■ DEFENSE
Ma targets military changes
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday that the country will move from compulsory military service toward all-volunteer armed forces in four to six years. After a voluntary enlistment system is in place, the president said, “the military will be further streamlined and a smaller, but stronger military will be established.” Ma made the remarks during an address at a ceremony to mark the 84th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China Military Academy in Fengshan, Kaohsiung County. The president noted that “neutrality of the military has taken root in Taiwan, a sign that the military will be loyal to the country rather than to a specific party or individual.” The president praised the academy, founded in Whampoa, in China’s Guangdong Province, in 1924, for its contributions in conflicts over the past eight decades.
■ POLICE
Top official to take office
The nation’s top police official is scheduled to assume office on Friday, a press statement released by the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞), currently the Taipei City Police Department director-general, will leave his post and take over as director-general of the National Police Agency, overseeing all of Taiwan’s police forces following a personnel reshuffle announced by Minister of the Interior Liao Liao-yi (廖了以) last month. Wang replaces Hou You-yi (侯友宜), who has been appointed as the new president of the Central Police University (CPU), Taiwan’s highest police force training institute, replacing outgoing CPU President Shieh Ing-dan (謝銀黨). Yesterday’s statement said that Shieh has been appointed as a counselor to the Executive Yuan on social security affairs. Shieh will provide counseling to the Cabinet on crime prevention and control, and will participate in cross-strait meetings on crime crackdowns on behalf of the Executive Yuan, the statement said.
■ HEALTH
Healthcare receives boost
Taiwan’s first “digital medical treatment” touring vehicle was launched yesterday to take high-tech health care services to villages and small towns far from large hospitals. The vehicle, which is equipped with a digital X-ray machine, an advanced ultrasound device and pap-smear equipment as well as other state-of-the-art medical equipment, will be used in Taichung County to offer residents better quality health services, Taichung County Commissioner Chuang Chung-sheng (黃仲生) said. Speaking outside the Taichung County Hall, Huang said that because of changes in people’s lifestyles and diets, the prevalence of chronic diseases and cancer have gradually increased in recent years. He said the vehicle would help the health department’s efforts to increase early detection of diseases by providing the county’s residents with more opportunities for medical checkups.
■ TRANSPORT
Retail space up for grabs
Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) is set to begin inviting bids by retailers today to lease space at stations along the MRT’s Orange Line, which is scheduled to begin operations in August. At the Formosa Boulevard Station, which connects the Orange Line to the north-south Red Line, a total of 89 retail outlet spaces will be available for lease, the KRTC said. The 14.3km Orange Line extends east-west across Kaohsiung City and into Kaohsiung County, beginning from Sizihwan Station in the city’s Gushan District (鼓山) and ending at Daliao Station in Kaohsiung County.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
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