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.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all