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.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
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