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http://rt.com/news/175008-taiwan-plane-crash-transasia/ Bad bad year for aviation. Online news are reporting of deaths in the figures of 40 to 51.

Kid to be hung! REspect the parents for making that decision Taiwan student who went on subway stabbing spree to face firing squad The Star / Asia News Network July 2014 Taiwanese prosecutors on Monday said they were seeking the death penalty for a man accused of killing four people and wounding nearly two dozen others in a stabbing spree on the Taipei subway that shocked the island. Cheng Chieh, a 21-year-old college student, was charged with four accounts of murder and 22 accounts of attempted murder for the fatal attack on May 21, the first of its kind on the city's subway system since it began operating in 1996. "The accused's actions fit the definition of mass murders, his means were ruthless and inhuman, and caused irreparable harm to the victims and their families. We demand the court sentence him to death," prosecutors said in a statement. The incident shocked Taiwan, otherwise proud of its low levels of violent crime, and resulted in several minor injuries as edgy commuters fled trains over false alarms in the following week. Cheng's parents had asked for him to be sentenced to death to help ease the pain inflicted on the victims and their families, calling their son's actions "unforgivable", reports The Star. Executions are carried out in Taiwan by a single shot to the heart from the back - or, if the prisoner agrees to donate his organs, a bullet to the back of the head. Prosecutors said psychological evaluations have shown that Cheng was not in a state of mental disorder when he committed the crime, and that he is fit to stand trial. They described him as "anti-society, narcissistic, immature and pessimistic". In elementary school, he vowed to "kill people in revenge" after having trouble with classmates, they said. Local media said he had been obsessed with online killing games and had written horror stories since high school. Cheng's parents spoke to reporters on May 27 at the subway station outside Taipei where the killings took place. " Although he is our child, the crime he committed is unforgivable," Cheng's sobbing father said. "I think he should be sentenced to death... he should face it himself. Only by so doing may the pains inflicted on the victims and the wounded and their families be slightly eased." He urged judges to pass sentence on his son as soon as possible. "We hope Cheng Chieh can act in a correct manner during his next life," he added. Security has been strengthened on the metro, which transports around 1.85 million people a day. The Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation is seeking a compensation of Tw$20.61 million ($687,000) from Cheng for operational losses after it lost around 945,000 passengers in the 10 days following the attack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laosDHmvEBs Taiwan students very free arhh? But it seems they are quite well organised an pretty concerned with how the country is being run.

Dear fellow bros, I would like to find out wat r the must visits in kaoshiung and Izit possible to do a 2day one night over there? Many thanks

Hello guys, im planning to go taiwan from 23 to 29 April. Anyone got any lobang for driver? Need it to chauffeur my group of 5 pax

KNNBCCB! Guys, please check your credit card transaction! Log in today and found out that Neweb Technologies charged my credit card 4 times (each time S$49)! Called to block the card and get dispute form. Never got any SMS from POSB also. FYI only.

Dian Xiao Er's duck chef Li Xue Liang, 27, removes the herbal roasted ducks from the over and displays them at the shop window. If you regularly order goose at Chinese restaurants, you may have noticed a difference in the way it tastes these days. If you regularly order goose at Chinese restaurants, you may have noticed a difference in the way it tastes these days. One reason is that the bulk of Singapore's frozen goose now comes from Hungary, after Taiwan was banned as a source because of bird flu. Taiwan was the biggest source of the delicacy in 2009, when imports from there made up 55 per cent of all frozen geese brought here. But imports were suspended in March 2011 due to "detection of Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI) H5N2", said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA). Subsequent outbreaks there mean that the ban has not been lifted, the AVA added. This has forced importers and restaurants here to look to Hungary. Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/hungary-now-singapores-main-goose-source-20140120

Any bros watching this interesting series? The Mandarin title is 台灣菁英戰士：陸戰蛙人 Intro from a website http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/international/20131019/35375522/ : Almost everyone everywhere has heard of the US Navy SEALs. This elite military force is trained to handle all kinds of situations at sea, in the air, and on land. Now, the world is going to find out about Taiwan’s elite warriors, the ARP Frogmen. As one of the toughest special forces in the ROC Marine Corps, the Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Group is made up of the best of the best. Only those that pass all 22 sessions can go on to become frogmen. To see who has what it takes, don’t miss Taiwan’s Elite Warriors: ARP Frogmen on National Geographic Channel. My take: It is raw and very similar to our normal trainings though it is much tougher since they are to be trained as special forces operators. The similar part is the shoutings i.e. f**kings, "tekan-ing" and of-course the "keng-ing" we all experienced one way or another during our very own NS . But if you are into Every Singaporean Son-type of controlled, well, sanitised series mainly for ladies or for those who have never served then this show is not for you . Go watch it on Tuesdays at 9pm. (In Mandarin but with England subtitles)

因掏空某科技公司3000多万元新台币(折合人民币约606万元),台湾综艺天王吴宗宪日前被判刑。据台湾 媒体昨日报道,因吴宗宪认罪并与投资人保护中心达成和解,台北地院依违反《证券交易法》等罪判吴宗宪徒刑1 年零10个月,缓刑3年,罚款300万元新台币(折合人民币约60万元)。 　　据悉,因投资LED节能产业亏损连连,吴宗宪与上柜公司联明行动科技董座许丰扬勾结,利用假交易共同掏 空联明3250万元(新台币,下同)资产,去年被起诉。在此前接受媒体采访时,吴宗宪还曾信誓旦旦地表示绝 无掏空,“我不会弄假合约,不可能犯罪。” 　　本报综合报道 　　一度嘴硬 “若犯罪就退出艺能界” 　　是非众多 今年5月也曾被告诈骗 　　作为台湾娱乐圈的大佬,吴宗宪隐退之后的“转型”可谓艰难。自2006年起,吴宗宪开始痴迷于LED事 业,几乎将所有收入都扔进了阿尔发光子科技公司。可惜事与愿违,随着欧洲及美国的经济持续下滑,台湾电子产 业迎来冬天,2010年下半年阿尔发公司陷入财务危机。 　　2011年11月,财务困难的吴宗宪承认,已以4亿元台币(约8448万元人民币)的价钱卖掉自己在台 北信义区的挹翠山庄豪宅,净亏1亿多元。同时,他还将妻子一块价值3000万元台币(约633万元人民币) 的翡翠卖掉套现。台湾媒体指出,吴宗宪是因LED公司经营不善,才无奈变卖房产以求流动资金。对此,吴宗宪 拒不承认。 　　2013年5月,吴宗宪卷入官司麻烦。台北地检署收到控诉,指吴宗宪和朋友合伙投资大陆表演活动,但合 约内容疑涉诈骗行为,因此传唤吴宗宪出庭说明。吴宗宪表示,这件事是合约上的小纠纷,“和原告是老朋友,大 家开诚布公讲清楚就好了。” 　　不过,2011年7月接受台北警方侦讯后,吴宗宪曾经一度理直气壮,笑对媒体称自己是来作证,并不是被 告,“我不会弄假合约,宗宪可能犯错,但不可能犯罪,你可以欺骗自己,但不能欺骗你的衣食父母。”他还眼泛 泪光发誓:“若有犯罪,一定退出艺能界!” 　　但2012年3月,检警依据资金流向等具体事证,认定他和许丰扬等10人连手掏空联明行动科技公司资产 ,一并起诉,并求处许丰扬15年重刑,吴宗宪因并非主谋,未被求重刑。 　　此前声明“若犯罪必退出艺能界”的吴宗宪,此后十分低调,只字不言退出,“没有做的事也不用去担心,检 察官有检察官的认知,或许跟我们有落差,就让法律去还原真相,其它的就交由律师去处理。” 　　而今年1月16日,吴宗宪到台北地院出庭,再度强调绝无掏空,没有认罪,还说自己好得很,希望记者不要 乱写。此案全天开庭,吴宗宪叹气说,“我LED做得很好,工作也很忙,昨天才从北京回来,真是浪费我时间。 ” 　　事情原委 与友人假交易真借贷 　　据台湾苹果日报消息,吴宗宪是在去年被正式起诉的,而当时起诉的罪名是《证券交易法》业务侵占,最重可 处10年徒刑。时隔一年,最终的判决结果是徒刑1年零10个月,缓刑3年。 　　事实上,距离案情最初曝光已有两年时间。2011年,联明行动科技爆发“掏空案”,该公司前董事长许丰 扬涉嫌以挪用、借贷、投资、操纵股价、虚增营收或虚伪增资美化财报等手法,挪用公司资金近亿元新台币,其中 有6000万被查出来于2009年1月流向吴宗宪的LED节能产业阿尔发公司账户。 　　据悉,吴宗宪因为年轻时爱玩音乐,进而与许丰扬成为朋友。虽然表面看上去是联明行动科技公司向阿尔发公 司购买LED产品,但检调方认为这笔账很可疑。 　　2011年7月13日,吴宗宪遭台北检署约谈,因其涉嫌“假交易、真借贷”,违反商业会计法。吴宗宪在 调查时也坦承:“当时联明行动科技用6000万本票向我购买LED灯,但后来因产能不足,3月就取消合作。 事后我退还了3600万现金,剩余的2400万还没有归还。” http://news.sohu.com/20131228/n392552860.shtml

http://therealsingapore.com/content/singap...ans-national-tv Singaporean shamed on Taiwan National TV

after pissing off HK 3 years ago, the pinoys have decided to piss off TW this time anyway you dun fire more than 50 rounds if you are self defending yourself, against a fishing boat somemore this is already an aggression that can lead to war

0'02 Police still wear short shorts there

There are often times when people start to feel sleepy when driving. When this is the case, I strongly recommend these people pull over instead of continuing driving. When people get sleepy and they keep on driving, a lot of bad things can happen. In Taiwan, for example, a family known as the Kangs got involved in a car crash while taking a relaxing drive on the city road. However, that

Was listening to the radio, Class95 this morning and they were talking abt this survivor of the jet crashed in 2007. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/arch...5/12/2003360493 Fighter crash kills crew, Singaporeans FLIGHT MISHAP An air force fighter plunged into a building housing military personnel from Singapore, killing a total of four people and injuring several others, some severely By Jimmy Chuang / STAFF REPORTER An Air Force fighter jet crashed into a military complex at a base in northern Taiwan yesterday, killing its two crew members and two Singaporean military personnel. Nine Singaporeans were also injured, two critically, when the two-seat F-5F Tiger fighter jet slammed into a building housing the Singaporean personnel, partially destroying the facility and engulfing it in flames. The Air Force confirmed that the F-5F took off from its base in Taitung County at 9am to participate in training for the annual Han Kuang series of military exercises at a base near Hukou Township (湖口), Hsinchu County. Three F-5s were involved in the exercise, but none of the pilots onboard the other aircraft witnessed the accident, because the jet that crashed was at the rear of the formation. As the jet finished its final run and prepared to return to its base, it suddenly lost control and crashed. Several eyewitnesses said they saw the jet fly by before crashing. The plane appeared to be heading toward factories and residential areas, but the pilots seemed to have attempted to avoid them and turned the aircraft toward a military complex nearby, eyewitnesses said. The plane exploded into a ball of fire on impact, instantly killing the 34-year-old pilot, Major Wei Tsu-yuan (魏子淵) and his co-pilot, 27-year-old Captain Chan Chia-chun (詹嘉鈞). Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) immediately grounded the Air Force's remaining 34 F-5s after the crash, but said that the Han Kuang exercises would continue. cause unknown "We need time to determine the cause of the crash," Lee said. "We have retrieved the aircraft's flight-data recorder and will examine it as soon as possible." "Meanwhile, the military exercises will continue, although we have grounded our remaining F-5 series of fighters for further examinations," he said. When the F-5F crashed into the military complex, it also killed two foreign military personnel and wounded nine on the ground. All of the ground personnel belong to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). SAF personnel have been training in Taiwan under the "Starlight Program," a military cooperation agreement between Taiwan and Singapore. Singapore has operated three military training camps in Taiwan since 1975: in Hengchun Township (恆春), Pingtung County; Douliu Township (斗六), Yunlin County; and Hukou Township in Hsinchu County. Each year, Singapore would send approximately 15,000 SAF personnel to Taiwan for training. In the past few years, however, only about 7,000 SAF personnel have continued training here as Singapore has begun to focus on closer ties with China. "Two wounded patients are in critical condition," said Dr. Chen Tim-mo (陳天牧), chief plastic surgeon at the Tri-Services General Hospital. "Both of them suffered serious burns." "One of the patients has burns over 50 percent of his body," Chen said. "The other has burns over 40 percent. The patient with 50 percent burns is in a coma, while we induced sleep in the other, so he would not feel so much pain." The Ministry of National Defense (MND) refused to release the names of the Singaporean military personnel, citing the confidential nature of the Starlight Program and the sensitive relationship between Taiwan and Singapore. Ministry of National Defense Spokesman Rear Admiral Wu Chi-fang (吳季方) also refused to comment on the Singaporean personnel when questioned by reporters. The Singaporean Ministry of Defense issued a brief statement yesterday confirming that two SAF personnel were dead, two were seriously injured and seven others were injured. It said it would be investigating the incident. Local firefighters only confirmed that "at least three heads and many body parts" were discovered at the crash site and sent to the hospital, but said that none of bodies were identifiable. "We lost two pilots. Singaporean troops also lost two, while another two are in the hospital," Lee said. Lawmakers were quick to interpret the crash through a political lens. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌) told a press conference that senior MND officials should step down to take responsibility for the accident. Saying that such a crash was a "terrible" loss of human life, Hsueh urged the MND to stop all exercises immediately. Hsueh said "some soldiers" had complained to her before that the military insisted on conducting exercises despite the military's "outdated" equipment, saying that Lee should therefore assume responsibility. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said that Lee should bear responsibility for the accident. "Accidents happen too often, and that has to do with the government's paying too little attention to the task of training pilots and to mechanical maintenance," Lin said. Lin said that the DPP government should focus more on maintenance and less on pushing the legislature to buy expensive new weapons. Additional reporting by Flora Wang,Shih Hsiu-chuan and Angelica Oung The survivor : Man gets prestigious scholarship, 6 years after brush with death SINGAPORE — Mr Karthigayan Ramakrishnan barely escaped with his life when a Taiwanese fighter jet crashed into the storeroom that he was in during National Service training on that island six years ago. Burns covered 45 per cent of his body and he spent almost 60 days in hospital, “walking the line” between life and death. Yesterday, in a clear testimony to how far he has recovered, the 29-yearold was among five Singaporeans awarded the prestigious Chevening Scholarship by the United Kingdom government. Known previously in Singapore as the Raffles Scholarships, the programme offers bondfree scholarships to promising young Singaporeans. Mr Karthigayan, who will be the very first Chevening-British Alumni scholar, said the scholarship came as “a real boost”. “It will drive me to do even better,” he added. The scholarship, funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, will help to pay for his master’s degree in public policy at Sheffield University. Explaining his choice of study, Mr Karthigayan, a sociology graduate from UniSIM, said: “When I was doing sociology, I realised that it is public policy and governance that affects every part of daily life … If you want to be part of the change, you have to be part of (it).” Mr Karthigayan, who is currently a senior executive of student affairs at NUS’ Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, has also been working actively to inspire other burn victims through the Singapore General Hospital’s burns support team. “When you are a burn victim, your features change. Sometimes there is skin discolouration or celluloid, but when we meet each other, we reinforce to one another that life goes on. The kind of message we want to give is to accept it first. Coping happens later,” he said. Indeed, Mr Karthigayan’s recovery from the May 2007 crash, which killed three Singaporean soldiers and two Taiwanese pilots, has been fraught with much pain and difficulty, although it has influenced the way he views life. “The accident reinforced one thing for me, that life was fragile. There is only this limited time that I have to do what I want to do ... So that’s what I keep telling myself every day — to make the best out of everything,” said Mr Karthigayan, who got married earlier this year. 2806_AP_page_30.pdf

Bro Bavarian, thanks for the recommendation. Managed to get at NTUC. they got the mango type and the others that we had as well. Great! Now i can get drunk on lychee juice...muahahahhaha For the uninformed, and if you dun really fancy the true bitterness of beer, this is but an alternative. I also bought some Brazilian beers....sibei bitter

Which do you like your partner to wear at nite? For those that interested to watch part 2 / 3 of the video here's the link taiwan variety

Thermaltake Technology is a manufacturer of PC cases, power supplies and cooling solutions with its main headquarters located in Taipei, Taiwan. Recently the firm requested BMW Group DesignworksUSA- a subsidiary of BMW - to develop a design concept for a high end gaming headset. The headset comes after a successful design collaboration on the Level_10 chassis in 2009 and the Level_10 M Mouse - launched last year. The challenge for the industrial design firm was to translate the Level_10 chassis design language into the headset design. The headset successfully translated the iconic Level_10 design language into a pure/bended aluminum design, negative-space and an overall architectural-structure finish. The result is a solid, yet lightweight looking headset with an audiophile design character. The curved layering effect of the ear piece resembles sound waves and has been directly adapted from the tower design concept. The Level_10 M Headset features high sound quality with 40mm driver units and embedded with Tt eSPORTS' most advanced acoustic engineering. Gamers can experience a rich sound at low frequencies, purifying sensation at mid frequency, and harmonic at the high frequencies. The headset is constructed from solid aluminum for a robust, yet lightweight appearance with a high comfort level. Large headphone capsules and a smooth-surface headband provide maximum comfort for hours while the sliding adjustments and an adjustable microphone provides a customised fit. The microphone is foldable and can be tucked when not needed. This nifty feature also calls for easy storage in small shelves or desks and during transportation. The headset was officially launched in March 2013 at Hanover, Germany during the CeBIT 2013 exhibition. From May 2013, the headset will be available at most major retail stores and online in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Available in black and white, the headset retails for $149.99 The Level_10 M Headset is on digital display at Tt eSports

Going Taiwan around 2nd weeks of Jan and will be taking train to Hualien but not from 台鐵自強號火車 (http://www.railway.gov.tw/en/CP.aspx?sn=3537&n=6792). Want to try taking 環島之星2次 (more info from http://www.eztravel.com.tw); recreation train but the booking is all in Chinese. Anyone has experience taking 環島之星 ? Thanks!

i visit this shop at least twice a month. the shop is closed. perhaps, due to the massive construction along upper bukit timah road. i'm not sure whether this shop is closed for good or move to some other place ? i need mycarforum csi team to hunt this shop down ..... thanks ! http://ieatishootipost.sg/2007/02/prince-t...-2am-and-i.html

Dear All, Will be in Taiwan for F&E holiday next month and looking at good recommendations for hotels at the following locations as well as recommending website to book at good prices: 1. Hualien 2. Alishan 3. Yang Ming Shan 4. Sun Moon Lake My wife is looking to stay in （民宿）in Hualien. Anyone has recommendation for that will be greatly appreciated! Looking forward to all the gurus advice!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJjh7lW5OZE From the land that brings you the Golden Horse Awards comes a series of fake accidents intended for insurance claims. The latest incident shows a young man who simply walked onto the road right in front of an oncoming car and squatted down. The best part is, the car has sufficient time to slow down and avoided the pedestrian. This public nuisance is probably risk-adverse and hence resulted in the failed attempt. The footage looks rather hilarious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDfy6lxuSgo This incident is not the first of its kind in Taipei in recent weeks. Previously, a young girl simply run towards a car and threw herself onto the bonnet, pretending to be injured. The whole incident was captured by the CCTV in the car. Well, at least this young lady is braver than the joker above. However, it looked painfully silly as well. The pair should get some acting tips from the winner of the 2011 Golden Horse Award Best Leading Actor, Andy Lau. Try harder next time!

Situations like this can easily 擦枪走火 degenerate into something unthinkable.... Hope cooler heads prevails. From CNA: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp...1227887/1/.html Japan, Taiwan fire water cannons near disputed islands Posted: 25 September 2012 1332 hrs TOKYO: Coastguard vessels from Japan and Taiwan duelled with water cannons on Tuesday after dozens of Taiwanese boats escorted by patrol ships sailed into waters around Tokyo-controlled islands. Japanese coastguard ships sprayed water at the fishing vessels, footage on national broadcaster NHK showed, with the Taiwanese patrol boats retaliating by directing their own high-pressure hoses at the Japanese ships. The large-scale breach of what Japan considers sovereign territory -- one of the biggest since WWII -- is the latest escalation in a row over ownership of the islands that pits Tokyo against Beijing and Taipei. The intrusion complicates the already volatile territorial dispute with China. Taiwan has said that officers aboard some of the patrol ships sent to the area are fully-armed elite coastguard personnel. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told a press conference that by 9:00am (0000 GMT) eight Taiwanese coastguard and 40 fishing boats were in Japanese waters. "We have made contact with the Taiwan authorities, and told them that they cannot enter our territorial waters," he said. A spokesman for Taiwan's coastguard confirmed that nearly 60 boats got close to the islands, some coming within three nautical miles -- well inside the 12-nautical-mile territorial exclusion zone. Japan's coastguard said all vessels left territorial waters a few hours later. The boats are part of a fleet that left Taiwan on Monday, vowing to stake their claim to islands where they say they have ancestral fishing rights. More than 60 fishing boats flying Taiwanese flags left Suao, a port in northeast Taiwan, at 0700 GMT Monday, with 300 fishermen and 60 reporters on board. Taiwan's coastguard sent at least 10 patrol boats alongside the vessels. "We'll do everything to protect our fishermen. We do not rule out using force to fight back if Japan were to do so," Wang Chin-wang, head of the Coast Guard Administration, said in parliament. Japan administers the uninhabited, but strategically well-positioned archipelago under the name Senkaku. Beijing says it has owned the islands for centuries and calls them Diaoyu. Taiwan also claims the islands, which lie around 200 kilometres (125 miles) from its coast. Ownership of the islands has become an important tenet of identity for all three claimants; the possible presence of energy reserves in the nearby seabed adds to the mix. The last large intrusion into Japanese waters was in 1996, according to a spokesman at the Tokyo headquarters of the Japan Coast Guard. He said at that time, 41 ships carrying activists from Hong Kong and Taiwan entered waters around the islands with the intention of asserting sovereignty. Chen Chun-sheng, the head of the Suao Fishermen Association, said at the weekend: "Diaoyutai has been our traditional fishing ground for centuries. We pledge to use our lives to protect it or we'd disgrace our ancestors." Fujimura said Japan was handling Tuesday's situation as delicately as it could. "All in all, we must continue to take utmost caution for policing of the areas surrounding the Senkaku islands. Agencies concerned must continue to closely coordinate their actions," he said. "Japan's position is that, in light of good Japan-Taiwan relations, we must solve the issue peacefully. We wish to respond calmly." Relations between Japan and China, meanwhile, have scraped long-unseen lows in recent weeks following Tokyo's nationalisation of three of the islands, which it bought from a private Japanese landowner. Several days of sometimes violent protests erupted in cities across China, where Japanese businesses were targeted by rioters. Japan's coastguard said on Monday that of two of China's maritime surveillance ships had spent seven hours in territorial waters around Uotsurijima, the largest island in the chain. Two fisheries patrol boats briefly also entered the 12-nautical-mile zone around the chain, the coastguard said. Four marine surveillance ships and two fisheries patrol boats were in contiguous waters as of 9:00am Tuesday (0000 GMT), according to the coastguard. None of the Chinese ships sent to the area belongs to the military. Both types of vessel are government-owned and used to enforce Chinese law in domestic waters. - AFP/al

wow.... :blink:

TAOYUAN, Taiwan - Two women tied the knot on Saturday in Taiwan's first same-sex Buddhist wedding, a move rights groups hope will help make the island become the first place in Asia to legalise gay marriage. Fish Huang and her partner You Ya-ting, both wearing traditional white bridal gowns, said "I do" in front of a Buddha statue and exchanged prayer beads rather than rings in a monastery in Taoyuan, in northern Taiwan. Nearly 300 Buddhists chanted sutras to seek blessings for the couple, both aged 30. Shih Chao-hui, a female Buddhist master who presided over the ritual, hailed it as a historic moment. "We are witnessing history. The two women are willing to stand out and fight for their fate... to overcome social discrimination," said Shih, a well-known advocate for social justice. "Some people might find it astounding (a woman performing the ceremony) but Buddhism does not engage in ideological struggles and I am used to strange looks from my own experience in the social movement," she said. The couple's parents were notably absent from the ceremony, in an indication of the pressure facing some homosexuals and their families.

I'm considering embarking a new job which requires me to travel frequently to Japan and Taiwan. As I may be stationed there for a long period (of course less than the permitted visitor stay) each visit from time to time, anyone has any experience in reentering the country if this is done in long term? It's hard to find any information on what is the permitted visit a year since I would assume this is case by case basis.