The armed forces have been put on a higher state of alert since Premier Tang Fei (
"As of 7:40am today, we have not noticed any irregular Chinese military movements in the Strait. I assure the public everything is fine," General Tang said.
Although Tang acknowledged that the armed forces are now on a higher alert, he emphasized they are just keeping a closer watch on military movements across the Taiwan Strait, without raising the actual level of alert.
"We have raised our vigilance against the Chinese military according to relevant rules. We have not raised the level of alert," Tang told the legislature's Defense Committee yesterday.
There are five levels of alert employed by the military to indicate different stages of combat readiness.
During normal periods, the level of alert stays between "four" and "five." As the situation gets more tense, the level will usually be raised to "three" and maybe to "two" or "one."
Levels "two" and "one" indicate preparation for war and war, respectively.
General Tang said that it was President Chen Shui-bian (
"I received the order on Tuesday night after Premier Tang Fei obtained President Chen's approval for his resignation during a meeting between the two at the presidential office," General Tang said.
"Acting upon these orders, the armed forces have enhanced their monitoring against the Chinese military across the Taiwan Strait," General Tang said. "After a night of intensive monitoring, we have found nothing irregular."
Meanwhile, General Tang declined to respond to inquiries from the press over whether a Cabinet reshuffle would affect his position.
General Tang said that as the leader of the military forces, he was not in a position to comment on any personnel change in the military administrative system.
A military analyst, who declined to be identified, said it was only a matter of time before General Tang succeeds Wu Shih-wen (
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique