CRIME
Policeman killed in Tainan
A Greater Tainan police officer died in the line of duty yesterday morning while apprehending a wanted drug smuggler. Four policemen with a search warrant were about to search the apartment of suspected drug smuggler Lee Kuo-lin (李國麟) when Lee shot at the officers through the door after they had identified themselves. First Investigation Team Captain Lin Hung-hsing (林宏星) was shot in the chest and died in an emergency room. Lee, though shot twice, was taken alive. Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) visited Lin’s family after the arrest and pledged that the city government would work closely with the family and help with the funeral. Greater Tainan Police Department Chief Chen Tzu-jing (陳子敬) said it was sad to lose an officer in the line of duty, adding that the police department would reinforce its training. The officers were not wearing bullet-proof vests when they visited Lee’s residence to avoid alerting the suspect and were shot at while they were putting on their gear.
ENTERTAINMENT
Chang Mei-yao dies aged 71
Chang Mei-yao (張美瑤), an iconic Taiwanese actress adored as “The Forever Formosa Lady,” died in Taipei on April 1 at the age of 71, her family said in a statement on Wednesday. Chang’s two daughters issued the statement via the Public Television Service after holding a funeral for their mother earlier in the day. The statement did not mention the cause of Chang’s death. A native of Nantou County, Chang became one of the few Taiwanese actresses in the movie industry in the 1950s. Chang and actor Ko Chun-hsiung (柯俊雄) fell in love after they co-starred in a film in 1967. Chang suspended her acting career after their marriage. The couple divorced in 2004. In 2008, the organizing committee of the Golden Horse Film Awards presented a special award to Chang in recognition of her lifelong dedication to the Mandarin film industry.
DIPLOMACY
Japan office gets new head
Sumio Tarui, a former Japanese ambassador in charge of Okinawan affairs, was named as his country’s top representative to Taiwan earlier this week and will take office on April 24 as chief of the Taipei office of the Interchange Association, Japan, the association said in a statement. The association handles exchanges with Taiwan in the absence of official ties between the two countries. Tarui, 64, joined Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1971 and has since served as head of the ministry’s China Division, an envoy at Japan’s embassy in China, and permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. Meanwhile, Tadashi Imai, who has been serving as Japan’s representative to Taiwan since January 2010, has been appointed as the new president of the Interchange Association, the press release said.
CHARITY
Group asks for donations
To help domestic violence victims staying in shelters run by the Garden of Hope Foundation (GOH) faced with rising grocery bills, a women’s fitness center is calling for the donation of 20,000kg of food and grocery items, as well as NT$500,000 (US$17,000) in cash. The foundation’s executive director Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) said the non-governmental organization serves over 20,000 women who are abuse victims or are pregnant out of wedlock. For details, contact the GOH hotline on (02) 8911-8595 or visit the Curves Web site at www.curves.com.tw.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a