■ 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.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
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