■ CULTURE
Festival to start in Taitung
The eighth festival of Austronesian Cultures will commence on Saturday in Taitung County with the theme of "strength and beauty." Taitung County Commissioner Kuang Li-chen (鄺麗貞) said this year's event would include Aboriginal dance and folk song performances in addition to an exhibition of twelve 3.5m wood carvings by 12 Aboriginal artists and a "Taiwan beer night" on the last night. Festival goers will also be entertained by performers from the Solomon Islands, Palau, Korea and Okinawa, Kuang said. The National Museum of Prehistory will host indoor activities, while outdoor activities will be held at Taitung Forest Park, she said.
■ SOCIETY
Hotline up for ex-inmates
The Taiwan After-care Association has set up a telephone line providing counseling services for prison inmates released under a commutation statute that will go into effect tomorrow. Released inmates can dial 0800-788595 for counseling, association Chairman Yen Ta-ho (顏大和) said. A total of 10,969 inmates will be released under the commutation program, which was implemented to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 228 Incident and the 20th anniversary of the end of 38 years of martial law. The association has also taken other measures to help released inmates return to normal life and to prevent recidivism, Yen said. Staff of the association will be deployed in prisons around the country tomorrow to offer rehabilitation information about returning to school, employment opportunities and medical treatment to the inmates prior to their release.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
About nine Taiwanese are “disappeared,” detained, or otherwise deprived of freedom of movement in China each month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Between Jan. 1 last year and Aug. 31 this year, 188 Taiwanese travelers went missing, were detained and interrogated, or had their personal freedom restricted, with some questioned in airports or hotel lobbies, the council said. In a statement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the council urged people visiting China for any reason to be highly vigilant and aware of the risks. Of the reported cases, 50 people were “disappeared” after entering China, 19 were detained and 119 had
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