DEFENSE
Missile plan claimed
The government plans to develop a long-distance precision-guided missile that could strike military bases along China’s southeastern coast, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense has budgeted NT$30 million (US$1.04 million) for development, including the design of the missile bases and safety systems, Lin said. The ministry declined to comment on the remarks from Lin, who has made various claims over the years, some of which never materialized. Lin said the missile, along with several other homemade weapons systems, such as the Hsiung Feng (“Brave Wind”) 2E cruise missile, would be an effective deterrent should China use force against Taiwan.
IMMIGRATION
Vietnamese detained
A boat carrying 18 Vietnamese intending to enter the country illegally was intercepted off the coast of Greater Kaohsiung, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The boat was intercepted about 38km off Greater Kaohsiung at about 7pm on Sunday and its passengers were detained, the statement said. The passengers — 15 men and three women — told coast guard officers they had each spent tens of thousands of NT dollars to buy the boat through a brokering group. They set off from Guangdong Province, China, on Wednesday last week bound for Taiwan, they said. They were still being questioned at press time. Coast guard officials said they were tracking the brokering group that helped the Vietnamese buy the boat and arrange the voyage.
WEATHER
Potential storm gathering
The Central Weather Bureau yesterday said two tropical low-air pressure systems had formed over the Pacific Ocean, adding that it was too soon to say if the two systems would evolve into a typhoon or affect the country. One of the tropical systems had formed about 1,200km from the southeast coast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻). The bureau said the system was moving slowly northwards and could develop into a tropical storm, adding it was closely monitoring its progress. In the interim, the bureau said the country would continue to see sunny to cloudy skies in the morning at least until tomorrow. Chances of afternoon showers are high, with daytime highs hitting 33°C and 34°C. Another system has formed off the southeastern coast of Japan, currently about 2,200km east of Taiwan, the bureau said. However, the bureau said the system was less likely to turn into a tropical storm because it was formed at a relatively higher latitude.
CULTURE
Performers close up festival
The Yilan International Children’s Folklore and Folkgame Festival ended on Sunday, with dance groups from eight countries giving life to Yilan’s culture through their performances. The 44-day festival attracted 527,035 visitors, said the Yilan County Government, which organized the festival. Performing at the closing ceremony in the evening, groups from Peru, South Korea, Thailand, Burkina Faso, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Poland presented Yilan’s diverse culture, combining Taiwanese drama, clog dancing, local delicacies and kites in their performances. The groups also danced to the Yilan folk song An Old Train at the final curtain. After the performance, Yilan County Commissioner Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) led members of foreign teams, holding candles, on a park tour. The group spelled out the words “Yilan Touch My Heart” at the park’s plaza.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it