Police will increase security around polling stations given the pan-blue camp's challenge to the result of the presidential election, Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (
"I hope the public will stay calm and rational," he said. "Since the ballot counting on the evening of March 20 ended, the Ministry of the Interior has gathered all the ballots from the voting administrative office of each township and also increased the police presence to guard these offices."
Along with National Police Administration (NPA) Director-General Chang Si-liang (
At around 5am yesterday, pan-blue camp supporters swamped district courts in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung and gathered in front of the Presidential Office. Crowds demanded a recount and there were physical confrontations with police.
Yu asked city officials such as Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) and Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Yao Kao-chiao (姚高橋) to assist police and watch out for safety.
Yu said that while he respected Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
The age requirement for commercial pilots and airline transport pilots is to be lowered by two years, to 18 and 21 years respectively, to expand the pool of pilots in accordance with international standards, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced today. The changes are part of amendments to articles 93, 119 and 121 of the Regulations Governing Licenses and Ratings for Airmen (航空人員檢定給證管理規則). The amendments take into account age requirements for aviation personnel certification in the Convention on International Civil Aviation and EU’s aviation safety regulations, as well as the practical needs of managing aviation personnel licensing, the ministry said. The ministry