Airports in Mazhu have been temporarily shut down due to poor visibility.

Both the Beigan and Nangan airports grounded flights due to low-lying clouds.

One flight from Taipei Songshan was forced to turn around because the runway
couldn't be seen.

Officials are watching conditions to see if afternoon flights will be
allowed.

Tourism operators say a new form of tourism is becoming more popular in
Taiwan.

According to KLOOK, more and more tourists are leaving group tours that visit
sites behind in favor of deeper experience-based trips where they do things.

KLOOK says tourism is transforming from the 'must-see' to the 'must-do',
including cultral experiences, cooking classes, and other hands-on
activities.

It says growth in this type of tourism doubled in 2019 compared to the year
before.

Younger independent tourists also prefer the flexibility of not having to
travel with a group, and not having to worry about whether other group
members would enjoy the experiences they want.

KKDAY says this kind of tourism is also encouraging foreign travelers to go
beyond Taipei and venture into central and southern Taiwan.

(EG)

China Airlines has canceled some of its roundtrip flights to Wuhan scheduled
for February.

The airline says, in light of the escalating outbreak of a new communicable
respiratory disease originating in the central Chinese city, flights between
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Wuhan will be canceled between Feb.
10-27.

Passengers already booked on those flights -- CI541 and CI542 -- will be
given assistance to change to other airlines, if they wish.

Meanwhile, the airline said it had issued a directive for its cabin crews to
wear surgical masks on flights between Taiwan and China, Hong Kong, and
Macau.

A similar step has been taken by EVA Airways.

The decision to cancel flights came before the Chinese government
announcement that it will suspend all travel out of Wuhan, starting at 10AM.

Beijing is supposed to announce when the measures will end later today.

Far Eastern Air Transport has been hit with another fine for failing to pay
its employees.

The Taipei City Department of Labor fined the airline 1.5 million NT for
breach of responsibility.

This follows an identical fine earlier this month for the airline's failure
to pay its 1 thousand employees their December salaries.

Labor officials say they will continue to monitor the situation to see if FAT
employees get their January pay.

(EG)

Resume Operations

The chairman of Far Eastern Air Transport is calling on the government to
clearly state the critiria for allowing the company to resume operations.

Zhang Wei-gang held a press conference with a potential investor's attorney
earlier today, saying that investors are willing to inject 3 billion NT into
his airline.

FAT abruptly suspended all flights on December 13th due to financial woes and
failed to pay employee salaries early this month.

Zhang today said his top priority was to take care of his firm's 1-thousand
employees and new investments will be first used toward their pay.

The attorney says the investors include well-known businessman Cai Meng-zhe
and others, who are highly interested in taking over F-A-T.

But they need assurances from transportation authorities that the airline's
license won't be revoked as they will have to wait at least six months for
the license to be reissued.

In response, the Transport Ministry says investors are welcome to apply for
investing in FAT but the Civil Aeronautics Administration still needs to
review the airline for safety before giving it the green light to resume
operations.

(JL)

TIER has raised its economic growth forecast for 2020.

The Taiwan Institute of Economic Research is upbeat about the effects of
returning overseas Taiwanese investment.

It is now predicting gross domestic product growth of 2.67 percent for the
year, up .22 percentage points from its November estimate.

TIER says the returning investment is not a spur of the moment decision, but
the result of thorough consideration.

It says no matter how the US-China trade dispute plays out, changes to the
global supply chain will persist.

TIER adds that Taiwan is positioning itself as a manufacturer of high-level
goods, and returning companies are all part of that industry.

(EG)

A Taichung company has been charged with illegally discharging wastewater.

The Taichung District Prosecutor's Office says Yuan-Tai's electroplating
plant is required to hire professional services to handle its wastewater.

Instead, the facility directly dumped wastewater contaminated with excessive
levels of chromium and nickel into sewers.

Investigators have determined the company had been disposing of wastewater
illegally since 2014, and cut down on $13.8-million NT in costs.

Yuan-tai's three owners have been charged with violating the Water Pollution
Prevention Law, the Waste Disposal Act, and Public Endangerment.

(NS)

With the spread of coronavirus in China, the Tourism Bureau has stopped all
tour groups heading to the province of Hubei.

Hubei's capital, Wuhan, is where the outbreak began.

Seven groups with 83 travelers that planned to leave within the next week
have been scrapped.

The Tourism Bureau has also stopped accepting tour groups originating there,
with 10 groups and 178 travelers affected.

Bureau officials are keeping a close eye on the health of Wuhan travelers who
have already arrived in Taiwan.

The government has issued a level-three travel warning for Wuhan, urging
people to avoid all unnecessary travel.

On whether all flights to and from Wuhan will be suspended, transport
minister Lin Chia-lung says they are still evaluating that idea, as it would
affect people's ability to get home for the lunar new year holiday.

Checks on arriving passengers are being strengthened to see if they have
coronavirus symptoms.

(EG)

President Tsai Ing-wen is calling on China to be more up front with
information about the new coronavirus.

Tsai says Beijing must fulfil its international obligations and publicize
what it knows about the disease, which started in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

She adds that China should share its data with Taiwan as well.

Tsai also says that the World Health Organization should not exclude Taiwan
for political reasons, and must allow the country to be a participant in
global prevention efforts.

Taiwan has confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus.

Tsai is calling on any citizens with coughs or other chronic conditions, or
those heading to hospitals and clinics, to wear facemasks.

She also says there are plenty of masks available, and there is no need to
hoard them.

Tsai stresses that there is no need to panic, and people should enjoy their
Lunar New Year holidays as normal.

(EG)

With the country's first confirmed case of Wuhan coronavirus, Taichung city
has activated its second-level epidemic response center.

The center is headed by mayor Lu Shiow-yen, and aims to keep the city free of
the disease, especially with people returning for the Lunar New Year Holiday
and with the national lantern festival being held in Taichung this year.

The center brings together the heads of the city's various bureaus as well as
hospitals and clinics within the city.

Lu is calling for the strictest standards to be enfored, saying it is better
to be safe than sorry.

Taichung has 15 hospitals with quarantine facilities, with 95 quarantine beds
available.

Those facilities are prepped and on standby for any potential patients.

Two Taichung residents had previously been suspected of coronavirus
infection, but have since been cleared.

(EG)

A Wall Street Journal report says Taiwan's first case of the coronavirus
spreading in China highlights the danger of Beijing's attempts to block
Taiwan from the W-H-O.

The report cites international experts and Taiwan officials as saying that
such moves get in the way of an effective global response to public-health
crises.

Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said in an interview with the US publication last
month, that "excluding Taiwan is not right", and creates "a loophole in the
international fight against epidemics".

Wu warned that such actions will affect the rest of the world.

The Wall Street Journal report also drew parallels to the SARS outbreak in
2002, with Taiwan officials and medical experts saying they were unable to
access vital information in a timely manner.

(NS)

After being interrogated by prosecutors, Yang Wen-hu was detained by the
Taipei District Prosecutor's Office this morning.

The former head of New Site Industries fled to the U-S with his wife, Wang
Jing-yu, after being charged with receiving fraudulant bank loans totalling
more than 38.6 billion NT.

Yesterday, Yang was escorted to Taiwan by two U-S Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agents.

According to the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office, since August, 1999, the
couple created fraudulent transaction records, fund transfers and investment
schemes to deceive 9 banks into issuing them loans totaling 38.6-billion N-T

The two fled abroad in June last year, and last August, the Taipei District
Prosecutor's Office released an international warrent for their arrest.

On January 9th, the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office charged 36 people in
relation with the case, including the couple, for violating banking laws, and
are seeking to sentence them to 30 years in prison.

(SF)

A man was found dead from drowning at 7am this morning at Flowing Lake,
Taitung.

The deceased was a 70 year old man.

The man was discovered by early morning swimmers who saw him floating in the
man-made lake.

The Taitung County Fire Department said that by the time the ambulance crew
pulled the man from the water, he had already been dead for some time.

The case has since been referred to the police.

And police say that the man was very well dressed and no other items were
found nearby.

Further investigation is needed to identify the man and the cause of the
drowning.


(SF)

Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen is slamming the Environmental Protection
Administration's approval for Tai-Power to build and install two new natural
gas-fired generators at its power plant in the city.

The E-P-A approved an environmental impact assessment for the new generators
on Monday.

That decision has sparked criticism not only from the Taichung mayor, but
also from county magistrates in Changhua, Nantou and Miaoli.

According to Lu, the E-P-A's decision means Tai-Power will not only be
allowed to build new generators, but also continue to operate the 10
coal-fired generators at the Taichung Power Plant.

Lu is likening the E-P-A move as a "nightmare scenario" and says her
administration "will not accept it."

And the Taichung mayor is also accusing the central government of continuing
to have no concern for public opinion on the matter.

Representatives from Taichung, Changhua and Nantou are calling on Tai-Power
to remove four coal-fired generators at the power plant before the two new
natural-gas fired generators are built.

And ......

The Ministry of Transport is warning that freeway traffic is likely to
pick-up later today, as people begin their Lunar New Year holiday.

And the government has released its traffic control plans for the holiday.

According to the transport ministry, it expects traffic on the island's
freeways to peak between January 26 and 28 -- the fourth and sixth days of
the new year holiday -- when more people will be traveling or returning to
work.

The ministry will be waiving tolls on the island's freeways from tomorrow
through January 29 and a high-occupancy vehicle scheme will be implemented
along sections of freeways No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5.

The Taiwan Railways Administration will be operating an additional 279
services over the holiday.

While the High Speed Rail is adding 386 services over the Lunar New Year
period.

Both the T-R-A and the High-Speed Rail say the highest single-day passenger
volume will be next Monday.

The T-R-A is forecasting over 900,000 passengers on that day while the
High-Speed Rail says it's likely to carry over 300,000 passengers next
Monday.

In news from and about Taiwan this morning ....

Premier Su Tseng-chang is calling on the public to remain calm following
confirmation of Taiwan's first case of of the 2019-coronavirus.

According to the Premier, the government has 44-million surgical masks and
1.93-million N-95 particulate respirator masks that will be released onto the
market if necessary.

Su says the public should not hoard masks and the newly established
coronavirus epidemic response command center will be closely monitoring the
situation during the Lunar New Year holiday.

The call comes after health authorities announced that a Taiwanese woman who
works in the Chinese city of Wuhan has been placed in quarantine after
testing positive for the 2019-coronavirus.

The woman reported having a fever to quarantine officials on arriving at
Taoyuan International Airport on Monday.

The Centers for Disease Control has now raised its travel alert for Wuhan to
the highest level in its three-tier advisory system.

The C-D-C is also advising people who have visited Wuhan to inform medical
specialists of their travel history by calling the communicable disease
reporting hotline if they develop symptoms such as fever or breathing
problems within 14 days of returning to Taiwan.

People who have pneumonia-like symptoms and have been to China but fail to
report their conditions to related health authorities face a fine of up to
150,000 N-T for violating the Communicable Disease Control Act.

President Tsai Ing-wen says she could consider meeting with Chinese President
Xi Jin-ping as long as the two met on an equal footing.

Speaking in an interview with SET News, Tsai said such a meeting would be
possible based the four principles she believes are needed to stabilize the
relationship across the Taiwan Strait.

Tsai's four principles are "peace," "parity," "democracy" and "dialogue."

According to Tsai, her administration hopes cross-strait interactions will
take place based on such a foundation and will also consider any form of
interaction with Beijing based on those principles.

Beijing has responded to Tsai's four principles by reiterating its advocacy
of the "1992 consensus."

However, Tsai says she still hopes Beijing will listen to Taiwanese voters,
who signaled in the January 11 election that they cannot accept China's 'one
country, two systems' formula and that Beijing will pay more attention to
that when considering its Taiwan policies.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau has taken one of the leading suspects in
the New Site Industries fraud case into custody.

The company's former head, Yang Wen-hu, was arrested after arriving at
Taoyuan International Airport Tuesday afternoon.

Yang arrived back in Taiwan on a flight from Los Angeles escorted by two U-S
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after being detained by American
authorities.

Officials say Yang's repatriation to Taiwan is part of ongoing judicial
cooperation between Taiwan and the United States.

Yang and his wife, Wang Yin-zhi, fled to the U-S in June of last year.

According to the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office, the couple created
fraudulent transaction records, fund transfers and investment schemes to
deceive 14 banks into issuing them loans totaling 8.2-billion N-T

Prosecutors say they are seeking 30-year jail terms for both Yang and his
wife.

The Taiwan High Court has upheld a life sentence against the man convicted of
the brutal March 2016 killing of a three-year-old girl in Taipei's Neihu
District.

High Court spokesperson Wang Ping-hsia says although Wang Jing-yu was
diagnosed with schizophrenia, doctors determined that at the time of the
attack, that he was cognitively normal and able to control himself.

According to the spokesperson, the High Court saw no reason to reduce the
life sentence imposed by a lower court -- citing Article 19 of the Criminal
Code that lists mental illness as possible grounds for a commuted sentence.

However, the court decided against imposing the death sentence because it
concluded that Wang's schizophrenic condition could improve with the right
treatment, which would reduce the chances of him committing a similar crime
in the future.

That ruling was based on testimony from medical experts, who said Wang is
believed to have committed the crime while suffering hallucinations caused by
his schizophrenia.

The High Court ruling can be appealed.

The Centers for Disease Control says nine people died of seasonal flu last
week.

The latest influenza related fatalities bring the death toll since October 1
of last year to 43.

According to the C-D-C, a total of 115,527 people sought medical treatment
for flu-like symptoms at hospitals and clinics around the island last week -
a decline of 7.9-per cent from the previous week.

Health officials say of those patients, 93 were found to be suffering from
flu with severe complications, bringing the total number of such cases to 710
since the start of the flu season.

And the C-D-C says 99-per cent of the 710 patients had not received the flu
vaccine.

The Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems says the first section of
the Circular Line will officially begin operations on January 31.

A formal opening ceremony will be held at the Shi-Si-Zhang Station at 10AM on
that day.

And transit officials say the ceremony will be jointly hosted by Taipei Mayor
Ko Wen-je and New Taipei Hou Yu-ih.

Services will begin formally at 2PM on January 31 and will be free for one
month.

The first section of the new 15.4 kilometer line runs from Da-Ping-Lin to the
New Taipei Industrial Park through Xindian, Zhonghe, Banqiao and Xinzhuang.

The first section of the new Circular Line is the second automated line in
the M-R-T system, after the Wenhu Line, and will be served by 17
medium-capacity trains made by Hitachi Rail Italy.

The trains each have four cars and a capacity of 650 passengers.

And finally ......

Former President Ma Ying-jeou has posted a video on his Facebook page, in
which he's seen on a scooter delivering food and his souvenir couplets to
people ahead of the Lunar New Year.

According to the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, the video was produced as a joke
and is meant to be a humorous way for the former president to personally
extend his Lunar New year wishes to people.

However, the foundation says the food delivery service was real and Ma took
orders as they came in and made the deliveries.

The foundation has not said which food delivery service Ma was working for on
the day the video was recorded and the carrier bags he used did not show the
name of any company either.

Ma appeared as a clerk at a Taipei bookstore in 2019, in a similar Lunar New
Year video message.

With the novel coronavirus spreading fast in the mainland, checks will be
stepped up at Taiwan's points of entry.

Transport Minister Lin Chia-lung says his ministry is working together with
the coronovirus emergency command center to strengthen inspections at
airports and harbors.

They're also cooperating with tourism operators to set up reporting systems.

He adds the ministry will be closely monitoring the coronavirus situation and
increase travel warnings for affected areas if necessary.

Meanwhile, disease prevention experts are offering recommendations to avoid
infection.

Officials with the Linkou Chang Gung memorial hospital suggest avoiding
travel to China and especially to Wuhan, where the disease originated.

They say when going to crowded areas to wear a face mask, and to wash your
hands thoroughly.

They say not to touch your face or eyes before washing.

(EG)

The CDC says Taiwan is still squarely in the peak season for the flu.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, last week 9 people, 6
with chronic illnesses and all aged 40 to 79, died from the H1N1 strain of
the virus.

Taiwan last week also confirmed 93 new cases of severely complicated flu.

However, the CDC says the worst for this year is over, and the latest numbers
show the first indications that the peak season is slowing down.

The CDC adds people should continue to be careful when going out and to avoid
crowded or poorly-ventilated public places as well as maintain good hygiene
and wear face masks.

(PB)

Lunar New Year traffic is expected to be heavy on Taiwan's train systems.

Both the Taiwan Railways Administration and the High Speed Rail predict the
heaviest passenger loads next Monday.

The TRA expects to handle over 900 thousand passengers that day.

The HSR did not give a passenger prediction for the day, but says they are
expecting 9 percent more passengers throughout the holiday compared to last
year.

(EG)

Premier Su Tseng-chang is promising to keep traffic flowing during the Lunar
New Year holiday.

Su visited the Freeway Bureau's control center, impressing on the staff the
importance of smooth travel during the peak travel season.

He says traffic officials need to have plans in place to make sure that
people can get back home for the holiday quickly and safely.

He stresses that if accidents do occur, responders need to clear them within
20 minutes to get traffic flowing again.

Su praised Taiwan's transport network as one of the best in the world, saying
that as long as drivers follow the rules, everything should be fine.

(EG)

Miaoli county is making sure flu patients will be taken care of during the
Lunar New Year holiday.

With the break just around the corner, county health officials have partnered
with local hospitals and health centers to set up 130 holiday flu clinics.

The clinics are all over the county to make sure people who catch the flu
during the peak season can get help despite the holiday.

Health officials are urging residents to be on guard for any respiratory
issues, and to seek medical attention instead of trying to get better on
their own.

Information about the clinics is available through the county's health bureau
website or through their disease prevention hotline.

(EG)

The elections maybe over, but that doesn't mean fake news has stopped.

The Centers for Disease Control is urging people not to spread unfounded
reports about the new coronovirus coming out of China's Wuhan.

The CDC stresses that Taiwan has yet to see a confirmed case of the disease.

The statement follows reports that a case had been confirmed in Hsinchu.

The CDC says an emergency response center for the coronavirus outbreak has
been established, and any announcements of confirmed infections will come
from there.

It warns against spreading any unverified information, as this could violate
public safety laws.

(EG)

The Tainan City government says its school bathroom renovation program is
making good progress.

Officials say since the project began in 2014, the city government has been
updating school bathroom facilities that are over 20 years old.

They estimate that a total of 344 schools will have fully renovated bathroom
facilities by the end of this year.

The program is expected to cost the city government $548-million NT.

(NS)

The new MRT Circular Line will open before the end of the month.

The Taipei and New Taipei mayors have agreed that the line will begin
official operations on January 31st.

The line is already operating on a trial basis, open from 10 AM to 4 PM each
day.

Each train on the circular line has four cars, with total passenger capacity
of 650.

Every train will have luggage racks as well for people transferring to the
airport MRT.

With the new line, the Taipei MRT network will span 152 kilometers and 131
stations.

(EG)

Another suspected novel coronavirus case has been recorded.

A Hualien woman returning from China's Wuhan reported running a fever.

While the fever has subsided, Hualien health authorities still took her to
hospital for further testing.

She is being held in quarantine as they determine whether she has the novel
coronavirus.

Hualien officials say they will make an announcement when the test results
are ready.

(EG)

Following the KMT's massive defeat in the presidential and legislative
elections, the mayor of Taipei says the party needs to think carefully about
its next step.

Ko Wen-je says repeating past failures is not the path to success, and he
says the party shouldn't be so focused on the age of its members as to how
they think.

He was referring to comments by the party's acting chair, Lin Rong-de, who
called for all members of the KMT central standing committee over 60 to leave
their positions.

Ko says there needs to be innovation in the party, and, referencing the DPP's
2008 loss, says if they hadn't pivoted to now President Tsai Ing-wen to
become party chair, the DPP wouldn't have recovered as quickly as they did.

After the defeat of the KMT in the January 11th elections, party chair Wu
Den-yih stepped down and other factions in the party have called for reforms.

There are currently three people who have expressed an interest in running
for the position of KMT chair, with the most recent contender being former
vice-chair Hao Lung-bin.

(PB)

Taiwan shares made modest gains today, as markets in Asia were mostly
depressed, adding 28 points to 12,119.

The total turnover was $113.7 billion NT.

The Centers for Disease Control has announced stricter measures for all
passengers arriving from China.

According to the CDC, regardless of nationality, all people found to have
pneumonia arriving to Taiwan from across the strait will be quarantined.

The increased measures come on the heels of China's recent announcement of a
spike in cases of people with the Wuhan coronavirus, with over 200 cases now
confirmed around the world.

The CDC says the new rules only apply to people arriving from China, Hong
Kong, and Macao, adding similar measures have been taken in the past during
outbreaks of the flu.

Taiwan has also since formed a central communicative disease epidemic command
center.

(PB)

Thursday is the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday and highway officials
are reminding people of high-occupancy restrictions.

On the first, second and third day of the Lunar New Year, that's Saturday,
Sunday and Monday, only vehicles with three people on board, including the
driver, will be allowed on the southbound lanes of number 5 freeway between 7
AM and noontime.

The same restrictions will be in place Monday and Tuesday afternoon on
northbound lanes for the number 1 and number 3 highways and from 2 PM to 9 PM
on northbound lanes for the number 5 highway as well.

On Wednesday, the last day of the holiday period, high-occupancy rules will
only apply to highway number 5 from Yilan to Taipei between 2 and 9 PM.

Several on-ramps for northbound lanes of the number 1 and 3 highways will be
closed during the four days of the holiday period and officials are urging
drivers to check information from the highway bureau for details.

(JL)

A former Japanese representative to Taiwan is urging Tokyo to support
Taiwan's admission into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for
Trans-Pacific Partnership.

According to Tadashi Ikeda, a former chief representative of the Interchange
Association's Taipei Office, Taiwan is fully eligible to become a member due
its economic scale and geopolitical importance in the Taiwan Strait.

The free trade agreement is between Canada and 10 other countries in the
Asia-Pacific region.

And it arose after U-S President Donald Trump pulled America out of its
predecessor, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, soon after he took office in
January 2017.

Deputy Foreign Minister Hsu Si-jien has held talks with Marshall Islands
President David Kabua.

The talks took place after Hsu attended Kabua's inauguration ceremony - at
which he reaffirmed the two country's shared values and desire to deepen
bilateral relations.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kabua's inauguration was
attended by more than 300 foreign and local dignitaries, and Hsu conveyed
Taiwan's congratulations to the Marshall Islands' new leader.

Kabua has pledged his support for continuing diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

In news from and about Taiwan this morning ......

The government has established an epidemic response command center to contain
the spread of the new type of coronavirus that has been reported in China and
other parts of Asia.

The center is being headed by Centers for Disease Control Director-General
Zhou Zhi-hao.

And according to Zhou, the center will be working to step up the island's
ability to respond to the 2019-coronavirus outbreak and to foster cooperation
among government agencies to fight the disease.

Zhou says the center is also responsible for coordinating epidemic
prevention resources, such as face masks, and the government has a supply of
44-million basic surgical masks and 1.9-million N-95 masks, more than enough
to meet demand so far.

At least five hospitals will be equipped with screening kits for the
2019-coronavirus by tomorrow and there are more than 1,000 beds in
negative-pressure isolation wards for use by patients who have, or are
suspected of having the disease.

China has confirmed 198 of the 205 global cases of the virus -- with health
authorities there reporting three deaths so far.

Thirty-five over patients in China are in critical condition.

Cases of the virus have also been reported in Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

Health checks at the island's airports are being stepped-up ahead of the
Lunar New Year holiday and authorities say airport screenings are being
intensified to cover all passengers arriving from China.

The Environmental Protection Administration has approved an environmental
impact assessment for the construction of two new natural gas-fired
generators at the Taichung Power Plant.

Tai-Power says the the new units will increase the plant's electricity
generating capacity under certain conditions.

According to Tai-Power, the new generators will replace coal-fired ones, will
have an installed capacity totaling 2.6-million kilowatt and be built within
existing land owned by the company, to avoid any environmental impact.

Environmental groups remain critical of the project, and are criticizing the
power plant for failing to reduce its coal-powered generators - arguing that
without doing that, the new generators will simply be "an expansion of the
power plant."

Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen is also questioning the Environmental Protection
Administration's approval of the new natural gas-fired generators -
describing the move as being "totally unacceptable."

The Taichung City government is now set to lodge a formal protest against the
project.

Former Premier Yu Shyi-kun is being tipped to replace Su Jia-chyuan as the
next Legislative Speaker.

Yu is expected to confirmed as the speaker when lawmakers elect a new speaker
and deputy speaker on February 1 - the opening day of the next legislative
session.

Yu was ranked first on the D-P-P's legislator-at-large party list and current
vice speaker, Tsai Chi-chang, is likely to retain to his role and serve as
Yu's deputy.

According to the D-P-P, Yu is fully qualified to serve as Legislative
Speaker, due to his previous posts as Premier, Vice Premier, Yilan County
magistrate and D-P-P chairman.

Current Legislative Speaker, Su Jia-chyuan, says he respects any decision by
President Tsai Ing-wen to replace him.

Su has served at Legislative Speaker since February 1, 2016.

A proposal by acting K-M-T Chairman Lin Rong-te for members of the party's
Central Standing Committee older than 60 to resign is drawing criticism from
some members who argue the body should consist of people of all ages.

Lin is set to submit the plan during a meeting of the K-M-T's Central
Standing Committee tomorrow.

According to Lin, he hopes that after older members resign, 80 to 90-per cent
of the party's new committee will consist of directly-elected K-M-T mayors,
magistrates, councilors and lawmakers to better reflect public opinion.

Lin is 83-years-old and has said he will also resign.

However, the proposal is being questioned by some older K-M-T members.

With 67-year-old former K-M-T lawmaker and senior Central Standing Committee
member Lu Hsueh-chang arguing that the party's charter does not set age
limits for Committee members.

The K-M-T is scheduled to elect new Central Standing Committee members on
March 7.

And in related news .....

Former Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin says he plans to run for the post of K-M-T
chairman.

Hau annouced his plans to contest the party's leadership race in a Facebook
post.

According to the former Taipei mayor, he will change the party's constitution
if elected to lead the K-M-T so that popularly elected officials will be
guaranteed seats in the party's decision-making bodies.

Hau says he'll ensure that younger party members be promoted to key
leadership roles and he'll also establish a new cross-strait policy which
will be based on the result of dialogue, discussion and debate within the
K-M-T.

Hau is the third person to announce his candidacy in the K-M-T's chairmanship
race.

National Taiwan University Professor Chang Ya-chong and Blue Sky Action
Alliance Chairman Wu Zhi-chang have also said they will vie for the
leadership post.

The K-M-T is scheduled to elect a new chairperson on March 7.

Lawmakers have passed the central government budget for 2020.

The final agreed on budget projects a surplus of roughly 30-billion N-T, or
about 1.4-per cent of total spending.

Lawmakers cut the Cabinet's proposed expenditure by 1.17-per cent to
2.077-trillion N-T and added 4.76-billion N-T to the revenue projected by the
government to bring total budgeted revenue to 2.107-trillion N-T.

Lawmakers had failed to finish reviewing the proposals before the end of
their regular session in December, and an extraordinary legislative session
was held starting on January 14 to complete the review of the proposals, 39
of which ended up being passed.

A proposal by the K-M-T to cut or freeze budgets for the Ill-gotten Party
Assets Settlement Committee and the Transitional Justice Commission failed to
pass.

And lawmakers from the K-M-T, People First Party and New Power Party also
attempted to cut and freeze the budget for the new national electronic
identification card system, but that proposals also failed.

The Taiwan Action Party Alliance has announced its disbanding after failing
to secure any seats in the January 11 legislative election.

The party was established in August of last year and former President Chen
Shui-bian had been serving as its spiritual leader.

The party announced that its disbanding on its Facebook page after Chen
declared that he is withdrawal from politics following the party's defeat at
the election.

Chen had said he believed the Taiwan Action Party Alliance could secure one
million votes in the election and win at least three seats or surpass the
5-per cent threshold required for legislator-at-large seats.

However, the party secured a mere 1.02 percent of the vote in the legislative
election.

According to the party officials, its assets will be disposed of and party
fees or political donations no longer be collected.

The Dong-Shih Forest District Office says a forest fire that broke out in the
mountainous area of Li-Shan in Taichung this past weekend has now been
brought under control.

Officials say an estimated three hectares of forest land was burned in the
fire.

And efforts on managing residual flames are still ongoing.

The fire broke out early Sunday morning in a area of Chia-Yang forest about
1,600 meters above sea level.

Over 70 firefighters were deployed to the affected area and they were
supported by National Airborne Service Corps Black Hawk firefighting
helicopters.

Firefighters on the ground initially had problems battling the blaze due to
steep cliffs hampering access to the area and a limited water supply.

However, the Dong-Shih Forest District Office says joint firefighting efforts
on the ground and in the air eventually brought the blaze under control.

And finally .....

Four of offshore island airports are slated to be redesigned by Japanese
architect No-ri-hiko Dan.

According to Civil Aeronautics Administration Director-General Lin Guo-xian,
Dan will start planning and design work for Chi-Mei Airport and Wa-Nan
Airport on Penghu, Green Island Airport and Orchid Island Airport later this
year.

Lin says Dan will be incorporating the Ministry of Transports' idea of
"injecting design aesthetics into public infrastructure" in his designs.

The Japanese architect was responsible for renovating Terminal 1 at Taoyuan
International Airport.

And the Civil Aeronautics Administration director-general says he will be
incorporating local characteristics into work on the four offshore island
airports to make them into local tourist gateways.

Work on all four airports is slated to begin next year.