■ ENVIRONMENT
Agencies black out
The Presidential Office and several government agencies switched off their lights at 8:30pm yesterday for one hour as part of the global “Earth Hour” campaign observed by more than 120 countries. Wu Chia-ling (鄔嘉綾), an executive at the Society of Wilderness, which is leading a carbon-reduction drive in Taiwan, said that aside from the government, the private sector, including prominent buildings in Taipei City such as Taipei 101, the Grand Hyatt Taipei hotel and NEO19, also took part in the activity. Wu said the one hour lights-out campaign in Taiwan would save between 250,000 and 280,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is equivalent to cutting 170 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Hundreds of thousands of individuals also took to the streets in eastern Taipei City yesterday afternoon in a show of support for the campaign, she said.
■ DIPLOMACY
Tung visits Taiwan: report
Former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華) arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a six-day visit, a local report said yesterday. Tung is now vice chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The CPPCC has no legislative power, but in theory advises China’s rubber-stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress. The former shipping magnate is expected to visit the nation’s largest port in Kaohsiung and meet Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Honorary Chairman Lien Chan (連戰), the United Evening News quoted unnamed sources as saying. However, in a bid to keep his trip low-profile because of the political sensitivity associated with his position, Tung is not scheduled to meet any government officials, the report said. Tung lead the former British colony from its handover to Chinese rule in 1997 until his resignation in 2005. He never visited Taiwan during his terms.
■ TOURISM
Thai office holds food fair
A food and products fair was launched yesterday in Taipei as the final event in “Thailand Week 2010,” which aims at promoting better understanding of the Southeast Asian country. At the fair, 20 booths set up in the plaza in front of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei offered food, handicrafts and tourism and visa services. “The purpose of this event is not only to promote Thailand tourism and food, but also to showcase every aspect of Thailand to the people of Taiwan and others who are currently in Taipei,” said Arbhorn Manasvanich, executive director of the Thailand Trade and Economic Office.
■ CRIME
UK citizen detained
A British-Indian businessman was in police custody yesterday over his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run in Taipei City. In the early morning on Thursday, scooter rider Huang Chun-te (黃俊德), 32, was hit from behind and killed at the scene. Video clips from a nearby security camera showed a black Mercedes hit him from behind and immediately left the scene. Chen Wen-chih (陳文智), deputy chief for Taipei City Police Department’s Da-an Precinct, said Yang Sheng-hung (楊盛宏), a retired sergeant from the Taipei City Police Department, took his car to a car maintenance shop and saw the Mercedes, which was also there for maintenance. Chen said Yang felt there was something wrong with the Mercedes and called police to tip them off. At press time, the businessman was being interviewed at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Prosecutors have barred him from leaving the country.
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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