■ CRIME
Sex crime suspect deported
A fugitive from the US who allegedly sexually assaulted his patients while practicing dentistry in the US between 2003 and 2006 was deported yesterday after he was tracked down by local police last week, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said. Departing aboard a United Airlines flight from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport under the escort of US police officers, the man was expected to be taken back to the US to face trial, the bureau said in a statement. Shiu Tony Gong, a 40-year-old US citizen, was a dentist in Alameda, California. He allegedly molested and sodomized his patients after putting them under anesthesia between June 2003 and August 2006, the bureau said. Gong fled to Taiwan on Sept. 24, 2006, just before he was placed on a wanted list by a California court on Oct. 5, 2006, the bureau said. Gong had since taught English in a cram school under the name “Tony J” and had changed his address frequently, it said.
■POLITICS
Premier approves changes
Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) yesterday approved the appointment of Taipei police chief Wang Cho-chun (王卓鈞) to replace Hou You-yi (侯友宜) as director-general of the National Police Agency (NPA). Hou was designated president of the Central Police University, replacing Shieh Ing-dan (謝銀黨). The personnel change was proposed by Minister of the Interior (MOI) Liao Liao-yi (廖了以) yesterday afternoon, Cabinet spokeswoman Vanessa Shih (史亞平) said. The changes will take effect as soon as the paperwork is completed, Shih said.
■EDUCATION
No to Chinese degrees
It might take two to three years before Taiwan starts recognizing degrees issued by Chinese educational institutions, Minister of Education Cheng Jei-cheng (鄭瑞城) said yesterday. Fielding questions at the legislature, Cheng said that the ministry was leading an initiative to study the feasibility of Taiwan recognizing China’s academic credentials, in line with one of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) campaign promises. “Since this is a matter that also involves Chinese authorities, a final decision is not expected to be made soon,” Cheng said. “It will be at least two to three years before the first batch of Chinese students will be allowed to come and study at local colleges and universities.” Also speaking during the session, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said the ministry must be careful and remain vigilant in considering such an important decision.
■FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Ma trips not confirmed
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday it was not sure whether President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) would attend the inauguration ceremonies of the new presidents of Paraguay and the Dominican Republic, two of the nation’s diplomatic allies. “So far, we have not received instructions on whether President Ma will head the congratulatory delegation, but the plan is to send the highest-level governmental delegation as both Paraguay and the Dominican Republic are very important allies,” Simon Ko (柯森耀), director-general of the ministry’s Central and South American Affairs division, said at a regular press briefing. The Dominican Republic will hold the inauguration ceremony for President Fernandez on Aug. 16, while Paraguayan President-elect Fernando Lugo, who won his country’s April 20 election, is scheduled to be sworn in on Aug. 15.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
Taiwan is awaiting official notification from the US regarding the status of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) after the US Supreme Court ruled US President Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing today, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that Taiwan's negotiation team remains focused on ensuring that the bilateral trade deal remains intact despite the legal challenge to Trump's tariff policy. "The US has pledged to notify its trade partners once the subsequent administrative and legal processes are finalized, and that certainly includes Taiwan," Cho said when asked about opposition parties’ doubts that the ART was
If China chose to invade Taiwan tomorrow, it would only have to sever three undersea fiber-optic cable clusters to cause a data blackout, Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, told a US security panel yesterday. In a Taiwan contingency, cable disruption would be one of the earliest preinvasion actions and the signal that escalation had begun, he said, adding that Taiwan’s current cable repair capabilities are insufficient. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) yesterday held a hearing on US-China Competition Under the Sea, with Hsu speaking on
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