JUSTICE
Ex-KMT lawmaker indicted
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker Chung Shao-ho (鍾紹和) was indicted yesterday on charges of taking bribes from a trading company during his term in office, allegedly in exchange for helping the company seek government permission for oil-transfer operations off the southern port of Kaohsiung. According to an indictment issued by the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office, Chung had written to the Environmental Protection Administration about the issue and had met with environmental, transportation and economics officials in his office to discuss related details. On April 15 last year, the trading company’s owner, surnamed Tung (董), allegedly paid NT$3 million (US$100,000) to Chung as a reward for his efforts, the indictment said, adding that Tung allegedly offered to pay Chung an additional NT$4 million on May 27 after Chung held a second meeting with officials. However, Chung declined to accept the payment because of a lack of progress on the matter, it said. Denying the bribery charges, Chung said the NT$3 million was intended to contribute to expenditures at his constituent-services office, while the NT$4 million was intended as a campaign donation for his re-election bid this year.
COMMUNICATIONS
Cables link Taiwan, China
The first undersea telecommunications cables linking Taiwanese and Chinese territories have been completed, an official with Chunghwa Telecom said yesterday. The two fiber-optic cables link the city of Xiamen in southern China with the Kinmen island group, which lies just off the coast of China, the official said. The cables are due to go into operation on Tuesday next week, he added. The official, who asked not to be named, said the company had invested about NT$100 million (US$3.3 million) in the joint venture involving three Chinese telecoms operators. In 1958, the Chinese army fired more than 470,000 shells at Kinmen and several other islets in a 44-day bombardment, killing a total of 618 servicemen and civilians and wounding more than 2,600. China was still bombarding the island as late as the 1970s, although by then the shells were stuffed with propaganda leaflets. Kinmen now has become a popular attraction for tourists from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
OLYMPICS
Athletes to get cash
Cash rewards distributed to the nation’s medal winners and other athletes who performed well at the recently concluded 2012 Olympic Games amount to more than NT$30 million (US$1 million), the Sports Affairs Council said yesterday. Cash awards totaling NT$32.7 million will be paid to 16 athletes. According to the Regulations Governing the Issuance of Guo Guang Athletic Medals and Scholarships (國光體育獎章及獎助學金頒發辦法), Hsu Shu-ching (許淑淨), the silver medalist in the women’s under-53kg weightlifting event, is eligible to receive a one-time reward of NT$7 million or a lifetime monthly pension of NT$38,000 for winning a silver medal for the country. Tseng Li-cheng (曾櫟騁), the bronze medal winner in the women’s under-57kg taekwondo category, is eligible to receive NT$5 million or a lifetime monthly pension of NT$24,000. Table tennis player Chuang Chih-yuan (莊智淵), who finished fourth in the men’s singles event — the best-ever finish by a male Taiwanese table tennis player at the Games — will be given NT$3 million. Athletes who finished fifth or sixth will receive NT$1.5 million, while those who came in seventh or eighth will get NT$0.9 million.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
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
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS