As service members enter their second week without leave due to SARS concerns, they are beginning to shows signs of anxiety and discontent, military officials said yesterday.
Officials fear the situation will worsen as service members in combat units and students in military schools continue to be denied leave.
The ban does not apply to servicemen who work in the higher echelons of command such as service headquarters or the Ministry of National Defense.
The different treatment is fueling impatience among service members, according to the military.
A Chinese-language news report yesterday said President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), now serving his compulsory term at the Navy General Headquarters in Taipei, was still able to take leave -- a move that could deepen angst among service members.
The navy denied the report, saying it was based on a misunderstanding of how the no-leave policy was being enforced.
"The ban is not effective for military personnel who work at service headquarters such as the Navy General Headquarters. Like anyone else, President Chen's son can take leave," a navy spokesman said.
The exclusion from the ban of higher level military personnel has furthered discontent in the lower ranks, a senior defense official said.
The official said the ban was adopted because soldiers might bring back the virus after their leaves.
Meanwhile, President Chen Shui-bian's (
Chiao was trying to lose reporters when he was photographed speeding away in his Lexus GS 300 sedan from his apartment home at Taipei's Mingshen East Rd. on Wednesday morning with no regard to traffic rules.
According to pictures published in a Chinese-language newspaper yesterday, Chiao was using his cellular phone while he was driving on the wrong side of the road without wearing his seatbelt.
"We have contacted the photojournalist and his newspaper for duplicating these pictures and will issue the necessary traffic tickets to Chiao," said Taipei City Traffic Corp deputy chief Chen Shih-hsiung (
According to Chen, Chiao will be fined NT$1,500 if he drove without fastening his seatbelt; NT$3,000 if he drove while using his cellular phone and NT$600 to NT$1,800 if he drove on the wrong side of the road.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it