Hong Kong's godfather of Canto-pop, Jackie Cheung (
"A drill is regarded as warfare. Everybody has to follow related regulations and there is no exception on that," said Chen Fu-hsiang (陳富祥), chief of the agency's Civil Defense Division.
On Sept. 22, Cheung arrived in Taipei to participate in an MTV show, and when he arrived at the studio, the Wan-an drill began.
All motor and other vehicles were required to pull over on the streets and pedestrians were obliged to take shelter and stay indoors during the 30-minute drill.
However, as the sirens began to sound, MTV and record company employees accompanying Cheung thought the empty streets made an unusual photo opportunity, and so the crew took advantage of it.
MTV later distributed the picture of Cheung standing alone in a street usually clogged by Taipei's routinely heavy traffic.
According to Article 21 of the Civilian Defense Law (
Chen said the police will mail the ticket after they decide who its recipient will be: Cheung, his record company or MTV.
Universal Records Promotion Manager Dai Da-wei (
"It only took us few seconds to take the picture for Cheung and there were still many people outside and on their way indoors," Dai said. "It was merely an accident and misunderstanding."
Since Cheung is not a Taiwan resident, whether foreigners are penalized for not following the military drill regulations might also be a contentious issue.
However, Chen said that foreigners are also required to follow local laws and regulations.
"We will figure out who is supposed to take the responsibility and fine the right person," Chen said.
As for Cheung, he said that he had no idea that what he did was against the law.
"It just felt so interesting that it was possible to have no vehicles on the road in Taipei in the middle of the day, so I took the picture. As a result, I do not know how to comment on the issue," Cheung said.
"I have no intention to violate the law at all," the singer said.
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