■ Crime
Scam suspect deported
Officials yesterday deported a Japanese national suspected of involvement in a lending scam and of membership in
a major Japanese crime syndicate, police said. Three Japanese police officers escorted Takashi Yamane, 35, on a flight to Tokyo, said Kao Cheng-sen (高政昇), secretary general of the National
Police Agency's Criminal Investigation Bureau. Acting on a tip, police arrested Yamane on May 21 at CKS International Airport, from where he was planning to
fly to Hong Kong, Kao said. Japanese police have accused Yamane of laundering money for the Yamaguchi-gumi,
one of Japan's biggest crime syndicates. The suspect was alleged to have traveled to Taiwan and Southeast Asia to launder money collected by the syndicate's loan sharks, Kao told reporters.
■ Education
Funds raised for camp
Lions International in Taiwan, Taitung Chulu International Vacation Village, All Travel Service Co Ltd, Hang
Bang Tourism and other organizations yesterday announced a joint donation
of NT$1.4 million to send 200 disadvantaged youths to a summer camp in Taitung County to better understand Aboriginal culture. The students will attend the camp with other children in grades three to eight from across the nation. Forty-five four-day sessions will be offered from July 1 to Aug. 15. A total of 7,000 children are expected to attend over this period, with most participants paying over NT$6,000 to take part.
■ Diplomacy
Lu receives award
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) received a human-rights medal from the University of Costa Rica
on Wednesday for her "life-long efforts in promoting democracy and human rights." Lu arrived in Costa Rica at around noon on Wednesday after a three-
day visit to neighboring El Salvador. She was awarded the "best human rights fighter" medal by the university in recognition of her promotion of democracy and human rights over the decades. Lu was imprisoned for more than six years over
a pro-democracy campaign during the nation's martial-law era. Later in the day,
Lu visited the Costa Rican National Assembly, where she attended a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Costa Rica. The two countries signed an agreement in
1944. Costa Rican National Assembly Speaker Gerardo Gonzalez and lawmakers joined Lu at the ceremony.
■ Defense
War games held on Penghu
The military practiced an artillery counterattack early yesterday morning in Penghu as reports revealed China also plans to conduct military exercises later this month. The mock attack against a Chinese blockade took place on the western side of the island chain. The live-ammunition maneuvers included short-distance defensive weapons. Artillerymen attacked imaginary Chinese troops landing on a Penghu beach. Navy and air force officials said the exercises showed that the military could meet any challenge.
■ Government
Up go the fees, naturally
Fees for Certificates of Nationality, Naturalization and other related documents will increase from NT$200 to NT$1,000 from next month, the Ministry of the Interior announced yesterday. The ministry said that the fee hike reflected increasing administrative costs, and that no adjustment had been made since July 1, 1995.
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