The Internet community in Taiwan rallied yesterday to help people affected by the devastating flooding brought by Typhoon Morakot.
“I can’t do much, but I’ve ordered 10 cases [of bottled water] and sent them to disaster-hit areas in the south,” a Plurker identified as Philip0721 wrote on the Plurk Web platform late on Saturday night. “Each one of us, let’s all order 10 cases of bottled water for the south.”
Amanda, another Plurker, acted on that recommendation, while Shan Wen (善文), whose family runs a bottled water factory, said he would send a truckload of water to disaster zones.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
“Let’s help each other, put all our donated items together, or call our friends,” Plurker Skstone wrote early yesterday morning. “It’s clear that the central government won’t do much.”
Internet user Xdite created a Web page for other fellow surfers to report emergencies and provided a map on the front page to show the location of the emergency calls.
“Four people have been trapped on the second floor at No.1-11 Silian, Silian Village, Siaying Township [下營], Tainan County, without any food since last [Saturday] night — we can’t get through to the county government or the media help hotline, please send some food, thanks!” a help seeker wrote in a message posted on the Web page.
“My 90-year-old grandmother and aunt have been missing since last night, I don’t know if they’ve been rescued,” another help seeker from Pingtung County said.
Using the online Google Maps service and with the help of several friends, Wanfang Hospital psychiatrist Billy Pan (潘建志) created a map marking disaster locations around the country.
Viewers can obtain detailed information about disaster areas by clicking on the map.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
RSS