■ Law
Death penalty ruling upheld
The Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence handed to a boat captain for the drowning of six Chinese women, a court official said yesterday. The court Thursday rejected the appeal of Wang Chung-hsing (王中興), convicted of homicide and given a death sentence by the high court. A crew member was sentenced to life in prison for the same offence. Wang and his crew member Ko Ching-sung (柯清松) were accused of pushing 13 Chinese women into the sea when their human smuggling vessel was spotted by Taiwan's coast patrol in August last year. Six women drowned. The supreme court also upheld the life sentence for Ko along with a NT$200,000 fine.
■ Politics
Ex-legislative speaker dies
Former Legislative Speaker and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) old guard Liang Su-jung (梁肅戎) passed away yesterday as a result of complications brought on by pneumonia. Liang was admitted into the hospital on Aug. 15 for having a serious cold. His condition soon deteriorated, and he went into shock on Wednesday. He died late yesterday night. Liang is survived by his three sons and three daughters. A close friend of Liang's said that whenever Liang was ill, he remained concerned with the merger plan for the pan-blue camp, and he even took a day's leave from the hospital to visit KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) to express his support for the merger. Liang was a firm supporter of reunification with China. He was 84 years old.
■ Military
MND helps typhoon victims
The military expanded its assistance of victims of Typhoon Aere yesterday. According to a press release by the Ministry of National Defense, it assigned another 4,128 soldiers, 143 planes, 25 pumps, 131 dumpster trucks help clear the destruction brought on by the typhoon. Taipei County's Sanchung and Hsinchuang areas severely flooded during the typhoon on which struck the nation on Aug. 24 and Aug. 25. In Hsinchu's Wufong Township, where mudslide allegedly buried 15 people alive, the army sent C-47 aircraft to carry four compact bulldozers to help local residents clean up the remains of their homes. The ministry said that it will assign more military personnel to join rescue activities or help residents recover from the devastation.
■ Health
Donations sought care fees
Officials of Taiwan's representative office in Canada have recently called for financial relief for a teenage girl, Chien Hsiao-an (簡孝安), from Taiwan who has been receiving treatment for cancer at a hospital in Montreal since early summer. The officials said Chien flew to Montreal from Taiwan at the beginning of her summer vacation to visit relatives. During her stay there, however, she was admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal after doctors there diagnosed that her cancer had metastased to her brain. Chien underwent emergency surgery at the hospital. However, before she can leave the country, her family has to pay over US$250,000 in hospital fees, as well as an additional US$43,500 for the medical flight, according to the office. The officials said that because they lack medical insurance in Canada, the family now faces great financial difficulties.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS