The Taipei City Government will spend about NT$1 million (US$30,000) to change the name of the MRT Muzha-Neihu Line after an insulting twist on its name became popular.
The problem-ridden MRT line is jokingly called by the last two syllables in “Muzha” and “Neihu” because when put together, they sound like zhahu (詐胡), a term in the game of mahjong that describes an act of cheating.
In hopes of improving the line’s fortunes, the name will be changed to the “Wenshan-Neihu Line.”
Several Taipei City councilors in Neihu (內湖) and Nangang (南港) districts have blamed the line’s repeated malfunctions and breakdowns on its “unlucky nickname.”
They suggested the name be changed to the Wenshan-Neihu Line, or Wen-Hu Line (文湖線), as it connects Wenshan (文山) and Neihu districts.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday said the change would soon be formalized, but rebutted reports that it would cost more than NT$100 million for new signs, maps and other changes.
“The Muzha-Neihu Line will become the Wenshan-Neihu Line, but it is a groundless rumor that this project will cost that much money,” Hau said.
Chao Hsiung-fei (趙雄飛), a spokesman for the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp, said the project would cost about NT$1 million, including the cost of changing signs, maps and recorded MRT announcements.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) said the line’s name should have been changed sooner.
“How can it run smoothly when everyone keeps calling it the ‘zhahu’ line?” she said, adding that Wenshan-Neihu Line was also a better name because Muzha is not an official city district.
The Muzha area is part of Wenshan district.
Some residents criticized the change, saying the city should spend the money on improving the system instead.
“Will changing the name improve the line’s luck? I think the city government shouldn’t waste money,” said Lin Hsiang-mei (林相美), a frequent MRT passenger.
Taipei resident Claire Chiu also dismissed the idea.
“Maybe Hau Lung-bin should change his own name if he wants better luck,” she said.
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
DETERMINATION: Beijing’s actions toward Tokyo have drawn international attention, but would likely bolster regional coordination and defense networks, the report said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is likely to prioritize security reforms and deterrence in the face of recent “hybrid” threats from China, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said. The bureau made the assessment in a written report to the Legislative Yuan ahead of an oral report and questions-and-answers session at the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The key points of Japan’s security reforms would be to reinforce security cooperation with the US, including enhancing defense deployment in the first island chain, pushing forward the integrated command and operations of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and US Forces Japan, as
IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu said the strengthening of military facilities would help to maintain security in the Taiwan Strait Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi, visiting a military base close to Taiwan, said plans to deploy missiles to the post would move forward as tensions smolder between Tokyo and Beijing. “The deployment can help lower the chance of an armed attack on our country,” Koizumi told reporters on Sunday as he wrapped up his first trip to the base on the southern Japanese island of Yonaguni. “The view that it will heighten regional tensions is not accurate.” Former Japanese minister of defense Gen Nakatani in January said that Tokyo wanted to base Type 03 Chu-SAM missiles on Yonaguni, but little progress
NO CHANGES: A Japanese spokesperson said that Tokyo remains consistent and open for dialogue, while Beijing has canceled diplomatic engagements A Japanese official blasted China’s claims that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has altered Japan’s position on a Taiwan crisis as “entirely baseless,” calling for more dialogue to stop ties between Asia’s top economies from spiraling. China vowed to take resolute self-defense against Japan if it “dared to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait” in a letter delivered Friday to the UN. “I’m aware of this letter,” said Maki Kobayashi, a senior Japanese government spokeswoman. “The claim our country has altered its position is entirely baseless,” she said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg on Saturday. The Chinese Ministry
RSS