Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) International Affairs Department Director Hsaio Bi-khim (蕭美琴), who has been leading a volunteer effort in Tainan County, said yesterday that on Thursday 20 volunteers were stopped by the police from distributing goods to the residents in badly affected Pitou Borough (埤頭) in Tainan County’s Madou (麻豆) Township because President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was visiting the area.
“It was ridiculous that we couldn’t go inside the borough to give the victims what they need because Ma was there,” she said.
She said that more than 10 police formed a human wall to block them from entering even though they were delivering much needed water and cleaning agents, she said.
Meanwhile, the military was forced to temporarily suspend relief work and stood in full salute in strong heat for 40 minutes on Wednesday to welcome Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-ming (陳肇敏), who arrived in Taitung to survey the disaster areas.
To expedite the rebuilding process, the Hualien-Taitung Defense Command Center dispatched more than 40 soldiers to build a Bailey bridge to allow access for 18-tonne vehicles to Jhihben Township (知本).
On Wednesday at 10am, while the troops were setting up the steel frame, their commander ordered them to stop work and stand in formation to welcome Chen, who spent 40 minutes listening to briefings and talking to the press.
One witness said many of the soldiers had complained privately that they would have rather worked than stand and listen to the defense minister.
On Wednesday, flood victims hurled angry insults at Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰), who went to the main rescue center and shelter in Cishan Township (旗山), Kaohsiung County, to pass out lunch boxes.
The victims told Wang there were enough volunteers and they did not need her to pass out food.
Wang jokingly responded that her purpose for being there was so that the victims could unleash their anger.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS