■ Politics
PFP legislator passes away
People First Party (PFP) Legislator Nelson Ku (顧崇廉) died of lymphatic cancer at Tri-Service General Hospital in Taipei yesterday. Ku, born in Shanghai in 1931, began his career as a naval officer in 1954, attaining the rank of admiral. He served as vice minister of national defense, navy commander-in-chief and the country's representative to the Netherlands. Ku entered the legislature as a legislator-at-large in 2001, and again in 2004. PFP Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) said that the party will spare no effort to help Ku's family with his funeral arrangements. Lee Fu-tien (李復甸), a professor of law at Chinese Culture University, will fill Ku's legislative vacancy.
■ Society
Booze-up teacher suspended
A Kaohsiung middle school teacher surnamed Chen was suspended after one of his students was hospitalized with alcohol poisoning on Friday. According to local media, the teacher-in-training brought two bottles of wine and one bottle of Kaoliang liquor to a weekend party with his students at the basketball court of Rueifeng Junior High School in Kaoshiung City. Chen reportedly encouraged his students to drink, resulting in one student downing half a bottle of white wine, chased by copious amounts of red wine and Kaoliang, a 40 to 50 percent proof distilled liquor. The student later collapsed in the hallway of his apartment after vomiting and frothing at the mouth, prompting his parents to rush him to the emergency room on Friday night. He was released the next day, according to local media. Chen reportedly became intoxicated with a number of students at the party.
■ Trade
China to buy oranges
Two organizations in China are planning to purchase a total of 12,000 tonnes of oranges for NT$180 million (US$5.49 million), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus said yesterday. The deal to sell the oranges for NT$15 per kilogram was reached after KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) visited Yunlin County on Thursday and met local fruit growers, who complained that an orange glut had driven prices down to an average of below NT$10 per kg. Ma instructed two KMT members to depart for China on Thursday to meet with Chinese authorities and discuss a deal. China's Taiwan Affairs Office then arranged a meeting between the two delegates and executives from two Chinese marketing organizations. Both sides agreed that the two Chinese companies would purchase 12,000 tonnes of Yunlin oranges at NT$15 per kilogram, the first shipment of which -- three containers -- is scheduled to leave for Shanghai today.
■ Crime
Lawmakers to visit PRC
A group of lawmakers across party lines yesterday said that they would organize a trip to China to discuss with Chinese authorities the issue of enhancing cooperation in combating crime. People First Party Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chu Feng-chi (朱鳳芝) and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Rong-shu (許榮淑) said they would join the trip. The lawmakers held a public hearing on the issue as they said that China has become a haven for Taiwanese fugitives, especially white-collar criminals, because of the lack of an extradition agreement between Taiwan and China. Mark Chen (陳明傳), a professor from the Central Police University, hailed the idea, saying the move would put pressure on China to deal with the problem.
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
An SOS message in a bottle has been found in Ireland that is believed to have come from the Taiwanese captain of fishing vessel Yong Yu Sing No. 18 (永裕興18號), who has been missing without a trace for over four years, along with nine Indonesian crew members. The vessel, registered to Suao (蘇澳), went missing near Hawaii on Dec. 30, 2020. The ship has since been recovered, but the 10 crew members have never been found. The captain, surnamed Lee (李), is believed to have signed the note with his name. A post appeared on Reddit on Tuesday after a man
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