■POLITICS
Tseng libel ruling upheld
The Supreme Court yesterday found former New Party legislator Elmer Feng (馮滬祥) and former Overseas Compatriots Commission member Tai Chi (戴錡) guilty of claiming that former president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) wife, Tseng Wen-hui (曾文惠), tried to take 54 suitcases stuffed with as much as US$850 million out of the country after the 2000 presidential election. The case of another former New Party legislator, Hsieh Chi-ta (謝啟大), who also played a role in the accusation against Tseng, was returned to the Taiwan High Court for further review. In 2002, Tseng won a libel suit against the trio over their accusations. The court yesterday handed down the ruling for the civil suit, ordering Feng and Tai each to pay a compensation of NT$2 million (US$63,000) to Tseng, and to publish half-page apology ads in three Chinese-language newspapers: the Liberty Times, United Daily News and China Times. Yesterday’s ruling was final.
■ DIPLOMACY
No Africa trip for Ma
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has decided not to visit the country’s diplomatic allies in Africa this year. Ma was reportedly scheduled to visit Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principle, Swaziland and the Republic of the Gambia in September. “President Ma has no plans to visit Africa this year on concerns over coming typhoon season. The year-end special municipality elections will also keep him busy,” Department of African Affairs Director-General Samuel Chen (陳士良) said. Ma would attend the annual Africa reception on May 25, organized by African ambassadors to celebrate African Liberation Day, a commemoration of their liberation from European colonial powers 50 years ago, Chen said. The ministry would also hold a series of events to celebrate the anniversary, he said
■ CRIME
'Prankster’ freed on bail
Taiwan-born Lin Nan-hai (林南海), who was held in China for allegedly claiming to have a bomb in his luggage, was released on bail yesterday after he was extradited to Taipei on Wednesday, a Taiwanese prosecutor said yesterday. Chinese authorities arrested Lin, who is a US citizen, on Saturday after he allegedly made the claim on a China Airlines flight bound for Shanghai, leading pilots to divert to Hangzhou. No explosives were found on the flight while Lin, 68, reportedly told Chinese police that he was only “making a joke.” Lin was released on bail of NT$20,000 (US$625), pending further investigation, the prosecutor said. He faces charges of violating the Civil Aviation Law (民用航空法), which carries a maximum three-year prison term and a fine of NT$1.5 million.
■ TRANSPORTATION
Kenting shuttle bus starts
An express bus service began this month for travelers heading from the Zuoying (左營) high speed rail station to Kenting (墾丁). The Kenting Express Line will make stops at Dapeng Bay (大鵬灣), Fangliao (枋寮) and five other spots in Pingtung County, with the one-way trip taking about two hours, the bureaus said. A one-way ticket costs NT$383. Between now and June 30, a roundtrip ticket will cost only NT$600. The bus is part of the Tourism Bureau’s efforts to encourage people to use the public transportation system when traveling. For more details on the service, visit www.taiwantrip.com.tw/ or http://www.kentingtrip.com.tw/.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
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
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
ANOTHER OPTION: The 13-year-old, whose residency status was revoked for holding a Chinese passport, could still apply for residency on humanitarian grounds, the government said The Executive Yuan has rejected an appeal from a 13-year-old Chinese student surnamed Lu (陸), whose permanent residency was revoked after immigration officers discovered he held a Chinese passport. Lu in December 2023 applied to settle in Taiwan to be with his mother, surnamed Lin (林), who is a Taiwan resident, an appeal decision released this month by the Executive Yuan showed. Lin settled in Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese man in 2003, but the two divorced in 2011, and after marrying a Chinese man, she had Lu, the Executive Yuan’s appeals committee said. Lu’s application was approved in December 2024, and in
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