■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/.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS