With the problem of labor shortage worsening, both Labor Minister and
Economics Minister have said that they're willing to consider extending
migrant workers' work permits.

Currently, Taiwan allows workers in industries to stay here for up to 12
years.

But the coronavirus pandemic has stopped many of them from entering or
returning to Taiwan, while the country's booming exportations mean companies
need more workers.

Labor Minister Xu Ming-chun says extending the work permit to 14 years is a
feasible option.

Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua agrees, saying that she would be happy to
discuss the issue with other relevant government agencies to try to reach a
consensus.

She also stresses that not all industries need experienced workers.

(JL)

The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation has released a report on land
subsidence along its tracks.

The report focused on four areas where land subsidence has been occurring,
one in Changhua and three in Yunlin.

The report finds that the rate of subsidence has decreased in Changhua, but
has picked up in the Yunlin areas.

However, the report says the affected tracks are all still safe to use.

(EG)

The FDA is issuing new rules for what constitutes "chocolate".

The Food and Drug Administration says starting next year, chocolate with
filling must contain at least 25-percent chocolate if it is to have the word
in its product name.

The item must also be labelled as "with filling", or "processed".

In addition, chocolate products that contain more than 5-percent vegetable
oil, may not have the word "chocolate" in its product name.

The administration says currently, there are regulations in place for the
amount of cocoa butter and milk solids present in black chocolate, milk
chocolate, and white chocolate, but only those without some type of filling.

The FDA says this left out over 90-percent of chocolate products available on
the market.

Once the new regulations take effect next year, violators face up to
$4-million NT in fines.

(NS)

The referendum proposal for protecting algae reefs in Tao-yuan's Da-tan is
expected to secure 350-thousand signatures by the end of today.

The means it has already passed the second-phase threshold and will almost
certain be included in the referendum vote on August 28th.

Protecting algae reefs is just one of the referendum drives pushed by the KMT
and civil groups.

The opposition party launched two early this year, one is an anti-ractopamine
pork initiative, and the other asks voters if they agree that the referendum
vote should go together with general elections.

Signatures for the ractopamine pork one already exceeded 700-thousand, and
for the timing of the referendum vote, more than 670-thousand, way above the
2nd-phase threshold of 290-thousand.

The fourth referendum seeks voters' opinion on whether the number 4 nuclear
power plant should be reactivated.

According to the Central Election Commission, each referendum will cost the
national coffers 180 million NT to hold.

(JL)

The Taipei prosecutors have indicted three suspects for illegal debt
collection tactics.

The suspects are part of an illegal debt collection group headed by the
"Tonghua Street Gang," known for violent tactics that had previously been
used against comedian and TV personality Peng Chia-chia.

In August last year, Peng announced he had racked up 240 million N-T in debt
from underground creditors, but said he had paid back almost half of it.

Family reported to police they feared he may have been kidnapped in October
after he went to negotiate with debt collectors.

An investigation by the Criminal Investigation Bureau found a group headed by
a man surnamed Chiu had been involved in multiple instances of violent debt
collection, in which they would kidnap people, force them to mortgage real
estate or use verbal threats if they were unable to repay money.

(RD)

The Ministry of National Defense says a Chinese Y8 anti-submarine aircraft
entered Taiwan's southwestern air defense identification zone on Monday.

Defense officials say the Air Force scrambled planes to monitor the Chinese
aircraft, issued radio warnings and mobilized air defense assets, until the
Chinese aircraft left the area.

The incursion by a single Chinese aircraft comes after Beijing sent multiple
planes into the area on single days on several occasions last month.

The largest incursion was reported on February 19, when nine aircraft entered
the southwestern air defense identification zone.

While 11 Chinese planes made incursions into the zone on February 20.

In news from and about Taiwan this morning,

Two U-S lawmakers are proposing a resolution that calls for Washington to
scrap its one-China policy and establish formal diplomatic relations with
Taiwan.

The resolution is being proposed by representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott
Perry.

Along with calling for the U-S to resume formal ties with Taiwan, the
resolution also requires American to support Taiwan's international
participation and calls for the initiation of negotiations and signing of a
free trade agreement between the U-S and Taiwan.


Both Tiffany and Perry are describing the U-S' one-China policy as being
"outdated" and say that Taiwan should be recognized as an independent country
as it not governed by the People's Republic of China and is not part of its
territory.


However, even if the resolution passes both House and Senate reviews, it will
not submitted to the White House for signature and will only represent the
position of Congress.


Tiffany proposed a similar resolution in September of last year, but its
failed to gain momentum before Congress wrapped up that session.

Meanwhile,

K-M-T Chairman Johnny Chiang says his party is now promoting sales of
domestic pineapples following China's ban on imports.

According to Chiang, the import ban by Beijing is having a serious effect on
the local pineapple industry and it's hoped that farmers will be able to sell
their produce to more countries.

Chiang says he is calling on the K-M-T's 14 mayors and county commissioners
to work together to support domestic pineapple growers and other farmers.

The K-M-T chairman is also urging Taiwan and China to discuss customs
inspection-related issues.

And Chiang says the K-M-T is proposing that customs inspections be carried
out in batches, and only the problematic pineapples be returned to Taiwan.

The Coast Guard Administration has begun holding a series of live-fire
exercises on the Dongsha Islands in the South China Sea.

The first drill were held on Monday and a warning issued by the
administration said the exercise had a danger zone of up to eight nautical
miles and a maximum projectile altitude of 12,000 feet.

Similar drills are scheduled to be staged on March 9.

The two rounds of exercises are part of the Coast Guard Administration's
scheduled drills for the first quarter of this year.

The drills are being staged amid almost daily flights by Chinese military
aircraft into airspace around Taiwan.

Coast Guard Administration personnel trained by the Marine Corps are
currently deployed on the islands, but the the Ministry of National Defense
has said could temporarily post marines on the islands.

Taiwan's export processing zones generated 400-billion N-T in production
value last year and have set their sights on an annual 5-per cent growth in
2021 after they are renamed.

According to the Export Processing Zone Administration, the zones will be
renamed science and technology industrial park zones on March 28 in
accordance with an amendment to the Statute for the Establishment and
Administration of Export Processing Zone.

And after the name change, the industrial park zones will prioritize smart
upgrades, talent cultivation and business matchmaking on digital platforms,
which will be funded by the government with an allocation of 100-million N-T.

The government is planning to expand the zones in Pingtung and Kaohsiung this
year to attract more private business investments and its hoped that the
moves will boost production value in the industrial parks by at least an
annual 5-per cent this year.

Taiwan has 10 industrial park zones in Taichung, Kaohsiung and Pingtung,
spread over 530.3 hectares.

Referendum Threshold

A petition aimed at paving the way for the launch of a national referendum
against a C-P-C liquefied natural gas receiving station project located near
an area of algae reef has passed the second-stage threshold for official
consideration.

According to the Rescue Datan's Algal Reefs Alliance, it has collected
296,697 signatures - surpassing the threshold of about 289,667 required by
the Central Election Commission.

The petition was initiated by alliance convener Pan Chong-zheng last year.

And Pan says he hopes to collect 450,000 signatures by March 10 to draw a
high degree of public attention to the issue ahead of a public referendum on
August 28 on the L-N-G project.

The project is located off the coast of Datan in Taoyuan and environment
groups say it endangers the survival of the 7,000-year-old algae reefs there.

The Council of Agriculture says it's seeking to diversify export markets for
local agricultural products.

The statement comes after China suspended imports of pineapples from Taiwan.

Beijing is claiming the ban is related to the discovery of insects in the
fruit some 13 times since last year.

However, the council says of the 6,200 batches of pineapples exported to
China since last year, 99.79-per cent passed customs testing prior to being
exported.

According to agriculture officials, they are now looking to assist farmers
explore new markets with high-export potential in order to help them move
away from a single export market.

The council says it will be offering incentives to boost exports to such
markets, assist agricultural associations in participating in international
and domestic agricultural product exhibitions, and work with supermarket
chains overseas to boost their imports.

The Formosa Club has opened a Twitter account to support Taiwan on the basis
of shared values and help it connect with the world.

The Formosa Club was established in 2019 by pro-Taiwan groups in the European
Parliament and the parliaments of 13 European countries.

And several members of the group are expressing their support for Taiwan in
pre-recorded videos posted on the new Twitter feed.

European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group Chairman Michael Gahler says the
Twitter account will serve as a platform for the group's members to exchange
information and inform each other on how to support Taiwan.

While the chairman of the France-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group says
he believed the new account will serve as an important platform for
safeguarding the democratic values shared by France and Taiwan.

Foreign Minister Joseph Wu is thanking the Formosa Club for the move, saying
that since its establishment, it has been a strong supporter of Taiwan on
numerous international occasions and he's looking forward to the timely
discussion of Taiwan-related issues on the platform.

China's State Council has released a proposal to build an underwater tunnel
to Taipei.

The move, which is part of Beijing's National Comprehensive Transportation
Network Plan, is drawing ridicule here in Taiwan - with critics saying
the plan is part of China's United Front strategy to push its claim that
Taiwan falls under its jurisdiction.

The plans outlines a proposed transportation link from China's
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regions across the Taiwan Strait to Taipei.

The Mainland Affairs Council says no government agency here in Taiwan was
consulted about the plan.

And council officials say the unilateral move shows that Beijing has no
intention of working with Taiwan to improve cross-strait relations.

Beijing has touted a underwater tunnel linking China and Taiwan several times
in recent years.

President Tsai Ing-wen has been named as one of the world's 24 extraordinary
women by the Bangkok Post - which is citing her leadership for containing the
coronavirus outbreak in Taiwan and her government's promotion of gender
equality.

The Bangkok Post praised the Tsai administration's quick response following
the coronavirus pandemic outbreak at the start of 2020.

In an article titled "Tsai's leadership makes its mark in Taiwan," the
newspaper attributed the successful containment to effective pandemic
protocols" that included "closing borders, imposing travel restrictions, and
setting up rigorous contact tracing and quarantine protocols."

The Bangkok Post also touted Tsai's popularity among young people for
legalizing same-sex marriage in 2019 and said that "many people in Taiwan
also se Tsai's presidency as a sign of the improving status of women in
Taiwan."

The Presidential Office says Tsai's inclusion as one of the world's 24
extraordinary women represents the achievement of the whole country and not
her alone.

And,

The Central Weather Bureau says the mercury in the north will drop to below
20 degrees over the coming couple of days due to the seasonal winds.

But central and southern of the island will be less affected by the weather
system will be less severe, with daytime highs in those areas hovering
between 26 and 29 degrees.

The northeasterly winds are forecast to begin weakening on Thursday and
Friday, when temperatures in the north are expected to rebound.

However, the mercury is forecast to drop again from Saturday and rain is
forecast for the north through the weekend and into early next week.

The TRA says some trains will face minor delays this month.

The Taiwan Railways Administration says, as the Taiwan Rail works to replace
older wooden turnouts on the train tracks with newer "PC-type" turnouts, five
different trains will face delays of 5 to 10 minutes each.

Delayed trains will include the 2264 local train from Chiayi to Keelung, the
1298 local train from Miaoli to Nangang, the 251 express from Hualien to
Shulin, the 152 express from Pintung to Qidu, and the 447 Puyouma express
from Taitung to Shulin.

Work on the tracks will begin on March 4th, and last until the end of the
month.

(TT)

Traffic is likely to be congested on most of Taiwan's freeways today.

The heaviest traffic is expected on Freeway No. 1 from Hsinchu to Jhubei,
Freeway No. 3 from Nantun to Houli and Guanxi to Daxi, and Freeway No. 6 from
Jiuzheng to Wufeng.

The northbound traffic between Toucheng and Pinglin on Freeway No. 5, which
links Nangang in Taipei and Su'ao in Yilan County, is expected remain
congested until 8 p.m..

Traffic is also likely to be heavy on other major freeways throughout the
country, until 9 PM tonight.

As part of traffic control measures, the Puyan Interchange on Freeway No. 1
will be closed to motorists for the entire day.

And vehicles carrying fewer than three people will not be allowed to enter
the freeway's northbound lanes from Su'ao to Toucheng on-ramps, between 2 PM
and 9 PM.

(TT)

The air quality in Taiwan dropped again today, and is expected to worsen
throughout the day, due to a lack of wind to disperse atmospheric pollutants.

The air quality is rated as moderate in northern Taiwan, and unhealthy for
sensitive groups in areas south of Taichung.

Tomorrow, northeasterly winds are expected to pick up again for a couple
days, which will bring moderate air quality to areas between Hsinchu and
Tainan.

Air in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County will improve slightly but remain
unhealthy for sensitive groups.

(TT)

Approaching seasonal northeasterly winds are expected to send the mercury
down 6-10 degrees Celsius in northern Taiwan tomorrow, according to
forecasters.

The Central Weather Bureau says Tuesday daytime temperatures are forecast to
fall below 20 degrees in northern parts of the country, about 6-7 degrees
lower than the previous day.

In central and southern Taiwan, the effects of the weather system will be
less severe, with daytime highs hovering around 26 and 29 degrees,
respectively.

The wind system will bring not only cool air, but also occasional showers in
northern and eastern parts of the country.

Tonight, temperatures are also expected to fall to 14-15 degrees in northern
Taiwan, 16 degrees in central Taiwan, and 18 degrees in the south.

(TT)

Taiwanese Eddie Wang has been officially recognized by the Federation
Internationale de Natation, as the holder of the junior world record in the
men's 200-meter butterfly short course.

F.I.N.A. officials are recognizing Wang's record of 1 minute, 49.89 seconds,
which he accomplished during the 2020 International Swimming League season,
in Budapest last November.

According to Wang's coach Huang Chih-yung, the 19-year old is the first
Taiwanese to gain F.I.N.A. recognition for a world swimming record.

The Taiwanese swimmer is still in training for the Tokyo Olympics, which is
only about four months away.

(TT)

The CECC is reporting no new coronavirus cases today.

The Central Epidemic Command Center says Taiwan's caseload remains at 955,
with 839 classified as imported.

(TT)

A Taiwanese student studying in Turkey has launched a mobile app, that can
help Muslims locate congregational prayers.

Cheng Ping, who grew up in a Muslim family and is currently studying at
Bilkent University in the Turkish capital, says Wahdapp is available through
both Google Play and Apple's App Store.

He says Wahda is an Arabic word that means unity, togetherness and similar
ideas, and hopes the app helps to bring Muslims together, since praying with
other people is more rewarding.

(TT)

The Taiwan HSR is adding two more northbound trains this afternoon.

High Speed Rail officials say, as today is the final day of the 228 holiday
weekend, tickets will be made available for two additional northbound trains
this afternoon and evening, to accomodate for travelers returning north.

The trains will be assigned-seating only, and will make stops at all stations
after departing from Zuoying Station in the south.

Train number 8816 will leave Zuoying Station at 2:10 PM, and arrive at
Nangang Station at 4:35, while train number 8862 will make the same trip from
7:10 PM to 9:35.

HSR officials are reminding passengers that face masks are still required,
and that eating and drinking are still prohibited on trains for the rest of
today, unless medical needs require otherwise.

(TT)

Orders have poured in from local businesses to purchase pineapples, after
China's announcement on Thursday that it will suspend imports of the fruit
from Taiwan from March 1st.

During a campaign by Premier Su Tseng-chang in Pingtung to encourage
pineapple purchases, PX Mart, one of Taiwan's largest retailers, pledged to
buy at least 10,000 metric tons of pineapples.

I-MEI Foods, Largan Precision Company, and pastry operators have also placed
orders to buy thousands of metric tons of pineapples.

Premier Su says the government will ensure pineapple prices in these deals
maintain at least the average price level of 21.3 NT per kilogram, seen from
2019 to 2020.

The ban on pineapple exports to China was announced by China's General
Administration of Customs, in response to what it said were various types of
mealy bugs found in several batches of fresh pineapples shipped from Taiwan
in 2020.

The move has been interpreted by some in Taiwan as directed at the governing
DPP.

(TT)

Taiwan's agricultural authorities say that a Chinese trade company's recent
suspension of one shipment of wax apples is an isolated case, and will have
no impact on cross-strait trade in the fruit.

The Liukuei Farmers' Association in Kaohsiung had said it received a
notification from its Chinese trade agent, suspending a shipment of wax
apples to China scheduled for next week.

The notification came just three days after Taiwan was notified of China's
decision to suspend imports of pineapples from the island, starting today.

Officials are reminding people that if Taiwan or China decides to suspend
trade in any particular agricultural produce, a bilateral agricultural trade
agreement stipulates that a notification should be sent to the other side
immediately.

And they say the COA has received no such notification.

Officials have also called on local media to conduct fact checking and
verification, before filing sensationalist reports.

(TT)

The CECC has reported just one new imported coronavirus case in the past 24
hours.

Taiwan on Sunday recorded one new imported case of COVID-19 from Poland,
bringing the total number of cases in the country to 955.

The patient is a Taiwanese man in his 20s, who went to study in Poland in
September last year, and returned to Taiwan on January 28th.

The man has not had symptoms of the disease so far, and two of his family
members are now under home quarantine, one of whom has tested negative for
COVID-19 and its antibodies, Chuang said.

To date, Taiwan has recorded 955 cases of COVID-19, 839 of which have been
classified as imported.

The company Hon Hai is touting its new electric car design.

Hon Hai has said it plans to build the platform into the, quote, "Android of
the electric car industry", as part of its efforts to diversify and enter the
global electric vehicle market.

The Chairman of Hon Hai has also disclosed that the MIH Open Platform pushed
by the company is expected to complete the design of itsfirst electric bus in
June, making its public debut in October.

Earlier this year, Hon Hai also announced it has teamed upwith Chinese
carmakers Byton and Geely, on the development of electric cars.

Hon Hai is the world's largest contract electronics maker, last year
announced a joint venture with the Yulon Group, one of the leading carmakers
in Taiwan.

And the MIHplatform was launched in October the same year.

Currently, more than 800 companies have joined the platform.

(TT)

A British woman who came to Taiwan to study, a fisherman from Indonesia, and
a Filipino woman in her 30s are Taiwan's latest imported COVID-19 cases.

The three new cases announced by Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center
today bring the total number of infections discovered in Taiwan since the
pandemic began to 954.

Health authorities say the British woman in her 20s traveled from the UK to
Taiwan Feb. 12, after having contracted COVID-19 in the UK on Jan. 8. After
supplying negative COVID-19 tests in February, she flew to Taiwan and
underwent quarantine. A COVID test on Feb. 25 confirmed she had the
infection.

The Indonesian fisherman, in his 20s, arrived in Taiwan on February 8. Health
officials said that after finishing quarantine, he went to work on a boat. On
February 25, he underwent a COVID-19 test, which proved to be positive.
Twenty-four people who came into contact with the Indonesian man were
required to undergo quarantine.

Meanwhile, the other COVID-19 case announced today involves a Filipino woman
who arrived in Taiwan on February 5. After initially testing negative for
COVID, she tested positive on Feb. 26.

Taiwan's Transitional Justice Commission says that trials of political cases
reached their peak in the 1950s and the late President Chiang Kai-shek
participated in more than 4,000 of them.

In an event showcasing the accomplishments of the Transitional Justice
Commission in establishing a database of politically motivated cases,
commission Chairwoman Yang Tsui said that a total of 13,268 cases have so far
been compiled in the database, which was launched on Feb. 26 last year.

Three former presidents were among the major decision makers in these
political cases -- Chiang Kai-shek, Yen Chia-kan and Chiang's son Chiang
Ching-kuo, according to the commission's data.

The data also shows that among those tried for political reasons during the
authoritarian regimes between 1949 and 1991, about 96 percent were male and
nearly 4 percent were female.

Fifty-five percent of those brought to trial were native-born Taiwanese,
while the rest were born in China. The youngest of the accused was just 11
years old, while the oldest was 84.


A total of 1,153 of the accused were sentenced to death, 169 were given life
imprisonment, 1,628 were sentenced to jail terms of more than 10 years but
less than 15 years and 1,498 were given more than five years but less than 10
years.

The Central Weather Bureau says most of Taiwan can expect sunny or cloudy
skies during the 228 Peace Memorial Day holiday, and only eastern Taiwan will
be likely to see occasional rainfall on Sunday and Monday, as seasonal
northeasterly winds weaken.

Despite the balmy weather in the next two days, the CWB forecast says fog is
likely in western Taiwan and the offshore Kinmen and Matsu islands, and will
affect visibility.

In addition, according to weather experts, central and southern Taiwan can
also expect to see fog as well as poor air quality.

The annual Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage, the largest religious procession in
Taiwan, will begin on April 9 and conclude on April 18, organizers announced
Friday.

The dates were set after Jenn Lann Temple Chairman Yen Ching-piao performed a
ritual to seek instructions from the sea goddess Matsu.

The procession will formally begin at 11:05 p.m. on April 9.

Given the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, which forced the temple to postpone the
annual event from March to June in 2020, the temple said disease prevention
measures similar to those introduced last year will be put in place again.

The measures include a livestream of the 340-kilometer journey from the
Taichung Temple to Fengtien Temple in Chiayi and back, which the temple
suggested worshipers should watch rather than taking part in person.

Organizers say that for those who do participate in all or part of the
journey, food and snacks prepared along the pilgrimage will be offered in
boxes so that people do not have to gather around a table to eat.

A total of 4.76 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine Taiwan has secured through
the global vaccine-sharing initiative COVAX are expected to become available
by April.

That, according Premier Su Tseng-chang.

Su said the vaccines will come from manufacturers such as Oxford University
and British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, as well as
Germany-based BioNTech (BNT).

He said the vaccine will be part of 20 million doses obtained by the
government so far -- which will include about 5 million doses from American
pharmaceutical company Moderna and 10 million more doses from AstraZeneca.

He added those are likely to become available in the second quarter of this
year.

In addition, a deal with U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German
biotech firm BNT is approaching completion, which could provide a further 5
million doses, according to a Cabinet report submitted to lawmakers.