■ Society
DJ appeals deportation
The Taipei High Administra-tive Court opened an investigation yesterday into a request by former ICRT DJ Charles Mack that his deportation order be lifted. The Taipei Municipal Police Department ordered Mack, better known by his nickname "Chocolate," be deported by today, because of allegations that he had intentionally spread syphilis and sexually assaulted two male college students. Mack responded by issuing an open statement that said he was discriminated against because of his skin color and sexual orientation. He also filed a suit with the court to have the deportation order lifted so that he can continue living in Taiwan. The police department said that it has acted according to the Immigration Law (入出國及移民法), which states that foreigners who are a danger to public health or social order must be deported. Mack submitted hospital documents to show that he has been cured of syphilis and that he poses no danger of infecting others with the disease.
■ Diplomacy
Palau officials to visit
Two Palau ministers will visit Taipei next week to attend a party marking the relocation of the island nation's embassy to a foreign mission complex in Tienmou, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Officials said that Minister of State Temmy Shmull and Minister of Finance Elbuchel Sadang will preside over the tea party scheduled for Monday. The officials noted that since Taiwan and Palau established relations in December 1999, they have maintained close and friendly ties. Taiwan has donated medical equipment to prevent the spread of dengue fever and set up agricultural missions offering training classes and field demonstrations, as well as providing guidance to Palau farmers. Taiwanese tourists also made 28,000 visits to Palau last year, making the country the largest source of tourists for the West Pacific island, they added.
■ Politics
DPP caucus holds handover
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) held a legislative caucus leadership turnover ceremony yesterday. Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) took over the position of director-general from Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁)while Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) took over as secretary-general from Chiu Chui-chen (邱垂貞). Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) is staying on as convener for a third straight term. The three were elected to those positions by the 87-member caucus on Jan 12. The one-year tenure of DPP caucus leaders is longer than their counterparts in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP), who vote on new whips each legislative session.
■ Crime
Pair indicted for murder
A motorcycle technician and his assistant were indicted yesterday for the rape and murder of a female insurance agent. According to the Taichung prosecutors' indictment, 39-year-old Chen Chin-huo (陳金火) attacked 28-year-old Shih Chin-chi (施金池) while she was making a business call and beat her unconscious. Chen's assistant, 20-year-old Kwang Teh-chiang (廣德強), then allegedly raped Shih at Chen's request. The prosecutors say Chen later chopped off Shih's arms and the legs and then dumped the body into the water tank of his home. Prosecutors have requested Chen's case be tried as a capital case, meaning he could face the death penalty. He has not confessed to the crimes. Prosecutors have asked for a 23-and-a-half-years sentence for Kwang.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard