■ Government
Hsieh confirms new officials
Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday officially introduced incoming Environmental Protection Administration Minister Chang Kow-lung (張國龍) and Council of Hakka Affairs Chairman Lee Yung-te (李永得) to the public. In addition to these Cabinet members, the premier also confirmed that former Taichung City mayor Chang Wen-ying (張溫鷹), an independent, will be appointed vice interior minister, and that former Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) will be appointed vice minister of the Council of Hakka Affairs.
■ Diplomacy
Allies ask for financial help
The leaders of Tuvalu and Kiribati have asked Taiwan to help pay for the repatriation of workers stranded on Nauru, according to a report by ABC Radio Australia yesterday. The report said hundreds of workers in the phosphate industry from Tuvalu and Kiribati are stuck on Nauru, with some having not been paid for more than a year. The report continued to say Tuvalu's prime minister, Maatia Toafa, had said he has asked the president of Taiwan for US$3.5 million to cover the workers' unpaid wages and other expenses so they can return home.
■ Politics
Lien's wife off to Shanghai
Lien Fang Yu (連方瑀), the wife of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰), left Taipei for Shanghai via Hong Kong yesterday to attend the christening ceremony for a vessel. Accompanied by her two daughters, Lien Fang Yu kept a low profile at CKS International Airport. Her two sons joined them in Hong Kong. She has been invited to preside over the christening ceremony for the China Peace, which was commissioned by the Taipei-based Chinese Maritime Transport firm and built at a Shanghai shipyard.
■ Diplomacy
Dalai Lama aide in town
The younger brother of the Dalai Lama is making a low-profile visit to Taiwan, a cable television channel reported yesterday. Tendzin Choegyal, who at age four was recognized as the 15th Ngari Rinpoche, a title passed through reincarnation, is one of the top aides to Tibet's spiritual leader at the Tibetan Buddhism headquarters-in-exile in Dharamsala, India. The Ngari Rinpoche, who was elected to the Tibetan parliament-in-exile where he served until 1995, is in Taipei to attend a ceremony tomorrow at the the Central Police University for a bodyguard detail to the Dalai Lama. The Ngari Rinpoche has kept his visit low-profile and would not meet any officials during his stay, according to the TV report.
■ Diplomacy
Group lobbies for inclusion
A Taiwanese delegation lobbied yesterday for the nation to be included on the agenda at the inaugural East Asia Summit in December despite fears that China may try to block the move. The three-man delegation, headed by Fu-chen Lo (羅福全), chairman of the non-government Association of East Asian Relations in Taiwan, said during a stop in Manila that leaving Taiwan out of a proposed regional trade bloc would create a "missing link." The bloc would comprise the 10-member Association of Southeast Nations plus Japan, China, South Korea and India -- and possibly Australia and New Zealand. Lo said Taipei wants to create awareness among the region's major players that "Taiwan should be considered a very constructive partner."
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
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