■ Society
Centenarians multiplying
Taiwan has 713 centenarians, with an average age of 101.7, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The ministry was publicizing the approaching Chungyang Festival, which falls on Oct. 22 this year and which has been used to honor senior citizens since 1966. The ministry said the oldest person in the country is a 120-year-old woman, while the oldest man is 109. Both live in Taipei. The number of centenarians jumped by 57 from last year, the report said, adding that 91 percent of centenarians are aged between 100 and 104. Women account for 496, or 69.6 percent, of the centenarians. By location, Taipei City boasts the largest number of centenarians at 150, followed by Taipei County at 100 and Taoyuan County at 59.
■ Crime
Trio nabbed in Thailand
Three Taiwanese men have been arrested for alleged drug-trafficking in Thailand after being found with 20kg of heroin, Thai police said yesterday. Kao Chih-ping, 35, Chiang Ching-huang, 47, and Chen Chien-hung, 42, said they had been hired to take the drugs to Taiwan where they had a street value of more than US$1 million, according to police. Police officers said they found a quarter of the haul yesterday in the luggage of one of the men as he was checking in at Bangkok's international airport for a flight returning to Taiwan. The other two were arrested during a raid at their apartment in Bangkok where the rest of the drugs were found.
■ Politics
PFP names candidates
The People First Party (PFP) yesterday unveiled its nomination list for legislators-at-large -- and Chairman James Soong(宋楚瑜), who had vowed to enter the legislature -- was not on it. The PFP, which estimates that it will win about seven at-large seats in December's legislative elections, nominated 16 candidates, mostly incumbents. Legislators Liu Yi-ju (劉憶如), Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄), Nelson Ku (顧崇廉), Chung Jung-chi (鍾榮吉) and Lin Hui-kuan (林惠官), along with Tainan County Farmers' Association chairman Tsai Sheng-chia (蔡勝佳) and lawyer Lee Fu-tien (李復甸), are the seven expected to win a seat at the elections. Meanwhile, Li Ao (李敖), the maverick commentator who was the New Party's presidential candidate in the 2000 election, yesterday announced that he will run as an independent in the southern electoral district of Taipei City.
■ Politics
TSU names candidates, too
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday announced its legislator-at-large nomination list. Annie Lee (李安妮), whose name has been mentioned as a possible candidate, was not nominated. She is the daughter of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝). Meanwhile, estimating that it would win at least five legislator-at-large seats, the TSU nominated national advisor to the president Chen Yung-hsing (陳永興), senior advisor to the National Security Council Lai Hsin-yuan (賴幸媛), TSU Legislator Huang Cheng-che (黃政哲), director general of the Taiwan Bar Association Kuo Lin-yung (郭林勇) and architect Chen Yin-ho (陳銀河). Additionally, the party's incumbent legislators-at-large, Wu Tong-sheng (吳東昇) and Cheng Cheng-lung (程振隆), voluntarily withdrew from the nomination process.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
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