reform bill proposed by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday aims to revive an attempt to merge the military’s four arsenals with the Ministry of National Defense-affiliated Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology.

The legislation aims to amend Article 7 and Item 1, Article 33 of the Act for the Establishment of the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (國家中山科學研究院設置條例).

As there is no legal basis for the institute to merge, or not merge with other units, the bill aims to amend the act to allow the institute to merge with other institutions to further national defense research and development, as well as to increase its manufacturing and maintenance capabilities.

A successful review of the bill, scheduled for Tuesday next week, would increase the chances of the amendments being passed in the current legislative session, ministry officials said.

With three to six months of preparation, the merger could be completed by the end of this year, they said.

The 202nd Arsenal manufactures mortars; the 205th Arsenal makes rifles and pistols; the 209th Arsenal builds armored vehicles; and the 401st Arsenal fabricates photonic equipment.

In preparation for the merger, Material Production and Manufacturing Center Commander Major General Luo Yi-chung (羅意中) has tendered his resignation and is to be hired by the institute, the ministry said.

The center and four arsenals have a total of about 3,000 employees, including military personnel, civil servants and contractors, it said.

The merger would take into consideration the rights of all those involved, the ministry said, adding that the institute would take over all assets and debts.

In related news, the nation’s embassy in Eswatini yesterday posted a video on Twitter of a ceremony in which Taiwan gifted the African ally two UH-1H helicopters, commemorating their strong ties.

The UH-1H is being phased out by the army, which said that it would keep six of the helicopters after transferring two to Eswatini.

The ceremony, held on Friday last week, was attended by King Mswati III, Swazi National Chief Defense Officer Prince Hlangusempi and Brigadier General Jeffry Tshabalala, as well as Ambassador to Eswatini Jeremy Liang (樑洪昇) and Deputy Minister of National Defense Chang Guan-chung (張冠群).

King Mswati thanked Taiwan for its long-term assistance, saying that the two helicopters would be deployed to Eswatini’s borders or in humanitarian relief missions, the embassy said.

The king also reaffirmed Eswatini’s support for Taiwan’s participation in UN-related activities.

Additional reporting by Peng Wan-hsin

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title: Bill aims to merge institute, arsenals


content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Tainan, Taichung postpone world orchid exhibitions

Two major international orchid shows scheduled to take place in Taichung and Tainan next month have been postponed due to concern over the spread of COVID-19.

Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said in a statement that he decided to postpone the Taiwan International Orchid Show, which was scheduled to take place from Saturday next week to March 16, after consulting with the Taiwan Orchid Growers Association and in consideration of public health.

The annual show, which is held at the Taiwan Orchid Plantation in the city’s Houbi District (後壁), attracted more than 210,000 visitors last year, creating NT$11.3 billion (US$372.6 million) in export opportunities, Huang said.

Huang added that he hoped the show could be rescheduled for the second half of the year.

In Taichung, Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said that the triennial World Orchid Conference, which was scheduled to be held from March 9 to 18, would be postponed “to a later time in 2020 after COVID-19 has subsided.”

Taiwan Orchid Growers Association secretary-general Tseng Chun-pi (曾俊弼) said that the impact of the postponement on the industry was difficult to calculate, while Tainan Agriculture Bureau Director Hsieh Yao-ching (謝耀清) said the city would work to adjust its contracts with the association and assist the group in seeking compensation from the Council of Agriculture.

In other news, Taipei 101 and Pacific Sogo Department Stores yesterday began taking the temperatures of shoppers, denying entry to those with readings of 37.5oC or higher.

Other measures have also been taken to combat the spread of disease, including improving the ventilation system to keep the building’s air clean and more intensively disinfecting elevators, escalators and restrooms in the shopping mall, Taipei 101 said.

Sogo said that its elevators, escalators and restrooms are disinfected every two hours, and customer service counters, VIP rooms and children playgrounds are disinfected every hour, with their frequency being increased during holidays.

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people: 盧秀燕 曾俊 黃偉哲