Two more principals in New Taipei City (新北市) were detained yesterday for allegedly accepting bribes from catering firms, the Banciao District Prosecutors’ Office said, in an ongoing scandal over school lunch vendors.
Principals Lee Ying-tsung (李應宗) of Houpu Elementary School, in Banciao (板橋), and Ko Fen (柯份) of Luzhou Elementary School were held incommunicado on corruption charges.
Principals Hsu Li-chen (許利楨) of Cheng Kung Elementary School in Lujhou District (蘆洲) and Tsai Pao-chun (蔡寶俊) from Qing Shui Elementary School in Tucheng District (土城), who are also under investigation, were released on NT$1 million (US$33,300) bail after lengthy questioning that began on Thursday.
Meanwhile, New Taipei City’s Department of Education announced that Lee and Ko would be suspended from their positions, while Hsu and Tsai would be demoted to teaching posts and reassigned to the department as staff.
The four were questioned after Banciao prosecutors launched a second wave of investigations on Thursday into cases of alleged bribery over the provision of school lunches, looking into the practices at 13 elementary schools and seven junior-high schools in New Taipei City.
During the first wave of investigations, Banciao prosecutors on Oct. 28 detained 14 people in New Taipei City, including five principals, a middleman and a number of school employees overseeing lunch programs.
The recent probes came in response to a tip-off in May that several elementary-school principals in New Taipei City had been accepting kickbacks from lunch suppliers.
Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji (吳清基) yesterday instructed all city and county governments to immediately launch investigations to determine whether schools beyond New Taipei City are also involved in the practice, especially as most elementary and junior-high schools have cafeterias supplied by privately run catering companies.
Also yesterday, the Taiwan High Court revoked the Banciao District Court’s ruling from late last month on the 14 people questioned in the first wave of investigations and ordered a retrial.
The Banciao District Court, on the recommendation of the District Prosecutors’ Office, on Oct. 29 released two principals on NT$200,000 bail, while three other principals, nine school employees and private caterers be held incommunicado.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
Taipei resident Mu Chu-hua caught some glimpses of China’s mighty military parade on YouTube on Wednesday. As she watched hypersonic missiles roll down Beijing’s Changan Avenue and troops march in lockstep, she did not feel like they posed a threat to Taiwan. Mu, a 69-year-old retiree, said she saw the parade as simply a way for Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to “say thank you to the troops.” “I thought it was quite normal,” she said. “It was very cool.” China’s military parade commemorating the end of World War II was being watched internationally for insights into Beijing’s military advances and its show
RSS